Shopsmith Forums

Yeah, If you have a slight warp in one of the boards that was not noticed earlier, you will come up with an issue of a partially uneven joint. This can happen even if the two boards have been jointed and planed.

There are several ways to avoid this problem when you have already jointed your pieces:

- Clamp the boards together without glue - (dry fitting) This will show you your coming problem.

- Bar Clamps that have already been mentioned.

- After applying glue, and during clamping, clamp at one end first then clamp down the joint while moving the open end up or down as needed to make an even joint at the place of a clamp. This may take a lot of clamps, but you can't have too many. Keep doing this process until reaching the other end of the joint. (You may have to use a smaller clamp (vertically) on the end in order to get the two pieces to come together evenly. TRY THIS DRY THE FIRST TIME!

- Now for my favorite - Choose wood that is thicker than your need by at least 1/4". Then the finish planing (sanding) eliminates the problem. You don't even have to fret over glue stains.

- You can use more planing or sanding to make a narrower piece than originally planned.

robinson46176 wrote:I guess I have been sleeping like old Rip Van Winkle... I had no idea that jointing had become unnecessary...

Farmer
Haven't you heard of glue edge blades. The ad hype says jointing is unnecessary with their saw blades. I have seen more than one project done with them and I haven't sold my jointer yet. That should tell you what I think of that idea.

Beeg
Also make sure you board edges are 90 degrees even the smallest slight slope with cause the boards to shift as you tighten the clamps, whether you have biscuits or not. If you have a 89 degree slop on one board and the same slop on the other and you reverse the boards you end up in effect with a 2 degree slide. As you squeeze the boards together the wood naturally follows the slide and you end up with uneven surface which is usually more pronounced in one place or another. The Wood Magazine video that someone posted a link for is excellent.

Cauls are rarely mentioned by today's woodworkers but the experts like David Marks on DIY channel always uses cauls when glueing up work.

I tried biscuits on several projects to supposedly help align edge jointing. Nuts!:( You can still get some proud (uneven) edges. You (I) still have to take extra effort(s) to get slightly wared boards to glue up without uneven edges.

In my shop, biscuits are only used in edge to face joinery where applicable, such as a vertical divider. (and that's rare)

beeg wrote:I DID use it, that's what is so frustrating.

Ah-- but did you use biscuits?

[quote="keakap"]Ah-- but did you use biscuits?

]

Yep I did, the buttermilk kind.

Hi,

As long as you pick your top surface and reference the biscuit cutter from this surface it should work fine. The results should be that the top is flat and the minor errors are on the underside. I've never had it come out bad doing that.

Ed

reible wrote:Hi,

As long as you pick your top surface and reference the biscuit cutter from this surface it should work fine. The results should be that the top is flat and the minor errors are on the underside. I've never had it come out bad doing that.

Ed

Reible
Do you use a SS biscuit cutter or a hand held?
I find with the SS if you turn the top surface (marked surface) face down on the table it is possible for a cupped (lengthwise) board because the large support surface to be raised above the table making the cut closer to the top (marked surface) thus throwing the cut off.

With hand held the surface area is smaller (won't span a slight curvature) and a curved board won't effect the cut.

The problem can be solved with holddowns but since you must move the wood on a SS it becomes more than just clamping the wood flat.

Hi Ed,

I have several cutters including the shopsmith one. I use the hand held versions most often for this sort of project for the very reason you stated.

You are correct it is very important that the stock be held flat to the shopsmith table and face down on the table. This is a case where the larger table doesn't help much. I like to use the shopsmith version for shorter pieces, it is all a matter of what you have to work with.

I was an early adapter and have one of the more upright versions make by Porter Cable, (it now is dedicated to doing angles). I have one that does mini biscuits for small projects and then a makita in the more straight line design. I plan to add a router bit to be able to do the long cuts like Norm showed in his latest kitchen series... (infinity 00-235) I'm also looking at the 5/32 kerf saw blade they sell 080-156 as maybe another way to do this???

Ed

Ed in Tampa wrote:Reible
Do you use a SS biscuit cutter or a hand held?
I find with the SS if you turn the top surface (marked surface) face down on the table it is possible for a cupped (lengthwise) board because the large support surface to be raised above the table making the cut closer to the top (marked surface) thus throwing the cut off.

With hand held the surface area is smaller (won't span a slight curvature) and a curved board won't effect the cut.

The problem can be solved with holddowns but since you must move the wood on a SS it becomes more than just clamping the wood flat.