Understanding how jointer can help improve the projects you’re producing in your shop can be vitally important.
When I used the capital to purchase a jointer for my shop it was a game changer. Giving me the ability to process my own lumber and into exactly what I needed. This also helped me cut my lumber cost which was huge.
Buying rough cut lumber from my local sawmill and processing them into high-quality cuts of lumber.
All my workpieces were flat and true to which my time in my shop much more enjoyable.
So what does the jointer actually do for you? The jointer has two precision quality flat surfaces on an infeed and outfeed table. In the middle of these two surfaces is a spinning blade.
The blade can come in a variety of combinations from 3 or 4 straight blade configuration or the almighty helical blade.
When the workpiece is passed over the blade it is then shaved off in the high spots of the workpiece. Multiple passes are normally required until the workpiece is flat and in the same plane.
Helical Head
What makes the helical head configuration a superior choice? Well if you’re reading this article to learn more about what a jointer does let me explain these great cutters.
Helical heads have replaceable cutter teeth. These teeth range to be about ⅜”x3/8” squares that have a cutting surface.
The powerful part of this setup is that once one edge becomes damage a simple rotation of the square puts a clean unused cutting edge up in the queue.
So for an example, if nail in a piece of rough cut lumber shows its face when doing some jointing, a simple rotation of that cutter tooth can be done.
As were with a standard straight blade a sharpening is more like to have to be done before proceeding further.
History Of The Jointer
The history of the jointer has deep roots, dating back to 1806. However, a commercially produced version of jointer didn’t come into play until 1834 by Thomas E. Daniels.
Daniels design was widely popular and showed a lot of success.
A great number of manufacturers began producing this popular piece of machinery.
It took almost another 30 years in 1866 for a new patent to be submitted that is very similar to what we know today as a modern-day jointer.
The creator of this unique design was a couple of fellows named John D. Riley and Henry Climer
Riley and Climers design not only had an infeed and outfeed table but also had a cylindrical blade setup that we have on our modern day jointers.
To me, it’s quite crazy that design from the 1860s is very similar to the design we are so familiar with today. Or am I just crazy myself?
Uses Of A Jointer
Having a jointer in your shop is a very powerful piece of equipment to own.
Owning jointer gives you the ability to mill your own lumber into high precision pieces of lumber for fine furniture making.
Face Jointing
Some tasks that a jointer can do for you is face joint. Which makes the wider faces of you’re stock become flat.
Giving you the ability to remove cups, bows, minor twists, and much more with just a few quick passes over the blades.
Edge Jointing
Not only does a jointer give you the ability to face joint but as well as doing edge joining.
This is extremely useful for when laminating multiple boards together to make wider stock.
Which can be a blessing when cleaning up those saw cut edges before taking the next cut.
Having a jointer for my shop and giving me the capability to edge join stock was a game changer for me.
Projects instantly became such higher quality out of the shop with the purchase of jointer.
Do I Really Need A Jointer?
I’m not here to tell how to spend your hard money.
However, I feel like if you’re ready to elevate your woodworking to the next level, the jointer is a must then.
Using a jointer for face jointing and then passing it through your planer makes for a precise thickness of stock.
Conclusion
Jointers are a great tool to have in any home shop. Giving way to more precise cuts and accuracy in your work.
However, don’t fully think jointers are just for cleaning up edges but also can be used for cleaning up those faces as we have discussed so much in this article.
If you got something out of the video be sure to share it with a friend and pass the knowledge along with that you just learned in this article.
