Revisiting Setting Jointer Knives - A woodworkweb.com woodworking video 

Thank you so much, Colin. Your videos are a goto for me. I can't believe you actually built a model to show us and and share your knowledge. I'm a newbie for sure, but you saved me many years of trial and error. Thanks again.

I just bought a used jointer and bought new blades for it. Used your video to set it up and it works perfect. Thanks for the great information. Love your videos! Mike

I know this is an old video and not sure if you monitor it any longer. Just wanted to say thank you. i bought an older Craftsman jointer, which didn't have a manual when i bought it. My boards were coming out bowed (as you show). I was so frustrated and thought I must be feeding them wrong. i recalled that a couple months ago while binge watching youtube videos on woodworking you had a video on setting jointer blades - along with others. What stuck out for me from your video was your illustration of what happens with various settings of the blades. After being frustrated I found your video in my library and rewatched it. Checked my blades and two of the three appeared to be at the outfeed height or just below it (my tools aren't good enough to tell. this was only on the fence side of the blade (where most of the wear happens). I reset the blades (they appeared to be cuttin fine) and the bowing went away. BTW, found the jointer manual later and it tells me to set the blades slightly higher than outfeed table. From the manual I quote: "Place head of square on outfeed table. Loosen lifter TABLE- screws to raise blade until it just touches square and slightly raises it. Gently turn cutter head back and forth with the pulley while raising blade. The blades should be adjusted just slightly above the outfeed table, by approximately +003 in. (thickness of an average piece of paper)." thank you for your help.

Timely info. I’m currently in the process of restoring an old Rusty jointer. It was left out in the weather for a year or more. It’s really looking nice now after many hours of cleaning. I’ve ordered new blades and will set the the per your instructions. Thanks a lot as always!

Just what I was looking for. I took out my jointer knives for servicing and this video was excellent in explaining how to set up the knives. Many thanks.

Superb video. I rarely comment, but this video is an absolutely top notch explanation of a fairly complex concept. Very appreciated.

Excellent video, thank you. You are such a brilliant diplomat Colin and so thorough. I have had the exact problems you described when setting the knives level to the out feed table, but never understood why. Great to listen to such an open minded vet.

Thanks for the note ... great to have you with us Colin

Perfect, thanks for commenting, we appreciate you taking the time. Great to have you with us. Colin

im a beginner and it was so useful for me. i always had snipe cuts at the end of my boards and i didnt know why. thank you so much

Great video. I found a perfect way to set the blade height using common shop trinkets. You only need a couple flat files, I used worn out chainsaw raker files, and 6 magnets. I found that a business card gave me the proper height of the file above the outfeed table. Also make sure that once you’ve set the blade it clears the underside of the outfeed table. With 2 magnets aligned on the file so that it’s evenly suspended above the outfeed table and the 3 rd magnet is on the end of the file and contacting the blade, place one file close to the fence and the other file near the outside edge. Check the contact using the common method of marking a board and manually rotate the blade which should grab and move the board ahead 1/8 to 1/4”.

I tried this and I get snipe, when I set the knives to zero referenced to the outfeed table I have zero snipe. I used a dial indicator and mag base for the settings

Thanks for taking the time to comment, great to have you with us Colin

Very good thanks mike smith. I got snip on all my cuts and wounded how to readjust my jointer Thanks , keep it up we all watch Mike smith an old poor wood worker

Always good info well presented, thanks again.

Good info, wow USA needs to go to the metric system! So much easier!

Thanks Colin, great information

Thank you for the wonderful presentation , With appreciation

thank you for taking the time to do this. the manual for my old craftsman call for .003 above table.

Omg you look so young!….er… :) Thanks for the great videos for so many years!!!

Thank you for taking the time to comment, we appreciate your input Colin

Awesome absolutely correct video

Thanks for commenting, we appreciate it, great to have you with us Colin

Hmmm ... good point Al, maybe I can make that comment as an annotation ... great comment, thanks for taking the time to help us make these vids better Colin

My manual for an older Craftmans jointer states to have the knife 0.003" above the outfeed table. Their suggestion is to lay a piece of paper on the outfeed table and then lay a straight edge over it and adjust the knife so it just barely touched it. One reason, and it is a big one, is so the leading edge of the board does catch on the outfeed table.

This is kind of an overly omplicated explanation. Simply, if the machine is cutting a belly or hump after 3 or 4 passes, adjust the height of the outfeed table to get rid of that defect. You’ll eventually find the proper height that consistently results in dead flat boards. There’s no instance where you should have any amount of snipe on a jointer.

Collin, The video was very informative and I did pickup a few tips. However, the infeed table was never addressed as to its position or level coming into the cutters. Do you have any thought on this as I'm encountering issues with mine.

Excellent video!

Thank you. Very good instructions. I just bought a small bench top jointer and I am having issues where the trailing edge is becoming rounded and getting frustrated. Any suggestions?

Thank you for your explanations but you didn't mention how about adjustment infeed table.

Great info, once again. Thank you!

Colin, thanks for your videos. Regarding the explanation of snipe in this one, I now know that it can occur at the trailing edge, but I can't find an explanation of what snipe is or what causes it.

I can`t understand everything, but despite it is very interesting and informative. Спасибо!

So setting blades by 1/8 inch rule will lead always to small snipe at the end. But rest is flat. Correct ? Going ideal which is not easy result is ideal. Going with knives below out feed table will lead to some bending of material. Correct ? SO the best is ideal but no easy or just live with small snipe at the end means some wood has to be cut off. Still better than fighting with snipes from simple planers (few cm on each side)

If the aluminum foil is indeed 1/1000 of a inch; one can use either a couple of flat, bar magnets or one of those magnetic, jointer setup jigs to get the knife edge 1/1000 of an in above the outfeed table. You simply space a couple of one-thickness pieces of foil under each magnet on the outfeed table. The foil will raise the bottom of the magnets 1/1000 of an inch above the outfeed table and one sets the knife cutting edge to the magnet bottoms. The foil is so thin it will not interfere with a strong magnets adhering to the outfeed table.

Hi, I have noticed the edges of a board come out bowed as you described, but in my case it is as if the jointer shaves more in the middle of the board more than the ends. I was wondering if you could tell me if this the same as in the case where the knives are below the outfeed table or my problem is different. If you could point me to probable causes I would appreciate it. Thanks so much

Nice video, thank you. My question is, My outfeed table adjusts as well. So do I adjust that to my knives or my knives to it? Where do I set the outfeed table or should you just set it once and leave it?? Thanks!

Better understanding of cutter height now, thanks

Thank you so much, realy apreciate, so i may put 3 sheets of paper over the outfit table and with a straight ruler i have a preety good method to set the knives, is that correct?, sorry for my english, is not my first language

Hi thank you for the vid it was so helpful to me

Very good video. I just wish you explained what snipe was at the begining and not at the end. i kept wondering what it was all through the video. Many thanks for a very detailed video. Al Frog

thank you i have lots to learn

How about I set the knives exactly even with outfeed table, then drop the outfeed table by a c-hair? My jointer is all cast iron with each side of the table sliding up and down machined ramps. Each side has a large knob to adjust. Adjustment is very fine and even, so can I drop the outfeed table to get the blades slightly higher after adjusting them dead even? How about running a scrap piece and checking for flatness, then tweak the outfeed table til it's perfect? The in feed table is easy to adjust and I adjust it for the amount to take off.

I guess I need to understand my jointer more, still trying to comprehend what you are saying. some jointers have a inboard feed adjustment, how does that effect the height of the cutters, will it adversely effect the wood you are trying to plane?

Great video Thanks!

The 'measuring instrument' is a Vernier calliper.

Love it

Great info, the way you would get to the measurements of 1/1000th is using a machinist dial gauge with a magnetic stand.

if you use the magnets you don't need to worry about all that. they set the blades at the hight of the outside table

I’d like to see loosening the screws that hold the knives and then retightening the knives to just the 1/8th inch height mentioned

Thanks, it is the nice content. Only one thing. You talking too much. Just talk about how to....... It is need not to talking how somebody bla bla bla, or many other thing. First it distracting attention from main idea and wasting the time and boring of cause.

Your blackboard seems white.

Thank you so much for the info. And for God's sake, you Americans need to switch to the superior, metric system 😅