dteckie said:

Have been using a 6" Reliant jointer ( rarely use it, so better more
expensive one not on my list) to smooth edges in order to glue two
boards together. It seems the boards are not as smooth as I would
expect when butting the boards next to each other. As I stated rarely
use it but each time I can never get the edges perfect. Seems like one
or both edge is off a bit. I checked the alignment procedure in the
manual and tables seem aligned correctly. Maybe I may not be feeding
it through the jointer the right way. What can I be doing wrong ? What
is the correct way to feed a board edge through a feeder. Do you push
from rear or both front and rear?

Proper joining on a power machine is a matter of personal technique.
But it is also dependant on the machine having proper setup, and that
the blades be sharp and aligned. I'm not familiar with that jointer,
what is the bed length? How long are the pieces you are trying to
join? There is disagreement on this point, and again, it depends on
your technique, but a rule of thumb is that you cannot properly join
boards longer than twice the length of the jointer bed.

When you mention that "the edges are not smooth", does that mean they
are not straight, or that the surface finish is rough? These two
symptoms have different remedies.

When you sight the edge of the board, are there large gaps between the
boards that suggest an incomplete joining job, or are they bowed end
to end - suggesting improper machine setup or possibly feed technique?

Or is the finish rough, with stray fibers of wood interfering with the
glue joint? This is more likely a result of dull blades or their
improper height settings, or characteristics of the wood and/or it's
grain direction, or even possibly feed speed. Are there chatter marks
or blade marks clearly visible on the edges?

Never remove more than 1/32" to 1/16" of wood on each pass through the
machine. Exactly how much depends on the type of wood and it's
hardness and propensity to tear out. If you still get tear-out,
inspect the grain pattern, sometimes running it through the jointer in
the opposite direction reduces or eliminates that tear-out.

Make certain you ultimately remove enough wood that the edges are
truly straight. One pass is seldom enough, unless some previous work
has been done to the edges.

When you feed the board, apply only moderate pressure downward, keep
it pressed against the fence tightly, and make sure the fences is set
at exactly the desired angle, probably 90 degrees. Get a good square
or micrometer type protractor to check this. A $10 square from Harbor
Freight or the Borg is probably NOT accurate. Starrett, Incra and
Veritas make good, accurate squares - with my nod going to the first.

Go slow enough that the blades do their job - you can sort of tell by
the sound the blades make - and experience plays a role here. Going
TOO slow results in impacting the wood fibers.

When passing the wood over the cutting head, remember that the outfeed
table is the one to keep the most downward pressure on. The cut has
been made, and keeping the leveled portion flat here ensures that the
remainder of the board is planed flat. Don't press so hard at both
ends that you actually bend the board over the cutting head. This
will result in a dished edge that bows inwards in the center.

I probably missed something here, but my suggestion would be to get
some metal free scrap and practice your technique on it rather than on
the material you have destined for a project.

FWIW,

Greg G.