Jointing wood edges are probably one of the most common tasks we do in woodworking and one of the reasons that jointers are such a common tool, but there are other ways fo jointing wood. Two of the methods I still use from time to time are using the table saw with a special sled, and using my wood router.
Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/g8pVGyFu6PQ
Both of the methods shown here can give excellent results and provide perfectly straight and even joints ...
Table Saw Jointing
For this method you will need some sort of a table saw sled because if your wood is rough or uneven, it is not only dangerous to try and table saw this wood, you could end up wasting an amount of it before you finally get straight, even and parallel boards.
The sled I used is detailed here - Making a Table Saw Tapered Leg Sled and More
The other thing that is very important in this method is to use the best ripping blade you can find. My preference is the Freud Glue Line Rip blade and you can see details on it here on my Amazon Affiliate Page. These blades are widely sold so are available in most find lumber and woodworking stores. Yes, these blades are a bit more expensive than some others, but mine is about 15 years old and I haven't even had to have it resharpened yet and it is still giving perfectly sharp cuts.
The method is quite simple when you have made the sled, simply fasten your board to the sled and align how much you want to cut off. The blade on the table saw wants to be about a half tooth above the material you are cutting, so no change there, and amount of wood you cut off is up to you, you can skim the board if it is already straight and true or you can cut off as much as you need to end up with a straight, true edge.
And like any jointed edge, once you have one side "jointed" the other edge of the board normally needs to be cut on the table saw to make the board parallel and if you are using the Glue Line Rip, you will get excellent edges on both sides that are easily suitable for gluing.
Wood Router Jointing
This method works as good as the Table Saw method, it's just a different way of joining. Basically, you use a flush trim bit that aligns with the factory edge of a piece of MDF to get one good edge. You still need a table saw to cut the other edge and make the board parallel. The biggest difficulty with the router version is attaching (clamping) your wood to the MDF so that it doesn't interfere with the router.
Narrow boards harder because there is less clamping space unless you want to skip jointing the end which could be an option, especially if they are already splitting and will need to be cut off anyway. Another option that use from time to time with the router version is sandwiching the wood between 2 boards, That way you edge smaller boards, simply by sandwiching them between a couple of MDF boards.
Both of these methods work well and if you are just getting into woodworking or you have been doing it for a long time, both of these options will come in handy for you at one time or another ...
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Copyright Colin Knecht
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