Router table used a jointer, how well does it work??

[Duane Bledsoe]

What do you guys think of using a router table and straight bit as a jointer for 3/4" stock?? Does it do well enough so that I wouldn't need a jointer immediately?? I'm trying to decide if I should get a planer or jointer first. Basically, if I had to choose between a planer or jointer, I think I'd rather have the planer for the wide planing ability, vs. the jointer could plane wood also but only up to 6", maybe 8" if I got an expensive one. If a router table with a straight bit and the proper fence setup would serve as a jointer, and not just for the once or twice usage, but more indefinitely, then wouldn't it make more sense to get a planer first over a jointer??

[Peter Aeschliman]

A planer won't help you flatten stock. All it does is copy the opposite side (the side resting on the table as it passes through the machine). In my opinion, a planer without a jointer isn't all that valuable unless all of your stock is straight and flat when you buy it.

That said, if you absolutely must chose between a jointer or a planer, I agree, I'd chose a planer. You can always make a planer sled to flatten one face, then plane the opposing face parallel. Look up planer sleds if you aren't familiar with them- lots of info.

As for edge-jointing on the router table, I suppose this would work okay... I'd picture it being a bit finicky to get it dialed in just right since you're probably going to use your router table for other operations... so it will require a lot of setup to ensure that the outfeed side of the fence is perfectly even with the bit. But in a pinch I suppose it could work.

[Stephen Cherry]

For edge jointing with a router, I'd look at using a strait edge with the largest diameter bearing guided strait bit I could find. Just put the strait edge on the board, and trace a strait line.

A big bearing bit is a good patturn bit also.

I've seen books that describe using the fence of a router table like a jointer, but this would require super accurate setup.

[HANK METZ]

Easily and accurately done, video shows how.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=978crYGetYE

- Beachside Hank

[Mike Cutler]

I have both a jointer and planer,and have used a router mounted in a table as a jointer. The boards were 8/4 jatoba, at 12"+ wide and 10' long. They were heavy enough to tip over my 6" Jet Jointer
You will need to make a split fence, or have a single fence with a thin layer of film, maybe a 32nd of an inch thick, attached to the out feed side. The most critical part is getting the bit absolutely perpendicular to the table, and parallel to the fence face. Whiteside makes a 1/2", spiral upsweep, bit that works very nice. It's also 2 3/4" long along the cutting edge, which ensures you have enough bit above the table.
My router table is 2'x4' and very heavy. Much larger than the one in Hank's video, due to the material size I was working with, but worked exactly the same.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

A router table setup would work for edge jointing, if the edge was already mostly straight - like jointing an edge to remove saw marks from the table saw. I think it'd be a tough job to put a straight edge on a very uneven edge, but that's where you could use a router and straightedge as Stephen mentioned, or use the TS.

For the planer v. Jointer decision - you can face joint with a planer (with a sled) but you cannot accurately thickness plane with a jointer. So if forced to decide I would get the planer first.

[Rich Engelhardt]

+ another for getting the planer first for all the reasons given.

I tied using both a straight edge and the router table for edge jointing.

I ended up getting a glue line rip blade for the table saw and using that instead.
There's a lot of plans available for sleds for both straight line ripping on the table saw and face jointing using the planer.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The most critical part is getting the bit absolutely perpendicular to the table, and parallel to the fence face.

Mike - correct me if my thinking is wrong here......

I don't edge joint with a router - I have a jointer - but the principles seem to be the same. When I am making a, say, table top out of multiple boards, I lay the boards out, and chalk a diamond to keep them in sequence. Then I take an adjacent pair of boards, fold them together like closing a book, and joint them in that orientation [not two at the same time, but keeping that orientation].

That way, even if my jointer fence was off dead-nuts square by a bit, the two boards' edges will mate in a flat plane.

[glenn bradley]

Edge jointing with a router table is fine although I have a set of shims for my RT fence that I have never used. A good rip blade in a properly aligned tablesaw will give you glue ready edges. Of course you need to get one jointed edge to start from somehow. I would get the planer first as you can face joint on the planer with a planer sled (http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=24118). I did this for 18 months while saving my pennies for a larger jointer. I still use it now and again for wide or heavy stock.

[Jim Matthews]

The video shows an edge that is straight, but is it square to the adjacent faces?
If you plane one surface, then joint this way it might work.

I see no advantage over doing something this small by hand.

Edge jointing two flat boards at the same time with a "captured" bit is a very good idea, but the router should move over the length.
An auxiliary fence would keep the bit perpendicular to the reference face and should make a very good joint, provided a small chip is removed (1/32nd or so).

More than that, and angular momentum will make the bit chatter from side to side.

[Myk Rian]

A planer won't help you flatten stock.
Sure it will. You make a sled to hold the stock.
If I had to choose one, it would be the planer.

You can edge joint a board on a router table. Not hard at all to do.

[Duane Bledsoe]

I have a good bit of aluminum trim coil here, the stuff you use to make capping for faceboards on a house. I thought I'd take a piece of that and put it on the outfeed side of my router's fence, then use a metal ruler to align that side of the fence with the edge of the router bit. Seems simple enough in theory. I'd say the hardest part would be finding the top end of the arc that the cutting blade swings as it goes around but even that shouldn't be too hard. I can rotate it by hand to know when I'm there.

[Myk Rian]

I have a good bit of aluminum trim coil here, the stuff you use to make capping for faceboards on a house. I thought I'd take a piece of that and put it on the outfeed side of my router's fence, then use a metal ruler to align that side of the fence with the edge of the router bit. Seems simple enough in theory. I'd say the hardest part would be finding the top end of the arc that the cutting blade swings as it goes around but even that shouldn't be too hard. I can rotate it by hand to know when I'm there.
That's exactly how it's done.

[Mike Cutler]

Mike - correct me if my thinking is wrong here......

I don't edge joint with a router - I have a jointer - but the principles seem to be the same. When I am making a, say, table top out of multiple boards, I lay the boards out, and chalk a diamond to keep them in sequence. Then I take an adjacent pair of boards, fold them together like closing a book, and joint them in that orientation [not two at the same time, but keeping that orientation].

That way, even if my jointer fence was off dead-nuts square by a bit, the two boards' edges will mate in a flat plane.

Kent
Absolutely the same principle. You still want to get it as close to perpendicular and parallel as you can though.

[Jerome Hanby]

As for edge-jointing on the router table, I suppose this would work okay... I'd picture it being a bit finicky to get it dialed in just right since you're probably going to use your router table for other operations... so it will require a lot of setup to ensure that the outfeed side of the fence is perfectly even with the bit. But in a pinch I suppose it could work.

I think the "trick" is to add a laminate shim to each half of the fence, set the fence so that it's flush to your bit, then remove the shim on the infeed side. That way there is no fiddling other than getting the fence flush.

[Rick Thom]

To me the router table is the fussy way to edge joint. I presume you have a table saw in which case... Glue Line rip blade in a table saw.
But first, you normally have to start with 1 flat surface, either the top or bottom of a board, and then you edge joint to make the edge perpendicular to that flat face.
Without a jointer, there are several ways to create a flat surface.. either using a sled and planer or using a hand plane are common solutions.

[Peter Quinn]

Sure you can do it. I do this on my shaper all the time, and there it's easy because its a function thats built into the fence. The two biggest problems I see are the bits diameter and the fences length. The length of board you can joint is directly related to the length of your in feed fence. The smallest jointer I have used has a longer in feed table than the longest router fence I have used. I suppose you could create a monster router fence and long table, like a tortion box style or something, but getting it straight enough to behave as a jointer will be challenging. Very challenging, particularly without a jointer. Maybe BB plywood would work? The straight edge with a freehand router actually makes the most sense to me. I've used a straight edge guided router to joint boards I couldn't effectively joint any other way due to size, weight, or the fact that they were connected to some structure or work piece. This allows you to climb cut as needed to over come grain direction changes, and the length you can achieve is limited only by your ability to splice MDF together. Or something like a track saw would work pretty well too.

Next problem, the smallest jointer I have owned had at least a 3 1/2" cutting arc, the one I have now is larger still, the ones I use at work are bigger still. I can tell you the big heads produce a much gentler exit angle that minimizes edge grain chip out. So if you go to a router with a 1/2" bit or 3/4" bit, even a big pattern bit, that is a very steep exit angle, and your results may be marginal in some stock. When routing freehand you can always climb cut to over come this problem, but that won't work on a router table. You might try a compression bit, which offers both up and down cut spiral in one package. Choosing either an up cut or down cut will put you at a disadvantage relative to at least one side of the board. A straight bit is of limited use for this frankly, though a two or three flute with shear angle such as Amana makes might work well.

If the budget allows just one machine, for me it would be a planer. You don't need every piece of wood to be flat and straight to build things. Having the capacity to flatten and straighten will certainly give you much more control over your work, improve the quality of your results and expand the range of things you can accomplish. But a planer alone gives you control over board thickness and surface quality. A jointer alone gives you almost nothing IMO.

[Duane Bledsoe]

I read here that a planer only copies the reverse side of the wood, but doesn't flatten it. Isn't the bottom on the inside of a planer flat and stationary?? If that's so, and the cutter head is also parallel to that surface, then even running a cupped board through it should eventually flatten the top side. Then all I'd have to do is roll it over and run it through that way to make both sides flat.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The problem comes from the feed roller[s]. In general, they are putting enough downward force that they will push the board flat against the bed as it passes the cutterhead, but then, after it is out the other side, it will return to its original shape. So - you have created a smooth surface on a non-flat board.

Which is the reason that proper use of a jointer is to push the board forward, not down [well, the least amount of "down" that is required - which is very little], and you keep the push blocks away from the cutterhead, so you are not pushing down at that point.

So - the jointer takes all the cup. twist, etc out of one side, and then the planer does what you describe - it copies that surface to the other side.

[Duane Bledsoe]

Well, I did some searching on the planer sled, and from what I understood it takes patience to use it. Eventually you will get a flat board. Patience is something I don't have a lot of. I know that's contradictory to woodworking, but I am what I am. I think I'll be getting both a planer and a jointer. Might take a while, but that's what has to be. I want to enjoy building stuff, not constantly preparing wood to build it with. LOL

[Kent A Bathurst]

Good enough. The planer sled is like anything else - takes forever the first time you use it, but you quickly get the hang of it.

Understand this: If you get a 6" jointer, you will very quickly find that you are ripping perfectly good 7-1/2" boards to fit the jointer, then gluing them back together again. So you will - as did I - trade up to an 8" jointer. And then - all of these perfectly good 9" boards come along. What then? Well, a 12" jointer, of course, if you have room and money. And - even if you have both, what happens when that beautiful, 14" wide stuff comes along?

The point here [well, 2 of them] is - first - if you have the room and the $$ for an 8" jointer, I'd start there. Good used jointers can be found at decent prices, especially if you are willing to start with straight knives and then look at upgrading the head someday in the future.

Second - don't think you have forever forsworn a planer sled, because that day will almost surely come. Mine came not too long ago - gorgeous highly-figured bookmatched QSWO that netted out to a bit over 9" wide per board. Did not consider ripping that stuff for a single second.

[Van Huskey]

A planer sled is one of those things that I want to have but don't want to have to use.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Bingo, Van. :D

[Myk Rian]

And then - all of these perfectly good 9" boards come along. What then?

That's what the rabbeting feature on a jointer is for. I regularly joint boards wider than my 8" jointer. Put a flat board under the rabbet, plane it, then plane the rabbet out of the other side.

[Dick Buchanan]

For edge jointing, the best way that I have found thus far is...
Using a portable router, a streight edge (factory plywood edge works) and a pattern bit.
Just clamp the streight edge to the board that needs jointing and follow with the pattern bit and router.

I have used this method to glue up panels up to 8' long with no problem

[Kent A Bathurst]

That's what the rabbeting feature on a jointer is for. I regularly joint boards wider than my 8" jointer. Put a flat board under the rabbet, plane it, then plane the rabbet out of the other side.

You know, Myk - I keep forgetting about that.

What is the practical maximum width you can run this way?

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have a Bosch 4" long 1/2" diameter router bit for jointing on my router table. I shim it out with a couple of the freebie "Handymans Club" drill guides, and set the outfeed fence to the diameter of the bit. Then, the thickness of the shim is removed with every pass. It works fine for jointing narrow stock, and I have never had any trouble with it.

I have a planer, but not a jointer, due to space considerations in my garage shop. When I build the big detached shop of my dreams, it will have a jointer, probably one of the combination jointer/planers, as they can joint a 12" wide board.

[ian maybury]

'Mr Incra' here is pretty upbeat about the jointing capability of their Wonderfence in this video demo (see around 2.00), and very much pitches it as an alternative to a jointer for smaller work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yuN-_XTQPY&feature=player_embedded#!

I've always used a jointer., but am building up my router table much like this one and thought it might be a useful option for smaller parts. You can see that the router table is probably not the way to do heavy and long timbers, but he makes it look pretty damn straightforward for stuff of the sort of size and roughness he demos.

Am I missing something?

ian

[Ron Bontz]

For 20+ years I did not have a jointer. A good 7' straight edge, a decent table saw,fence, and blade and there you go. Best of luck to you.

[Phil Maddox]

I used my jointech router table fence system to do this early on - it allowed you to offset the outfeed fence to allow jointing. I got it to work pretty well. I then switched to using the table saw to joint edges. I clamped a straight piece of steel angle to the fence about 8' long and ran the concave side of the wood against this to get the blade to rip off the "hump". Made a lot of butternut flooring this way - worked very well.

If you can only but one, get the planer.

Good luck.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Sure it will. You make a sled to hold the stock.

...which is why I said that in my post...

[Myk Rian]

You know, Myk - I keep forgetting about that.

What is the practical maximum width you can run this way?
On an 8", I've done 12" boards.

[scott spencer]

A jointer and planer in tandem are the most effective and efficient method for dimension rough lumber. There are other methods but they're work-arounds. You can edge joint with a router or TS, but that method doesn't give you a flat face, and without a flat face it's very hard to ensure that the edge is a perfect 90° to the face.

A planer can be persuaded to do some flattening with the help of a planer sled, but it's pretty tough to get a jointer to do the job of a planer.

[glenn bradley]

I read here that a planer only copies the reverse side of the wood, but doesn't flatten it. Isn't the bottom on the inside of a planer flat and stationary?? If that's so, and the cutter head is also parallel to that surface, then even running a cupped board through it should eventually flatten the top side. Then all I'd have to do is roll it over and run it through that way to make both sides flat.

Wandering a bit off point here but, the planer attempts to make the machined surface parallel to the reference surface. The pressure of the rollers on even a lunchbox machine is often enough to flatten the bow or cup in a given piece of material as it passes through the machine. The resulting operation yields a board that may eventually get parallel faces but, will not necessarily be "flat" (on the same plane).

A jointer (hand or powered) makes a surface flat. Flat in this context means that the resulting surface is true to a given plane in three dimensional space (boy this is getting out there, eh?):). This flat and true surface can then be used as a reference surface for the planer to mill the opposing surface. If your method is working for you, I see no reason to change. If your dry fit efforts reveal things that don't drop right into place without clamps to force them then things may be "flat" but not "square".

The OP is asking about edge jointing on a router table which is very possible as long as you have a jointed face to use as a perpendicular reference surface to put against the table. This reference surface is also required to edge joint on anything else (including a jointer) that uses that face as the perpendicular reference. I'm sure innumerable incidents of table saw kickback can be attributed to the unsafe practice of ripping boards that do not have a jointed face. Warped material presents a changing relationship to the blade. When confined by the fence one will often get burning or saw marks at best and kickback at worst. Let's all play safe out there ;).

[Curt Harms]

A router table setup would work for edge jointing, if the edge was already mostly straight - like jointing an edge to remove saw marks from the table saw. I think it'd be a tough job to put a straight edge on a very uneven edge, but that's where you could use a router and straightedge as Stephen mentioned, or use the TS.

For the planer v. Jointer decision - you can face joint with a planer (with a sled) but you cannot accurately thickness plane with a jointer. So if forced to decide I would get the planer first.

That would be my choice as well. As far as flattening rough stock larger than a planer sled will handle, you could do something like the guys that use a router to flatten a bench top do. Make a LARGE flat sub-base to replace the plastic sub-base on your router. Then set flat even rails thicker than the subject piece on either side of the stock being flattened. You use your router sort of like the gantry on a CNC machine working it side to side. It seems like it'd be slow and fussy but it'd work.

[Darcy Forman]

If you have an incra router fence system it is very easy to joint 3/4" board edges. I have done it hundreds of times. It only takes a couple minutes to set up and the finish is perfect. Without that type of fence though I would think jointing on a router table would be a real pain in the butt to set up. Just my opinion.