Basic Operations
Before making any cuts on the stock, make a few practice cuts by raising the infeed table to "0" and with the power disconnected. In this manner you will acquaint yourself with the feel of jointer operations.
Hand Placement
Never pass hands directly over the cutterhead.
At the start of the cut, the left hand holds the workpiece firmly against the infeed table and fence while the right hand pushes the workpiece in a smooth, even motion toward the cutterhead (Figure 34). After the cut is under way, the new surface rests firmly on the outfeed table. The left hand is transferred to the outfeed side and presses down on this part of the workpiece, at the same time maintaining flat contact with the fence. The right hand presses the workpiece forward and before the right hand reaches the cutterhead it should be moved to the work on the outfeed table.
Direction of Grain
Avoid feeding work into the jointer against the grain. This may result in chipped and splintered edges. See Figure 35. Feed with the grain to obtain a smooth surface, as shown in Figure 36.
Figure 34
Figure 35
Figure 36
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