# why do I sometimes make wedges on my jointer?



## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

why do I sometimes make wedges on my jointer? I must be doing something wrong but I cant figure out what. I had hoped to finish the door on my cabinet yesterday but I had exactly enough wood and created a wedge while trying to flatten the face of one of the 4 foot stiles.

David


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

djonesax said:


> why do I sometimes make wedges on my jointer? I must be doing something wrong but I cant figure out what. I had hoped to finish the door on my cabinet yesterday but I had exactly enough wood and created a wedge while trying to flatten the face of one of the 4 foot stiles.
> 
> David


So you are essentially trying to get two perfectly parallel faces, am I reading that correctly?

Just planing one side won't gurantee that. It will make one face flat but won't gurantee that the other face is parallel to it. For that you need to plane the other side parallel to the face you jointed.

I apologize if i misunderstood your question but it sounded like that's what you were trying to do.


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## dbhost (Jan 28, 2008)

A jointer is meant to flatten, not make sides parallel...

You can do what a jointer does with a planer and router table, but you can't do what a planer does with a jointer....


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

I understand how to use a jointer and a planer together. I must not have asked the question clearly. What I mean is when I am flattening one face. it seems to sometimes take more off one side than the other and I end up with a wedge. I wonder if the tables arent set up properly or something. But i keep making passes and it just keeps getting worse.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

Sounds like your outfeed table is not inline with your cutters. I set mine even with the cutters. I have read that some people set the table .001 below the cutters.


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## BobbyfromHouston (Jul 4, 2008)

How many passes are you making on your jointer? Is your jointer set for about 1/32"?


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

i tend to baby it because I am new and dont want to mess up. I usualy make many small passes at probably around 1/32. this particular wedge probably 10 passes or more at about 1/16.


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## 12penny (Nov 21, 2008)

Holy crap, thats 5/8" you remove on the jointer. Only take off enough to give you a nice surface, then finish up on the planer. If you have to remove that much material, alternate the sides you plane as you go. Do you mean it makes a wedge from side to side and not end to end? If so, get out your owners book and readjust blades. Sounds like at least one is out of adjustment.


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## mmtools (Aug 21, 2008)

Just a thought.... when you are pushing the wood through the cutter head, are you maintaining pressure ONLY on the infeed table? As the wood passes to the outfeed, guide it (no pressure). Many WW try to keep pressure on both sides, which creates what I think you are describing...


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

mmtools said:


> Just a thought.... when you are pushing the wood through the cutter head, are you maintaining pressure ONLY on the infeed table? As the wood passes to the outfeed, guide it (no pressure). Many WW try to keep pressure on both sides, which creates what I think you are describing...


????

You do the opposite of what I do. I try to keep the downward force primarily on the outfeed side so that I do not get snipe at the end.

G


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

djonesax said:


> I understand how to use a jointer and a planer together. I must not have asked the question clearly. What I mean is when I am flattening one face. it seems to sometimes take more off one side than the other and I end up with a wedge. I wonder if the tables arent set up properly or something. But i keep making passes and it just keeps getting worse.


I think you are not understand what has been written above. I think they have given the correct answer.

George


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## mwhafner (Jan 16, 2009)

It could be a bed alignment issue, but it could also be a pressure issue. Are you putting pressure on the infeed side?


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## LarrySch (Dec 31, 2007)

I am not sure I am using my jointer right or not - but the wedge problem is not new to me either. When I am trying to make a flat side on a piece of lumber - I do not
touch the lumber to the jointers 90% back side. If your lumber does not have a perfect 90% edge your making a wedge. After passing the lumber over the blades and getting the flat side - then I turn that flat side into the back of the jointer to get a perfect 90% - the lumbers then goes to the planer and table saw to true up all sides.


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

The purpose of a jointer is to get a flat face and then a flat 90 degree side. Then you take the piece of wood to the planer and get the other face parallel. Then you go to the table saw to get a parallel side. All this I understand.

When I say a wedge, I side grain to side grain not end to end. 

The reason I ended up taking 5/8ths off was because that is what it took to get one flat face. Keep in mind that one side was still ¾ or so in some places.

When I run the plank over the jointer I start with the pressure on the infeed table and gradually move the pressure to the outfeed table. I planed over 40 board feet a few weeks ago and everything came out perfect. This one I did the same as all the rest but I just couldnt seem to get it flat on one side.


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

djonesax said:


> The purpose of a jointer is to get a flat face and then a flat 90 degree side. Then you take the piece of wood to the planer and get the other face parallel. Then you go to the table saw to get a parallel side. All this I understand.
> 
> When I say a wedge, I side grain to side grain not end to end.
> 
> ...


Based upon your latest post it sure sounds like your knives need adjusting. If I am getting what you are saying, it seems like your knives are higher/lower on one side. First lower your knives below the outfeed table. Then lay a straightedge down from your outfeed table to your infeed table and slowly raise your knives until they barely touch the straightedge. Do this on the front, middle and back of the jointer until you determine your high/low spots what needs adjusting.


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

I just did that and the knives look good. I bet it was technique. The next time it start happening I'll take step by step pictures. It was as if every pass it got flatter but an an ever increasing angle. Maybe I wasnt square against the fence or something.

here is a picture after I tried to correct the wedge. when I realized it wasn't getting any better I flipped it and started planing the other end. same face just other end. I should have flipped to the other side.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Use two parallel sighting sticks to see if both the tables are in the same plane horizontally...I think not. Place one stick on the infeed and one on the outfeed and sight across to tops to see if they read parallel. If not adjustments are required to the tables(s) if one is not movable then work with the movable one (obviously) I always maintain even pressure down on the outfeed table and push in only on the infeed. Hopefully the knives are set parallel to the cutterhead which is set parallel to the outfeed table! Place a sight stick on the cutter head and knives just for the heck of it as well. LOL (Lots of Luck), Bill


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## ~WoodChuck~ (Jan 17, 2009)

The reason this is happening is because you are rocking the piece on the table. Once you lay your piece on the table you have to hold it in the same place everytime. Once you get a flatspot keep riding it in the same spot till its completely flat.


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## Gary Beasley (Jan 21, 2009)

Thats just wierd. You'd think by the cut the board had a twist to it but the second photo shows a flat board. Did the face have a convex profile before you started planing? That may explain it if you were applying pressure on one side rather than on the center area.


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## mwhafner (Jan 16, 2009)

Woodchuck may be right, but your picture puzzles me a little. Are you running the stock with the crown up or down? Either way works, but you have to be a lot more careful about where you apply pressure.


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## freedhardwoods (Sep 7, 2008)

Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words". I agree with Tom5151. I think you need to adjust your knives.



Kudzu said:


> Sounds like your outfeed table is not inline with your cutters. I set mine even with the cutters.


That is the proper way to set a jointer. The board is flatter and more stable after it passes over the knives. That is why you should keep pressure on the *outfeed* side of the jointer.


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## BobbyfromHouston (Jul 4, 2008)

I have had this happen before. I found that you can only do a couple of passes. I use the jointer and get a straight edge--you will hear it cut the entire length of the board. Then I rip it on the table saw to make a parallel cut and dress that cut with only one or two passes at 1/32" on the jointer.


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## 12penny (Nov 21, 2008)

Thats just bizarre. I can honestly say, without hesitation, that has never happened to me. I truly cant figure out how you could do that without actually trying to. Something is seriously wrong with your machine, your technique, or both. I've read all the answers to your original post and everything has been covered. Please post your findings when you figure it out and good luck.


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

Wow this thread has generated a lot of interest. I have another plank I intend to joint this weekend. I'll set up a video camera and you guys can watch me. With the 50 bft or so that I have jointed since I got the jointer, I have only had this happen a few times. This was the only time the board was unusable. I have a feeling it has to do with technique.

David


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## rcp612 (Mar 25, 2008)

I've had this happen to me but, it was while trying to joint the crowned side of a board in an attempt to "save" the finished thickness I wanted. I have since discovered that it is much more productive to joint the "un-crowned", or convex, face of the board just enough to get a good flat surface (at least 2/3 overall width),  then take light passes off the other side with the planer.
At least, that's what works for me.


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## Kudzu (Dec 23, 2008)

I had the exact thing happen. I had a loose knife. It was slinging outward while the joiner was running and of course it never stopped with that blade up where I could see it. But it started to just hit something so I heard it and found it before it came any further and did some serious damage.

I doubt that is your problem but I check just to make sure.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Me thinks that all these suggestions are great, including my other one, but what I just realized is that no one has mentioned this one yet: *Visually sight the board first*. Does it have a warp, bow, twist or cup? Or all 3? There is nothing that says you must joint the entire length of the board in one long pass. In the case of a bow, place the convex side down and joint each end in a little ways in by flipping the board end for end while staying on the same face, until the board becomes "flat" then joint all the way thru on the last several passes. This becomes the "reference" side of the board against which all the other sides will then become either, parallel or at right angles. Next step is to place the reference side agianst the fence and joint one edge to 90 degrees. WE are now thru with the Jointer! We have one face flat and one edge at 90 degrees. I then prefer to go to the Table saw and rip the remaining edge parallel to the "good" edge. Then I can use the thickness planer to the remaining face parallel with the "reference" side or face and a uniform dimension.
FYI:
When Resawing at the Bandsaw, I like to joint the sawn face after each "rip" so I am working with a flat face against the fence after each successive rip. I leave the "bad" edge untouched, this way I can Bookmatch the pieces by placing the jointed edge of each together keeping in mind I have a jointed face down and a sawn face down, until I plane them parallel. This is just my proceedure and I find it works best for me. 
I have watched a friend take a heavy oak 12' x 14" by 3" board and freehand joint in in the manner I described to flatten one side, by using the tables as levers, he single handedly moves the board across the jointer at only the places that he visually determined needed jointing until the entire face was flat. Watching this guy you knew that he has done this at least a thousand times. All his motions were smooth and fluid, just "git r done".
This friend makes commercial and architectural doors, including the doors to the Governor's Office in Lansing Michigan...4' wide by 12' hign, each! Well, as the rabbit says "That's all Folks"! Bill


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## Art Lackey (Oct 26, 2008)

djonesax said:


> why do I sometimes make wedges on my jointer? I must be doing something wrong but I cant figure out what. I had hoped to finish the door on my cabinet yesterday but I had exactly enough wood and created a wedge while trying to flatten the face of one of the 4 foot stiles.
> 
> David


Hi David: I was reading all the replys to your question and it is obvious to me that your knives arn't set right. if you have them set a little high or low on one side you will have that problem.Just make sure that they are set at the same hight on both ends.


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

Art Lackey said:


> Hi David: I was reading all the replys to your question and it is obvious to me that your knives arn't set right. if you have them set a little high or low on one side you will have that problem.Just make sure that they are set at the same hight on both ends.


Thanks, I'll check again the next time I use it.


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## johnnypeg (Feb 23, 2009)

you could go to you tube and search for jointers they have some great teaching videos which may help you.


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## gleward (Jun 16, 2009)

I just posted the same issue. What did you do to straighten everything out. Was it technique or issues with your joiner. Im doing the same thing.
Glenn


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## djonesax (Mar 3, 2008)

gleward said:


> I just posted the same issue. What did you do to straighten everything out. Was it technique or issues with your joiner. Im doing the same thing.
> Glenn


I don’t know if it was technique or not but it was not the machine, its set up perfect. I have jointed many things after that and have had no issues. I think it was that the board was twisted more that it looked over the length of the board. It was a 4’ length of Padauk.


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## Wood4Fun (Aug 29, 2008)

disclaimer - I am a jointer newbie

With that said...

While I appreciate all the comments that the jointer beds and/or blades need adjusting, I think this is a technique issue. If there were alignment problems with the machine, logic dictates all jointing would produce similar results.

I can't really make suggestions on how to improve your technique, as I have said already, I am a newbie with jointers. I just think this is where the problem lies


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## Shamus (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm going with woodnthings on this one.

Only time I've ever seen anything close to that was a warp in the board.


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## Clouseau (Mar 22, 2009)

*Setting knives*

View Bob Vaughan's video on jointer knife replacement. Just Google jointer knife replacement. It takes about 25 minutes. If you don't have a dial indicator, you can check blade heights with the role meathod. You should also check the height of the head. Both may need to be adjusted parallel to the outfeed table.


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