What Does a Jointer Do? - Ask Matt #13

A jointer is a very important tool in a woodworking shop. Its job is to set the foundation for all future work you will be doing with a board. Being able to properly mill a board flat and true is a fundamental task in woodworking because flat work pieces lead to more precise and consistent joinery in your projects.

This is the thirteenth episode of my Ask Matt series. If you have a topic suggestion please feel free to send it to me.

[samadabdul]

I wish I had never learned this. Now I want a jointer. I don't even have a shop yet

[richardflorence]

This is probably the most thorough tutorial I've seen on using a jointer... not only did you discuss what it does but you also discussed the biggest question in most people's mind about the relationship of planers to jointers. And to top it all you included proper technique. A+

[smithmiddlega]

Great lesson! I'm blown away at the effort given to properly explain the purpose and use of these tools. Thank You

[benjaminlane]

He was very right about the jointer being the "therapist", if you will, of the shop tools. You CAN get by without one, but the building process is much more enjoyable when you have one. For whatever reason it seems to be one of the later tools I see a lot of woodworkers purchase when in reality, it should be one of the first. Considering the vast majority of wood is in "rough" form (it's very expensive otherwise) it becomes important to "true" up one side as that becomes your reference. Any imperfections in that initial reference side will manifest as ANGER throughout the rest of the project.

[rklee]

Thank you! I've often seen people use both tools and I wondered why. Your video makes it as clear as can be. Well done!

[adrianm]

Great video. I recently bought a jointer and had a hard time getting the boards flat. But now I know it's because I was applying too much pressure. Thank you!

[Shotter]

Thank you for this great explanation. Jointer always seemed pointless to me if planers exist. You really set me straight!

[MichaelScottPerkins]

Fantastic explanation! Been interested in wood working since I was watching New Yankee Workshop with my dad as a child, and I never could understand why one would need a jointer if they had a thickness planer. People would always say... one makes things flat, while the other just makes it thinner. I always thought... "Well, okay. But... how?" Now I understand perfectly! Of course! A planner just pinches the board in one narrow area as it pulls it through. A jointer lets the board ride more softly over spinning knives. So the jointer shaves off wood where the board is higher or lower. The thickness planner just shaves off X amount of wood, all along the board, maintaining the same warped profile... warped or flat. 
Thanks Matt! You really have no idea how awesome your explanation was.

[SnWfan]

I'm here because 24 hours ago I had a 30 second conversation about a jointer with my phone in my shirt pocket. Surprise surprise, it appeared in my suggested videos.

[TWade]

Hey Matt, this is a wonderful video. You took the time for each "what happens when" scenario to explain each instance of what is going on. I really appreciate the effort and patience it took in order to put this video together and has helped me understand a fundamental of craftsmanship that has escaped me for some time.

[colinpeddle]

Love your candidness and to the point style. Quite refreshing in a YouTube world filled with polish and fluff.

[vtrmcs]

There is something I'd like to add to Matthews excellent video.

One of the key things when learning to use a jointer is understanding the sounds of the process. It's very difficult to explain in words, but sound tells you a heck of a lot. For example, if you're getting tear out as a result of reversing grain in a board, or because you're taking too much material in one pass, you can hear it. That also tells you if you're planing with the grain (correct) or against (almost always incorrect).

When dealing with a board which is bowed, curved lengthways, as Matthew is in the video, the sound the planer makes will tell you if you're removing the bow or not. With a bowed board, you'll hear the planer knives engaging as the front portion of the board crosses the cutter block, it will then disengage for a time and the sound will change, before re-engaging the tail end, where the sound changes back again. If you had been applying too much pressure, then the sound would have remained consistent throughout.

With practice, you can learn to match the sound with what the knives are actually cutting and where. If you really want to see the results and practice, you can spread chalk on the face of the timber being planed, then it's easy to see what material is being removed each pass. It's really quite cool to see.

A little tip: Never apply pressure to the board directly above the cutter block. There is no situation where this is correct technique. Take light passes of less than 1mm a time, rarely is it a good idea to go above this if you want a decent finish.

A jointer is a tool like any other and takes a lot of practice to use well. It's quite a dangerous tool so do triple check your setup and keep the blade guard in the right location. You really dont want a planer knife flying at you at 300 mph as you'll end up with no head, which isn't ideal.

[hmzbqng]

Before today, and getting here from the Jamie Perkins accident, I didn't even know a jointer existed. But I enjoyed this video so much I subscribed. This guy is so natural I just gotta see what else he's got.

[spekenbonen]

Sweet!. Watching this made me feel like being in school again.
About the 2 planes of the jointer. They are parrallel.
Few important notes: You only flaten and square 1 angle/corner on the jointer. (jointer -> planer -> table saw)
You always check the grain of the wood. Just like a handplaner, you don't go across or against the grain. (Sometimes you have no choice though...)
And you want the hollow side of the board (when cupped) on the jointer surface. Otherwise it won't get flat (and square).
Subbed!

[kiplindsay]

Of the hundreds of videos I have watched on woodworking, this has been the most helpful. Thank you!!! :)

[jasonweiss]

I have a Rockwell Delta from the late 40's that I just repaired. Proud day in my life. Most important machine in my shop. Nice vid.

[Mekratrig]

Very good, clear explanation. The micro camera placed inside the machines was a great idea. Despite seeing several other vids that attempted to explain jointers, now for the first time, I understand how they work.

[tacojesus]

This is the absolute best video I have found explaining this stuff. I am new to woodworking but not using tools in general, but the jointer/planer thing confused me and this video went above and beyond breaking everything down. I appreciate it.

[mauricepettiford]

Matt.

I really enjoyed your video on the Jointer. It was very well presented and easy to follow. Your explanations were well thought out, and very informative. I am in the process of building my dream shop on paper and a Jointer will most certainly be on my list of wood working machines to have in my shop. Looking forward to watching more of your videos and increasing my knowledge about wood working. Respectfully Maurice Pettiford Budapest Hungary.

[norawalker]

I am a beginner and found this video very informative. Little ray of sunshine through the window and the birds singing made me happy. Its cold and cloudy at my house today.