Jointer safety question

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My jointer hasn't a pork's chop guard, but it has sliding guard instead.

Today I was jointing a piece of board and I had the doubt if I was using it properly.

The pics show the three different ways I can use it, my doubt is between the first one where the guard is placed as a bridge on top of the board forcing you to take off or move the hands away from that spot or the third one where the guard is only covering the spining blades. The second one is quite clear to me.

Maybe all three are wrong:dunno:

Any info will be appreciated.
 

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:huh::huh:I don't really know Toni. Understand the question though!:dunno::dunno: The bridge looks safest, does it really hold it down (kind of like a planer?), does the black guard stop the board from going backwards? Sorry, no help from me. But looking forward to the correct answer.
 
never seen one like that toni, but i got to go with pic two and three,, yu dont want to feed wood under your guard and then change presure to jump over the the other side.. but in the last two yu got open knives starun at yu not good!!!!!
 
First pic is correct.

The idea is that you are not allowed to rely on the wood to protect your hands - thus, forcing you to remove your hands anywhere near the cutter head while you feed the wood.

The mantra that every woodworker needs to keep in mind at all times is: What happens if the wood disappears?
 
I pic #1. Normally you hold down the wood till the board gets past the blade, then you switch the hand over to the outfeed side. Pic 2 and three seem more like a feather board setup and could cuse the board to bind if the fence is to tight. Thats my 1-1/2 cents worth.:rofl:
 
Hey Larry - good question and yes, if your technique puts pressure on the infeed side, it can throw off the cut.

Proper jointing technique should have downward pressure, if any at all, on the outfeed side as soon as possible. Also, since you want your pressing (very light, btw, not much at all) near the action on the outfeed side, you will need to use an alternating-hand feed method which makes it real easy to just hop over the guard at the begining of the cut and then just stay there through the rest of it.

Here's how I do it - on any jointer, porkchop or otherwise:

My front (left) hand usually starts about 10" or so from the end of the board before it hits the cutters. My rear (right) hand is about 24" away from my left. If the wood's already dressed and kinda slick, I use a push shoe with an especially sticky pad (sandpaper, mouse pad, neoprene, etc) for my forward force.

After that first ~10" of board is through the cutter head, my right hand is applying all the forward push while my left hand hops over and resumes sharing the load of the forward push.

My right hand stays put until it starts getting close. It's not pushing down much at all, btw. 8-12 inches before my right hand reaches the guard, my left hand lifts and comes back to the business-end of the outfeed table and begins taking over the forward push and my right hand heads back for another 24" bite or so until I reach the end of the board.

At the very end, my right hand leaves the picture and leaves my left hand to finish the cut.

If I put any downward pressure, it's on the outfeed side and not all that much. I don't want the board to flex or that would throw off the jointing. Most importantly, none of my fleshy bits are in a direct line between the force and the cutter head, it's always glancing off.

For example, in the forward pushing of the board with my right hand, if the wood disappears, I'm not pressing down so if it disappears, My right hand only goes sideways and not much downward pressure. I'm not pressing forward near the cutter head, either, so if the wood disappears then, my hands will fly into safe territory no matter what.

That's how I do it, anyway. It certainly takes a little practice to keep from having a varied cut but eventually you do reach a point where the board never stops which is ideal, IMHO :)
 
First pic is correct.

The idea is that you are not allowed to rely on the wood to protect your hands - thus, forcing you to remove your hands anywhere near the cutter head while you feed the wood.

The mantra that every woodworker needs to keep in mind at all times is: What happens if the wood disappears?

hey jason i understand your logic, but wont the cut be affected once yu take the hand up to get it on the other side?

In fact, the process is a bit akward, because while your left hand is approaching the guard the right hand is moving away from it, so a concious coordination is needed to avoid what you mention Larry, hence my question.

It is so akward that when jointing big pieces like the one on the pic I must admit that I tend to forget about doing it that way.:(:(
 
hey jason i understand your logic, but wont the cut be affected once yu take the hand up to get it on the other side?

Larry,
Don't you routinely move your hands from the infeed to the outfeed side as the piece progresses through the jointer? I generally switch to 'outfeed only' just beyond the halfway point.

Toni,
From what I can see, picture number 1 is the correct use of the fence. Isn't there an illustration or something in the manual?
 
:huh::huh:I don't really know Toni. Understand the question though!:dunno::dunno: The bridge looks safest, does it really hold it down (kind of like a planer?), does the black guard stop the board from going backwards? Sorry, no help from me. But looking forward to the correct answer.

Nope, the guard does nothing at all, has no pressure on the board and doesn't stop the board going backwards.
 
Larry,
From what I can see, picture number 1 is the correct use of the fence. Isn't there an illustration or something in the manual?

That's the "funny" part, nothing is said in the manual about how to use the machine. It only mentions what swiches are for and that you should wear ear protection.
 
I don't know the answer.
But, I do know that since you are conscious of the safety issue and studying it you are being very wise. You are far less likely to have an injury than someone blindly, and ignorantly forging ahead just hoping for the best. :thumb:
 
I guess I will need to go through the motions and take some pics as I am not really sure exactly how I do it. It would be interesting to see and possibly helpful for others if my method is comfortable for them.
 
Toni,
I've got an Inca Jointer/Planer combo machine. It's older than your machine, but the guard is a similar bridge type. The instruction manual for my machine indicates that your #2 and #3 pics are the correct way to use it. They don't recommend the pic #1 approach because your line of sight is interrupted and the motion of feeding the wood over the cutting head is awkward (making it dangerous).
In their description, the guard is there to cover the portion of the cutter head that is not being used, protecting your hands as you work.
I know this is contrary to other responses, but i'm just relaying what my instruction manual indicates.
Best of luck with it. Perhaps you can find instructions for your machine on the internet.
Paul Hubbman
 
UPDATE!

Hi guys.

I found this free downloadable leaflet from UK governement that explains it all,
I think that as being free to download I won't be against the COC if I include it here. If so please delete de attachment.

On it it explains how to set up the guard among other safety directions, one of the things that scared me most is the paragrapf that reads:
A two-knife cutter block makes approximately 10 000 cuts per minute and if a machinist’s fingers are in
contact for only a tenth of a second, 16 slices will be
removed.
 

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