Jointer Broke, need alternate method to joint boards

[mdfranci]

My jointer is broke and I am waiting for the parts to fix it but I need to joint a few boards and I need to see about finding a simple alternate solution to doing this. I remember someone telling me about tilting the blade and then running every other board with the good face down and when I flip it over it will match? If this is not a good way is their a simple jig I can use my router with to accomplish this? I am not what would be the best method but I am looking for advice. Thanks, Mike Francis

[Andy Dingley]

Good blade in the table saw, set it at 90° and do the neatest rips you can. Then hand plane. If the sawn surface is already good, then it's a moment's work to finish it by hand and you're removing so little as shavings that you don't have the opportunity to introduce wobble (sideways or hog's back). Any plane can do this, even a short-bodied smoother, because you're relying on the tablesaw's accuracy.

If you want to "spring" the joint (which I doubt you did on your jointer anyway) then go read "Planecraft" or one of the old '50s craft handbooks.

[pat]

Yes, see link:

[RonB]

Good advice here. In fact, if you have a good sharp blade and use care you can get a pretty good joinable surface with the table saw alone.

[Owen Lawrence]

I've seen it done. The guy took a lot of care to adjust his table saw. After-market fence. Loosen/tighten trunion to line the blade parallel to the fence. Link belt. Quality blade. Loosen/tighten bolts in stand, to let the saw settle into its resting position (no floor is perfectly flat!). He was peeling smooth oak veneer off of two inch thick boards.

I never had as much success as that, and I don't have a jointer (or the after-market fence). So far my jointing has been done with a hand plane. I book match my boards to get supplementary angles. For small stuff, anyway, this has worked well for me.

- Owen -

[George]

Especially if you think jointing rather than ripping. Without the load on the outside of the blade, even a mediocre one can produce a smooth and shining surface.

Wasn't up to rigging out the surface planer yesterday to surface some cherry

3x3, so it was jointer (mine's working) for square and to the tablesaw. With at most a shaving coming off the left side, they were 220 off the saw with a combo blade.

Not a burn, either!

[James "Cubby" Culbertson]

A good old No. 7 Jointer plane will do wonders for edge glue ups. I typically use my powered jointer to get everything square and then run the No. 7 over the edges with a very fine cut for a pass or two. You almost hate to glue up and hide the nice edge! Cheers, cc

[mdfranci]

If I use a hand plane what is the best way to make sure it stays flat on the edge so it wont cause a bevel? Mike

[Duane Bozarth]

Practice.

[Andy Dingley]

Just hold it flat. If you already have a reasonable sawcut on there, the plane is taking off so little that you're not going to disturb the angle measurably.

You only need to worry about "jointer fences" or using your thumb as one if you're planing a square edge on from scratch.

[Lowell Holmes]

View the tape "Rough to Ready" by Rob Cosman. :-)

[CW]