Squaring up wider lumber with 4" jointer and the planer?

[fitzhugh]

Being new to power tools, I'm still a bit confused about how we are supposed to use the jointer and planer. I understand the point of the two: straight for one and parallel for the other. However, when I read about the process I see you are supposed to first joint one FACE of the board, then use it on the fence to joint one edge at 90 degrees to the jointed face, then use the planer and tablesaw (in one approach) to get the other two parallel.

I've seen many examples of planer sleds in videos, articles and forums but other than that I don't see how we are able to do the above to boards wider than 4" - how else do we true that first face? The planer sled seems fine, it's just never mentioned in the older references I've seen, like the shopsmith provided material. I know this is one reason to want a 6" jointer, or an 18" jointer that weighs as much as a truck...

Thanks

[algale]

Some say you can double the effective width of the jointer by removing the guard, making the pass as usual (half the width of the board will be untouched), then rotating the board 180 degrees and doing the other half. I've not done it and intuitively I don't think it will work on a board that has any kind of cup or twist or bow because the two jointed halves won't meet up except through dumb luck.

I've intended to build the planer sled, but haven't yet succeeded in doing so.

One thing is to just rip everything over 4 inches (or whatever your jointer capacity is) down to 4 inches (or whatever your capacity is) and after jointing the ripped down pieces, put them back together with dowels or biscuits (or just glue) to get the necessary panel width.

[BuckeyeDennis]

Some say you can double the effective width of the jointer by removing the guard, making the pass as usual (half the width of the board will be untouched), then rotating the board 180 degrees and doing the other half. I've not done it and intuitively I don't think it will work on a board that has any kind of cup or twist or bow because the two jointed halves won't meet up except through dumb luck.

I've intended to build the planer sled, but haven't yet succeeded in doing so.

One thing is to just rip everything over 4 inches (or whatever your jointer capacity is) down to 4 inches (or whatever your capacity is) and after jointing the ripped down pieces, put them back together with dowels or biscuits (or just glue) to get the necessary panel width.

Matthias Wandel has an excellent pictoral how-to on jointing boards wider than your planer, here: http://woodgears.ca/jointer/wide_boards.html. The jointer can't make a face flat all by itself, but it can prepare the board so that it will run flat through the planer .. in effect becoming its own sled.

I haven't tried it myself, but Forrest says that it works as advertised.

[fitzhugh]

Hmm, my gut tells me his approach may still have issues if there was a fair bit of wind in the board since the opposite passes on the jointer would not be parallel. I like his 'nevermind I made a 12" jointer' approach best

Thanks both, I think I'll make a sled. It sure makes sense, just haven't seen it mentioned in older stuff.

[BuckeyeDennis]

Hmm, my gut tells me his approach may still have issues if there was a fair bit of wind in the board since the opposite passes on the jointer would not be parallel. I like his 'nevermind I made a 12" jointer' approach best

Thanks both, I think I'll make a sled. It sure makes sense, just haven't seen it mentioned in older stuff.

I went the planer-sled route myself. And I can personally attest that the following system works like a charm: http://www.jpthien.com/ps.htm. (Now if I could just figure out how to embed links properly using the new forum software ... )

[Gene Howe]

Count me in the planer sled camp. That being said, I have an old broken Delta 12" planer that is begging for a Wandel resurrection as a jointer.

[rcplaneguy]

I can personally attest that the following system works like a charm: http://www.jpthien.com/ps.htm.

That technique looks good. Thanks for the link!

[garys]

When I'm working with rough lumber, I first run it through my planer, on the widest dimension until it is parallel and both sides smooth. Then, if the smaller dimension is smaller than 4", I finish it square on my jointer.

I have not yet dealt with any lumber that was larger than 4" on the short dimension, but if I did, I'd try using the bandsaw to cut one side square with the already planed sides.

[fitzhugh]

My understanding is that they only works if the lumber is not wonky. If it is bent, say, the rollers will momentarily flatten it out but it will just spring back. You end up with a curved board that has parallel (curved) faces, right? Looking at the wood I have on hand I could get away with that with most of it with no problem. I have some figured wood that is warped but with it.