Jointing long, thick (and heavy) boards?

Re: Jointing long, thick (and heavy) boards?

Mark Nowicki

What makes you think the 99" tool guide is off by less than 1/16"?

A Stanley #8 or #7 or even #5 would do quick work of that 1/16"

In my area I can rent a portable power planer for about $25/day.

Re: Jointing long, thick (and heavy) boards?

Don Stephan

How long are the infeed and outfeed tables on the jointer, and has it recently been adjusted so the tables are aligned? When I adjusted the tables on my 8" long bed Powermatic, tech support strongly suggested I get a 50" straightedge from Lee Valley and follow their instructions. Bet I spent close to 6 hours with false starts, but after it was done I got great results. I still dressed the jointed edges with a #8 plane for even better results.

Any pro shops around you?

Dick Coers

It would be easy for one with a big sliding saw, or bigger jointer. Maybe it's me, but I've never come close to a good glue line off a power hand planer.

Re: Jointing long, thick (and heavy) boards?

Brian Holcombe

Do it by hand with a sharp handplane. Take consecutively longer passes toward center, then consecutively longer passes from center. The reason for doing so is to avoid making an s-shape.

Make sure your blade is flat and protruding evenly, take full width passes. Check your work with winding sticks.

I'll eventually buy a huge machine jointer, but sometimes big unweildy edge joints are easiest done by hand. Unless you have extensions.

Same here....

John in NM

Do the big joints by hand. Only surface jointer I've used that would handle long heavy boards was a vintage Oliver, and usually then it would only do long glue lines within a month or so of being adjusted (I didn't always get to it that often).

The cost and difficulty of such machines are beyond most shops (that guy I worked for lucked into it for cheap), so its well worth it to learn to edge joint with a #7 plane and a sharp blade.

By hand

Jack Guzman from Maine

I had a 6" power jointer. I used it to build a bench. I found it to be tedious to keep adjusted properly,especially considering how seldom I needed it. I finally decided it took up way too much shop space and sold it. I have used a #7 stanley ever since and it is a treat to use. I really think a hand plane is the easiest way to do this.---Jack

Available tools

JL

I am using an 8" jointer w/ a reasonably long bed. It is a knock-off of a Delta DJ-20. I mentioned the clamp guide because that is an available tool. I do have a router.

I do have a couple of Stanley #5 planes.

Re: Available tools

Hank Knight

A #5 plane is too short to do what you want. It will follow the hills and valleys of the edge rather than leveling and straightening them. A #7 or a #8 will do the trick. They are long planes and will level an edge rather than following its curves. They were made for that task.

sensible investment

Jack Guzman from Maine

It may seem like an unnecessary purchase but if you have one you will find there are some tasks that can only be performed with a jointer plane. Mine is a used stanley #7 that I got on ebay for $35 years ago. Wooden jointers can be found at flea markets.

Re: Jointing long, thick (and heavy) boards?

roger lance

I'd also recommend hand tools.....a #7 preferably.

But, that assumes that you have a #7, you know how to tune it, you can sharpen, you have a good, solid way of holding the work, and the boards themselves have a nice straight, consistent grain pattern conducive to making a 100" long shaving as opposed to boards with reversing grain, knots, and other planning challenges.

You could use your #5 to slowly work on a joint at a time to reduce that 1/16" gap to an acceptable fit.....will take time and patience.

You could seek out some professional shop in your area that would, for a fee, get your boards ready for glue-up.....saves time, frustration, and life goes on.

agree withLance

Ian Neuhaus

Yes you can do it with a #5 hand plane.

The jointed edge doesn't need to be perfectly straight -- just straight enough to produce a sprung joint.

Take your time and only work the high spots relative to the matching edge.

Still trying...

JL

I waxed the beds and the fence of my 8" jointer - so at least the wood glides smoothly. I checked the alignment of the fence to the beds and readjusted them to make sure they were perpendicular.

I put a roller stand off of the out feed bed to take the weight of the board.

The boards have less of a gap - possibly low enough to bring in with clamps. Will try that tomorrow.

My way

olbuck

You already got'm squared up. Lay'm out way you want'm to look & number'm.Put a lite mark 6'' from each end, mark rest of length every 18'' er so. With'm turned up biscuit cut everyone of'm marks. On my 8' work table, I'd lay a 4x4 6' apart covered with wax paper.

According to your time for this, you can start in middle or what ever floats your boat,clock, but with the top turned down on those FLAT 4x4!! Do as many as you want/can using clamps. Is good idea to use a hammer to keep the ends square or saw'm off later. Let'm dry 24 at least, you got a lot of weight and width here.

All of this is so ya aint gotta work up a sweat with a plane, course ya could use something so all boards make contact with frame under neath.

Gonna quit, my head is EMPTY!!!!!!! Buck Nall from Alma, Ga.

Buck

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

I think you're mistaking top surface registration with the gluing edges making full contact along the entire length. His problem is getting those mating edges straight, not with having the top surface on the panel even. Your biscuits can, indeed, help with keeping top surfaces even across a panel width. They won't, however, get the glue joints tight if those edges have slight bows or bellies along their length.

Re: Buck

olbuck

Believe he had already ''joined'm'', so guess they would be straight.

Re: Buck

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

His stated problem is jointing ("joind'm") them to get them straight and touching without any gaps in the glue line.

ie: his "jointing" wasn't totally successful

Jointing w/ roller stands worked

JL

I put a three roller roller stand about 2' out from my outfeed table.

It appears to have "taken the load off" and evened the jointing process.

Either that or the cleaning and waxing of the tables and the fence really improved the performance enough.

I really am not sure. It could be that not having everything clean and waxed caused me to take a bit more off of the center.

Congrats!

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

When jointing stuff longer than 4' I use several roller stands (both infeed and outfeed). Same goes for the planer and the Performax to control/prevent snipe.

Re: Jointing w/ roller stands worked

roger lance

Congratulations......you have persisted and gotten through a "right of passage".....being able to get even long, heavy boards jointed acceptably.....this will open many woodworking possibilities for you.

I remember when I first knew I was able to get this type of result, I knew I could build my woodworking bench.

Many people, especially hand tool woodworkers, don't acknowledge the skills involved in using power equipment well.....there are skills involved.

Now, you can take your time with getting the hand planes you'll be using in your future.