I'm currently taking a woodworking class where I'm learning how to mill rough-cut lumber, but I'm having some trouble understanding the jointing and planing process. Our instructor, while nice, doesn't communicate everything clearly. So, to ensure I'm on the same page, I'm reviewing the steps involved.
To start, we have rough-cut lumber which has six sides: two faces, two edges, and two ends. In class, we began the process with:
1. Jointing one face
2. Jointing one edge
After that, I thought I had two adjacent flat and square surfaces. Then we moved on to the planer:
3. I placed the board in the planer with the "nice edge" facing down
4. After that, I flipped it and ran it through the planer again, this time with the "nice face" facing down
However, when I tried to glue two boards edge-to-edge, they wouldn't sit flat against each other. My instructor mentioned that I might not have jointed correctly. Now I'm confused because I came across a statement online saying, "The planer is for faces, not for edges." Does this mean it's wrong to send a board through the planer with the edge down? Should I only use the jointer for preparing all glue edges?
Any insights would be greatly appreciated to help me understand this better!
3 Answers
Looks like you're figuring it out! The planer is great for faces but not edges. To ensure a solid glue joint, always prepare your edges on the jointer. If your edges aren't straight, they'll won't line up during glue-ups. Always keep the jointed edge against the jointer fence, and you’ll create complementary angles that help if your fence is slightly off square. This way, any mistakes in the setup will cancel out when you get to glue-up!
Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely apply this next time.
Great questions! It sounds like your issue may stem from trying to flatten the edge with the planer, which isn't designed for that. The jointer is your friend here! After jointing the face and edge, you should only put the jointed face down in the planer, not the edge. To fix your glue joint, you’ll need to ensure both edges are jointed perfectly flat on the jointer. If your boards still don't sit flat, it might be worth checking the set-up of your jointer to make sure it's aligned correctly.
This makes so much sense! I was a bit confused about the process.
Exactly! Cleaning up edges on the jointer is the way to go.
You're on the right track with your process! After you joint one face and one edge, you should definitely put pressure on both sides of the board as you feed it through the jointer. The key is to apply pressure to the outfeed side once it passes over the blades. After that, make sure you only run the jointed face through the planer. The planer works best for flattening faces and can’t effectively flatten edges. You can use your table saw to trim the rough edge after that. This way, you’ll have nice square edges for your glue-up!
Thanks for explaining that! I’ll keep that in mind for my next session.
Exactly! Just one tip: checking the square often will help a ton!
Totally agree with you! I'm a newbie too and had the same issue before.