Can you use a jointer to avoid planer snipe?

Discussion/Question ⁉️

The general consensus for squaring up a board is joint a face, joint a side, plane the other face, table saw the other side.

I cannot get rid of planer snipe to save my life. I have tried every tip and hack I can find and nothing has worked. At this point I’m convinced it’s just the planer itself but I can’t afford a new one. So I thought—if I joint one face, then run the other face through the planer, both sides should now be perfectly parallel. So can I then use the jointer to get down to final thickness and bypass the sniping issue altogether? Is there any reason that wouldn’t work?

in BeginnerWoodWorkingby ZP4L

63%

E_m_maker

In some cases snipe is inevitable, even with expensive tools. It is a good idea to leave your boards a bit longer than you need them. Then when they are to thickness trim them to length and remove the snipe.

As for your question, what you are proposing will not work. You can end up tapering the board.

Howard_Cosine

Just run a scrap of the same thickness ahead/alongside the piece you’re planing. The unavoidable snipe will be on your scrap. All these other overly complicated processes just aren’t necessary.

aquarain

I do this. Sometimes I double stick tape the scrap on.

SirHandyMan

This has worked for me 100% of the time. It’s the only way I’ve found to eliminate snipe.

failure_engineer

No. Add 3-6” of extra length to your pieces so you can trim the snipe out if you’re unable to adjust the snipe out.

ColonialSand-ers

Is there any reason that wouldn’t work?

Yes. A jointer only references its bed, not the opposite face. Even if you start with a square board you will almost certainly end up creating some degree of a wedge shape when jointing.

CAM6913

I know what you’re saying about jointing one face and one edge then running through the planer to get both faces parallel and stopping before final thickness to cut through the snipe in theory it sounds like a good idea but it would probably come out with the faces out of parallel side to side, end to end or both. As for snipe some planers are terrible with snipe raising the ends of the infeed and outfeed might help a little on some and non on most there are other tricks that rarely work, lunchbox planers are the worst and there really isn’t anything to do to get rid of snipe a lot of good planers you can adjust the infeed and outfeed rollers to eliminate snipe but then when you change the knives it’s critical to set them at the same hight as the ones where you adjusted the rollers or your going to adjust them again but setting knives should always be the same, carbide maintains the same hight when you install them or just turn them so it’s no problem. For now your best option is to keep the boards longer than you need and cutting the snipe off but the better option is to have all the boards ready for a project that are going to be the same thickness and a couple of scrap boards, run a sacrificial board through and before the tail goes into the planer butt a project board to it and feed it through repeat this till all project boards are through and butt another sacrificial board to the last project board. Doing this all the snipe will be on the front of the first sacrificial board none on project boards and on the tail of the last board keep doing this till final thickness but make sure to feed the snipe end first on the first board then butt all boards then the snipe on the last board goes in last.

ValkyrieWW

There are a lot of videos on this topic. They all basically say the same thing.

Nothing will help with snipe as much as adjusting the tables. If that doesn't do it, allow 6 extra inches and cut 3.off each end after planning

https://youtu.be/luKyaouXa78?si=9Tej5LCEVJebl7EQ

CAM6913

Some planers you can adjust the infeed and or outfeed rollers to eliminate snipe

NecroJoe

Except that's not the question that's being asked, and even still, snipe is still very possible with a perfectly setup planer, since the wings sag the moment you put weight on them, and sag at different amounts depending on the weight or length. But there are also techniques for eliminating snipe on even the worst set-up planers and even ones without in/outfield platforms.

ValkyrieWW

Okay then, to blatantly answer OPs original question:

NO you can not use a jointer to remove the snipe without taking the sides out of plane. Had it been that easy, I would have just said yes.

You elude to some mythical techniques but didn't take the time to site them.

Adjusting and maintaining your equipment is the answer.

aquarain

Ok both of you...

elude : to get away

allude : to imply or reference

NecroJoe

...and when adjusting and maintaining the equipment still fails, there's the techniques I eluded to, which include adding a piece of same-thickness stock before and after your piece so the roller cradle can't dip. Or adding longer pieces to the sides that reach and exit the cutting area before and after your stock. Or leaving your piece long to cut off the snipe. No consumer-grade planer is 100% snipe-proof no matter how well setup or maintained,, but these tequniques completely take the planers's construction or setup out of the equation.

also_your_mom

Because you don't get snipe on your jointer?

ColonialSand-ers

In contrast to planer snipe, which is typical, jointer snipe is easily preventable and eliminated through proper setup.