Jointer or planer?

[Leon]

Geez.... Do you also run your plywood panels through the jointer after cutting them ?????

[J. Clarke]

Found it on their site. Thanks.

[Doug Miller]

I somehow doubt that he leaves exposed plywood edges in his finished work.

[Sonny]

Peter, I might be able to put you in touch with a really good jointer (and other tools), in the Ashville area, for really cheap. Can I email you directly?

Sonny

[B A R R Y]

Sorry, I don't.

Leon posted a full description a few messages back.

My original version was a simple MDF sled with framing shims (usually found near the 2x's in home centers) and carpet tape holding everything in place.

I think I found the drawing for the version I use, which is much faster than shims and tape, in one of the books I've borrowed from the library.

Here's a pay-per-view .pdf of one way to skin the cat:

If you subscribe to FWW, online access is cheap. Otherwise, I'm sure there might be another version on Google. These things are like router mortise jigs, crosscut sleds, etc... in the respect that they've been around for so long, there's been many variations of them published.

[<marierdj]

[<marierdj]

[Swingman]

My experience is that in 35+years of cabinet making I've never found it necessary to use a jointer to "clean up the edges" of any sawcuts I've made when dimensioning stock for a project ... and particularly those made when dimensioning stock for "rails and stiles".

With my always "batch cut" rails and stiles, I prefer that there be no further "dimensioning" of my carefully ripped to width stock, no matter how small, that would result from running them unnecessarily over a jointer.

But, I believe that you should try to keep your fingers out of your mouth in the shop.

Probably due to the fact that my holy grail/focus when cabinet making is "square", not stock free of "hairline kerf marks".

You may suggest, but before I'd take it as gospel I'd prefer to see your qualifications for making the assertion?

To that, I'd say that you need to get out to a few more cabinet shops. ;)

I will take that as stated ... and opinion to which you are certainly entitled, and nothing more. My opinion is that it is not the case.

.. 'nuff said.

[DonkeyHody]

My Powermatic joiner is properly set up with the knife height set with Ed Bennetts TS-Aligner Jr. My blades are sharp, but I still get a scalloped edge that requires much more sanding to clean up than the cut left by my Freud Glue Line Rip blade on my tablesaw. I won't argue that a hand plane leaves a smoother edge than either. I much prefer using the cut edge from the table saw than a jointed edge. I still use my jointer to give me a reference edge to go against the saw fence, but I usually end up ripping that edge away before I'm done.

DonkeyHody "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." - Will Rogers

[George]

You're just making a flat bottom so you can get a parallel top. In the simplest form it's a piece of plywood with the low spots on the board shimmed and hot-glued for the first couple of light passes. Use your eyeball or winding sticks to get the best fit and have at it.

Helps if you have good metal serrated infeed rollers. Some of us just hot glue shims to the high spots to stabilize and run it that way. With the serrated infeed and a set of bed rollers you can feed with almost no downward pressure.

[Doug Miller]

Agree completely -- if any cleaning up is needed, the first thing to do is check for problems at the table saw, e.g. misalignment, damaged blade, etc.

And any cleanup that might be needed should be done, not with a jointer, but by ganging half a dozen pieces on edge through the *planer*.

[Leon]

:~) This is mean but I am almost ROTFLMAO. Sorry Mike but while you probably do get the results that you are looking for you may one day learn that you can do way better than that when you learn to set your TS up correctly. The jointer IS NOT a dimensioning tool.

[Swingman]

It was meant as a joke ... I inadvertently left off the smiley!!

Sorry bout that, Mike ...

[<marierdj]

Thanks, I appreciate the information. That hot-glue works good. I had my mind set on a sled for a jointer. With this type of sled it should work good using the thickness planer.

[Leon]

Yeah Mike, I am sorry too, I meant to say that it was mean of me to laugh not what Swingman said was mean, just humorous. I find my fingers in my mouth quite often when using a hammer. :~)

[Mike O.]

No but plywood edges are not a finished edge nor an edge to be finished.

Mike O

[Mike O.]

I've set up quite a number of table saws thank you and quite a few joiners. I also know that my joiner knives leave fewer kerf marks than my table saw.:-) If you believe that the results you get with your table saw alone are better than with the use of a joiner, I'll believe you.

Mike O.

[George Max]

O.K., works for you. It'll probably work for anyone. Even me.

After 20 years of dorking around with wood, I still haven't found a need. Yet. I just think it's pretty time consuming. I already waste a lot of time on other things.

What I use is a DJ-20 and a DeWalt 12" (?) planer. Big stuff goes to Kettle Moraine hardwood to go through their thickness sander, but only when it's already close to finished size.

[J T]

Sun, Dec 10, 2006, 1:25am (EST+5) [e-mail] (George=A0Max) doth sayeth: O.K., works for you. It'll probably work for anyone. Even me. After 20 years of dorking around with wood, I still haven't found a need. Yet. I just think it's pretty time consuming. I already waste a lot of time on other things.

Yup, works for me. Probably work for anyone - IF they wanted to do it that way. But that's up to them. If I was doing this for a living I'd be doing a LOT of things different. Probably still do a few the same, but most not. However, I don't pay my bills that way, so I don't ve to be very efficient, if I don't want to be, and definitely don't have to work under a time constraint. So, if I take 15 minutes to do something my way, when I could do it in 5 another way, I'll probably stick with my way - because I like to. It's a hobby. I don't have to work fast, or efficiently - can't work too fast any more anyway, bad joints. However, I spent a lot of time as a kid helping my grandfather. Most people nowadays would call him a master carpenter - and a Hell of a lot better than Norm he was - but correctly he was a journeyman. He made some outstanding stuff, with just a tablesaw and some hand tools, and I picked up a lot from him. I could be a lot more efficient if I wanted to, but by the time I figure out just what type of a jig I need, and just how I want it done, then to actually do it, I've usually wasted more time then I've saved. But that's part of the fun.

JOAT I am, therefore I think.