94, страница 50

94, страница 50

from

Our Readers

50 ShopNotes No. 94

jointers &

Rabbets

When I bought my jointer, the catalog description said it could cut rabbets. What are its advantages over using my table saw?

Mike Smith Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Using a jointer to cut a rabbet has a couple of advantages over using a table saw. For starters, even the best dado blade can leave slight "ridges" in the cut, (top board at left). A jointer makes the cut without leaving any saw marks, eliminating the need to sand or plane them smooth.

Another benefit is that it's easy to cut a wide rabbet. In fact, the width of a rabbet you can make on a jointer is limited only by the length of the knives.

But possibly the best reason to use a jointer to cut a rabbet is the fast setup time. It takes less time to set up a jointer for a rabbet than dealing with dado stacks and an auxiliary fence. And I can use it for a quick rabbet when my table saw is set to make other cuts.

What is Needed? One thing to keep in mind is that not all jointer models (such as benchtops) come equipped to cut rabbets. Your jointer needs a rabbeting arm and a notch along

M Smooth Rabbets.

A dado blade leaves ridges in a rabbet (top photo). A jointer results in a much cleaner cut.

the edge of the outfeed table (drawings at lower right). The arm and notch support the edge of the workpiece.

Procedure. The first step to cutting a rabbet is to make sure the ends of the jointer knives are aligned. This will ensure the cut is smooth, with crisp edges.

Then, position the fence to establish the width of the rabbet. This is done by measuring from the fence to the end of one of the jointer knives (top photo).

Shallow Cuts. Next, adjust the infeed table. Cutting a rabbet safely with a jointer requires making several shallow passes, removing a little bit of material each time. Start by setting the

FENCE JOINTER ALLOWS FOR WIDE RABBETS

jointer to take a shallow cut (MO- (The blade guard has been removed in the top photo to show the setup easier.) After making the first pass, lower the infeed table another with each pass until you "sneak up" on the required depth of the rabbet.

(Even though the knives are "covered" by the workpiece, you should keep the blade guard in place for safety. The guard was removed in the photo for clarity.)

That's really all there is to cutting rabbets with a jointer. If a project called for a lot of rabbets, I'd still use my table saw. But for a few quick cuts, you really can't beat the speed and quality that a jointer can give a rabbet. A.

REMOVE BLADE GUARD FOR WIDE CUT

FENCE

SET JOINTER FOR SHALLOW CUT ON INITIAL PASS

WASTE

RABBETING NOTCH „

LOWER INFEED TABLE Vie" BETWEEN PASSES

BLADE GUARD REMOVED FOR CLARITX

RABBETING ARM