jointer problem

[Lynn Reid]

Hi all...I have a 6" bench jointer...it's a Geetech (I was told they also make Jet and others). It is sturdy and well made. The problem I have is it cuts more off the front of the board than the back. I ran a piece of 6/4 walnut through it several times...at the front end it was near 5/4...at the rear still near 6/4. I can't figure out what's going on...maybe technique? I haven't used a joiner in quite a few years...but I never had such an issue.The beds are flat and perfectly in line...the cutter solid with no apparent slop in the bearings...the whole tool bolted solid to a workbench. At any rate it doesn't seem that bad technique would produce such a discrepancy. I just don't know what to do! Have any of you had a similar problem? I would sincerely appreciate any assistance. It's not just on one piece of lumber...I have tested it with several. Thanks!

[HANK METZ]

You didn't mention this but have you checked the knife alignment with the outfeed table?

- Beachside Hank

[Bruce Volden]

+1 on what Hank said. Sounds like your knives sit higher than your outfeed.

Bruce

[Steve Hayles]

"The beds are flat and perfectly in line"

Just a thought, but the out-feed bed it meant to be slightly higher than the in-feed.

This is to adjust for the amount of cut the the blades have done and to allow the board being planed to stay parallel to the ground. Thus giving you a straight cut.


If the beds are even it will result in a sloping cut which appears to be what you are experiencing.


Cheers


Steve

[Ray Scheller]

Remember a jointer is used to flatten one face before you plane it parallel. Are you sure both faces are parallel and exactly the same thickness on both ends before you begin jointing? If not it may not be the jointer at all.

[Jim Barrett]

The first thing I would try is to drop the out feed table which will cause snipe and slowly raise it up until the snipe disappears. If this does not correct your problem then I would make sure your in and out feed table are co-planar.
Let us know what you find out.

Jim

[Al Burton]

Remember a jointer is used to flatten one face before you plane it parallel. Are you sure both faces are parallel and exactly the same thickness on both ends before you begin jointing? If not it may not be the jointer at all.

Basically it soulnds like your jointer is cutting a taper or making a wedge, they will do that. Consistent thickness isn't the goal with a jointer, more a flat face. If your setup is correct then technique probably has a lot to do with your jointer cutting a taper. Verify your setup and then work on technique, the jointer isn't a machine you can just lay a piece of wood on and a couple passes later expect it to be flat, sometimes you have to apply pressure at just the right spot but most times you have to make sure it is even. Watch a few videos on youtube on jointer setup and technique and it may help a lot. One thing I do to minimize the chance of any tapering is to flip the board end for end every other time. I take light passes to minimize tear out and run my last pass or two through with the grain.

[Myk Rian]

Basically it soulnds like your jointer is cutting a taper or making a wedge, they will do that. Consistent thickness isn't the goal with a jointer, more a flat face. If your setup is correct then technique probably has a lot to do with your jointer cutting a taper. Verify your setup and then work on technique, the jointer isn't a machine you can just lay a piece of wood on and a couple passes later expect it to be flat, sometimes you have to apply pressure at just the right spot but most times you have to make sure it is even. Watch a few videos on youtube on jointer setup and technique and it may help a lot. One thing I do to minimize the chance of any tapering is to flip the board end for end every other time. I take light passes to minimize tear out and run my last pass or two through with the grain.

Al has it right.
Jointers make a wedge.

[Michael Weber]

Nothing causes more confusion and consternation than jointers. All the above are more or less correct. Jointers can cut a taper but it shouldn't be as much as your getting. Not only can they cut tapers but can make a board concave or convex depending on the infeed/outfeed/cutter alignment as well as technique. As others has stated, learn how to check your alignment an feed the wood through properly. It may or may not require purchase of some kind of jig or devise to get everything perfect. Lots' of people expect a jointer to do the function of a planer which it can't reliably do. For the most part both a jointer and planer are need to dimension wood accurately. Neither does the job well alone without elaborate jigs.

[Lynn Reid]

Hi all and thanks for the help! The walnut was shipped to me square when I received it...I left to season in the shop for a month or so when it cupped a small amount. That's when I took it to the jointer...remembering that I have been having that issue. When I said "flat and perfectly in line"...I meant that when the infeed table is leveled with the outfeed table...a straight edge will lay perfectly on both infeed and outfeed...and also diagonally. The blades appear to be level with the outfeed table...stock moves across the blades and onto the outfeed table smoothly. I don't have a device for setting the blades...yet. Thanks again...after I posted it seemed to me that technique is almost certainly the issue. I will work on that and post again if anything becomes apparent. This whole site is great!!

[Thad McCulloch]

Put a straightedge on the outfeed table and extend it over the cutterhead, but do not let it touch the infeed table. Rotate the cutterhead by hand (you did disconnect the power, right?) and see if the knives at TDC catch the straightedge and cause it to move slightly. If so, your outfeed table is lower than the knives. If the straightedge doesn't move, lower the outfeed table until the straightedge just barely scrapes the knife at TDC as you rotate it. Ideally, you don't want the knives to move the straightedge, but you do want them to just barely scrap the bottom of the straightedge. Try it at different positions on the outfeed table to see if it's consistent across the width of the jointer. That'll get you about as close as you can get to making the outfeed table and the knives level at TDC without having to have a dial indicator or something similar.

[Charlie Ross]

Not to the extent you're having, but I've had problems if I push down too hard on the stock I'm running through the Jointer.

[Matthew Sherman]

Check out Marc's episode on jointer setup. http://thewoodwhisperer.com/jointer-setup/