I just used my recently acquired second-hand Rigid 6" jointer for the first time, and I'm noticing about an inch of snipe that's roughly 1/16" deep at the end of my pass. I tried applying consistent pressure on a 2" x 12" x 30" piece of air-dried walnut, but I'm wondering what else could be causing this snipe issue besides my technique. Any advice? Thanks!
3 Answers
I had similar issues with my jointer. Using a knife alignment tool can help ensure your blades are aligned correctly to the outfeed. The ruler trick is handy too, just make sure to keep it to about 1/16" when adjusting. Remember, a little snipe can be normal, so taking lighter passes could help too!
Check where you're putting pressure while feeding the wood. If you're pressing down on the infeed side throughout the cut, that could lead to snipe. You want to apply pressure on the outfeed side, just past the cutter head, to keep things level as it moves through.
Make sure your infeed and outfeed tables are level with each other. If they aren't coplanar, that could definitely be contributing to your snipe problem.
Yeah, definitely keep an eye on that. The alignment of your cutter head is crucial too, so it might be worth checking that as well.