Problems Jointing lumber

Question

I have a 6ft jet jointer and have begun working with it. I've been researching and reading about how to do this properly and I'm still having challenges.

What seems to happen to me, no matter what board I use or how much I cut off on each pass is that it cuts the first couple inches of the board and then pretty much skips the remainder of the board. This seems to happen regardless of where I put pressure on the board. Generally I follow the guidline of pushing the board over the cutter and then apply the pressure to the outfeed of the table, all I end up doing is creating thinner ends that a straight line cut across the entire board.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Sounds like your not keeping enough downward pressure as the board is being milled and it sounds like you might be rushing it, My Dad always told me let the machine do the cuttin there aint no need in force feeding it, so maybe slow down a little and check your cut depth, depending on the species of wood to a harded wood like oak or maple take it slow you will burn up your cutting tool. Hope this helps

www.frankawitz.net

Answer 2

you're on the right track, but I think you mean a 6" jointer. it is supposed to cut that way. it will cut the low spots, then not cut the high spots, then cut the low: that is how it is straightening out the board. you just keep running it until you hear it cut constantly along the board. set it so the outfeed is only 1/16" or less higher than the infeed. it is better to push the board against the fence. if you push it against the outfeed, you are tilting the board down, taking more off the leading edge than the trailing edge. try that way. stick with it, you'll get it.

Hope that helps.

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Nope, it will even out as you shave down the high spots. i wrote that wrong and edited. the outfeed to be 1/16" higher.

try it on a piece of scrap, and just keep running it. if you keep it pressed against the fence vertically, it will run straight.