94 – Jointer & Planer, Exactly How to Use Them, What They Are, What They Do, Why You Might Need Both

94 – Jointer & Planer, Exactly How to Use Them, What They Are, What They Do, Why You Might Need Both

Jointer and Planer, Exactly How to Use Them, What They Are, What They Do, and Why You Might Need Both

Having lumber that is flat and square with parallel faces & sides makes any woodworking project go so much easier. This really is the secret to good woodworking. If you have to fight your lumber, it’s very difficult to produce quality pieces.

The jointer and planer are the magic tools that will give you perfectly flat & square lumber. But, you MUST know how to use them. There is a specific sequence to using them to produce the required results.

Unfortunately there are a lot of misinformation out there as to the proper way to use a jointer. With this video I will attempt to explain the proper use of the jointer and the planer, and explain why things must be done in a certain order, and show that the jointer alone is insufficient.

One thing to consider, if you have a jointer & planer, a much bigger market of wood opens up to you. You can buy rough sawn lumber. You can buy lumber cheaper if you flatten & square it yourself. And of course, you can even turn some branches or logs into lumber since you can now do your own milling.

Here is a link to some of the tools I used in the video… I’m also including a couple of jointers and planers that I’ve used in the past that I like.

Grizzly 8” jointer
Grizzly 15” planer

DeWalt 13” Planer

Cutech jointer
Cutech planer

Steel Square
Calipers
Boeshield T9
Boeshield Rust

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50 Comments

  1. da ma on April 26, 2022 at 6:26 pm

    Love watching artists at work, passing on their skill. Love all your videos and have subscribed.



  2. tomy j. on April 26, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    This is the best video I have ever seen about jointing the wood in the YouTube.
    Well done keep up the good work 👏



  3. Maciej Lewandowski on April 26, 2022 at 6:28 pm

    great great great video !! BEST TUTORIAL I HAD EVER see about this topic!! Regards from Poland my friend !!



  4. Roberts Ridge on April 26, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    Just helping your channel. I learned something, thank you.



  5. Wallace Murray on April 26, 2022 at 6:34 pm

    When choosing which face to joint first, don’t you need to consider grain direction? Can you say anything about that?



  6. Jerome Little on April 26, 2022 at 6:35 pm

    Thank you, that was a great explanation of jointers, planers and table saws



  7. Northeast Mainiac on April 26, 2022 at 6:36 pm

    Ty for the tutorial, I just bought the dewalt dws795 planer , wish they had the spiral cutter head already installed but will have to do this down the road as an upgrade, I really enjoyed how you explain in great detail about the jointer, I dnt see the exact models you use in the description though



  8. Leroy Poole on April 26, 2022 at 6:38 pm

    There is a bit of misinformation here. You can get the angle out of that board very easily without a jointer. First, your technique is off. You must feed the board through and as soon as it passes the knives and on the outfeed table, put the pressure on the wood on the outside table. Second, feed the thick end through first you will cut some of the thick end and the rest will not hit the knives at all once you get to a certain point. It may take a few passes but you will get it. This guy is either new at this or simply has no idea what he’s talking about.



  9. Sean Meyer on April 26, 2022 at 6:39 pm

    I very much appreciated the depth of knowledge that this video provided. Thank you for putting the time in for us to learn.



  10. dow Shari on April 26, 2022 at 6:39 pm

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  11. D Max on April 26, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    I can see why you have a great channel here. You explain things and make it easy to understand. I just picked up a jointer and a planer from my father who can’t use them anymore cause he’s 84 years old. I feel very grateful for that! I build all kinds of stuff and even had a little craftsman 4" jointer planer back in the day but the ones he gave me are absolutely gigantic.. I plan on building a lot with them! Glad I found your channel my friend! DMAX motion simulator ch



  12. David Eldridge on April 26, 2022 at 6:42 pm

    Best explanation I’ve seen yet. Thanks!



  13. Mark F on April 26, 2022 at 6:43 pm

    850 😳 fingers a little close for my comfort



  14. Avinash 123 on April 26, 2022 at 6:49 pm

    Amazing👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏 you made work easy for so many. Thank you



  15. CIRCLE OF LUXES on April 26, 2022 at 6:49 pm

    Thanks for your video.



  16. Jesus Ramirez on April 26, 2022 at 6:49 pm

    Great explanation I get it now



  17. The_ Joker on April 26, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    Great video 👍
    Nice equipment ☘️



  18. rva11 on April 26, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    Great explanation. Thank you.



  19. XxHardcorexxGamerxX on April 26, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    As a beginner woodworker, I find your videos extremely valuable! Thank you so much for making them. Cheers!



  20. Vollmond on April 26, 2022 at 6:54 pm

    thank you for the video!



  21. MACK MOORE on April 26, 2022 at 6:56 pm

    Best tutorial for planer and jointer use I’ve seen.



  22. Jake Maddox on April 26, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    What if my board is wider than my jointer? Can I still get the surfaces parallel in the planer without getting one side flat? I’m assuming it would work but try and put the most flat side on the table or if it has a bow, place the high part of the bow facing toward the blade? Similar to the jointer?



  23. Mitchell Barentsen on April 26, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    You say that piece that’s 1inch at one end and 5/8 at the other is impossible on a jointer, mate, it’s dead easy, you put the thick end in first, shim up the other end to also 1inch total and run a few passes. Done it hundreds of times before I had a thicknesser, would come out within a couple of thou (metal machinist by trade)



  24. Sheila Mclaughlin on April 26, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    Table saw would fix those boards as not too thick for most saws



  25. John Fulton on April 26, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    Thank you James, excellent video. On the jointer, how do you apply downward pressure, even, or outfeed table only. When I do outfeed only I find I don’t cut as much off end of board? TY.



  26. John Wooding on April 26, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    James, thank you so much. I have watched so many videos on this and yours is the only one that ‘works’ for me. FWIW I think you are a born educator! 🙂



  27. Philip Selman on April 26, 2022 at 7:00 pm

    Oh yea ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🇺🇲



  28. Manoj Prakash on April 26, 2022 at 7:03 pm

    Excellent explanation.
    After searching a lot about to understand a jointer and planer, this video was damn helpful. Your application of showing different kinds of irregular wood pieces was way very helpful in understanding the machines and where they can be applied.

    You are a good teacher. Thank you for a wonderful video.



  29. Glen Chamberlain on April 26, 2022 at 7:03 pm

    Thanks very much, that Wass most helpful and easy to understand. 👍



  30. Ragnar-The-Viking on April 26, 2022 at 7:04 pm

    Great vid James. I enjoyed all aspects of this.



  31. Gilbert Camaney on April 26, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    Best instructional video on the difference between jointer and planer. So straight forward that anyone without any wood working knowledge can understand. Thanks.



  32. Robby Nevels on April 26, 2022 at 7:06 pm

    Is the direction of the grain not a big concern with the planer and jointer? Just starting using a woodshop, and some folks have emphasized the grain, so surprised that you didn’t mention it



  33. Phil Quarmby on April 26, 2022 at 7:07 pm

    The only thing I don’t get is that if you are working with alot of wood to make furniture and you run it through the jointer or planer… then surly the warped bits will be smaller than the other bits so everything will need resizing to match



  34. XxHardcorexxGamerxX on April 26, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    Could you also do a video on sanding/sandpaper with some basic demonstrations/examples? I’ve never understood what they’re meant for. Regards from Delhi, India…



  35. Professor B on April 26, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    Thank you so much for the valuable points you shared.



  36. Chris Crilly on April 26, 2022 at 7:09 pm

    Clear, concise, very helpful and blessedly devoid of the hype and terrible music that so many of your colleagues use. You have an excellent voice and speech delivery for this work. There is a very friendly and encouraging tone to your recording. Thank you.



  37. Scott Thompson on April 26, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    What Grizzly Jointer model you using?



  38. Roberto Chavez on April 26, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    Outstanding video! Thank you for the useful information.



  39. Mark Schwochow on April 26, 2022 at 7:12 pm

    Informative but my biggest take away is you and your young daughter working together. My two children are grown now and have a life independent of me, but we have times of working together, the joy for me of sharing and hopefully imparting some useful knowledge whether wood working or working together, priceless.



  40. rryybass on April 26, 2022 at 7:13 pm

    VERY GOOD INFORMATIVE VIDEO, THANK YOU



  41. Gilles Demers on April 26, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    Thanks James very very good video for a beginner like me. I’m just wondering…. The cup defect you had shown is very pronounced and the board not that thick. Will you be really able to fix this or the board will get too thin after fist step on jointer ? If not possible, what would you do then. Or am I missing something… ??



  42. ekgravesrn on April 26, 2022 at 7:17 pm

    excellent teaching. My jointer scares me for some reason, but now i am ready to tackle it. First time.



  43. Benjamin on April 26, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    Excellent video- super informative!!



  44. Barry Phillips on April 26, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    This is a fantastic explaination. I have some old stained wood, can you run stained or painted wood through the jointer or planer? Will the paint gum up the blades?



  45. Mr Johnson on April 26, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    Fantastic video. Thanks for taking the time to make this.



  46. Finn Hewes on April 26, 2022 at 7:21 pm

    Wow great explanation, just what I was looking for. Thank you!



  47. Anthony Tobin on April 26, 2022 at 7:22 pm

    Fantastic video



  48. pleappleappleap on April 26, 2022 at 7:23 pm

    What about a saddle-warped board? As in, it’s cupped in one direction and bowed in the other…

    Yes, sometimes I’m that unlucky.



  49. joe lynch on April 26, 2022 at 7:23 pm

    This is the best jointer/planer video ever. Thanks! I get it finally!



  50. J Scholten on April 26, 2022 at 7:25 pm

    You are an excellent instructor so clear and thorough, thank you.