How-To
Quick Tip: Jointing Without a Jointer
Learn a jointer-free way to get an absolutely straight, square edge with a router. It’s the perfect technique for panel glue-ups.
You don’t need a jointer to create a flat and square edge. Tom McKenna demonstrates an easy method using a straightedge and a router. It’s a reader tip from Tom Flader of Fond du Lac, Wis., originally published in FWW #167.
This method works especially well for long, heavy boards, like those you would use in a tabletop glue-up. The key is to use an absolutely straight straightedge set just the right distance from the edge of the board so it takes a fine cut.
To speed up the setup, Flader recommends using a pair of L-shaped gauges. These let you quickly position the fence to the right distance from the edge of the board.
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Comments
I also use a router table. The out feed side of my fence has a piece of plastic laminate on it and the in feed side doesn't. I set the the bit flush with the out feed side and trim the board. Poor man's jointer.
I have a jointer, but it’s only a 6-inch one. I can’t flatten a board wider than 5-1/2”. This is why I also have a Lie-Nielsen No. 8 jointer plane. I plane two mating edges back-to-back in my vise and get a perfect glue joint. If my plane is tilted slightly and one board is jointed at 91 degrees, it’s no problem because the board to be glued to it is at 89 degrees. I also use Festool dominos to both strengthen the joint and to reference the tenons from the top. This brings slightly bowed boards together with very minimal or no step along the joint, thus minimizing the flattening required in the final table top. Especially if I am going to French polish or use some other glossy finish, I don’t want even shallow dips because the shine reveals all of the surface preparation mistakes.
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