Jointers are very important for woodworking and is a must have for those who work in the woodworking industry – any serious workshop will have a jointer as one of their central machines for their day-to-day work.
Furniture craftsman and any business that work with lumber will appreciate the efficiency it offers. This buying guide should help you consider buying your own jointer.
What Is a Jointer and How Does It Work?
A jointer is a power tool that “dimensions” the wood into the desired shape by the user – it flattens surfaces, squares off the sides and trims the edges of rough-hewn wood stock. A jointer, as a stationary tool, works on the stock of uneven timber that is fed via an infeed table.
With the right jointer in your shop, the whole process can be done accurately, consistently and in mere minutes compared to handheld tools. It’s a very effective tool for prepping wood – oversized, warped and rough lumber comes in and within moments you have wood pieces that are even, squared and ready for your cut list.
Choosing the Right Type of Jointer For Your Workshop
A jointer is a major piece of machinery for your shop and one that you will be depending on for the first steps in your project.
A jointer that delivers accurate results means you have wood that fit together perfectly without any problems, and that accuracy will save you a ton of time and effort for the next tasks after cutting the wood to size.
In general, there are four types or variants of jointers available on the market.
These are the closed stand jointers, open stand jointers, benchtop jointers, and tabletop jointers. Each of these types of jointers has their own pros and cons, and picking the right type for your shop depends on several factors – the space you have in your shop, the size of wood you will usually be working with, and of course, your budget.
Closed Stand Jointers
Closed stand wood jointers have enclosed, fixed and reinforced bases that protect the motor, blades and other internal components from dust and debris that will inevitably come with the process of cutting wood. Because of this, closed stand jointers are generally considered to be your best choice in terms of durability.
Another advantage of closed stand jointers is the reduced noise and dampened vibration. Just the reduced vibration alone already makes this jointer the best choice when it comes to larger tasks that need to be consistent, such as facing boards.
Keep in mind that there are size variations for closed stand jointers that range from 8 inches to up to 16 inches, and you need to consider the size of wood you will be working with.
Features to Look For In Closed Stand Jointers
- Robust and durable metal housing and frame for longer life and continuous vibration-free operation.
- Adjustment lever for faster infeed table positioning.
- Easily accessible controls for fine tuning of cut depth.
- Large dust collection bins for the user’s comfortability.
- Easy to change blade features for much easier maintenance and faster working time.
- Conveniently located speed control features for the convenience of the user.
- Helical cutterheads provide smoother, quieter cutting and a superior finish, and multiple carbide inserts mean having a sharp cutterhead is just a matter of swapping out inserts and replacing them with new ones.
Open Stand Jointers
Open stand jointers are much more portable and lighter compared to the closed stand jointer, which makes them perfect If you need to move your jointer a lot between the workshop and the job site. Having a jointer on the job site is incredibly useful if you do a lot of framing and stud work.
The exposed motor of open stand jointers make them much louder, as well, and the lack of a solid metal body means more vibrations as well.
Features to Look for Open Stand Jointers
- Lightweight body for much more portability.
- Indexing pins for quick alignment against the edge of the workpiece for accurate cuts.
- Stable stand to raise the tool up to a convenient height for the operator, while also dampening vibrations at the same time.
- Dust extraction features ensure longer cutter and motor life.
Benchtop Jointers
Benchtop jointers are some of the most popular types jointers, as they offer some of the portability of open stand jointers with the power and consistency of a closed stand jointer.
Unlike closed stand jointers, benchtop jointers can be carried and can be moved. At the same time, the smaller motor of a benchtop jointer can make dealing with large pieces of hardwood a bit of a challenge.
Features to look for benchtop jointers
- Cast iron and sturdy metal body for much more durability and longer jointer life.
- Small but powerful motor for much faster work time and stronger cutting capability.
- Adjustable table, fences, and guard for much versatile and precise trimming of woods.
- Lighter weight for easier storage and easier transport.
- A larger table that tilts for larger wood pieces that need surfacing and trimming.
Tabletop Jointers
Tabletop jointers are the best call when it comes to heavier flattening of wood that a benchtop jointer may not be able to handle. Compared to a benchtop jointer, a tabletop jointer is simply not as portable.
On the other hand, tabletop jointers are capable of flattening thicker and wider wood because of their longer and bigger table, which makes them a good fit for a small shop that needs that needs a boost of power.
Things to Consider When Comparing Jointers
Now that you have a type of jointer in mind, it’s time to put them side to side to see how they stack – a jointer will be a vital part of your shop, and you need to consider your choices very well in what is likely a significant investment.
In this part of the buying guide, each feature to look for will be discussed thoroughly and why you should consider them when buying your jointer.
Table Width and Cutting Depth
This refers to the jointer’s ability to cut different proportions of wood and timbers. Bed width usually dictates the price of the whole jointer because the bigger it is, the more expensive the whole jointers are.
Jointers need to have beds that are accurately oriented to the knife within fractions of a millimeter, and the bigger the bed, the tighter the tolerances the manufacturer needs to account for.
It is advisable that six to eight inches should suffice for most people but for those who are experienced in using jointers and they are always flattening thicker and larger timbers and woods. Beyond eight inches should suffice for their needs because it can already do the job with ease and effectivity.
Cutting depth, on the other hand, affects how many passes the user has to run on the wood to achieve the desired results. For instance, a jointer with 5/8 cutting depth requires the wood to be pushed across two times or more because the blades only dig in so deep. 1/2 or 3/4-inch cutting depths are usually the standard for the jointers that can surface the wood in just one pass.
Fences, Bases, and Guides
Fences are crucial in keeping the wood stock aligned and straight while it is being pushed along the table. The fences and bases of every jointer should always be adjustable so that the user can flatten the wood on any desired angle.
This offers versatility for the user since it would be easier to make the same cut along the same angles while running several wood pieces across multiple times. Adjustable fences are also a big help in securing the wood in place with clamps as well If you need to work on it with your other handheld tools.
Power
Many jointers usually come with electric motors rated at 1 horsepower. 1 hp is often sufficient to trim and cut softwood with ease, even to the maximum cutting depth.
On the other hand, there are some jointers with more powerful motors rated at more than 1 horsepower, as well.
Dust Collection Features
Dust collection features are an important part of a jointer, given the sheer amount of dust that every cut can produce. A dusty workshop can be the cause of accidents, and long-term exposure to dust can lead to respiratory ailments and other problems as well.
This is why jointers must posses dust collection capability features so that the user does not have to worry about inhaling dust and the issues that can bring.
The bigger the dust bin of the jointer is, the better since it can store much more sawdust that can save the user time from throwing it all out
Blades
Blades on jointers are not usually a big concern at first since most if not all jointers already come with good cutterhead blades out of the box. Keep in mind, though, that jointer blades wear down over time especially if the jointer is being used very frequently.
When changing blades, it is advisable to use curved ones instead of straight blades because straight blades has the risk to snap and usually dulls a lot faster compared to curved blades.
Adjustable Tables
Aside from determining the right size of the table for you, the table must also be adjustable for your needs. Adjustable tables can help the user flatten wood in different angles with ease which would reflect on the quality of the cut.
However, the bigger the table is, the harder it is to adjust since it would become heavier and broader as well.
Price
Jointers are usually expensive, and especially so in the case of closed stand and tabletop jointers. As much as possible, though, you need to avoid buying jointers that are the cheapest in their category – more often than not, their build quality is not as good and they will probably end up breaking down a lot faster.
To ensure the quality of your jointer, you can choose from mid-range models to avoid spending too much money on the premium features while covering the basics rather well.
Asking for a piece of professional advice from a friend who works in a related field can also be a big help in choosing the best jointer for you.
Safety Tips on Using A Jointer
A jointer is a workshop tool that you may be spending hours on, and if you have little experience with using one, it can also pose a danger to you and your property.
These tips should help you keep safe from mishaps while using your jointer...
- Always wear eye protection, just in case that debris from the wood gets thrown about during the cutting process. This also protects you from the saw dust in the work area.
- Always wear hearing protection because jointers are very loud even though some models have noise canceling features. Operating a jointer without earbuds or headphones might cause lasting damage to your hearing.
- Never use bare hands when pushing the wood for the last feet or so – make it a habit to use push blocks instead to avoid hand related injuries.
- Always read the manual before using the jointer to familiarize yourself with the controls.
- Always secure the wood stock against the fence when flattening wood. A jointer is not a bandsaw – you want to avoid free handing your cuts.
- Never adjust the able and fences while the jointer is running.
- Always use both hands when pushing wood across the jointer.
- Avoid the temptation of doing a deep cut in one pass. A choked up jointer will prematurely blunt the blades.
- Make sure that the blades of jointers are sharp for a much more consistent cut without chattering.
- Always wear thick gloves to protect your hands from injuries, as there is always that slim chance that your hand might touch the blade. It will also help you avoid getting splinters into your hands as well.
