Using a Router as a Jointer

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 2:20 pm

Dusty depending on how long the piece is that you are trying to joint it might be easier to run the router against a straight edge rather than contending with offsets.

Just place a board 1/32 of an inch deeper than the bit is from the edge of the router base and run the router against the board and joint your edge.

I often do this when I need to joint different shaped things

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 3:43 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:Dusty depending on how long the piece is that you are trying to joint it might be easier to run the router against a straight edge rather than contending with offsets.

Just place a board 1/32 of an inch deeper than the bit is from the edge of the router base and run the router against the board and joint your edge.

I often do this when I need to joint different shaped things

Picture please. I am not seeing this.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 6:53 pm

Picture ought to be about the same as for a long handplane or the Sandflee for that matter. With a short depth-of-cut, the inboard and outboard guides can be coplanar.

jimthej · Post by **jimthej** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:34 pm

Clamp straight edge to workpiece where you want the finisihed edge to be. Use a pattern bit to follow the straight edge and joint the workpiece.

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:00 pm

jimthej wrote:Clamp straight edge to workpiece where you want the finisihed edge to be. Use a pattern bit to follow the straight edge and joint the workpiece.

This is about the only way this works. Not jointing but trimming.

If you were to make a off-set jointer type operation who knows how many cuts it might take to get a straight edge since you have a raw edge to start with you will need to remove it high spot by high spot. The raw edge becomes the controlling surface....

Using the straight edge and a pattern bit the control edge is the straight edge and the bit removes material in reference to it.

If you need pictures I can sketch this up for you of the trimming operation and include a simple fence that is a true jointer that uses double sided tape and plastic laminate.

Have to be after 10:00 my time as I have other commitments right now.

Ed

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:22 pm

OKAY, I get it.

A straight edge and a pattern bit. Yes, this can be used to produce a straight edge.

Not my idea of how to efficiently joint a board; especially not if there are many boards to be jointed. But yes, this would work.

BuckeyeDennis · Post by **BuckeyeDennis** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:16 pm

nuhobby wrote:Picture ought to be about the same as for a long handplane or the Sandflee for that matter. With a short depth-of-cut, the inboard and outboard guides can be coplanar.

Wouldn't this require many passes to mill down the high areas, until reasonable straightness is achieved?

jimthej · Post by **jimthej** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 1:20 pm

BuckeyeDennis wrote:Wouldn't this require many passes to mill down the high areas, until reasonable straightness is achieved?

If less than about 1/8", I doubt it. More than that, I would use a table saw.

jimthej · Post by **jimthej** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:24 pm

Guess what just came into my inbox. From Woodworker's Journal, Jointing On The Tablesaw http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/resource/TablesawTechniques/Jointing/index.html

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:50 pm

jimthej wrote:Guess what just came into my inbox. From Woodworker's Journal, Jointing On The Tablesaw http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/resource/TablesawTechniques/Jointing/index.html

Now that might be real handy to have. The only problem, from my point of view, is that you always joint off an amount equal to the thickness of whatever blade you used to make the jig.

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Using a Router as a Jointer

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