| To cut a piece of stock to a certain thickness, a table | | | | rear of the stock begins to move across the cutting |
| saws and surface planers are generally the | | | | head, you should end by placing both hands onto the |
| woodworking tools of choice. However, unless one | | | | stock that rests on the outfeed table, gently guiding the |
| end of the stock is flat, these tools can't do their job | | | | it until its full length has passed over the cutting head. |
| properly, which means that using wood jointer often | | | | After lifting the stock from the outfeed table, you can |
| precedes using a table saw or a surface planer. A | | | | then place it on the infeed table for another cut if |
| wood jointer is a machine that has a rotating cutter | | | | necessary. |
| head that has two to three finely tuned blades located | | | | As easy as a used jointer is to use, there still some |
| between two smaller flat blades, and is one of the | | | | essential tips for using jointers safely. The most |
| more commonly purchased types of used | | | | obvious tip, of course, is to keep your hand from |
| woodworking machinery. When using a wood jointer, | | | | nearing the cutting mechanism as the rear of the stock |
| you push the stock across the infeed table to the | | | | nears its pass. While all jointers have a blade guard |
| outfeed table, in between which it passes through the | | | | that covers the cutting mechanism, simply being |
| cutting mechanism. The outfeed table is the same | | | | distracted or becoming a little to comfortable when |
| height as the cutting mechanism, whereas the height of | | | | guiding the rear portion of the stock can lead to |
| the infeed table is adjusted to the amount of material | | | | emergency room visits. In most cases, woodworkers |
| that needs to be cut away. Most jointers are also | | | | who bring their hand perilously close to the cutting |
| equipped with a "fence" that allows you to set a | | | | mechanism are trying to joint thin pieces of stock, in |
| square edge on the cutting stock. | | | | which case a push stick or wood paddles should be |
| Operating a used jointer is as simple as its machinery | | | | used to guide the stock. A second safety tip when |
| would suggest. As you feed the stock across the | | | | using a jointer is to only attempt thin cuts; this is for the |
| infeed table and into the cutting mechanism, you should | | | | safety of the jointer itself. Because a jointer isn't |
| apply only enough downward pressure to keep the | | | | intended to cut away significant amounts of wood, |
| stock in place and control it as it passes over the | | | | asking it to do so can cause it to wear prematurely. A |
| cutting head. After the front of your stock passes | | | | better idea is to use multiple passes. A third essential |
| over the cutting heads as expected, you should then | | | | safety tip is to never begin cutting until the cutting |
| place your other hand onto the portion of stock that is | | | | mechanism is at full speed to avoid overworking the |
| on the outfeed table, gently guiding it ahead. As the | | | | motor and experiencing a kick back of the stock. |