Replies

1. 
   MBerger | May 16, 2007 10:54pm | #1

   Hi M71.

   You are right on track with your approach. Jointing the face means getting one side of the board perfectly flat (or resurfaced as you called it). Without that flat side to reference against, none of the other sides will be square and true.

   There's a couple of things to keep in mind before you even head to the jointer. When you buy lumber BE PICKY. Don't just buy the boards on the top of the pile. Dig through it to find the straightest boards in the stack. And like you said, buy oversized to account for the waste from the milling process. The best material is rough sawn on all four sides, because a 4/4 board will actually be 1-in. thick, which means you have 1/4 of breathing room if you're milling it down to 3/4 in. thick.

   Second, store your lumber well when you bring it home. If you don't have a dedicated lumber rack, make sure the boards are stacked flat and stickered to let air circulate between each board. Stickering means placing crosswise scrap pieces in between each board. A straight board will warp if one surface is exposed to moisture in the air and the other side isn't.

   Now to the milling process. If you do have a warp in your board, one trick i use is to run the board across the jointer, and when you hear the blade stop cutting, lift the board up and do it again. Then flip the board around and do the same thing to the other end. That will bring the ends down even to the center so that your final pass cuts the entire length of the board. (of course, be careful when lifting the board off the jointer table with the blade running.)

   If the board is extremely warped or twisted you can also rip it down the center with your bandsaw, joint those narrower pieces, and then glue them back together. You'll lose less material that way. Similarly, don't joint a long board if you are just going to cross cut it into shorter sections.

   Hope that helps. Write back if you want anything clarified.

   Matt Berger
   Fine Woodworking

1. 
   m71 | May 16, 2007 11:18pm | #2

   Thanks for the quick response matt.

   That was a great response.

   I guess what i was thinking is the my planer does a great job in providing an parellel on the second face and I'd like that face on my jointed side as well.

   So lets say after I joint the board, i then run it through the planer jointed side down. While I'm planning i use chaulk to make sure that the entire surface is planned. After such a time that my chaulk line fully disappears can i then, flip over the board and then do a finish cut with my planner on the jointed side?

   -or-

   is that a major no no and I should only plane the unjointed side?

    

1. 
   MBerger | May 16, 2007 11:31pm | #3

   Let me get back to you tomorrow. We just had a nasty wind storm blow through town and our entire building went dark (I'm using my battery lap top). Gotta get home to make sure no trees fell over.

   - MB

    

1. 
   m71 | May 16, 2007 11:32pm | #4

   Ok Matt...if they do fall over..stop the truck and grab them. :-)

    

    

2. 
   MBerger | May 17, 2007 05:22pm | #5

   The wind did a number on us here. It took me two hours to drive six miles home because trees and power lines were down everywhere. I still don't have power at my house! The gas stove came in real handy and we had a feast this morning since we had to eat all the food in the fridge before it goes bad.

   Back to your question.

   So lets say after I joint the board, i then run it through the planer jointed side down. While I'm planning i use chaulk to make sure that the entire surface is planned. After such a time that my chaulk line fully disappears can i then, flip over the board and then do a finish cut with my planner on the jointed side?

   It's perfectly acceptable to flip the board and plane the jointed face after both sides are parallel to one another. All I'm saying is don't plane the second face until the first face is perfectly flat off the jointer.

   - matt