How to Use Basic Woodworking Tools : What Is a Jointer Used For?

How to understand what projects to use a jointer for; get professional tips and advice from an expert carpenter on woodworking tools in this free instructional video.

Expert: Kevin Mouton
Bio: Kevin Mouton has spent the last four years making custom, high end, solid wood and veneer furniture for local and national clients out of a shop in Austin, Texas.
Filmmaker: Paul Raila

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• table
• saw
• chop
• woodworking
• planer
• carpentry
• joiner
• biscuit
• clamping
• jointer

[Konkaver]

@bedofrazorsqwerty I think you just won comment of the year...

[bedofrazorsqwerty]

@kodiakfred140 Better in the emergency room than a person that refuses to learn a new skill. Work safe, think safe and do your research. You'll be fine and you'll feel proud. A person's worth is dependent on two things: How he/she treats people and his/her ability to change his/her surroundings. Please try and understand this is not a personal insult, but encouragement. There is a major decline in American craftsmanship and independence and it's all based on "someone else should do this."

[kodiakfred140]

I hire people to do carpentry because I AM NOT A CARPENTER! I have a basic toolbox to do basic tasks around the house that are within my ability. Some of you guys are gonna end up in the emergency room.

[GamingDrummer89]

(continued from last post)...One important point to remember besides the fact that planers can't hold a board steady and create a perfectly flat face is this: If jointers were only meant for edges of boards, the biggest jointer would probably be about 4 or 5 inches. And they make them up to 16-20 inches. Why? Because you don't use a planer to flatten. You use a jointer to do that and then you let the planer knock off the high spots on the opposite face. That's how it's done.

[GamingDrummer89]

(continued from last comment)...Also, a few comments below someone said this was an unsafe technique. That is also incorrect.

Obviously you don't want to have no blade guard on the machine, and you want to use a push block or push stick instead of your fingers. If you do this safely it's not dangerous and again, a planer will not create a flat face unless you find a way to stabilize the board as it goes through the planer. (continued for one more post)...

[GamingDrummer89]

(continued from last comment)...On the other hand, with a jointer, there's no feed rollers pressing the warp out of the board or making it rock around as the blades cut it. You use your hands, and with those you can keep the board stable and not press down too much on it. Thus, the board will "float" over the knives, and a flat reference face will be created, which is then put down against the planer's table, and the knives on the planer knock off all the high spots. (continued in next comment).

[GamingDrummer89]

To those who say that a jointer is just used for edges, that's dead wrong.

If you send a board that's warped in any way through a planer, it's gonna stay warped. The infeed rollers in the planer press the board flat against the table (essentially making the board look flat) and the blades take some material off. But as soon as the board is released from the planer's rollers, the board is no longer forced to be flat, and it springs back to being warped. (continued in next comment)...

[Parakiosu2]

this safety bla bla bla its geting on my nervs.

[DoctorMeh]

@mathesontown - He is explaining how the machine works. He never turns on the machine. He never uses the machine

Personally I don't want my time wasted by the obligatory "Don't be a dumbass" warning. If you need your hand held, stay away from work of any kind.

[860240]

Somehow this guy still has thumbs!!