Poor Man's Jointer

[Buter]

My current shop would need to be drastically altered to make room for a proper, full size jointer so I had to come up with another way to get accurate joining faces.

My solution is quite simple but so far has given excellent results. Like all of my other jigs, simplicty is the key to this one. It is nothing more than an 18mm MDF base with a piece of 10mm laminated glass on top that butts up to a 90 degree fence with a small rebate to let the glass slip under the fence. Cut off a piece of 60 or 80 grit from a roll of sandpaper and you've got a perfectly flat surface with a right angle fence to keep the 'jointed' surface square.

Here you can see the little rebate (easily made by putting a 6mm piece of birch ply (great for aking skateboards btw) on the face of the oak I used for the fence and just leaving an appropriate gap) for the glass/sandpaper to slide under to make sure that you have sandpaper for the entire face.

If you're wondering about the quality of joins you might get from this, here's a picture of the first body I joined up and it looks like a factory join (not that I'm biased or anything).

Nothing groundbreaking but it's effective. I hope this might help someone.

Cheers

Buter

[Kammo1]

Great idea and another way is to simply fix a straight edge to the workpiece and then with a guided bearing cutter rout a nice clean edge works perfect every time.

[stereordinary]

That's great! Makes me think about my plans to get one of those big granite slabs for flattening various surface before gluing up. Perhaps I could just use some glass.

[Woodenspoke]

That's great! Makes me think about my plans to get one of those big granite slabs for flattening various surface before gluing up. Perhaps I could just use some glass.

The granite slabs are cheap the shipping is not. One reason I have only a small one.

As far as using the sand paper method I would rather use a Jointer Plane, which I use all the time even though I do have a well equipped shop. Anything that is awkward to run through a machine or requires flattening a hand plane is the quickest method I have found apart from a machine. The Jointer Plane being my preferred plane, this is the longest of the plane family. Even takes up less space than a sanding setup. It does require time to lean how to use and sharpen properly. Then again a Jointer requires setup time as well.

The only time I resort to sand paper is to roughen surfaces for some gluing tasks.

On the other hand it is a simple solution for those who have nothing else, which I guess is the point of this discussion.

[anderekel]

Nice, that's how I did my first fretboard. How I tapered it anyway.

[ihocky2]

For the few dollars more it would cost, and about the same time for setup work, I would go with a hand plane as well. They are not that hard to learn to use, and you get a much finer finished surface than with sandpaper. Plus they make a lot less of a mess. Evne with my garage being designated as nothing more than my shop, I have the mess sanding leaves. The dust settles on everything, and gets everywear. Hand planes leave you with nothing but nice little curls that are easy to clean up.

[dugg]

It is a smart jig, but I don't like sandpaper either.

+1 "a hand plane is the quickest method I have found apart from a machine"

and

"and you get a much finer finished surface than with sandpaper"

and

"Hand planes leave you with nothing but nice little curls that are easy to clean up."

besides the real bottom line is this;

I would use any excuse at all to bust out the absolutely most satisfying and fun woodworking tool ever invented; the handplane! (especially my Grizzly 22" jack) Ah, the sound of it....

[ihocky2]

I have to say I like the feel of the hand plane slicing off the wood more than the sound. Just how nicely it glides over the surface once you remove all of the low spots.

[Buter]

Hi guys

I love using my plane as well, although ya'll are probably a bit better with yours than I am with mine. If I would have had a big jointer plane, I probably never would have made this little contraption.

Speaking of planes, I find it useful to take a planed edge and put a squiggly pencil line down the face and then put it on this little sanding plate - it's amazing how many times I thought that I had nailed it with the plane and the sandpaper/glass told me I was wrong.

I also find this thing useful for pulling a piece off of the table saw and making sure it's true in a matter of seconds.

As kammo said, I sometimes attach a straightedge to my workpiece and use a flush cut router bit to get a good straight edge.

The more ways of doing a job, the better!

Cheers

Buter

[dh7892]

Just to add to the "use a plane" idea; your sandpaper jig is basically the same thing as a "shooting board" would be with a plane. Google shooting boards and you'll see what I mean (if you don't already know).

A lot of wood workers use shooting boards (even after running through a jointer machine) in order to obtain the final exact fit. You can use them with mitre "donkey's ears" to get certain angles for mitre joints.

Very accurate and very satisfying to use.

[SJE-Guitars]

I use this method all the time even when a piece has been over the jointer - the roughing up of the edge improves the joint strength. I generally use my jointer to get the piece quickly to a level then use this method along with the squiggly pencil line to get the piece absolutely true.

[Buter]

Thanks SJE, I was beginning to think it was just me!

I had begun to say nasty things to my planes, accusing them of not loving me the way that other planes apparently loved their owners.

Cheers

Buter

PS - I finally get home tomorrow night and will be posting in the general chat area. It will be worth a look if you're a Queen fan.

[wood is good]

I use this method all the time even when a piece has been over the jointer - the roughing up of the edge improves the joint strength. I generally use my jointer to get the piece quickly to a level then use this method along with the squiggly pencil line to get the piece absolutely true.

I dont want to start a battle... but...

I believe it has been proven a ton of times that roughing up the wood does not improve strength, but actually weakens it. Since wood glue does not create a mechanical bond, the strongest bond possible is made with a perfectly flat planed surface. Only with epoxy does roughening up create a stronger bond.

[Buter]

Hello Mr. Good Wood

Life is too short to battle over trivia. Besides, the more information I have, the better decisions I can make. Either way, I like how this little jig works for what I use it for and I'm glad I've got it.

I think in Mr. Hiscock's book he mentions that a sandpaper-roughed up edge gives a less noticeable glue line - any thoughts on that one?

I read in a wood working book a few years ago about a joint called a 'slape joint' (I think this is correct but I have the memory of a concussed goldfish) where two perfectly planed surfaces were given a light coat of glue, pressed together and rubbed back and forth a bit to ensure total, even coverage and then just left to dry - no clamps. Not believing this, I tried it and I've still got those pieces of wood stuck to my f***ing workbench!

Cheers

Buter

[SJE-Guitars]

Yes of course glue doesn't create a mechnical bond however doing this does raise the wood fibres allowing the glue to 'fuse' the fibres together which does create a less visible glue line. From my experience the joints I've done using this method have been far better and from my perspective stronger than using purely plane or jointer . . . and my dad who has been a trade joiner for the past 45 years would never do anything different.

[westhemann]

I believe it has been proven a ton of times that roughing up the wood does not improve strength, but actually weakens it. Since wood glue does not create a mechanical bond, the strongest bond possible is made with a perfectly flat planed surface. Only with epoxy does roughening up create a stronger bond.

That is correct...I have done it both ways,though...But I am moving more towards epoxy for everything anyway...for me the joins are more consistent with epoxy...