How to properly joint long boards on short jointer tables?

[George Gyulatyan]

Hello everyone,

I have a Rikon 10" jointer/planer. The jointer table is around 44" long on this. Is there a proper way to joint boards that are about 8' long?

Thanks for the advice!

[Richard Wolf]

I am always battling trying to joint long boards for stair work. It will make you life much easier if you use a straight edge or Festool track to get a true edge to start with. Once you have a good edge, 8' should not pose a problem on a 44" jointer table.

[Brian Tymchak]

I jointed 9' boards for my bench top on my 6x56" jointer. To support the work properly, I used 2 roller stands to support the board, 1 on the infeed side and 1 on the outfeed side. For and 8' board I would position these stands about 5' from either side of the blades. Take some time to set the height with a long straight edge so that the board does not drop or rise when it moves onto the stand.

Make sure your tops are clean and waxed to minimize the effort of moving the board over the machine.

For my bench top, I started with wide boards. I first got one edge flat, then ripped the boards to rough width to make it easier to manage when face-jointing. Then edge jointed to get one corner square. It's all down hill after that..

[Neil Brooks]

+1 for Brian's answer.

Never had a problem.

[Stephen Cherry]

I am always battling trying to joint long boards for stair work. It will make you life much easier if you use a straight edge or Festool track to get a true edge to start with. Once you have a good edge, 8' should not pose a problem on a 44" jointer table.

I would do it this way also. The problem with the jointer is that it needs a long table for the reference surface. The strait edge avoids all of this because it provides the line for the cut. I would try a strait edge, with a router with a strait cuttter.

[Neil Brooks]

I would do it this way also. The problem with the jointer is that it needs a long table for the reference surface. The strait edge avoids all of this because it provides the line for the cut. I would try a strait edge, with a router with a strait cuttter.

I've had good success with this method, too.

Just ... don't forget (I found out: I'm not the only/first one to learn THIS one the hard way :() ... to CLAMP that straight edge down WELL.

In fact, I've since applied adhesive-backed 150 grit sandpaper to the underside of my clamp-down straight-edges and STILL use C or F clamps to make sure they stay put.

[John Piwaron]

Long ago I read that the longest board one could reliably joint on a jointer is twice the length of the infeed table. That said, I've managed to straighten lots of long (6 1/2 feet) on a 6" jointer and as long as 10 feet with my current 8" jointer.

This is both face jointing and edge jointing. I think the remarks above about using a straight edge are very good advice for straightening an edge (I've used that method too) but won't do anything for face jointing.

[John TenEyck]

Practice, plain and simple. Sight down the edge to see where you have to start removing material to get the edge sort of straight, take a cut and look at it again. I have a Inca jointer/planer, and the tables are only about 40" long, total, but routinely joint 6 to 10 foot long boards for panel glue-ups, without much trouble. Waxed tables and a straight edge to start with both help a lot. I'm sure an outfeed roller stand would help, too, I've just never bothered. Now get out there and practice.

[Steve Griffin]

Add 12" or so to infeed table helps. Steel straps and melamine bolted to the cast iron is an easy way to make an extension.

Roller stand past the out feed is far more important than infeed side. You can support a board until it gets to the outfeed table and then hold it down tight until through. Roller stand on infeed side can cause trouble--it can move the board up and down on the rough unjointed edge, and a sudden drop when the board leaves it.

-Steve

[Chip Lindley]

Having started out with a little 6" Delta jointer only 32" long, I learned to use it for any length board. As said, practice makes perfect. Each board is different. Learn to read if the board's edge is concave or convex. If concave, take some off each end to straighten. If convex, take stock out of the center first. Even a twisted board can be flattened if thick enough. Opposite corners can be shaved off until the board tends to lie flatter. Jointing is not as much a science as it is an art! Getting a feel for it really helps advance one's jointing technique.

[George Gyulatyan]

Thank you all for the great advice!


I am always battling trying to joint long boards for stair work. It will make you life much easier if you use a straight edge or Festool track to get a true edge to start with. Once you have a good edge, 8' should not pose a problem on a 44" jointer table.

Richard, the advice on straightening the edge with a straightedge and a circular saw is well taken as I can see how much easier it would be to get a straight edge with that rather than using the jointer. As I am very new to this and still learning, I am having a bit of a trouble understanding the relationship between having a straight edge to jointing the face. Would you mind expanding on this a bit more?


Practice, plain and simple. Sight down the edge to see where you have to start removing material to get the edge sort of straight, take a cut and look at it again. I have a Inca jointer/planer, and the tables are only about 40" long, total, but routinely joint 6 to 10 foot long boards for panel glue-ups, without much trouble. Waxed tables and a straight edge to start with both help a lot. I'm sure an outfeed roller stand would help, too, I've just never bothered. Now get out there and practice.

Yes sir! :)

[glenn bradley]

Some folks will automatically assume you are edge jointing; trying to flatten the thin dimension of a board. Others (like me) assume you are face jointing; trying to flatten the wide dimension of a board. This results in what can sound like conflicting answers. Both answers are probably good, they are just the answers to slightly different questions.

The first question I would ask is; are you going to use this board in its 8 foot size or will it be cut into shorter parts. If it will be cut shorter, do that first. This lessens the effect of non-straight surfaces over distance.

If it is to be used in its 8 foot length or very close to it; support, support, support. With all of your roller stands (or whatever type of support you plan to use) in place and the infeed raised so that the cutter head does not engage; you should be able to comfortably move the material through the complete cutting path while fully supported. If you have to lean down on one end or the other to keep the material on the table, you are asking for an accident. Your job is to move the material through the cut, the jointer's job is to make the cut, the support devices job is to hold the material up while you move it through the path.

[George Gyulatyan]

Thanks for the clarification, Glenn. My bad for not clarifying that I was concerned with face jointing.

I am planning on building a door that will be a little over 7' high, and there are some other projects coming up in the near future that will require longer pieces, which is why I want to gather as much info as possible before I create a lot of firewood :D

[Andrew Joiner]

I use a planer sled to flatten faces. Power feed and no wasted muscle power pushing long stock down onto the jointer tables.


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?134633-A-Lightweight-8-Foot-Planer-Sled&p=1371662#post1371662