Straighten boards. No jointer. No jig.
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If you're buying lumber from the mill or the lumber yard, the wood usually has rough edges that need to be straightened. This can be a challenge for a woodworker who doesn't have all the toys yet. Luckily, you can get PERFECT edges on the roughest board with just a jack plane and a common table-saw. It's an easy technique and it helps you progress at a woodworker. Best of all, you can put off buying a bulky, noisy, expensive jointer.
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After all that work making a perfect rectangular prism of wood, who would have the heart to cut it and use it in another project? :)
You use it as a template for straightening other boards!
The first half of the th-cam.com/users/postUgkx3ICSK6nSknaL_45CU2NmFSoXjarGMDiJ book is everything about wood: types, tools, finishes, setting up shop etc. The second half is all about doing projects for inside and outside of the home. The color pictures are helpful. After reading a dozen of these types of books, this is probably the best overall (layout, color photos, plans). Only detraction is that many of the projects use a table saw/router/planer, which are usually expensive and take up space, so the plans are less friendly to newcomers and the budget conscious. But I know I can use a drill, circular saw or a jigsaw to make the projects.
help ive been planing all day my board is gone now
That sucks but I bet your shop smells amazing now.
You’re supposed to stop when you have a really long and flat toothpick.
You building a bonfire? You're good!
Don't mourn the loss of your board, look at all the beautiful shaving you have.
Legend has it, he's still planing to this day.
I lay a 4 or 6' level flat against my table saw fence and it becomes the fence. I take the smallest cut possible, then repeat with the cut side against the level. Just make sure your blade is perfectly 90° and set barely above the board. Excellent flat panels after glue up.
Rex: This is six inches, its not that much.
Every guy watching: Hey!
A Well Dressed Male Papaya some might say, it’s about average 😂
THATS WHAT SHE SAID.......LOL GREAT VIDEO THANK YOU
Me laughing in africa
Every girl watching : Agreed !
Thanks for the comment Xavier. My penis is also small!
So what I'm really hearing is that it's easier and cheaper to find a friend who has a jointer and show up with a 6er of beer? :)
Years back I worked with a friend who was a superb craftsman and cabinet maker. He taught me the trick of sprinkling talc powder on the layout table and marking the edges with the powder. The Hi spots had power the Low spots little to none the take the Jack Plane and plane it till I picked up a trace of powder along the whole edge.
Whoa! That's a pro-tip. Thanks!
That is an incredible idea!
Common way to fit wood guns stocks to a gun for a tight no wobble tight fit where all surfaces contact the gun perfectly...
Sorry, can you explain this a bit more in detail? I've picked up woodworking over the last year or so and I'm a little confused as to the process here with the powder.
Neftali Perez I understand that you sprinkle the powder on a flat table and put the edge you want to straight against the table , the high spots will collect powder where low spots won't
A hand plane was what all woodworkers used to straighten board edges from antiquity until rather recent times. It still works.
Can also be very efficient and it offers the highest level of finish. I use a power hand planer to rough out the board and then use a finishing hand planer to get that finish.
Sometimes I will only use a manual hand plane.
A jointer is basically a plane with a six foot long sole. It's just a bit too big to move across a board, so it's flipped upside down and the board is run across the blade.
You have to be good and I am not. I always mess up with a hand plane.
@@Kurgosh1 now I want a big ass plane.
In their defense though, woodworkers in antiquity didn't use calipers to make sure their boards were straight and parallel to a fraction of a millimeter, anything under a centimeter would be straight enough for most of the projects done in that time period.
I have a very small workshop (6’x6’) and live in a ground floor flat (apartment). Which means I don’t have room for a jointer or thicknesser and I have neighbours very close so I have to be aware of any noise or mess I make. I often work just outside my shop especially with power tools, and I am very careful how my hobbies impact on others. This video is super helpful, thank you from myself and my neighbours.
My pleasure! Thanks for taking the advice in the spirit it was intended!
Dang,,, and i thought my 12x13 was small,,, and yes this dude is AWESOME!!
mark, you are a good neighbor. not enough space is always a problem.
"This is six inches. It's not very much."
Wow, I didn't expect to be attacked like that, but ok
you have six inches?
#humblebrag
@@windhelmguard5295 Well I have way more...
Rex- "I always have my jack plane with me"
The rest of us- "and the 10 or 12 spares you own, you tool hoarder."
Guilty!
I can take a board that has a not-quite-straight edge and, in a few minutes with a jack or jointer plane, create nothing short of a roller coaster that leans crazily to the right and left.
"Practice", they say. But the more I practice, the more boards I ruin.
Dude, we've all been there. Don't feel bad. A lot of the tips I offer in this video should help. First and most important, NEVER grab a board and just start planing. You'll just make a thinner version of what you start with. Always assess the board for high spots and hit just those spots to start out with. Next, make sure your blade is sharp and has an even camber on it. Use the pinch grip I show here to be sure you're staying on one part of the blade. If you're making things worse with your planing, you need to check the board more often and change what you're doing to reflect the change you're trying to make. Lost Art Press had a book called "The Essential Woodworker" with some great tips on planing. Recommended.
My experience right here. Everytime i use my plane this is the result. Jigs for life!
I can totally understand this view, and there's nothing wrong with it. For whatever it's worth, I bet a few hours with a teacher could fix these issues for good. The problem might even be your plane and if it's the only one you've ever used, then it's certainly not your fault if it's got issues. If you have any interest in planing, don't give up! You might just need a little help.
Actually, and especially with a jointer plane, the edge leaning isn't much of a problem if you plan to do the actual jointing with a table saw. I use my jointer because the longer bed allows for riding over low spots without cutting,
Once you get that continuous shaving you are very nearly there. The important thing is for the edge on the higher side to be straight and flush against the saw fence. If it is then you can continue just as shown by Rex. The second cut will square up the edge and both sides will be neat and parallel.
Seriously, just make a jig for the table saw and you don't have to mess with practice.
For you fellow wood wrkers that have troubles with hand planes make long stroke s ,of course keep eyeballing your and proceed with confidence, practice on scrap wood to get your stroke dwn.and don't get frustrated, mistakes are coming, enjoy your work,don't get dwn on yourselves. Keep the chips flowing and grin when it's right.
Some people buy boards that are surfaced on at least one face and one edge and then flatten the opposite face with a planer and the opposite edge on the table saw. They are then disappointed when their project is not square and flat. You simply cannot trust boards that are milled S2S or even S4S because of wood movement from the time it was milled and when you use it on a project.
""this is six inches right here it's not very much""
Context, my friend. Sometimes 6 inches is plenty.
;-)
OMG... Did we really go there?
That's what she said.
I feel his pain,,, heheheheheh
"I take my jointer on dates with my wife ... laughs"
Narrator: but Rex does take his plane on dates with his wife
I bought my jack plane while on a date with my wife, so I know exactly what you're talking about
Wow. I thought I was bad. I salute you for your enormous balls!
Flowers and perfume and jewelry are so cliched. Woo her with jack planes!
You named that plane Max I bet.
The way i joint my boards with my saw is use a level between the board and table saw fence. Push them together so the level is the reference edge. Then rotate and joint the unjointed edge and you get really nice edges. It’s much quicker than having to use a jack plane.
As somebody with a Craigslist jointer the way around the dust collection... Do it outside and sweep the chips into hedges... Boom free multch!
I've found a shop-vac hose, chipper/shredder, and a small buttload of duct tape also works quite handily...
...cuz' I don't have a dust collector either.
...I'm not even sure they exist anymore. ;o)
I have to say Rex that a lot of what you demonstrate in these video's was 'hammered' in to me by my school woodwork teacher nigh on 50 years ago however, I thoroughly enjoy your video's, your content and presentation. Schools do not teach woodwork here in the UK anymore so the only way they youngsters of today can experience the craft is if they are lucky enough to know someone who works with wood or is fortunate enough to watch a TH-cam channel such as yours. Keep making these video's my friend and I'll keep watching. Thank you 🙂
Well, if your shop teacher liked this way, then it's probably a good technique. We're the same in the states with shop class. We don't have them because they're not considered "professional" jobs anymore. Of course, I'm a professional woodworker, and I would have really benefited from more education at a young age. Backwards priorities, I say.
I reckon they stopped in the UK because of health and safety/ liability worries...
The real reason why western economies stopped teaching crafts in school is because those that are pushing the agenda politically, culturally and educationally want to see western economies fail.
In their eyes if they have that failure they can restart the system with their version of perfection. None of this is new by the way and has been playing out like this for the last 40 years.
The Marxist labour unions tried to make the UK economy collapse in the 1970s but actually failed. When the realized that they could not price down the economy by force they decided to change tactics.
Of course today they will never actually admit this is what they are at but people know by their policies what they are doing.
Health and safety is just excuse to stop something.
bighands69! Get some fresh air and take your tin foil hat off once in a while
Too bad the schools dont teach woodshop anymore!
I still think that using a straightening jig for your table saw is much easier and faster but it does get awkward if you’re boards get over 6’ or so. So it’s great to see another technique to put in my back pocket when the time arises.
I still need to build one, but I always liked them. At the very least you have a few options to get your wood ready for the project.
If you don't have a plane ? There is a trick to getting the first edge straight.
Run a piece of plywood thru the table saw, then mount your work to the plywood, with offensive edge of your work hanging over the edge. Now run the plywood and work assembly through the saw again. Works for taper cuts as well.
Nice video Rex
Shoddy Productions good idea. How about use a router if no table saw
Love your videos, Rex! As a hobbyist starting out, I can't tell you just how much they help. On a side note, I don't know why you laughed at taking a plane everywhere...I'm sure any restaurant would love if you dropped your plate and trued up the table! ;)
I restaurant might be okay with it. My wife...less so. Really glad you're enjoying the videos!
You talk about not having a straight edge, but what if you don’t have a table saw?
If you are going to tablesaw the edge you hand planed.. why not use a different method? The only reason you need a straight edge is to ride along the fence for a straight cut on the other side. Use a piece of board or plywood that you know has a straight edge and clamp the board to that reference piece then run it in the tablesaw with that reference piece clamped to your board against the fence.
There are also sleds for this where you can clamp the board at whatever angle and run the sled in the mitre slot giving a perfect straight cut somewhere on the board you need.. then you just cut the other side.
Sorry, i missed that part about no jig.
In reality, whenever i need to true a board on the tablesaw is relatively short (less than 1.3m long) i just extend the fence with my 2m long aluminium spirit level. Put that against the fence and push the wood against the spirit level. I'll set the the part of the wood that has a cup and the wood will rest at the edges against the level so it would be stable and not rock. So if the wood is stable and the fence is long enough (in this case 2m long) the wood will never leave the fence and it will be good enough for a nice straight cut.
Great tip about hand planing the edge on long boards where it matters. The only problem for me is about cutting away the hand planed side.. seems like a waste. Being a perfectionist will make me invest even more time to true the edges by hand an leave them like that.
I totally get that. I wish I had a nice aluminum level, too. I'd use the hell out of it. The thing with planing the edge here is just to get is close, not perfect. I'm not looking to spend more than 5 min truing the edge, especially if I'm just going to cut it off. You're totally right; what a waste of time and effort!
Rex Krueger , hi Rex. I love the argument, that we learned from it. We tend to get lazy, but skills we lack and require great patience,
Before our great skills is lost forever. Keep up your great works. Cheers
That handscrew clamp clamped to the table? That's a jig.
Heraclitean no, it’s a clamp 😂
I have a power jointer but I never use it any more. I have a Stanley number 7 that I use now. It’s actually quicker and easier than my DeWalt jointer. The DeWalt is for sale if anybody is interested.
“If you’re only going to be using your jointer for edges there are much, much easier ways to do it” ...there are much cheaper ways... but not easier. I could edge joint 5 boards in the amount of time you took your first few passes with the jack plane.
You're completely right. I was thinking about buying and moving the machine, combined with setup, maintenance, blade-sharpening, etc. But yes, for straightening an edge fast, the jointer is king.
Okay, cool!
On a decent table saw you normally expect to produce a nice straight 90º cut if it's set up correctly and you're careful to use correct technique/maintain material contact with the fence & table saw table top while pushing the material through - why not just start out using the table saw to create your starting edge? - how much more accurate is using a jack plane to create your starting edge? - I don't see what the advantages are of starting out with a jack plane, if in the end your using the table saw to create both of your finished edges - any reason the method in this other video won't yield the same results? th-cam.com/video/d_OGmnbtmyY/w-d-xo.html
Thank you for your honest video title. Many people say, video not using a jointer, but the use a table planer and vice versa. You said, no jointer and you used a hand planer which many DIY'ers want to see. Thank you.
My jointer lies idle in the corner of the workshop, the most reliable and easy way to edge boards is with a router, straight edge and template following bit. Experience has taught me never to use the term "foolproof"...but it's close.
Suggestions that will save time: Save a couple factory edge rips (4-6" wide) from a sheet of plywood or other sheet goods to use as a straight edge. Save one 8' and another 4'. If you intend to use a hand plane from the start, as Rex did, , use the straight edge to draw a straight line as close as possible to the edge of the board from end to end. When you have planed down to the line, you're ready to go to the table saw.
Alternate: If you have access to a hand circular saw, clamp the plywood rip onto the work piece as a guide. You sawn edge will be as straight as the plywood factory edge. You can then hand plane, if desired, for a smooth finished edge. A great benefit is that the edge cut by the circular saw will already be square.
This is kind of funny to me, I am a semi-retired Craftsman Carpenter. Took a job trimming out a fancy house with some younger carpenters late twenties to early 30s. They couldn't believe I carried a block plane around! Even got laughed at! Although I have a power hand plane also I still use a block plane quite a bit. Just thought it was funny and I thought I would share.
I worked in several furniture shops. Carried several planes with me to the job each day.
Rex, thanks for all of the beginner tips. Norm made it look easy, but the more I watch you, the more confidence I gain and soon I'll be out in the shop too! You're the best! Sending lots of love ❤ from sunny 🌅 Arizona 🌵
i enjoyed your movies.
3:28 I paused it right here, so when I came back to it without context it gave me a good chuckle.
i just use a skill saw and a straight edge, one cut, light sanding, done.
I've done it with a straight edge clamped to the board, and a router to take a fine cut. Once that edge is true, the table saw can be used to make the board parallel.
@@isaackvasager9957 I think it's a preference. They enjoy the hand plane and the process of making. Not just "get stuff done" as fast as possible.
@@isaackvasager9957 this I agree with. For most of us it's a hobby. Do what makes you happy
..... or just use a circular saw guided by a straight piece of wood and cut down the length.
Right?
Christian Holmstedt track saw
9:14 Rex meets his wife at the bar. Wife goes, " - Is that a jackplane in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" 😎
chuck it straight through the table saw dont need to plane it
Jared Lamb I was just going to ask... why plane it? A long fence sounds like it’d save all the time spent planing.
@@jpdominator I have heard about concerns that a rough edge next to the fence could lead to saw kickback. Whether that is still true with modern saws & splitters I don't know.
Might take 4 or 5 passes instead of two or three, but it does the same thing indeed by the law of averages. Each pass gets you straighter as long as you don't try and force it hard against the fence the first two passes.
@@totallynotabot151, just depends on whether or not you can keep the board from rocking on that fence, or dipping when it clears the end. Sometimes a compromise is efficient, by hacking off a high spot or two with your hack plane. I mean, jack plane.
Great video. I would imagine the same set of principles apply with respect to flattening the face of a board? Obviously once we get one flat reference we'd run it through a planer to get both faces flat and parallel. I just struggle flattening wide boards. Finding the high spots, accounting for twist, etc. It would be great if you could make a similar video for face jointing one day.
Very cool! I was taught these methods. Its funny how BIG HARDWARE is hiding these methods and tools.😂😂
Yup... looks good.
(... goes out and buys a jointer)
Brandon Grove wat?
Yeah, precisely how I feel. It's really cool to watch, but I don't dig doing things the painful way. XD
Buying a high quality jack plane is just as expensive as a jointer, I think hand planes are a lot more fun to use but if you want to do it cheap and easy, a jointer is the way to go
This channel is gold!
I appreciate your existence in this universe of ours. Kudos, I'm learning from you.
Why must every TH-cam video open with an unnecessary "so?"
So if you don't have anything nice to say...
I enjoy using my hand planes as much as the next guy, but if I need straight edges for jointing out comes the router, template following bit. and straight edge. I'm done in seconds. The other point about making panels is, rather than somersault the boards I flip them. This way the edges mate perfectly to make a flat panel, even if the table saw blade is not cutting square. I didn't understand the author's point on this.
I just use a sled and run it though my table saw.
I agree. Either that or a flush trim bit a straight edge and a router.
"I'm gonna reach around and pinch..." 🤣🤣🤣This is a great video and advice. However, it would be exponentially easy to use a factory straight piece of ply and screw it to the board you want to straighten and then use that straight edge against the fence. Or make a jig even though the title says "no jigs." I could see if someone didn't have a table saw at all. If you're using table saw, no sense in taking time to plane.
Unless, of course, you can't make screw holes in the board. Or don't have a long enough "factory straight" piece to hand.
I Learn something new with this video.
Have fixed a few boards of 6" Gong yo pass them one more time ... Thank's for the great lesson...from Puerto Rico
you are a naturally skilled teacher , straight to the point info, thanks . my attention span thanks you as well.
Man, that's EXACTLY what I'm going for. Straight to the point. No BS. Thanks!
I personally like to wear my favorite planes I get a nice chain and put my favorite plane of the day on especially my #7 you know what I’m talking about lmao 😂. Awesome video and tutorial take care.
Thom spillane i have a number 7 Bailey , triple patent , galvanized bottom. Circa 1912. Plane.
Thank you for mentioning rotating the board instead of flipping it.
But Rex what do you do when you don't have your jack pla..... Beat me to it 😀
Man, your comments are almost as good as your art. We need to do a collaboration video. I'll make something cool and then you can paint it to make it double cool. Let's get on that.
If you don´t have a plane, you might want to use a ship.
Umh... Wait a minute...
Rex Krueger yeah man I'm game! Sorry just saw this comment haha
No trouble! Just seems like a good thing to do.
You use your jointer plane, obviously!
Love the fact that you try to make do with what you have rather than buy expensive "single job" tools!
I admit, I'm not a fan of the "single job" tool. I like things to be versatile. Thanks for watching!
This is plane good advice. Thank you!
@William I found this website online that will give you a ton of woodworking plans: WoodFix.xyz
Let me know what you think of it.
You don't know jack.
I have been using his system since this was posted and I have gotten very good at it. I don't own a table saw and will most likely never had the need to buy one. Thanks Rex.
Dude! That was hilarious "I carry my plank everywhere, I even take it on dates with my wife". I had a good laugh out of that.
Or you can go with option 3 (less time consuming): Take your board and butt it up to a flat piece of plywood. Find side that seems straightest, and run a large square along that edge to see where the skinniest area of the board is. Grab circular saw and start at that point, clamping a section of straight plywood for a saw edge guide to maintain your board width. Cut one direction, then the other. Perfect? no. Pretty damn good? yup. Not trying to be a smart alec, actually came here to see if there was a better solution (always tryiing to learn). But this is far more work, so I'll stick with my idea ;)
"Let's just skip the intro..." Chuckled. Always something with you, Rex, even though this is 2 years old.
I use a straight edge and clamp my boards to it as I run them through my table saw set with a ripping blade, it saves time I just don't have. I love your videos and does create a thinking process we should do before any project.
After all this hard work you just cut off the perfect edge you've made. You broke my heart.
No - he pushed the hand-flattened edge on the guide while feeding the other, not-yet-flattened edge into the saw.
So if I was going to glue those boards together I can't use my No. 4 place to flatten then for joining?
use a router table
Yup, that's another way to do it...although then you don't even have the 6" capacity of a jointer, so that's kind of a mixed bag solution.
That's how I've been doing it so far but I really want to do some plane work by hand. Just a pride factor really.
It's nice to know that the router table method works for some people. I tried it once and the results were garbage. Lots of people like this approach, but I suck at it.
I actually made my own router table. As for jointing edges, I used the Router Fence idea that came from a Steve Ramsey Video (Woodworking for Mere Mortals #WWMM). I have followed Steve way before I even had good tools.
The idea works well but it really helps to make your router fence to accommodate with a split fence concept. For the offset I simply used nylon washers to shim out the outgoing side for the fence.
That certainly sounds like the way to do it.
You can get decently priced used jointers, even on facebook marketplace, that's what I did, works great. Faster than this!
I don't know why there are 421 thumps down, Ignorance or just stupid. My uncle was a carpenter back in the day I'm 62 and when he did wood working almost everything was done by hand. But one thing I do know your way of straightening and edge is just fine it has been done like that ever since I can remember and is a great way to help a guy starting out and can not afford all the bells and whistles. Great advice.
Thanks for getting the point!
putting knobs and reach arounds aside, I liked your video...thumbs up!
Yeah, there are certain hand tools I always carry when I go to a job. People often don’t know I have them. But when the power goes out on a job, which has happened a number of times, I’m still able to keep production going because I don’t need electricity.
My grandfather was a union carpenter, and he taught me a lot. We did projects together when I was only about six years old. We used a lot of hand tools. In fact the only power tool he used in his shop was the table saw. Well, he also used a grinding wheel to shape metal.
When I went to the tech school for carpentry, the first thing they taught us was to use hand tools. When we had a good handle on the use of hand tools, THEN we moved onto power tools. That goes to show you, seasoned instructors KNOW that truly understanding wood involves using hand tools where you can really FEEL what the wood is doing.
Today I try to use hand tools whenever I can. They’re quieter, which means I can work later without bothering people. And it’s just far far far more relaxing. And you feel really in tune with what you’re making.
You know, I was just on a carpentry job last month and I was working with an older and very skilled carpenter; much better than me. We had to taper a board and while we were trying to figure out how to do it with the circ saw, I just whipped out my jack plane and did it right there. He was really happy we got it done so quickly and with no fuss. I'm totally a power tool guy for speed and efficiency, but anyone who doesn't know the basics of hand tools only knows half the craft.
Excellent to Outstanding video, Rex! It’s just what I looking for. I am an older guy on fixed income who cannot and afford a jointer and/or a lunch box plainer. I do however have a nice DeWalt table saw (DWE7491RS), a decent DeWalt 10” miter saw (DWS713), orbital sander, etc.. I’ll get a good jack plain immediately.
Truthfully, this is the most comprehensive and easiest to follow instruction on jointing an edge without a jointer machine. Thanks!
I just found a perfect extra long straight edge….an aluminium feather edge as used by plasterers. Box section with one thin wedge side marked in distances (mm for me in UK). The edge is super straight, clean and six feet long. Now, You could get a quality spirit level as long for the same 40 bucks, but it won’t be marked out as a useful giant ruler…and you can rest a level along the ali box back to level it in use anyway. For ply or plasterboard layout work it’s fantastic and back box section is an inch thick so you could use it as a circular saw guide.
I’ve read a lot of comments on here, you know going down the comment rabbit hole.....
So I’m guessing that there still is a battle with Abrams vs Underhill camps.
I like the videos. They are more of a practical, sit on the fence, use what you got kinda guy.
I just wanted to say this:
Time is money. The more money that you spend (tools), the more time that you have, and vice versa, if income matters.
Enjoyment of woodworking, that’s not income dependent, and using methods of 100 years ago or today is a relaxing way to avoid reality. A peaceful time in your shop, basement, or garage.
Hey Rex, how you doin? I’m not great with TH-cam, new to it. 33yo has n sept. Unsure how to comment so I choose random video. I would like to tell you I started wood working last year. I’ve always been interested. Your videos and information is awesome. I plan on building a lot of which you have shown us how. I really appreciate it.
Lived in Ohio for two years now n wondering if you ever go to snow road area, Cuyahoga River I think.? N get fresh river birtch
Northern California sugar pine is hard to find, but 1&btr common is even harder.
It is worth the wait..... 1X12 is the holy grail.....
Hardwoods are more stable?
So many people think they’re making simple options for straight edges, but even this is complicated for a noobie like myself… first would have to learn how use that planer properly… had one, tried it… tossed it in the “never again box”. I was definitely making the problem worse by digging into the woof and setting the blade on the planer, at least mine, was annoying. Actually found a good video on making jig using MDF and tablesaw which i’ll try. I credit you for your creativity though.
Couldnt you just use and engineers straight edge to mark the entire edge of the board before starting. That way you have a perfectly straight line to start with. I work with metal not wood so completely honest question
Most of the boards we need to straighten are too long for that to be practical. A chalk-line is a good alternative, though. Many of us use them.
I use a track saw then I sand with a hard sanding block with 80 grit. I get a perfect edge everytime.
All I ever see is videos on how to joint a board without a jointer using this and that. Never seen a video of a track saw and it was one of the first ideas I thought would work. Assumed I must be missing something as no one covered it but obviously not. 👍
10 minutes to square a 5 foot board... That's 30 feet of boards per hour....Hmmmm, who could possibly be so poor that this doesn't justify owning a second-hand jointer..
Manual planes are for experts. DIYers, 92% of "carpenters/weekend tinkerers" will not waste time to learn. Buying power tools, at the end of the day, satisfies the urge to build/repair/modify items.
I've been to a lot of lumber yards, sawmills and big box stores. I've seen lots of 4 sided finished boards, and lots of rough cut (no finished sides) boards. Aside from the latest fad of "live edge" slabs, I don't think I've ever seen boards with finished faces and unfinished edges. Not a thing around here.
I don’t think he was kidding about him bringing his jack plane everywhere, like with him to dinner with his wife. That’s gangster AF.
Hi Rex thank you very much. So helpful. I have a Q >What if the warping is in the middle, not at edges, can you still use this method to straighten up and save the wood? Cheers
Nice Video, Tho I don't agree with sawing off the edge you hand planed. In my previous life I studied to be a furniture designer and the first thing we were taught was to plane face side and face edge, after that you would mark the width of your piece and plane down to that, then same for depth, you always used face side and face edge as your reference you also use a square to ensure face side and face edge were 90 degrees to each other. I built a 36" by 66" workbench using this technique and from one corner to the other was less than a 64th of an inch out. Why are people not being taught this technique anymore. I also firmly believe that everyone that does cabinet making should own a Try Plane, I don't own a jointer and would always resort to using my Try Plane to square timber. Its not difficult but does require practice and eventually becomes an almost Zen Experience... I wish sharpening the thing was the same.
Use your table saw. Make a sliding table out of a piece of plywood with a factory edge. Mine is 12" wide by 8 feet long. Use DeStaco clamps to hold the crooked board down minimizing waste and rip it through using factory edge against the rip fence.
I will agree that everyone needs to know these skills and when I have the time available I do like to experiment on doing things they way there were done 200+ years ago. Also a big fan of Roy Underhill's work. But in today's world time is often money and customers have little patience at times. I try not to give firm timelines to customers in advance when biz is good or tell them they are on a list and because of this I can have 2 or 3 projects running concurrently in the shop at any given time and on very seldom occasions 4 of them. No stranger to 12 hour days either. Yes, jointers will go down without notice but I've never experienced both my jointer and table saw down at the same time. When the jointer is unavailable I always have my table saw with a slider and I can put a straight edge on just about any piece of sheet goods or rough cut boards that can be bought from the stores or yards with just a few clamps. Good video though and again, everyone that dabbles in woodworking should know the skills you demonstrated as well as many others.
Hi Rex I'm currently trying to build a table top. Thank you for your video. I want to purchase a Jack plane but i need to know if it is wide enough for the edge of a 2x4, so 1 1/2 inches
BUT if you just want to stick the boards together, you can put them in a vice and use a planer on both boards at the same time. won't such a connection be simpler and faster? Because not everyone has a table saw. I only have a 16 inch saw and bigger. so for me this solution is much simpler. if I am wrong please correct me. sorry for my English :)
Rex, I am looking forward to trying this when we get out of the various stages of lockdown we are experiencing in 2020. I am not confident it will work for me. I am, after all, the kind of guy who can’t slice a loaf of bread evenly. But if I have difficulty, it won’t be your fault. You have explained the process very clearly. Thanks for providing these helpful and entertaining videos. They make the time pass a little more easily during this difficult period.
Not trusting my eye for sighting the high spots to manually plane down, I think I'll find something reliably straight (I'm thinking my 4-foot level) to lay on top to find those high spots (and to not over-plane them!).
I built a table saw jig. Takes about 60 seconds to edge plane. Run it through the crosscut sled for the edge, then thickness planer. Bam, perfect board in about 10 minutes.
Very old style and I respect that but this takes over 1 hour to play with 1 board only. Imagine doing 10-15 boards like that. Ohh mamma. It would be better to just get dewalt 733 or so thicknesser put in on wide side and if it needed than place it on long piece of flat plywood level it if needed and run it through. After 2 wide sides are sorted then cut it with table saw.
why not just scribe from the flat table top and then plane to it? (edit, ahh, you know your table isn't flat), Use a flat surface and scribe it. Love your channel man. Boat builder here.
dude, sorry to say this. this technique is valid only when you are doing one project per month. Nowadays with the kind of turn around times expected by clients, forget about using am not even in a position to dream about this. jointer though a bit expensive pays for itself through the amount of projects handled. Even in India where i am from, most carpenters have switched to power tools and jointers.
Hi Rex. If I have a lot of 4 inch x 3/4th inch x 10ft pine lumber and ONLY a handheld circular saw, how can I get straight edges?
This method is not ideal for a DIY woodworker. If you don't have a jointer much likely you're someone who is getting into woodworking or do it as hobby. Using a planer for this purpose is a great tool in the hands of someone with more experience. It relies on touching and visual inspection, plus keeping the plain at 90 degrees angle in reference to the wood sides.. Is not the ideal method for someone new. I would recommend use a table saw instead. There are many videos that explain how to do it.
I have 2 spoke shavers my daughter got at an estate sale. They are really small, one is 3.5" across the handles with a 7/8 blade and the other is 5" across the handles and an 1.5" blade. There are no brand names on them. I have a picture of them but can't fine a way to attach it. I hope to get a reply from you, thanks , Buck
Wow, a 10 minute video telling me to plan the board by hand over and over. And then HOPE I can get a straight edge with my table saw. Hmmm... Why not use a circular saw with the base against a straight edge, thus and saving time and more of the material?
I want to point out that it is easier to straighten a short board than a long one.
Rex is straightening a pretty long board. My projects rarely end up using boards that long.
Consider crosscutting boards down to near final length then milling them. There should be far less wood to remove.
Damn, now I need a workbench
This method only goes so far. If you are jointing with any frequency, make yourself a shooting board. If you don’t have a pricey plane with the sole at an exact right angle to the side, buy an old wooden jointer plane, flatten the sole, then plane the side square. More than repays the effort the first time you use it.
Those saw marks and uneven edges do look nice for the sides of furniture. With a little work added. Especially on really hardwood. However that’s my opinion