Ideas for attaching granite for jointer infeed/outfeed?

[Phil Thien]

Maybe you guys remember my thread a few months ago looking for a jointer cutterhead.

I've purchased a 12" wide jointer cutterhead on eBay, it is on the way.

My plan is to make the base from 8020. The head will be attached with pillow blocks.

I was thinking of various materials for in/outfeed tables. Aluminum or steel plate, laminated BB, etc.

But what about pieces of granite? The trouble is, I have no idea how I'd attach the granite. How is granite typically attached when used on table saws and jointers? Are there threaded holes? Epoxied inserts?

[Andrew Joiner]

Phil, Are you making a jointer?

[Jamie Buxton]

Do you have facilities for beveling the granite? On most jointers, the table edges near the jointer head are beveled back underneath the table. This allows the tables to support the workpiece close to the cutter head, but not hit the cutter head. Granite is usually 3/4" thick, so it will want to be beveled quite substantially.

[david brum]

What about torsion boxes for the in feed and out feed with a relatively thin ( 1"?) layer of granite epoxied or screwed to the top? Then all of the mechanical business could be screwed to the underside of the torsion box. I know that manmade material like mdf is pretty stable, but not sure if it's stable enough for a jointer. Also, how long do you plan the beds to be?

[Phil Thien]

Phil, Are you making a jointer?

That is the plan. I have some ideas on how I'd like to accomplish this, I don't know if it will work out. The jointer head was $90 and the 8020 and pillow blocks aren't terribly expensive.

So I'm going to try to make a jointer, but I may fail.

My goal is a 12" wide unit that I can move easily myself. I want a light-weight 12" wide jointer with about 4' of length.

[Phil Thien]

Do you have facilities for beveling the granite? On most jointers, the table edges near the jointer head are beveled back underneath the table. This allows the tables to support the workpiece close to the cutter head, but not hit the cutter head. Granite is usually 3/4" thick, so it will want to be beveled quite substantially.

Not really.

I had a few different ideas. One was to use a 24x24 tile cut in half. The tiles are pretty thin so I could maybe attach the tile to some sort of substrate and allow the tile to overhang and get sort of closer to the head. Not sure how well that would work. Plus I'd be worried about attaching the tile to the substrate. It would suck if I'm pushing the stock and having the tile break loose and shove into the head.

I had thought of having a shop that works w/ granite do it for me, using thicker material. But then I need to figure out how to attach the tables.

Not even positive I want to use the granite.

[Phil Thien]

What about torsion boxes for the in feed and out feed with a relatively thin ( 1"?) layer of granite epoxied or screwed to the top? Then all of the mechanical business could be screwed to the underside of the torsion box. I know that manmade material like mdf is pretty stable, but not sure if it's stable enough for a jointer. Also, how long do you plan the beds to be?

I was thinking of even thinner (1/4"-1/2") thick granite floor tile. The epoxy thing kinda scares me, if that breaks loose I'd have a real problem.

Another thought that occurs to me is UHMW plastic screwed down to a substrate (like small torsion boxes). My current jointer has countersunk screw holes on the outfeed table and they don't seem to get in the way. I'm not sure how UHMW plastic would work for a jointer table, even if I can keep it flat, though.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Phil, I'd be a bit worried that granite may chip into the cutter if a board whacks it, or vibrations, or something you have no control of. It's pretty brittle, and the thinner the worse. Why not just use aluminum if you want light?

[Sam Murdoch]

First of all Phil I want to say that I am impressed with your initiative. I would never think to build my own jointer. But then - why not? It's just another cool thing to build. Anyway, having some experience with both granite and aluminum I add my +1 to Steve's comment above. Granite can have hidden flaws that could manifest in a bad way when used in conjunction with moving cutter heads, pieces of wood and human hands. I surely would consider aluminum over granite unless you are absolutely certain of the structural integrity of your 12" wide a 2' +/- granite.

[Phil Thien]

First of all Phil I want to say that I am impressed with your initiative. I would never think to build my own jointer. But then - why not? It's just another cool thing to build. Anyway, having some experience with both granite and aluminum I add my +1 to Steve's comment above. Granite can have hidden flaws that could manifest in a bad way when used in conjunction with moving cutter heads, pieces of wood and human hands. I surely would consider aluminum over granite unless you are absolutely certain of the structural integrity of your 12" wide a 2' +/- granite.

Alright Steve and Sam, I think that is good advice. I haven't worked w/ granite and I sure don't want pieces chipping off near the spinning parts!

I guess I will probably make some laminated in/out tables to start with, so I can see if it works or if it is a total bust. If that works I'll invesitate something like steel or aluminum plate as a more permanent solution. I have a few different ideas for table height adjustment so the laminated plywood will give me a chance to test my ideas out, as well.

[Phil Thien]

BTW, as I mentioned in a reply above, I have a 2-3 ideas for table height adjustment...

BUT...

On all the jointers I've ever used, I've never adjusted the infeed height beyond the initial setup (I take about 1/32" per swipe). And the outfeed tables on all my jointers have been fixed. Seeing as I basically want to use this to flatten wide lumber, and get a straight edge, I wonder how much I should invest (dollars and time) in tables that go up/down.

Do you guys adjust your tables much?

[Doug Herzberg]

Phil, the guys who did out counter attached it to the cabinet boxes with ordinary automotive Bondo. Of course, they're out of business now. Different granites have different densities and levels of structural integrity. I think veining can imply a weak line. Around here, the granite companies are donating their cutoffs to the Habitat Restore. Our company said they filled a Dumpster every two weeks or so and just had it hauled away. I was looking for a paving material for a mosaic pattern. Didn't follow through because of the slick finish on most slabs.

The slabs can be cut with a diamond wheel on an angle grinder. A wet saw for tile work might suffice, but the 3cm material for countertops would overload those motors pretty quickly. Good luck with your project.

[Myk Rian]

Granite is heavy, aluminum is light. If you want portability in a 12" jointer, aluminum is the choice.
There are a couple examples of home made jointers on the VM site.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I guess I never adjust my jointer either. I know you can use it to make sprung cauls and such by changing the outfeed table, but I just don't need that feature. Fixed is simple, and lighter, but I think you'd want some adjustibility to both in and out for initial setup. Could just be loosen a bolt type of thing I'd think.

[Jeff Duncan]

I've only seen a couple jointers with granite tables and they "seemed" like they were drilled and counterbored for through bolts. I say "seemed" since I was not at liberty to take them apart

One other suggestion……keep an eye out on your local CL as sometimes larger basket case jointers go for very little money. Maybe even post a couple wanted to buy ads? Something like an old rusted jointer with broken parts may go for a couple hundred bucks. May be a longshot, but it doesn't cost anything but a little time to look.

good luck,
JeffD