A jointer, also called a jointer-planer or, in some regions, a planer, surface planer, buzzer or flat top, is a woodworking machine used to produce a flat surface along the length of a board. Run as a jointer, it works the narrow edge of a board to prepare it for edge-to-edge joining, commonly to glue several boards into a wider panel; run as a planer-jointer, its wider table lets it smooth and level the broad face of a board narrow enough to fit within the machine's table and blade width. This entity is distinct from the hand-tool Jointer Plane, already live on this atlas: the jointer is a stationary power machine, the jointer plane a hand tool, and the two are used for related but different stages of flattening a board.
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Introduced When (Circa)Not established by the cited source.
Jointer (Wikipedia) describes the machines design, naming and operation but gives no date or era for when the jointer was introduced; checked fresh 2026-09-17 against the raw article extract. OriginThe jointer takes its name from its primary function, producing a flat edge on a board so it can be joined edge to edge with another board; the term is thought to derive from the jointer plane, a hand plane used for the same purpose before the powered machine existed. 1 Sources
1. Jointer (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationName sectionQuote, Name section
The jointer derives its name from its primary function of producing flat edges on boards prior to joining them edge-to-edge to produce wider boards.
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