Edge Gluing Question

[harpone]

I traded some collapsible baskets for five approximately 3"x3"x5' pieces of oak. I ripped the 3 straightest ones into 1"x3" boards and found I do not have a straight edge of any of the boards. I do not have a jointer. What is the simplest and safest way in this case to get good edges for gluing? I would like to glue 3 or 4 together before planing.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Here is one option:

Take a piece of plywood with a straight edge. The plywood needs to be as wide or wider than your stock. Fasten the board to the plywood. You can get fancy with toggle clamps or just screw the wood to the plywood at the ends and cut the ends off later. Make sure you don't hit the screws with the saw.

Now you can run the plywood against your fence and cut a straight line on the board that is fastened to the plywood. Remove the board, screw on the next piece and repeat.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Here is a link to a video. This jig is fancier than what I described. It also rides in the miter slot instead of against the fence. Both options will work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKOVUBZNL9w

 

[Mark Gottesman]

You could also use a router with a flush trim bit and some sort of straight edge.Position the board so it hangs over just a bit, fix everything down tight (your choice) and run cutter over the edge. Done and done. Or , you could use a large jointer plane

 

[chris_goris]

Do you have a hand plane? clamp the pieces together (face to face) and ahnd plane them, It doesnt have to be perfect, the edges you joint with the plane will complement each other

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Do you have a hand plane? clamp the pieces together (face to face) and ahnd plane them, It doesnt have to be perfect, the edges you joint with the plane will complement each other

Bevels will cancel each other out, but things will need to be straight along the length.

 

[Mark Gottesman]

Just remembered a real odd way to do this. Basically, took a level that was used for checking doorways for plumb. It was 6 foot long. Glued sandpaper to the edge and went to town. Did a decent job of delivering a square face and flat edge.

 

[Weekendworrior]

You could also use a router with a flush trim bit and some sort of straight edge.Position the board so it hangs over just a bit, fix everything down tight (your choice) and run cutter over the edge. Done and done. Or , you could use a large jointer plane

This method is the reason I have not purchased a jointer.

 

[golfdad]

Good video Jeremy. I have one very similar except it uses Toggle clamps and the tale saw fence

 

[Tarhead]

A chalk line and a bandsaw or jigsaw will get you close enough to use the TS rip fence safely. No jig required.
A circular saw on a diy 1/4" thick ply track will get you close too.

 

[JeffH]

If you have a router table with a split fence, you can make a workable jointer out of it -- not big enough for face planing, but it'll do edges pretty well with a little practice. Get the fence oriented fairly closely on either side of a straight bit (I like a 1/2" diameter) that's long enough to cover the width of the board edge you're straightening. Then attach a shim (maybe 1/32" or 1/16" depending on how much material you want to remove at a time) to the outfeed side of the fence, basically so that the outfeed side is a little thicker than the infeed side. I use a specific-thickness plastic strip about 6"x24", I think, clamped onto the fence high enough that the board edge can pass under the clamps -- thereby avoiding adding any thickness of tape, etc. Use a straightedge to align the outfeed side of the fence with the cutting edge of the bit. Now you have a vertical jointer. Guide the board against the fence the same way you would against the bed plates of a jointer, and of course keep your hands clear of the bit. It's actually easier to see what you're doing than with a regular jointer (note: wear eye protection just in case), and if you have a dust collection duct for your fence it's not messy at all.

I do use a straight-board table saw jig but mine will only accommodate about a 2 foot capacity because my table saw is small. With the router setup I can edge as long a board as I can physically handle, and if the "bed" of the jig is too short (in my case, about 3 feet overall) I can do final cleanup/matchup with a #7 handplane and good straightedge.

 

[harpone]

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you think my Bosch Colt trim router would do the job on 1" oak?

You could also use a router with a flush trim bit and some sort of straight edge.Position the board so it hangs over just a bit, fix everything down tight (your choice) and run cutter over the edge. Done and done. Or , you could use a large jointer plane

 

[harpone]

Thanks for the ideas. My sole router is the little Bosch Colt and I don't have a router table.

If you have a router table with a split fence, you can make a workable jointer out of it -- not big enough for face planing, but it'll do edges pretty well with a little practice. Get the fence oriented fairly closely on either side of a straight bit (I like a 1/2" diameter) that's long enough to cover the width of the board edge you're straightening. Then attach a shim (maybe 1/32" or 1/16" depending on how much material you want to remove at a time) to the outfeed side of the fence, basically so that the outfeed side is a little thicker than the infeed side. I use a specific-thickness plastic strip about 6"x24", I think, clamped onto the fence high enough that the board edge can pass under the clamps -- thereby avoiding adding any thickness of tape, etc. Use a straightedge to align the outfeed side of the fence with the cutting edge of the bit. Now you have a vertical jointer. Guide the board against the fence the same way you would against the bed plates of a jointer, and of course keep your hands clear of the bit. It's actually easier to see what you're doing than with a regular jointer (note: wear eye protection just in case), and if you have a dust collection duct for your fence it's not messy at all.

I do use a straight-board table saw jig but mine will only accommodate about a 2 foot capacity because my table saw is small. With the router setup I can edge as long a board as I can physically handle, and if the "bed" of the jig is too short (in my case, about 3 feet overall) I can do final cleanup/matchup with a #7 handplane and good straightedge.

 

[Mark Gottesman]

As long as you can get a cutter of sufficient length, I don't see why not. Probably just need to plan on taking light cuts instead of hogging it all in one pass.

 

[JimD]

I used my track saw on my last project. I was 8 foot boards and I have a 102 inch track which worked well.

 

[JeffH]

I think the router thing would work, provided you do a very shallow cut on each pass-- 1/16 might be too deep. I'm more comfortable with a router with a 1/2" collet for more stability of the bit, particularly if you're using a bit that's a couple of inches in cutting length -- but it's worth a test run. Make sure the bit is sharp and you're not feeding too fast so as not to put too much sideways pressure on it.

 

[ehpoole]

Also double check that the bit and fence are both precisely perpendicular to the table (do not assume! DAMHIK -- I made that mistake once before). A good starting thickness to remove is around 1/32” per pass (what I typically have my jointer set to as well for quick touch ups) using a 1/2" bit. Up-cut spiral bits work best as they pull the board (and waste) downward into the table, but a straight fluted bit may also be used. It helps to also setup featherboards to help hold everything snugly against the out feed side of the fence and use a piece of scrap to help finish pushing the stock past the bit, if needed.

Or you could see if any fellow members are in your area who would be happy to allow you to borrow a few minutes of time on their jointer and/or planer and get to make a new friend at the same time. I would volunteer but I am a bit of a drive for you (unless you really wish to make that drive, in which case the offer stands).