Machine setup is sometimes a difficult and frustrating venture, and with the vast number and styles of machines out there, it's often difficult to get good advice concerning how to set up and adjust a machine for optimal, repeatable, and accurate performance.
Jointers are prime examples.
So here are what I consider the most salient points in setting up and adjusting a jointer. The two most common problems with jointers are sniping and bowing. Both are attributable to less than perfect setup. It's not uncommon for a poorly adjusted machine to exhibit both problems, and often one thorough going over of the jointer will cure both, as well as a few other less aggravating conditions. Snipe is defined as a cut that becomes slightly deeper at the end of the pass, and is very easy to see, since it occurs rather abruptly, usually over the last couple of inches of the workpiece.