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Benchtop Jointer: The Power Tool for Woodworking

For many woodworking projects that you will be working on, it will make the whole process so much easier if you have boards that are nice and even to begin with. And what a jointer does is one job really – it was designed to make boards perfectly flat. 

A jointer is a very important tool in your woodworking shop. Its job is to set the foundation for all future projects you will be doing with wood. Flatwood pieces make your work more precise and consistent. That is why being able to mill a board flat properly is a fundamental task in carpentry.

It’s no surprise that the best benchtop jointer is a device that will be very useful in DIY workshops for people who have the goal to perform most of their renovation work at home, which requires the use of perfectly flat boards.

This article will introduce you to the jointer, explain how it works, and what things you can create with it.

When Do You Need to Use a Jointer?

A board freshly bought at a sawmill can have some faults that you will need to fix before starting your work.

Usually, it’s got a bow, which is when the board is warped along the wood fibers. And then there is a cup when the board is warped across the wood fibers. Sometimes it can also have a little twist, which you can notice as the board can rock from corner to corner.

In those situations, a jointer is a real gem. It helps you to make the boards flat so that you can work on them in the future.

Planer or a Benchtop Jointer?

People working with wood are often confused about which one to use: a planer or a benchtop jointer for preparing boards. These devices may seem to be similar, but their essential tasks vary. While the jointer makes things flat, a jointer makes things perfectly parallel with consistent thickness.

Most serious woodworkers will need both a jointer and a planer; there are hybrid models that combine the two tools.

How Does It Work?

The tool can work on one, two, or four planes of the board with a cutting blade. The device ensures that the panels will not only have even edges, but their dimensions will be the same.

A jointer has infeed and outfeed tables that are coplanar – completely flat with no twist. The jointers cutter head blades are totally flush with the outfeed table. If you raise or lower the infeed table, the depth of the cut is adjusted. As you feed wood into the cutter head, excess material is removed so that the board’s edge or face is parallel with the jointer’s outfeed table. 

What Can You Create With a Jointer?

Wooden Fence

With this equipment’s help, you can prepare flat boards for further use in, for example, a wooden fence. After cutting the panels to the needed thickness and width, you can cut them to length. You can also think about the less standard shape of the top parts of the fence. For example, an arch-shaped top would be a great finishing touch.

Such simple boards will be very easy to treat with sandpaper and to make a solid fence from them. All you need to do then is to buy wood paint and paint the rails in the color of your choice. You can also involve children in this task, and they will certainly be happy to help you.

Paneling Components

When decorating walls, a lot of us think about paneling. It is very easy to make it on your own without a professional carpenter’s help if you have the equipment needed. A benchtop jointer will cut the boards flat, which will ensure a stress-free job. You don’t have to worry; nothing will stick out thanks to the wood processed on a jointer.

Window Frames

You can cut costs by making beautiful window frames for your house, making use of a jointer. You will save a lot of money when buying not perfect but healthy wood and feed it through a jointer. Everything should fit together perfectly.

Conclusion

A benchtop jointer is a must-have tool for people interested in working with wood. Thanks to it, boards will have the precise dimensions required for many woodworking tasks. It can give you a sense of independence as you won’t have to look for the “perfect” ones in carpentry stores. 

Thanks to the jointer, you can search for cheap board material on your own, for example, in a nearby sawmill. When buying non-dried (and thus much less expensive) wood, you will be able to dry it in your own home workshop after, and after the required time, you can prepare the boards yourself. A jointer will help you create fences, window frames, and even wooden stairs!

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