Edge joined boards, join not right - HELP!

[Andy Jeffries]

Complete newbie to woodworking here.

I've edge joined two small (150x300mm) pieces of Oak and the join is solid. However I couldn't get them exactly square so they look like (looking down the board):

+--------+ | +--------+ | | | +--------+ | +--------+

Given that I have a power planer and a half sheet orbital sander, what is the recommended way of making these flat (it's not as bad as in the ASCII art, but it is a 2 mm lip).

My options as I see it are:

1)Start again and try to get it perfectly level - not really an option because a)I'm on a tight budget (making a few of this item) and b)I don't know if I'd get it any better if I tried again anyway.

2)Run the power planer on a 0 cutting depth in a direction from right to left (as per the ASCII art above) to hopefully level the joint (it doesn't matter too much to squareness/thickness, just needs to be smooth)

3)Sand the joint down, working it in big circles with a 60/80 grit, then a 100 grit then a 120 grit.

I'll need to sand it at a later stage anyway, but I don't know whether I'd get a better finish doing it now or using a planer.

Cheers,

Andy

[js]

if it were me, given the options, I would plane it down as close as possible with the planer, then finish it off with sandpaper as you stated. If you use sandpaper to take down a 2 mm rise the width and length of one of the boards, you'll be there forever and a day.

[Wade Lippman]

Can you live with the reduction in thickness that will result from planing it smooth? If so, your choice is obvious.

If not, can you saw them apart and try again? You ought to be able to get closer than 2mm. Although my experience is limited, I have always glued before finish planing, so there is room for errors.

[Andy Jeffries]

Given that I only have a power planer, am I right to put it on a 0 cutting depth and go accross the lip?

Cheers,

Andy

[js]

[alexy]

You will preserve maximum thickness if you plane each high side down flush with the other, parallel to the current surface, if the pieces are square as drawn.

By power planer, do you mean a hand-held, or a stationary machine? If the latter, I'd put your pieces on a carrier, with a shim under the left side to hold the piece the level, then plane off 2mm from the left board, and repeat on the other side.