Shopsmith Forums

Everyone,
I could use some diagnosis from the experts here. My experiences with the SS jointer this weekend remind me of my need for training and practice. My effort was to joint and face 8/4 oak. It started as 2 x 8 x 9 (length). I cut to 36 inch lengths for my purposes and ripped into 4 inch widths for the Jointer. My hope is to eventually resaw into 3/8th or 1/2th widths for making a cabinet.

My jointing experiences were as follows, along with my self-diagnosis. Any input from the pros would be most welcome:
1. The first 1 or 1.5 inch of board takes a greater amount of wood than the rest. This seems to be the reverse of snipe. I'm supposing that I have too much difference in my infeed and outfeed and I'm catching the front end of the board before it gets to the outfeed. I suppose I should move to 1/32 difference or so.

2. Some edge jointing is smooth, and other parts are uneven. I might not be paying sufficient attention to going with the grain. Perhaps my speed is too slow for the hardwood in question. My speed control is set at Jointing, however. The manual talks of 5,000+ for hardwood.

3. My facing suffers from the same experience described above for the first 1 inch to 1.5 inch of the board. Same analysis.

4. My results are generally inconsistent. Some boards and some parts of the boards are great; others are wavy or rough. Might be dull blades, perhaps speed.

5. Some boards cupped. I failed to do the concave portion first, as suggested in the book. No answer needed here. I know what I was doing wrong.

That all for now. I ask for guidance and advice. Mostly, I ask for patience.

Start by making certain that the infeed and outfeed tables are absolutely in the same plane with one another (coplaner). Then back the infeed table down about 1/32" (depth of cut).

When feeding into the blade and through out the entire cut, keep downward pressure on the outfeed side (keep the stock against the outfeed table).

Until you develop the feel, slow feed rate is better. You can feed too fast but you can not feed too slow.

Yes, sharp (and properly set) blades are a must.

The tear out (you did not use that term but I think you alluded to it) could be the result of feeding against the grain. Turn the stock end for end and see if there is a difference.

Question 1 and 3: Methinks the BLADES are too low in the cutter head. They should be the same height as the OUTFEED table. After starting to cut the workpiece, it gets to the outfeed table edge and has to ride UP to get over it. The result is the rest of the cut is shallower.(and the workpece will tend to teeter totter)

Question 4: Same CAUSE. The workpiece CANNOT travel in a consistant plane since the workpiece will tend to rock while being cut. It is imperative that the cutter cut the workpiece so that it slides onto the outfeed table with preferably zero clearance. You appear to have negative clearance(interferes).

Question 3: Both you and Dusty have already come up with a probable cause(grain). It is possible the direction of the grain reverses from end to end. A very shallow cut would then be indicated.(impossible with the blades too low to the outfeed table!)

As a possible additional cause of the 1,3 scenario, make sure the infeed table AND the outfeed table ARE 'co planer'. Raise the infeed table until it is the same height as the outfeed table. Lay a straight edge across the cutter opening(end of infeed table to far end of outfeed table). The straight edge should be flat against BOTH tables.(I do not think you need be worried about contacting the knives[they are too low]). This would allow you to see the (excessive?)knife clearance.

I like to set the blade height by placing a straight piece of wood on the outfeed table with one end extending out over the cutter end of the outfeed table. I slowly raise the blade(both ends simultaneously) until one end just drags the wood(continuously checking BOTH ends of the blade). I then continue to raise the other end of the blade until it also just drags the wood.
I repeat this procedure for the other 2 blades. After setting the height, I set the horizontal position of the blades by a similar procedure by placing a straight piece of wood against the side of the outfeed table and moving the blades out until they just drag against the wood. This is easier if the infeed table is lowered all the way down.

This results in very near zero clearance(-0,+very small) in both directions(the edge setting comes into play when rabbiting).

p.S. The low blade blade symptoms can be observed by clamping a thin piece of material on the top of the outfeed table and trying to joint a straight edge. Both the reverse end snipe and the teeter totter effect will be quite apparent.

charlese wrote: Does anyone have experiences with tapering on the jointer?

Yeah, I once got some very clean and precise tapers on some 2x2 stock. While I admired the accuracy and look of the lines produced, unfortunately i wasn't trying to get a taper at the time.
Dang.
Turns out my knives were horribly worn and way overdue for re-grinding. (This was back when I didn't go through the basic checks with each use.)

charlese wrote: If you have to remove the blades, then grinding is called for ...

Just a quick comment on the grinding aspect: I used to Dread the prospect, to the point where I picked up the Conical sanding disc and the jointer blade grinding jig when it became available.
Oh, how sweet it is!

I'm (almost) eager to do it again and try the different bevel approach.

reible wrote:Another one of the rules is that the blades need to extend 1/16" beyond the left side of the out feed table. If you don't have that right the wood might catch along the out feed table.
Ed

AHA!

So that's why...

Thanks.

beeg wrote:Now I'm not sure how much it will cover. But mine has a guard over the power coupling, and it does cover the knives as the fence is moved over.

Sounded familiar. Mine has the "flap" cover that hangs over the coupling guard when fence all the way right, and which covers the knives completely when fence slid way over to the left. Does the job.

dusty wrote:I don't have a late model jointer (early 1990's) but it does not have a hole to facilitate blade guard installation to the rear of the fence. That is too bad. I have never given much thought to how much blade exposure there actually is.

I believe this will probably lead to my using other methods when cutting rabbets.

Dusty, you need to get the upgraded guard to cover the knives completely when the fence is used as in your first picture!

Someone will surely post a pic of it, but if not I will tomorrow.

Wow. I've never seen a SS jointer without that guard, so I didn't realize or appreciate what a thoroughly scary scene that is!

charlese wrote:... I'd prefer honing, using a stone flat on the infeed table with wax paper between the stone and the table. Just making a small secondary bevel. This method does not require the removal of the blades.

(Sorry I couldn't find pictures of this method, but it is somewhere in the Shopsmith literature. Maybe someone else can locate it.)

P. 24 of the Jointer Owner's Manual.

JPG40504 wrote:OR a FLOCK of smaller ones.

Then you would have been flocked.