15
OPERATION
AVOID DAMAGE TO BLADES
Jointers are a precision woodworking machine and should be used on quality lumber only. Do not join dirty boards;
dirt and small stones are abrasive and will wear out the blades.
For proper operation, it is preferable to use the jointer with a dust collection system attached to the exhaust port in
the rear of the jointer. Attaching a dust collecting system is highly recommended when taking deeper cuts to prevent
clogging of wood chips.
Remove nails and staples. Only use the jointer to cut wood. Avoid knots. Heavily cross-grained wood makes knots
hard. Knots can come loose and jam blades.
Assess the value of badly warped boards. You may be tempted to take a deep cut to square the boards quickly, when
a better approach is to use several passes with a shallower cut.
WARNING!
Any article that encounters jointer blades may be forcibly ejected from the jointer, creating risk
of injury. Make sure the wood is free from foreign materials before attempting to joint.
FEED A WORKPIECE
Feed rate refers to the rate at which wood is passed over the blades. An
even feed rate produces a uniform finish.
1. Hold the work piece firmly down on the feed table and against the
fence.
2. Feed the work piece at an even rate over the cutterhead. Any hesita-
tion or stopping will cause a “step” to be cut in the work piece. See Figs.
14 - 16 for different feeding methods.
3. As your trailing hand passes over the cutterhead, remove your lead-
ing hand and place behind your trailing hand and repeat until the entire
length of the workpiece has been cut. Use a push block (Fig. 16 - 1) and
a push stick (Fig. 16 - 2) to hold and feed the workpiece when jointing
wood that is narrower than 3 inches or thinner than 3 inches.
4. Cut with the grain whenever possible (Fig. 17). Do not feed against
the end grain (Fig. 18), otherwise the workpiece may split and shatter. If
the nature of the workpiece requires you to joint against the grain, take
extremely light cuts and feed slowly. When using long work pieces, use
extra supports at both ends of the jointer.
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
FEED
Rotation
Against the Grain
FEED
Rotation
With the Grain
1
2
