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Are you tired of flattening, joining, or edging wood pieces by hand? Although a chisel or other manual tool can help you cut wood surfaces for joints, they cannot yield precise and accurate results. To achieve quality results, you should get one of the highest-rated wood jointers of 2022.
Wood jointers come in two forms – benchtop and handheld. You can choose either one according to your requirements and create flat workpieces faster than ever. Equipped with powerful motors and carbide cutters, these tools can make quick work of the hardest woods with varying grains and cupped surfaces. Since they have many benefits over traditional hand tools, we have rounded up the finest wood jointers for you.
Choosing A Wood Jointer: A Buying Guide
Wood jointers are essential in making woodwork strong and stable. Whether you want to make chair legs or a paneled tabletop, no other tool is as effective as a wood jointer. There are many models to choose from, so it is important that you find the right one for your needs. You might find yourself getting overwhelmed due to the sheer amount of choice and variance between the models. Keeping this in mind, we have created a complete buying guide, so you know what to look for.
The Main Types Of Wood Jointers
- Hand-operated wood jointers are portable and dont need to be set up on a tabletop or need assembly. You connect them to an electrical outlet, set the fence at the desired angle, select the stop mark, and you are ready to work on the wood piece. This jointer creates biscuit slots that allow you to join two wooden panels.
- Benchtop wood jointers are used for flattening, edging, and joining wood pieces of varying sizes. They arent portable because of their large size and hefty construction, but they offer higher accuracy and can handle large wood pieces with ease.
Factors To Be Considered
Motor speed
Cutter material
Jointers are well-known for their precision and accuracy in cutting, flattening and edging. If you use regular cutters, you’ll either have tangled wood fibers or a broken blade. Carbide is a durable material that can withstand wear and tear so you should consider models with carbide cutters. Carbide blades are also generally sharper, meaning you can cut through wooden fibers without leaving uneven surfaces.
Workstation
If you choose a benchtop wood jointer, you must ensure the workstation is large enough to meet your work requirements. Most models come with larger worktops that can accommodate wood blocks of various sizes. Some jointers also come with an extendable rack on either side, offering a larger workplace and more flexibility to deal with longer pieces. While browsing benchtop jointers, you should look for a workstation made from cast iron with a steel top since this combination of materials is highly durable and offers optimal stability.
Fence
Both hand and benchtop wood jointers come with an adjustable fence that you can tilt to achieve the desired angle and height for cuts. Usually, you can tilt fences of hand jointers from 0 to 90, while on benchtops, the tilting angle varies between 90 and 135.
Cutting depth
The width of benchtop wood jointers can be set at 15 cm or 20 cm. This determines the depth of the tool. The 15 cm model is best for narrow cuts. The 20 cm model is better for larger and more complex cuts.
Biscuit slots
Most hand-operated wood jointers are equipped with pre-set stops, and you can turn the knob to change the biscuit slot size. The three most preferred slot sizes are #0, #10, and #20.
Knife type
Two types of knife are available for benchtop wood jointers: two-blade knives or spiral knives. Two-blade knives are designed to cut straight along the edge of wood pieces. However, they can be very fragile and require frequent replacements. On the contrary, if you choose a spiral cutter jointer, you can save yourself from the unnecessary hassles of frequent replacements. It also makes precise and smoother cuts.
Safety Tips To Be Followed When Using A Wood Jointer
- Place the cupped surface of the wood over the workstation for a benchtop jointer.
- Always cut along the grain of the wood piece you are using.
- Lock the power button in the benchtop wood jointer to prevent accidents.
- Slide in a bar and check if the bottom fence rack and the blade are equally spaced or not.
Compare The Premier Wood Jointer 2022
Equipped with a cast iron table and steel platform, this wood jointer makes flattening, edging, jointing, and tapering easier, irrespective of the wood surface and hardness. It has a spiral cutter with 4-sided carbide inserts, offering smooth, accurate, and precise wood jobs. To speed up the process, the blade rotates at a fixed speed 12000 rpm.
The adjustable fence on this benchtop jointer can be adjusted from 90 degrees to 135 degrees to make different angles or bevels. You can extend the built-in retractable frames on either side of the table to provide additional work space for larger pieces. Lock them with a bolt.
Thanks to the lockable power button, excellent cutting capacity, and powerful motor, this model is the best overall on our list.
Pros
- An adjustable fence offers high flexibility
- Expandable workstations for greater area
- Reduced footprint for saving space
Cons
- It is quite expensive.
This Dewalt biscuit wood jointer is an excellent alternative if you don’t like benchtop joints. It has a powerful 6.5-amp motor that runs at 10000 rpm for precision cuts without damaging the wood. You can tilt the integrated fence from 0 to 90 degrees to ensure you get the perfect angle.
Dual rack and pinion fence ensure precise cuts every time. You can easily fine-tune the gap between the blade and fence rack according to the woods thickness, and this wood jointer also features pre-set depth stops that suit the most common biscuit sizes (0, 10, and 20). You can also easily make flush cuts at 0 without removing the fence. This is a well-built wood jointer that works well with minimal setup, making it great for beginners.
Pros
- Anti-slip pins stabilize the work
- Work on the most difficult woods
- For stationary work, heavy-duty aluminum clamps can be used
Cons
- The handle is located near the motor
Porter-Cable’s wood jointer is the perfect tool for you if you are constantly changing the wood type being used. The motor’s power delivers exceptional performance and speed adjustment between 6000 and 10000 RPM, allowing you to work with different materials with precision. The knife leveling system comes with a jackscrew and two cutter heads that are easily replaceable. It also comes with a built-in cutter head lock that allows you to easily adjust according to your requirements. Woodwork needs accuracy, and the variable speed options on this wood jointer will enable you to make sure you get the cuts you want.
Pros
- 15 cm stock for better woodwork
- Works well with a variety of woods
- Let’s control the motor speed
Cons
- Aluminum fences can wobble
This manual wood jointer is portable, so you can easily move it to different sites. This model is ideal for joining wood panels along their edges and aligning various boards. It can adjust the angle of the fences to create biscuit slots at the height and alignment you desire. There are also pre-set stops that allow you to adjust the number of biscuit slots between #0 to #10. This model is powered by an 8.5-amp motor at 10000 rpm. It offers high precision and accuracy. The competitive pricing makes it the best value woo jointer on our list.
Pros
- Carbide-tipped blade offers excellent performance
- Hand jointer portable
- A high-powered motor generates desired speed
Cons
- Fine tune knobs are not available
This wood jointer has a variable speed motor that operates within a range of 6000 rpm to 11000 rpm. As a result, the cutter head can create 12000 to 22000 cuts per minute, allowing you to use different materials and achieve both flat and straight surfaces with accuracy and precision. You can adjust the knives according to your needs with the lockable cutter head and knifes jackscrew-leveling arrangement. Its fence is also mounted at the center to provide the necessary support to create accurate cuts. If youre in the market for a heavy-duty wood jointer that can handle anything you throw at it, this is your solution.
Pros
- Best for flattening, edging, and joining
- Motor with variable speed configuration
- Enough workspace for larger wood pieces
Cons
- Doesnt feature an extendable workstation rack
People Also Asked Questions
Q: Can I adjust the height of a fence in a wood jointer
A: You can adjust the height of the fence in wood jointers by using the fine-tuning knobs.
Q: How often do I need to replace wood jointer cutter heads?
A: You should replace the cutter head of your jointer if it has become blunted or creates irregular cuts.
Q: What type of wood jointer would be best for small workshops?
A: If you have a small workshop and don’t want to flatten the surface of your workpiece, a hand-operated wooden jointer is the best choice.
