Squaring bed posts

The usual recommendation is to use a jointer to flatten one face, then one adjacent (perpendicular) face, then use a table saw to rip (rough cut) the last two faces, which ensures opposite sides parallel. Finish cuts on the jointer complete the task.

I presume you don't have a thicknesser (nor do I). For the width you want, it'll take a 10" table saw.

The usual recommendation is to use a jointer to flatten one face, then one adjacent (perpendicular) face, then use a table saw to rip (rough cut) the last two faces, which ensures opposite sides parallel. Finish cuts on the jointer complete the task.

I presume you don't have a thicknesser (nor do I). For the width you want, it'll take a 10" table saw.

You might have better success if once you have made a few passes to not start at the leading end of the board but rather leave a bit of the board on the out feed at the start of a few passes. The net result is a slight concavity over the length. Once you have both ends flattened then run the entire length over the knives. This keeps you from constantly taking wood off one end and ending up with a severely tapered board. After the first face is jointed full length then use it against the fence with the same technique over the length. I use this technique on both my DJ-20, which has a long bed, and with my No 7 hand plane.

Hopefully that description can be interpreted!

John

John

In other words after a few passes start the next set of passes more in the middle of the length of the board?

Yes on the first sentence... create a bit of concavity and then run full length. If the glue up is convex on one side start with the opposite side. If you happen to have two convex sides start jointing in the middle of the side rather than from the end.

Regarding which side to start with, being a creature of habit I generally starts on the non glued up side. If the glued up sides are very uneven a trip through the band saw to even it up a bit is a good way to go. You can either snap a line or tack a straight edge board to the blank which can be run up against the fence.

I should elaborate a bit that the point is to joint the ends just enough to get them flat individually and then fill in between them. Sometimes if you start jointing from both ends and then making it slightly concave you'll do even better. Try to read the board! Of course, it probably goes without saying that if you repeatedly start away from one end you will make a very nice taper!

Thanks so very much John. Your reply makes a lot of sense and I will try it on the next post. I need to make another one since oneof my posts got so badly tapered it is now too thin.

Good luck Russ. With a bit of studied experience you'll be able to read the material soon enough! John

Could be a good technique. Thanks, I'll give this a try. Tom

When I have such a project, I will usually start by gluing up for at least two legs in one blank. I pre-joint the edge of the widest board in the blank set and glue it up at the bottom of the stack with the jointed edge hanging a bit wide. So for this I would have glued up 4" x 8" wide. Then by ripping the blank as a first step, using the wide board as the edge against the fence I get a flat face to start working from on each blank.

I came up with this when I had the exact same issue and was try> I have glued up 8/4 stock to make 3 inch square bed posts. I left what I