Jointer
A machine for flattening faces and straightening edges.
A jointer uses infeed and outfeed tables with a cutterhead between them. It creates a flat reference face and a straight edge for later milling.
Power tools and machinery
Planers and Jointers
Planers and jointers prepare boards by flattening faces, straightening edges, and bringing stock to consistent thickness.
What to Know About Planers and Jointers
A jointer flattens one face and straightens one edge; a planer makes the opposite face parallel and brings boards to thickness. Cutterhead style, bed length, capacity, and dust collection affect results.
Working principle
The cutterhead removes material while tables, beds, rollers, and fences register the board. Sequence matters: joint a reference face and edge before planing to final thickness.
Major Types
Choose by stock width, board length, shop space, noise, dust collection, and whether you need flattening, thicknessing, or both.
Benchtop Thickness Planer
A portable planer for thicknessing boards.
A benchtop planer pulls stock under a cutterhead to make the top face parallel to the bottom face. It is compact but needs careful support and dust collection.
Floor Thickness Planer
A heavier planer for capacity and production.
A floor planer offers more power, width, stability, and chip handling. It suits shops milling larger quantities or wider boards.
Jointer-Planer Combination Machine
A space-saving machine with both functions.
A combo machine shares cutterhead and footprint between jointing and planing. It saves space but requires changeover and careful setup.
Helical or Spiral Cutterhead
A cutterhead with small indexed inserts.
A helical cutterhead uses many small carbide inserts arranged around the head. It can reduce tearout and noise and lets damaged inserts be rotated.
Handheld Power Planer
A portable planer for trimming and rough leveling.
A handheld power planer removes material from doors, beams, and site work. It is not as precise as a jointer or thickness planer for furniture stock.
Common Woodworking Uses
- Flattening rough boards.
- Straightening edges for glue-up.
- Thicknessing boards to a consistent dimension.
- Cleaning sawmill marks and cup after rough cutting.
- Preparing parts before final joinery.
Choosing Planers and Jointers
- Buy enough jointer bed length for the boards you actually flatten.
- Use planer width for project needs, but remember a planer does not flatten by itself.
- Consider helical cutterheads for difficult grain and lower maintenance per nick.
- Plan dust collection before running a planer or jointer indoors.
Setup
- Joint one face and one edge before planing to final thickness.
- Use proper infeed and outfeed support for long boards.
- Set light cuts on figured or difficult grain.
- Check fence square and table alignment.
Accessories and Consumables
- Push blocks
- Dust collector
- Mobile base
- Knife-setting jig
- Infeed/outfeed support
- Planer knives
- Carbide inserts
- Dust collection bags
- Paste wax
Maintenance
- Clean chips from beds, rollers, and cutterhead areas.
- Wax tables lightly to reduce feed resistance.
- Rotate or replace dull knives or inserts.
- Check belts, feed rollers, and dust ports.
Safety
- Use push blocks on the jointer and keep hands over safe support areas.
- Do not plane boards shorter than the machine's minimum length.
- Stand clear of kickback paths.
- Let cutterheads stop before reaching near knives or inserts.
Companies & Brands
Companies are grouped by the products they currently make for this type of woodworking.
AxminsterPlaners, thicknessers, and jointers.DEWALTBenchtop thickness planers and handheld power planers.FelderPlaners, jointers, and jointer-planer machines.Grizzly IndustrialPlaners, jointers, and jointer-planer machines.HarveyPlaners, jointers, and woodshop machinery.JET ToolsJointers, planers, and stock-preparation machines.Laguna ToolsPlaners, jointers, and woodworking machinery.Oliver MachineryPlaners, jointers, and woodworking machines.PowermaticJointers, planers, and stock-preparation machines.RIKON Power ToolsJointers, planers, and shop machines.SCMPlaners, jointers, and woodworking machinery.