Hello to you all.
I have recently brought a 6″ jointer and have noticed that when i am straightening the edges,that the edges are coming out bowed depending on where the fence is in relation to the bed.
any help would be grateful as the frustration is starting to get to me.
Replies
Convex or concave?
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
~ Denis Diderot
concave, bowing out that is
If it varies with the position of the fence your blades may not be set evenly in the cutterhead. Move the fence out of the way and check the height of the knives in relation to the outfeed table all the way across the width.
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
i have adjusted the knives and set them to the outfeed table but cant think of anything else this is were the frustration comes in ,i have then tried the fence at several possies and it is okay with fence all the back but gets worse to the front
Either your outfeed table is low in the front or your knives are high in the front. Double check that your knives protrude equally then check the table. Is your outfeed table level front to back with the infeed? Checked with a straight edge?
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
Feeding technique can be just as important as your set up. A simple set up check can be done with the blade from a combination square. You don't want the knives to be exactly the same height as your outfeed table. They need to be a whisker higher. I place the ruler so the 8" mark aligns with the edge of the table. As you manually move the cutterhead, the ruler should move 1/8". You can tune this in very precisely. Once set, you can cut in a little on a sample board. The edge should ride perfectly on the outfeed table and this will tell you if the set up is correct.Once you are sure the knives are set properly, where you stand and where you apply pressure comes in. The rule of thumb is to transfer your pressure to the outfeed table about 1/3 through the cut. You don't want to be standing at the infeed table or putting any pressure on it, just the outfeed. It's also important not to push the work too quickly. You will end up with scalloped knife marks if you go too fast. If this doesn't cure your problem, you will have to check table alignment.Each board is different. If there is a hump on the edge, you will have to apply pressure on that hump throughout the cut until it starts to come in line. Another common issue I've seen is the depth of cut some try to take. If you have the jointer set for 1/32" or less, the knives don't take a clean bite, they somewhat bounce off the work. This is very evident when the knives are set in line with the outfeed table. An attempt to be fastidious ends up shooting you in the foot. Woodworkers have a tendency to try to be too precise.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Good advice but I think the key to his problem is the fact that the severity of the problem varies with the position of the fence. This would point to the knives and the outfeed table not being in the same plane across the width of the table. If it were technique the position of the fence would have no effect.
................................................
Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
my guess is your infeed table is lower at the fence.
Shimming with small aluminum shims (aluminum soda cans) can correct the problem.
My 8" jointer is experiencing the same problem.
Cuts are fine with the fence within 2" of the rabbiting edge but become concave as the fence opens up more of the table width.
I was told by a Grizley salesman that it comes from wear or improper factory setup.
Mine will be reset tomorrow.
Just a thought from an old mechanic.
I tend to agree about your assessment that the table is not 90 degrees to the fence.
As I traveled the world I always had a stack of 3, 6 and 12 inch triangles. Yes, the plastic ones. Metal better? Maybe.. But not by much. Also heavy and expensive. The common plastic one are inexpensive and accurate (Does not mean you should not check before using them). I liked the florescent colored ones because the light would make the edges stand out.
On flat surfaces, I had common US Nickles glued to the sides that would act as a base. As in four per triangle. Three or six inch triangles seem to work better because they do not span as large an area across the surface. Scatter them and put them at different angles.
By the way, long point up! With reasonable light and a 'good eye' you can usually spot any triangle 'tipped' a bit.
Nothing that will show every problem, but at least you can spread the triangles around in different places and look for anything unusual.
Then get out the fancy tools to check further!
If the technique is incorrect it's a little hard to tell if there is something wrong with the jointer. A good place to start is with the basics, if you still have a problem, then you have to look a bit deeper. If the set up and technique are correct and you can repeat inaccuracies as the fence moves from front to back, it's the infeed table. The knives are set to the outfeed table so they should be in line across the width. I would look to see that the tables are coplanar and one isn't twisted in relation to the other. Easy enough to check with a straight edge and feeler block, both straight in line and in an X. The owners manual should cover how to make these adjustments.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I have read the other replys and agree with their analysis that seem to be correct with the symptoms you describe. But, if these remedies do not work, then what?
Not knowing what brand of jointer you are dealing with, I will say somewhat irresponsibly, if you buy a cheap jointer, you will get less than satisfactory, cheap results. The castings of the tables might be warped.
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled