Using your planer as a jointer

[Paschale]

I have a 15 inch planer, and six inch jointer.  I had heard people say, "there are ways you can use your planer like a jointer," but until a recent FWW article, I didn't know how anyone could do that.  Here's a link to a video describing the jig and the method.  It's really slick!  It'll sure beat ripping all those wide boards down to six inches, and then regluing!

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/wvt095.asp

[CHARLIE]

But you should rip wide boards to narrower boards and then alternate the rings (bark side up, bark side down, bark side up, etc) when you glue them back together to lessen the warpage.

I have clamped several boards together and run them through my planer edges up to make them all exactly the same width and jointed.

[Quartlow]

That was interesting, and creative. 
necessity the mother of invention

[Hokiemill]

Hey paschale, I read that article.  Pretty interesting, but to tell you the truth, I hate dealing with wide boards (and long boards) in the shop so I'm glad to rip them down to fit my 8" jointer.  For furniture, I break the rules when it comes to alternating growth rings on flat slabs.  I always arrange them for best appearance of the top and that usually means all heart sides facing upwards.  As long as the tops are held to the base well, and allowed to expand and contract, then there seems to be no problems. 

My 15" planer is plenty big, but I sure would like to have the room and money for a great big 'ol wide belt sander.  I worked part time for a custom furniture-maker a few years ago and the two biggest timesavers in his shop were the wide belt sander (hence the name "timesaver") and his straight line rip saw.  One of these days when I win the lottery and build a bigger shop.....

[Kirk_Allen]

I took a fine furniture building class at one of the Woodworking shows about 5 years ago and the instructor had an interesting prop.

He had two glued up panels. Each was about 3 feet square.  One had the boards cut to 6" and then glued together alternating the grain as Charlie mentioned.  The idea was that doing this would prevent warpage.

The other panel was wide boards cut to 6 inches and reglued in there normal cofiguration.  He put them on the table and asked everyone to look at them during the breaks and try to tell which one was flatter.

He did not give us the board configuration until the end of the day.  I could not tell a difference in them.  Turns out, according to the instructor turning one board right side up and the other up side down does nothing to prevent warpage.  WOOD WILL DO WHAT WOOD WANTS TO DO was his slogan. 

After lengthy discusions on the issue turns out many folks found that out themsevles over the years.  His focus was on fine furniture and to get that you need to focus on the grain or pattern of the wood.  Best side visible!

I know all the glue ups I have done have been fine and I no longer alternate the boards. 

I think the primary key is to ensure the wood was properly dried. 

[Tom]

I just like "big ol' wide boards". :D :D   

If they warp, they warp and I have to remember that wood is a living thing.  I know that warp can ruin a cabinet but a cabinet with big boards that didn't warp has more "I-want-it" appeal to me than on made out of a lot of little strips.

I can understand the logic to cutting small boards and reversing the grain.  One counter-acts the other when they do move.   If the flat plane iswhat is most important then that might make sense.  I think the wide board is most iimportant and would rather put something on the back of a big board to help it stay straight than cut it ujp into little strips.

[MemphisLogger]

Alternating growth rings actually ends up making things worse appearance wise.

It results in alternating bands of refractivity--light will bounce off the each strip in a different direction. Also, what cupping does occur with seasonal movement will create waves which will, again, bounce light in different directions.

Wide tops or panels glued up with the same orientation will cup (if not well restrained) but they will do so in the same direction which results in a smooth appearance refraction-wise.

The only time I alternate growth-ring orientation is when gluing up bookmatched panels--then you have a result that outweighs the drawbacks.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I've toung and grooved 10 inch wide ash to make panels with no troubles. The wood was only air dried a couple years.

[CHARLIE]

I was in Milano Italy on business back in 1996.  On the weekend I went to a museum in an old fort or castle in the middle of the city. It was there that I was admiring the hand cut dovetails on a trunk or chest built in about 1512 (if I remember correctly). I could see the scribe marks and the dovetails fit nicely. Then I realized, that the woodworker that built it didn't go down to the local lumber yard for his boards. He started out with a log, cut his own boards by hand, dried them, and planed them by hand before he could start building the chest. Then I noticed the lid of the chest.....it was one board over 20 inches wide. I don't remember the exact width but it was real wide and the growth rings were so close together they were hard to count. 

[Engineer]

I don't understand your post. 

I have a 16" jointer and an 18" planer.

What's the problem?

??? ;D

[Ironwood]

How about a 40" planer (want a wider one!) and I have bought every 30" jointer I've ever seen ( I sold the first one to upgrade to the later three, yes three, one for parts, it's twin in storage, and am using the third) You would not believe how little I bought them for, all are modern round heads on ball bearings (although babbit is great too).

[Paschale]

Well, for me, I think this jig is gonna work out great!  I've always thought that it was conventional wisdom to rip wider boards to narrow ones, then alternate the growth rings when you glue it up.  I've run into a lot of sources since than that have encouraged me to try using wide boards.  Like Kirk, I was at one of the Woodworking Shows this summer, and Kelly Mehler, of The Table Saw Book fame was doing one of the clinics.  He said he always uses the widest boards he can.  Basically he said it's vital, as Kirk said, that the board has been properly dried.  Interestingly enough, for him, he would say that air drying is the only way he dries his boards.  To ensure that they are dried enough to 6-8% though, he'll bring them into his heated shop for as long as it takes to get them to acclimate.  He believes that air drying maintains the "life" of the wood, whereas kiln drying "deadens" the wood.  I wouldn't say I totally agree with him, but it is an interesting thought coming from one of the country's leading woodworkers.  He said the key to preventing warpage is to use the wood immediately after processing it through the planer, getting it attached or glued to whatever project you're working on.

Another source that spoke about not needing to alternate the growth rings was a recent article in Woodworking magazine.  (This is a new one--just three issues so far, characterized by no ads, published by the same people who publish Popular Woodworking).  One of the articles said in passing not to worry about this.  I wrote a letter to the editor to ask if they could explain this, and it was pretty cool in this latest issue to see a response to my question.   8)  They stated the same thing that Urbanlogger mentioned, that the refractivity of the alternating wood causes issues, and that just so long as the wood is dried adequately enough, then warpage shouldn't be a problem.

I guess I'm glad I encountered this belief that you don't need to use narrow boards.  We all like wide boards because they're truest to what nature gives us.  When we do use narrow boards, we all strive to match the grain, basically so that we trick ourselves and others into thinking that it IS one board.  How much easier to just use one big board instead?  Especially if it's one we cut into lumber ourselves.   8)

It was hard to justify spending more for a big ole jointer, plus my shop just isn't big enough to store too many huge tools.  This jig is a total godsend, if you ask me!   8)

I'm amazed though, at how cheap you can get a massive jointer, if you go to the right auction.  Wish I had a bigger shop...but don't we all?   :

[Ironwood]

Paschale, 

  I have a small shop but a big need for the huge iron. I currently palletize most of the huge pieces and grab them with the forklift and over to my phase converter when they are needed. The other thing I do is leave some of htem out side under my loading dock, I don't care if they surface rust slightly, old quality cast iron cleans up in a jiffy. I have an old Oliver bandsaw the I just covered in grey paint, table and all. It is my "outside saw" I split firewood on it and cut up the really long stuff that would not fit in the shop. Gotta make do, just like in your instance with the planer. You can also "joint" the edge of a curved board on your table saw, perhaps you know that already. There is also the electrified hand held power planer to get the boards flat. Anything that grind away the high spots is a help.
     
                            REID

[Larry]

The narrow board thing is woodworking myth #101...promoted by wood peddlers that like to sell there FAS narrow boards for ridiculous prices.   Cabinet makers also like to push this myth...just take a look at the raised panels in there factory made doors....3 to 4" wide boards glued together. :'(

This is really an interesting read by a most respected cabinet maker.  Read the reprinted article "The Right Board in The Right Place".  I keep the article handy to help with dispelling the myth.

http://www.irionlumber.com/library1.htm

If only I could dispel myth #102 that a big jointer is an essential tool....nice but not essential.

Paschale, there was also an article some years ago in FWW about a guy that built a similar planer sled and a sled for the table saw to straight line rip.  I built the ripping sled and it works great. 

[Paschale]

Thanks for posting that link Larry--there's a wealth of good information in that article, beyond the issue of narrow vs. wide boards.  Good stuff!   8)

[MemphisLogger]

Paschale,

I have an 8" jointer and regularly use it to joint 10 or even 12" boards.

I make a pass and then skew plane off the resulting ridge or rabbet or whatever you want to call the part that didn't go over the knives. Keep doing that until the face is falt and then go to the planer.

It works great.

That said, I'm still looking for that 16" Newman or Oliver.