Can I level the infeed and outfeed tables on my 6" Ridgid planer/jointer? I don't see such information in the manual.

I don't know which planer you have, but if all the planing happens on the top side of your stock then all surfaces underneath should be at the same level.
If you have a fancy planer that cuts on the bottom side, then the outfeed table should align with the cutters and the infeed table would be adjusted below that by the cut thickness (like a jointer

You will always have snipe at the end of planed boards equal to the distance from your infeed and outfeed rollers. It's severity is determined by how much the board sags or dropps behind the planer until the second roller catches the board. Some planers have extended tables to help with this. What you can do is hold the board up as much as possible and still let the infeed roller move the board smoothly until the board contacts the outfeed roller.

The most important part of the jointer is that the cutting edge is perfectly level with the out feed table, then, bring up the infeed table, with straight edge on rear, make all adj necessary to get these things lined up flat, not level, but flat, straight, even. Then it will cut perfectly flat and even. no snipes,. Hope this helps.

Hello,
Adjusting a jointer to relieve snipe can be trickey but here are a few procedures that will help.

-The two tables on the jointer are adjustable, the front (infeed) is what you adjust for cut depth.
- The back (outfeed) needs to be the exact hieght as your knives

The outfeed needs to be adjusted first
-unplug jointer
-using a straight edge on the outfeed table adjust it so that when you turn the head (counter clockwise) the knives just touch the staight edge (NOTE** all the knives should touch the straight edge the same, if not your knives are not set correctly) This is your most important adjustment, if the outfeed is to high or to low it will cause inconsistant jointing.
-Now that the outfeed is trued up to the head you can adjust the infeed table, using the straight edge align it so that it is perfectly lined up with the outfeed table (not touching the kinives) Your jointer is now at ZERO

You can now adjust the infeed for depth of cut, Start by lowering the infeed a very small amount (1/16 of a inch to start)

The biggest problem I have seen is that people try to cut to much at one time, it will work alot better if you take several small cuts instead of one deep cut.

Also- getting the knives set perfectly in the head is a key to success, if this is not happening you WILL have jointing problems. ALSO if the knives are not sharp they will pull the material down causing snipe.

I really hope this helps and if you need a visual aid try looking it up on you tube.

I have used my jointer for numerous different projects, Here is a cool one for tapered table legs.
Take a piece of square stock (like 2x2 ) about 3 feet long, make a mark about 2 foot up and wrap a piece of tape around it at the mark.
now make a mark (we will call it a stop mark) on the fence of the jointer by the head.
with a pencil and number the edges on the 2x2 (above the tape so you dont joint them off)

turn on jointer and run side 1 until your tape is at the fence mark, carefully lift 2x2 and do the same to the 2 side.
only joint the #1 & #2 sides, run several more times and you will have a perfect tapered leg.

SHOP DOG

YOu have the infeed table set far too low, and/or your knives are not set even with the height of the outfeed table. You should very rarely need to take a pass of more than 1/16 th of an inch on a jointer, unless the wood you're jointing is very rough cut or cupped/warped.
Please also see the answer given in this article for information about where to download a user's manual and find information on using and tuning up a jointer.

I hope this information allows you to resolve this issue. If you need further assistance, please post back with a comment to this thread.
If I've managed to answer your question or solve a problem, please take just a moment to rate this post....thanks!

Instruction manual is here.

Exploded diagram is here.

I'm pretty sure you're saying your planer tables are not coplanar.

http://thewoodwhisperer.com/jointer-setup/ is worth watching. Despite his comments about a level, a decent level works fine for making sure your tables are flat and coplanar on smaller units like this.

On more expensive planers there are gibs that can be adjusted to fix this issue. Your part list doesn't list any gibs, so it looks like you will have to loosen the screws holding the infeed or outfeed table in place and shim it. You can use a metal feeler gauge to figure out how much need to shim it.

Also, if you're still in warranty, Delta may be able to replace your unit. If you're going down this route, I'd recommend you take a level and your unit into a service center so you can show them the problem.

Be aware that the replacement "could" be worse than the original. Be sure to check it. I recently waited 6 weeks for a replacement fence for my jointer (mine developed a twist) and the new one had a 3/8" bow in that was ridiculous.

Unfortunately the Shopmaster line wasn't Delta's greatest and there have been a lot of problems with them. It might be worth keeping an eye on craigslist in your area, as decent prices can be had on jointers fairly regularly.

Please vote if this answer was useful.

I'm not familiar with hobby type machines like craftsman, but good shop jointers have levers or hand wheels for the infeed and out,either on the sides or the front. I hope your outfeed is the higher one. When jointing, the amount of stock material removed should be compensated by the hight of the outfeed table, otherwise you will produce a taper near the end of the board your jointing. Check and see if raising or lowering the knives moves the outfeed if you still can't find separate adjusters.

i found on some jointer/planers that this problem, is the way its designed. you can adjust the two feeds close but not close enough. what your supposed to do is push the wood thru one side with pressure on top and side(right hand), then when it touches blade slowly but steadily switch pressure part on the outfeed side. when you think anout it you are cutting an L shaped notch(until the end) so you dont want the side to be exactly parallel. table top jointers are tricky to use.

Well, the infeed table is supposed to be lower than the outfeed table. This is how the jointer actually removes material to flatten a face or board edge. What is important is that the the outfeed table is level with the top of the cutterhead blades, so as you push material through the cutterhead, the outfeed table fully supports the workpiece.

The infeed table is supposed to be adjustable up and down to remove different amounts of material.

If both infeed and outfeed tables were aligned, no material would be cut (assuming the outfeed was aligned with top of the blades).

a jointer includes infeed and outfeed tables. A set of rotating blades is positioned between these two blades. A fence is set on one side of the jointer to serve as a guide. The infeed table and outfeed table are adjusted so that they are parallel, but the infeed table is slightly lower thereby exposing a small amount of the cutting blades. The woodworker then presses the lumber against the infeed table and pushes it onto the outfeed table; the rapidly spinning blades remove a small amount of material. If the wood is particularly warped, several passes on the jointer may be required.