another jointer thread

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Central (upstate) NY
The last time I used my jointer I experienced some difficulty passing wood across the blade. Even after a fresh waxing of the table and fence, I found myself needing to use more horizontal force than usual. Am I pressing downward too much or should I be thinking to give my jointer an adjustment?

It is a Ridgid 6 1/8" model.

Thanks!
 
Adjustment problems usually show up as bad results; bowing or snipe. If the wood moves easily on the table surfaces but not through the cutters, I would think knife issues. Have the knives got a lot of use on them or have they sat in rough environment that might have effected the cutting edge?
 
If you're taking thin cuts, (which you should be), then I think Glenn is right on track.:thumb: You can get a little Honing bar for jointer blades at Woodcraft & other vendors that are really cheap, and just lay it on the blade and slide it back and forth to "Touch Up" the blades and see if that doesn't make it work better. That honing every so often will extend the time between necessary sharpening "Unless" the blades are badly nicked, and this honing device won't take out nicks. Be sure to use the same number of strokes on each blade to keep them all the same height over time.

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=215
 
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I try to stay around 1/64" to 1/32" for single pass cut depth. At worst I'll do 1/16" for very rough stock when not the whole width is actually going to be hit by the knives. So I'll unplug the machine and carefully inspect the knives.

I don't think they've seen alot of use at all. Then again, maybe they are due for sharpening - I don't think they've seen 1,000 linear feet of wood yet, taking into account that the same pieces of wood pass the knives multiple times per use of the jointer.

As for environment, the jointer lives in my unheated attached garage in the northeast.

Thanks for the advice!
 
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Bigger arms or power feeder.:D:rofl:. Try taking and honeing the blades. They will dull from not being usedin this warm climate we live in.:rolleyes: Once the rust/crude is scraped off it should be fine.
 
Check that your outfeed table isnt a tad high. I had a problem getting a board to start on the outfeed table. The wood got caught on the lead edge of the outfeed table. I was also getting tapered wood if it required a lot of machining on the jointer. I had to lower the outfeed table just a little - about 1/8 turn on the adjustment. Unfortunately, I didnt measure it with a dial indicator.

Make sure your guard does not have too much spring force pushing the wood tight to the fence. I haven't heard of this happening, but it is a possible issue. I know that it can jam a piece against the fence if you try to back up.
 
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Too much wax can get sticky. It might help to wipe down with a solvent and start from scratch. I need to do that from time to time on my machines. I use TopCote exclusively for speed and convenience, but any wax can build up.
 
The last time I used my jointer I experienced some difficulty passing wood across the blade. Even after a fresh waxing of the table and fence, I found myself needing to use more horizontal force than usual. Am I pressing downward too much or should I be thinking to give my jointer an adjustment?

It is a Ridgid 6 1/8" model.

Thanks!
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What width of wood was you jointing?
 
I grabbed a flat piece of wood and did some testing of the jointer today.

First, at the highest infeed setting, the infeed table is slightly taller than the outfeed table. I did not experience any stoppages or difficulty sliding the board without a knife poking up.

Next, I used a scrap piece of maple to hold the knife up and the outfeed table is slightly lower than the knife height for one of the two blades (didn't check the other blade).

I'll try wiping off the residual Johnson Paste Wax with mineral spirits and rewax my tables.

My widths range from 3" to 10" (using the no guard / two pass method). I first experienced my movement difficulty while making a rabbet - thought that I was maybe binding between fence and tables, but there were no scratches on the wood consistent with this hypothesis. :dunno:

Maybe the issue is technique - could I be exerting too much downward force while pushing the boards through? I'm essentially self-taught regarding jointer usage, so I'm open to operator error being the root cause of my difficulties.
 
Hey Mark: I am no expert on any thing, but I always apply just enough downward pessure to make goog contact with the table but make sure I have presure against the fence,for a nice square edge. I found that after I used the dry coat on both fence and infeed & outfeed table and checked the fence for a perfect 90 degrees things went very smoothly.:dunno::thumb:
 
In my opinion, using a jointer requires the most "technique" of any woodworking tool, and far more than most people suspect. And I always cringe when I hear the word "pressure" in describing the use of a jointer.

But first of all, let me say I've been using the same Rigid jointer you have for about 4 years. They come out of the box with the infeed and outfeed tables perfectly set up at the factory, and I've NEVER touched the table adjustments in all that time. And it seems that in nearly ever post regarding jointers, people always suggest screwing around with the table heights as the solution to any jointing problem. After all, it MUST be the machine and not how I'm using it!!!!

Not so! Look at how the tables are held in place from the factory. They're pretty darn solidly kept in place, and I doubt dropping one from 20 to the ground would in any way affect the heights of the tables. Do you think that in just normal use the tables are actually going to go out of whack??

Over the years I've found that the "pressure" needed to joint stuff correctly is really, really light. Just enough to keep the wood from hopping when it hits the knives, especially when face jointing. You be surprised how much you can flex lumber, again especially when face jointing. I use a "rule of thumb" when jointing - I only apply pressure to the outfeed side with my thumb, and then only about 20% of the pressure I COULD apply with my thumb. On the infeed side I only use horizontal pressure to feed the piece thru.

The theory of the jointer is to pass the material over the knives and let them take off the "high spots," if you will, until the knives reach the "low" spot on that face (or edge.) Putting any downward pressure will have to distort that theory, and the wood.

So my suggestion is that you're right in assuming it's the pressure impeding the feed. I've cleaned and waxed my tables and it works like a charm. Try experimenting with decreasing amounts of any pressure and you'll eventually find the minimal amount of pressure needed to accurately joint stuff. You'll be surprised.
 
Sharpen the knives. That's the biggest problem that folks have with jointers...waiting too long to sharpen! Honing will only do a bit of refreshing. That bit about honing each knife the same amount of times...silly! It takes a lot to remove much steel from jointer knives. 20 extra strokes with a hone isn't going to change the balance or the projection of the edge noticably. Also stock jointer knives are pretty lame quality. Schmidt, Wisconsin Knife Works and a few others are top shelf. never had any problem with wax build up. Not uncommon to wax the tables many times during the day with heavy usage. Silicone from automotive paste wax affecting the finish is an old wives...oops...old woodworkers tale. Anyone who says so isn't quoting from real experience, just what they heard. I've using auto paste wax for 35 years. Spraying silicone lube is...it travels far and wide.

Have been repairing and tuning jointers professionally in schools, commercial shops, etc for 25 years so I would consider myself and expert.
 
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