Safer way to use a jointer?

[Toolpig]

I recently had a nasty jointer accident and I'm looking for safer ways to use this tool --



Anybody have faster/easier/safer ways to joint with (or without) a jointer? I've used a router table in the past, but it's a bit cumbersome.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Jason White

 

[Sparktrician]

Depending on the materials being jointed, I may use a track saw to get a smooth, clean joint.  I've done this to assemble tabletops. 

 

[Dr. P. Venkman]

As [member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] says, you can get a nice edge with a track saw.

Depends on the piece and what you're after, but if you're trying to get a smooth, flat side, you might be able to put the piece on a sled and run it through a planer.

 

[rmhinden]

recently had a nasty jointer accident and I'm looking for safer ways to use this tool

Very sorry to hear.

I have a jointer/planner with a "euro" style guard.  To me it is much safer than the "pork chop" style at least for face jointing.  You injury was, of course, edge jointing.  I will use your experience as a strong reminder to be very careful when jointing and be mindful where my fingers are at all time.

Bob

 

[Sparktrician]

As [member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] says, you can get a nice edge with a track saw.

If you're trying to get a smooth, flat side, you can put the piece on a sled and run it through a planer.

 

Concur.  I sometimes use shims held in place to the sled and the material being flattened with hot glue to get the best stock reduction with the least material taken off.  I use a planing sled for larger pieces.

 

[Alanbach]

Jason, I know that we discussed this on the other forum but I really think that you need to adopt the use of your Gr-ripper push blocks even when you are edge jointing. I believe that practice will ultimately take care of your feelings of awkwardness when using them on edge. Also if you don’t know proper jointer technique study that as I believe it will help tremendously. Proper foot  placement, body positioning as well as hand over hand technique while avoiding blade zone at all times. It is also very important to understand how grain direction affects jointer usage and that you insure that you are feeding the board from the correct orientation. It is actually fairly easy to keep your hands well away from the blade zone at all times while operating a jointer without giving up any control of the workpiece if you have proper technique. Now this all assumes that you have a jointer that is sized to keep up with the length of the workpieces that you run through it.

 

[Lincoln]

This is not directed at the original poster, but more a general observation - it has always made me uneasy that machinery is available to the 'general public'. Anyone can walk in and buy a table saw, planer, moulder etc, etc, without any training whatsoever. When I was an apprentice, I was rigorously trained on each machine, before been let loose. That training has served me well. It also helps being around other, more experienced users, when you're learning. Sellers should run training courses, for the machinery they sell.
And, so sorry to hear about your accident. Always sends a shiver up my spine.

 

[Toolpig]

As [member=7493]Sparktrician[/member] says, you can get a nice edge with a track saw.

Depends on the piece and what you're after, but if you're trying to get a smooth, flat side, you might be able to put the piece on a sled and run it through a planer.

Yes, I use my TS55 a lot for cutting plywood and often don’t think about it for edge jointing hardwood. Will play around with it a little. Thanks!

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[Toolpig]

This is not directed at the original poster, but more a general observation - it has always made me uneasy that machinery is available to the 'general public'. Anyone can walk in and buy a table saw, planer, moulder etc, etc, without any training whatsoever. When I was an apprentice, I was rigorously trained on each machine, before been let loose. That training has served me well. It also helps being around other, more experienced users, when you're learning. Sellers should run training courses, for the machinery they sell.
And, so sorry to hear about your accident. Always sends a shiver up my spine.

I’ve been using jointers for 20 years and was well trained. Just a momentary lapse in judgement that I hope to never repeat.

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[Toolpig]

recently had a nasty jointer accident and I'm looking for safer ways to use this tool

Very sorry to hear.

I have a jointer/planner with a "euro" style guard.  To me it is much safer than the "pork chop" style at least for face jointing.  You injury was, of course, edge jointing.  I will use your experience as a strong reminder to be very careful when jointing and be mindful where my fingers are at all time.

Bob

Interesting. I’ve never felt unsafe face jointing because I always use push blocks and push sticks. I’ve watched pros who don't use them at all! That seems very unsafe to me.

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[woodferret]

If you're looking for a safer way to still use the jointer, i suggest watching Dave Stanton's video.  Shift that right hand to the outfeed side as soon as possible and drag-pull the stock through.  You can do it with any good grip safety pad too.  i'd go further and put a red/yellow nail polish streak on top of the fence as a reminder to shift that hand. 

 

[Toolpig]

If you're looking for a safer way to still use the jointer, i suggest watching Dave Stanton's video.  Shift that right hand to the outfeed side as soon as possible and drag-pull the stock through.  You can do it with any good grip safety pad too.  i'd go further and put a red/yellow nail polish streak on top of the fence as a reminder to shift that hand.

I’ll check it out, thanks.

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[Bob D.]

Will a push block work that well when edge jointing? You'd need to apply force toward the fence to maintain the grip of the push block with the wood. That means you can't apply much pressure downward to keep you work in contact with the bed. Plus the back side of your left hand and the knuckles of your right hand are exposed if the block slips downward.

A small stock feeder designed for a jointer would be the best solution, but no one makes one as far as I know. Have any of you seen one or used a stock feeder on a jointer? They're not even that popular on table saws. Delta stopped making their baby stock feeder years ago. I think Grizzly, Shop Fox, and Jet still offer one. I think a jointer would need an even smaller feeder though.

Edit:

Here is one that might work:https://www.shopgearinc.com/products/co-matic-power-feeders/small-feeders/m3-babyfeeder

I found a few YT videos too. This one from Infinity looks like it would work on an 8" jointer and maybe a 6" machine, but that could be an issue since it weighs around 26 pounds. Finding a place to mount it is the biggest hurdle I think.

At $449 it might seem pricey but can you put a price on fingers? And how many of us have been known to grab the latest red aluminum bling for $400 or more so when you compare it's almost free for the return you'll get.


Building a MagSwitch base for the baby power feeder.

 

[Toolpig]

Will a push block work that well when edge jointing? You'd need to apply force toward the fence to maintain the grip of the push block with the wood. That means you can't apply much pressure downward to keep you work in contact with the bed. Plus the back side of your left hand and the knuckles of your right hand are exposed if the block slips downward.

A small stock feeder designed for a jointer would be the best solution, but no one makes one as far as I know. Have any of you seen one or used a stock feeder on a jointer? They're not even that popular on table saws. Delta stopped making their baby stock feeder years ago. I think Grizzly, Shop Fox, and Jet still offer one. I think a jointer would need an even smaller feeder though.

Edit:

Here is one that might work:https://www.shopgearinc.com/products/co-matic-power-feeders/small-feeders/m3-babyfeeder

Hi, Bob. That is exactly why I don’t use push blocks for edge jointing; only face jointing. I’ve looked at feeders but they’re all very expensive and cumbersome looking for a home hobbyist like myself.

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[Lincoln]

Will a push block work that well when edge jointing? You'd need to apply force toward the fence to maintain the grip of the push block with the wood. That means you can't apply much pressure downward to keep you work in contact with the bed. Plus the back side of your left hand and the knuckles of your right hand are exposed if the block slips downward.

A small stock feeder designed for a jointer would be the best solution, but no one makes one as far as I know. Have any of you seen one or used a stock feeder on a jointer? They're not even that popular on table saws. Delta stopped making their baby stock feeder years ago. I think Grizzly, Shop Fox, and Jet still offer one. I think a jointer would need an even smaller feeder though.

Edit:

Here is one that might work:https://www.shopgearinc.com/products/co-matic-power-feeders/small-feeders/m3-babyfeeder

No, defeats the purpose of jointing. The feeder would flatten the board to the bed, which is the opposite of what you want. The board would come off the jointer 'dressed', but would still be bowed or twisted. You want the board to sit naturally on the beds, so you remove high spots, to attain flatness.

 

[ChuckM]

Thanks for sharing your safety lesson.

As an option for those who are reading this thread and are about to set up their first shop with new machinery, I suggest using the thickness planer for flattening boards, and a decent saw for edge jointing. Since I sold the jointer 7 years ago, I've done all stock preparation with just two machines the table saw and a lunchbox thickness planer.

Not only the thickness planer is very safe to use, it's also easier to deal with twisted boards using a planing board. (Truth be told, a lot of woodworkers don't know how to flatten a twisted board on the jointer). Any table saw with a good rip blade can do edge jointing (even if it doesn't rip dead square, as long as one knows the alternate board flipping technique).

 

[kevinculle]

I got a nick on the middle finger of my trailing hand on the jointer over 12 years ago.  In retrospect the cause was clear to me...I had been at it a long day and was rushing to get through my planned work for the day despite being fatigued.  I learned that lesson well and since then I am rigorous about stopping work for the day before any fatigue or inattention sets in.  I also try to arrange my work so that I am working on the tools where risk is more prevalent (jointer, table saw, etc.) early in the day when I am fresh.  I also take a solid hour break midday to have lunch and relax a bit.  The key to safety is attention to the task at hand and that requires the mental focus of an alert and well rested person.

 

[Toolpig]

For me it was the first cut of the day. I just didn't pay attention to where my right hand was.

I got a nick on the middle finger of my trailing hand on the jointer over 12 years ago.  In retrospect the cause was clear to me...I had been at it a long day and was rushing to get through my planned work for the day despite being fatigued.  I learned that lesson well and since then I am rigorous about stopping work for the day before any fatigue or inattention sets in.  I also try to arrange my work so that I am working on the tools where risk is more prevalent (jointer, table saw, etc.) early in the day when I am fresh.  I also take a solid hour break midday to have lunch and relax a bit.  The key to safety is attention to the task at hand and that requires the mental focus of an alert and well rested person.

 

[ChuckM]

For me it was the first cut of the day. I just didn't pay attention to where my right hand was.

We all have been "trained" to set our sights on the leading part of a stock as it's being fed. For example. when feeding and ripping a large sheet on the table saw, our focus is on keeping the edge/corner tight to the saw fence, and naturally that's also where our eyes are trained on.

No matter what we do, the risks of encountering inattention or distraction are always there. If or when that happens, it is what we've done to prepare for its happening that will decide what will be cut, maimed or damaged. I'm confident that it'll be one of these three things in my case, and not any of my body parts:

1) A safety device (e.g. a push stick, block, Grripper, etc.)
2) The SawStop brake
3) A holding jig that is used to feed the stock (example attached).

I never feed anything directly over and past a cutting edge with my bare hands. That's a pretty common scene found in YouTube videos done by people who do woodworking for a living though.

 

[Joelm]

First of all, thanks for sharing your story and I'm glad you are back in the shop so soon.

Your video is the 4th or 5th I've seen regarding jointer accidents. This has totally turned me off of buying one. I like woodworking as a hobby but I also like waving to people with all my fingers.

For my case I tried the sled with a planner alternative. This worked just fine for face jointing but is definitely a longer process.

I've also bought a handful of Lee Valley planes including a scrub plane. I find using a scrub plane to roughly flatten a face before planning the other side works quite well. For edge jointing I've been using a Lee Valley #6. I'd like to get their BU #7 soon as it is longer. Hand planes are new to me but I definitely like using them even though they are way slower than using a machine. Myself I prefer the joy of using hand tools on projects but that's just my preference.

I've also wondered why no one seems to use a power feeder in the jointer. Seems much safer and the wheels can be oriented horizontal or vertical.

Thanks again for sharing and I hope that's your last serious accident.