Jim Crammond in Monroe Michigan
>Paul and Adam,

I edge joint separately, never thought to much about why, it's just the way I was taught and it seems to work for me. It probably is not the most efficient way to edge joint, but then I'm not in that big of a hurry, I enjoy spending time in the shop woodworking.

I do the stock preparation, then lay the boards out on the bench to determine what I percieve as the best orientation as far as grain, figure etc. It never seems that all boards are oriented optimally as far as apperarance and grain orientation for planing but at times you have to accept compromise. I then mark the boards so they stay in the same relation during edge jointing and assembly.

Next I place a board in the vice and joint the edge so that it is square to the face and slightly concave (a thousandth or two over it's length). I check the edge fairly often with a straight edge and square. When I am satisfied, I do the same thing to the second board. There is a slight learning curve to this process, the first couple of times it can be frustrating because you can't get the board quite square and straight at the same time. After a little practice, it goes pretty quickly.

When I'm finished with the second board, I leave it in the vise and lay the first board on the edge of the second board in the correct orientation, I check the edge joint to see if it is sprung correctly and check to see if the two boards are flat with a straight edge. I then make any necessary corrections on the board in the vise. When the joint is correct, it is very stable, there is no rocking and it has a firm feeling to it. Then it's on to glue up.

Jim