jointing

Jointing is a woodworking operation that prepares boards for joinery by creating flat, straight, and square surfaces. It is typically performed with a powered jointer or with hand planes. The term often refers to two related operations: face jointing, which flattens a stock’s face, and edge jointing, which straightens and squares an edge.

Edge jointing involves presenting one edge of a board to the jointer’s cutter head while guiding the stock along the fence. The edge is planed until it is straight and true, then squared to the opposite face. A properly jointed edge can register against a fence or another board for accurate glue-ups. Repeated passes may be required to remove warp or twist, and fine testing with a straightedge helps verify squareness.

Face jointing aims to produce a flat reference surface on the stock’s face. With the stock held flat on the jointer table and fed across the cutter head, the resulting face is flattened and brought closer to parallel with the opposite face after subsequent passes. For longer boards, face jointing establishes a stable surface that supports accurate edge jointing and thicknessing.

In practice, jointing is often followed by planing (thicknessing) to achieve uniform thickness and fully prepared stock for glue-ups. When stock is too short or warped for a jointer, or for very small pieces, hand planes or shooting boards can substitute to straighten edges or faces. Safety considerations include using sharp cutters, appropriate push methods, and guards or push blocks to keep hands clear of the cutter.