linkmx674 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 i am new to woodworking and trying to get my tools setup. i think my jointer is off a bit? it seems to me that my fence is square to the table but it seems like i am off when i check the board after a pass when i check with machinist sq. i but marks on the board to see if it all cleans up and it does? i am not taking a real heavy cut and should try a deeper pass??? i dont have all the tools like indicators and all tose fancy tools for set up. im just using what i have and that pretty much my machinist squares. my jointer is brand new . will my tools ever be perfect or?? the funny thing is-is that i work for an orthopeadic company and i am a machinist there. i deal with .0005 tolerances all the time. is .010 thousandths to bad?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Adjust your cutter to your table then the fence to the table. Will your tools ever be perfect? Its really not all that important for them to be "perfect", there is a close enough factor in woodworking. I dont own all the fancy dial indicators and gizmos, never have never will just not necessary. There are lots of ways to get things done without spending money on "convienences". If you have a good square you can accomplish most any adjustment task. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linkmx674 Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 don how do i adjust cutter to table? i have a grizzly 6''. i did the set up when i bought jointer for top dead center of blade for outfeed table? is that what you r saying or another adjustment? you have been alot of help on my post thank you. i will try to make more adjustments. i may have to call one of my woodworkers freinds to make a trip over to help me. chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Dials and indicators can help you get set up, but I agree with Don - there are lots of ways to get something done. Even if your fence is square to the table, if the knives are not properly set up then you will end up with a non-square edge. The knives should be even with the outfeed table all the way across, or even a little highter (most people will try to set it a small amount above the outfeed side, so there's no chance of the board getting hung up on the edge of the outfeed after it passes over the knives). I am not familiar with the Grizzly jointer so I cannot comment on how to adjust its knives. On my jointer, there are jack screws underneath each knife (one at either end) that are adjusted up or down as needed, to get the knife at the right height *AND* to get it even with the outfeed table. Your manual should have directions on how to accomplish this. Marc has a good video on setting up a jointer (episode 118 http://thewoodwhispe.../jointer-setup/) and another on actually using the jointer (http://thewoodwhispe...ointers-jumpin/) that you should check out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Link, I set up my jointer with a long aluminum straight edge and a machinist square. That should be enough for you to get your jointer set-up. The two biggest things are getting the cutter head and outfeed table lined up as close as possible as well as making the fence stop at 90 degrees as close to a right angle as possible. During a panel glue up on a recent project of 4' long boards my joints are straight enough now using this method that when I applied clamping force at one end of the panel, I had squeeze out all along the board all the way to the other end. Of course I put additional clamps on, but I'm just saying it's possible without high-tech tools. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 John, I set me outfeed the same height as the cutters and have never had it catch. Interesting concept to set the cutter higher, but I'm thinking it "theoretically" shouldn't catch if they're truly at the same level. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 John, I set me outfeed the same height as the cutters and have never had it catch. Interesting concept to set the cutter higher, but I'm thinking it "theoretically" shouldn't catch if they're truly at the same level. Thoughts? Jay - I say go with what works for you. I've seen people write about both approaches. My knives are just a touch higher, but not so much that I'd state it's a necessity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Jay - I saw go with what works for you. I've seen people write about both approaches. My knives are just a touch higher, but not so much that I'd state it's a necessity. So you're talking tiny micro fractions of an inch then? If it is I can see where the wood would move more over time than the tiny amount. Do you think that "easing" the edge of the outfeed table would have helped in lieu of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Jay - I'm talking about my inability to get it precisely even, given the current setup equipment I have I ended up using the 'ruler' trick, where I lay a ruler on the outfeed table and on the knife and then rotate the cutter head - the ruler moves a tiny tiny amount on the knife at the very top of its rotation (meaning the knife is a little higher than the outfeed), but it's roughly the same amount on either side of the blade and it's a very small amount, so I'm happy. Some boards I recently jointed came out about as square as I can measure, so I'd say it's "good for me". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 A tip for panel glue up is to always alternate your faces. This takes all the wave out of a panel when your fence is that little bit out of square. I go even with the table and do get catches all the time. Tried above and still got catches so went back level because it was easier. Your always going to have a board that got dropped on the corner or thrown in the truck that gets one of the corners compressed and catches. Just back up and go at it again. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 A tip for panel glue up is to always alternate your faces. This takes all the wave out of a panel when your fence is that little bit out of square. I go even with the table and do get catches all the time. Tried above and still got catches so went back level because it was easier. Your always going to have a board that got dropped on the corner or thrown in the truck that gets one of the corners compressed and catches. Just back up and go at it again. Don Yikes! That's two of you now and I'm guessing there are others where it catches... I must be really lucky with my jointer. I wonder if it has something to do with technique too. I do the board ends first (flipping end for end each pass) until it hits in the middle then run the whole length. I'm guessing you do the same Don...perhaps John too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Yikes! That's two of you now and I'm guessing there are others where it catches... I must be really lucky with my jointer. I wonder if it has something to do with technique too. I do the board ends first (flipping end for end each pass) until it hits in the middle then run the whole length. I'm guessing you do the same Don...perhaps John too? Jay - I usually do not flip end for end, since I usually make sure ahead of time that the grain orientation is where I want it. I can't remember the last time I had a board catch on the outfeed table, but this past weekend I did have one catch on a small recess in the fence (it's there for a bolt), At the time I didn't know what it caught on, so I took Marc's advice in his video and just shut it off until I could figure out what was going on. Don's advice of "back up and go at it again" is a good technique for safety, since you never want to 'force' it through and possibly lose control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Jay - I usually do not flip end for end, since I usually make sure ahead of time that the grain orientation is where I want it. I can't remember the last time I had a board catch on the outfeed table, but this past weekend I did have one catch on a small recess in the fence (it's there for a bolt), At the time I didn't know what it caught on, so I took Marc's advice in his video and just shut it off until I could figure out what was going on. Don's advice of "back up and go at it again" is a good technique for safety, since you never want to 'force' it through and possibly lose control. I only flip end for end when I'm doing the initial straightening. After that, I make sure my grain is set to avoid tear out like you're mentioning. I agree that Marc's advise to shut it off it the best. That's what I do...I did that recently because mine also caught in the recess for that bolt. The worst part was after I got going I caught my finger nail in there while making a pass and bent the nail backwards. OUCH!!!! Regarding backing it up like Don said...it's possible in practiced hands, but if the cutter head grabs...you have a missile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I only flip end for end when I'm doing the initial straightening. After that, I make sure my grain is set to avoid tear out like you're mentioning. I agree that Marc's advise to shut it off it the best. That's what I do...I did that recently because mine also caught in the recess for that bolt. The worst part was after I got going I caught my finger nail in there while making a pass and bent the nail backwards. OUCH!!!! Regarding backing it up like Don said...it's possible in practiced hands, but if the cutter head grabs...you have a missile. The only time you should ever get a catch is the very front corner of the board. Your only over the cutter the width of the cutter head, backing off is not going to cause a kick back. You will see more catches on the outfeed with shallow cuts on a parallelogram jointers when the operator doesnt apply enough pressure as the board is fed into the cutter or the board rocks on a twist as it enters the cutter. With the parallelogram jointers the tables are so close together your usually only a very small ways between the tables if that makes any sense. I would shut the jointer off it it cought in the middle of the board but never even seen that happen. I get catches going in all the time but my jointing method is a little light handed. If your getting cought on bolt holes then its time to bondo over those before you get hurt. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linkmx674 Posted February 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 hey thanks guys. i got a jointer knive jig with my jointer, with my eyes everything seems good with the knives?? i ran some more board thru it and i am getting .005 thousandths. im figuring maybe its where i am putting down pressure on the board while i am running it thru? i know .005 is not a big deal but whatever. i was also looking at a jointed face and the other side was rough sawn still. i think its ok. will let you know how my next project turns out. like when i glu up table top for end table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayWC Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Link, A lot of it is technique, but you can learn the more you go. When I first started learning, I thought I had the jointer set up right. After I grew in my skills I realized I could tweak the set-up. You might find the same thing. In any case, great start and good luck! Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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