straight-line rip of long boards on cabinet saw - looking for ideas

[scott vroom]

I typically purchase lumber already straight lined on one edge. My latest project involves rough 5/4 and most of the 10' boards have a slight bow on both edges. In the past when I've done this I've used a narrow strip of 8' x 3/4" plywood as a sled with hold downs to hold the bowed stock then straighten one edge by sliding the plywood jig against the fence...rudimentary but worked OK. I no longer have that jig am am wondering, before I make up a new one, whether I might get some better ideas on how to do this with a cabinet saw (I don't have a track saw and have no interest in purchasing one).

[Judson Green]

Do ya have a circular saw? You could make a down a dirty track for it.

[scott vroom]

Do ya have a circular saw? You could make a down a dirty track for it.

I have a circular saw but my longest steel straight edge is only 6' and I have all 10' boards to straight line. I could use an 8' plywood strip as a straight edge but have 8 boards to do and would have to do a separate setup on each board, whereas the ply sled on the table saw is a one time setup, then just swap out the boards to be straight lined.

[Ray Newman]

Your original jig is the way to go.Fabricate another one and it will be close at hand should need arise again.

[scott vroom]

I've got an 8' x 12" x 3/4" MDF panel but I don't have any extra hold down clamps so I'm gonna screw 4 or 5 1" L brackets onto the MDF then a narrow screw into the center edge of the board to be straight-lined. I'm moving into a 1,200 sq ft shop next year with room for a slider....this will get me by 'till then.

[Jerry Wright]

Forty years agi, I straightened one edge of long walnut boards by burying a small part of the table saw blade in a cove board attached to the rip fence. You can safely remove almost an eigth of an inch in a pass. It goes quickly and you can sneak up on a straight line just like you would on a jointer.

Jerry

Jerry

[Myk Rian]

A jointer will work.

[scott vroom]

A jointer will work.

Not a 10' board on a 6' jointer table...think about it.

[Peter Quinn]

I've always though this idea looked interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3kv7d8BXh4

[Keith Hankins]

One way but there are many.

http://youtu.be/dCKFhjB5Wk8

[Bill Orbine]

Not a 10' board on a 6' jointer table...think about it.

Huh??? The jointer will work if properly set up! I've done 16' boards on a 6' jointer!

[scott vroom]

Huh??? The jointer will work if properly set up! I've done 16' boards on a 6' jointer!

16' bowed boards? How?

[Peter Quinn]

Huh??? The jointer will work if properly set up! I've done 16' boards on a 6' jointer!


Thats just crazy talk. Its tough to put a straight edge on 16' material with a 108" long jointer even after coming off a straight line saw, and I've done it enough to know. Straightish...maybe. But when you need to make glue line edges on long boards, its rough, and you can loose a lot of width. If there's a magic formula its news to me and many colleagues with formidable experience. You might get 10' straight, but if its a big pile that gets old fast.

[Mel Fulks]

Don't see anything about facing the boards. I'd be more concerned about jointer width than table length but if you have enough width to face ,I think you
can joint well enough for gluing .But without facing the material it will be rocking and climbing while you are jointing. If you are doing this for glue prep, accept joints touching at ends and slightly open in middle as well as "perfect joints". I don't like saw straight lining for glue prep ,but where wide real wood boards are needed for large commercial jobs ,it is
sometimes the only practical way.

[Bill Orbine]

Imagine if you will..... you have a jointer plane (yes, the hand held kind). You start shooting off high spots of the board while it clamped to a bench side or something. You keep truing up until you a least have a nice eyeball straight. It's not going to be 100% true, but good enough the eyeball has trouble seeing anything. Now, with a 16' board on a jointer machine.... I need help supporting the ends. Usually one other person or two stands. But a human help is easier. 10 foot boards.... much easier and I can usually do on my own. So on the jointer... start by shooting off the high spots .... the bow ...or the cup. Move along till you get it reasonably straight... then take a full length pass.

Usually, after getting the first board straight, I use that board to true up all the others with the table saw.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Forty years agi, I straightened one edge of long walnut boards by burying a small part of the table saw blade in a cove board attached to the rip fence. You can safely remove almost an eigth of an inch in a pass. It goes quickly and you can sneak up on a straight line just like you would on a jointer.
Prior to getting my jointer, that's exactly what I did. You can Google it and find detailed instructions on setting it up.
It's clumsy and takes a lot of time and effort to keep things all going straight though - but - it's simple and straight forward.

Can you possibly use a router and straight edge of some kind? I picked up a bearing bit from Lowes for something I had going on a few years ago. It's 2 maybe 2.5" - plenty long enough for 5/4.

(FWIW - personally, I'd use my track saw. I know you said you don't want one, but, it sure is nice for these odd ball things. I'm always at somewhat of a loss to come up with something other than breaking down sheet goods when someone asks about a track saw.
This is one of those rare jobs where a track saw would be the perfect tool. It would do all 8 of those boards in 20 to 30 min and leave a perfect edge.
& do it almost effortlessly.
I don't want to sound like I'm rubbing it in or anything. I only mention it in case someone else runs into the same situation and runs across this thread.)

[Yonak Hawkins]

A jointer will work.

I agree. It's the easiest and quickest way I know of.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Scott -

I have an 8' x 16" ply sled with a runner for the miter gauge slot on the TS. Inset tee-track running across it - holds destaco clamps or those clever bar-and-knob clamps from rockler. Stable enough to easily overhang the ends by any reasonable dimension - most of the rgh lumber I get is 14' +/-.

However - I have gotten better over the years and now will usually put a straight-ish line down the board, and run it thru the BS. Not a finished edge, but darn close enough - so that I can go to the jointer and clean it up in a couple-three passes. Faster, no setup, less unwieldy than my ply TS jig. Plus - aftet the TS jig, my next stop is always the jointer anyway.

If I have a bunch to do, I am likely to pull down the jig. Otherwise - I go to the BS.

You don't have to be great at following a straight line on the BS, you just have to get past the "lousy" skill level, and land somewhere near "mediocre."

[Art Mann]

What I am about to say is pretty obvious but maybe it will help. I seldom if ever need a 10 foot long board. I just don't do any projects that require that kind of length. What I do is crosscut the board to roughly the length required and then use my table saw or jointer on that piece. My smallish 6 inch jointer will put a precision straight edge on a 3 or 5 foot long board without difficulty. I am just suggesting you take another look at what you need and how to get there.

[Max Neu]

Do your boards need to be 10' long? If not, cut them down to shorter lengths, then you can use any of the methods suggested.

[scott vroom]

I've been using incorrect terminology for describing the boards. I've been saying they were bowed when in fact they're ever so slightly crooked. They are neither bowed, cupped or twisted. in fact they appear perfectly flat and may not require any face jointing. Sorry for the confusion.

My entire focus with this thread is removing the crook from the rough lumber via straight lining and then finishing with edge jointing. Several posters have suggested using a jointer to remove crook but I don't see how that's physically possible with 10' boards on a 6' jointer bed. Roller stands won't be of any use in my situation. Once the crooked board reaches the end of the jointer table it will begin dropping below the jointer bed hence changing the plane of the trailing 7' of crooked board. If I'm missing something i'd love to hear specifically how you do this on your jointer. As far as I can see, straight lining on a saw has to be the first step in straightening crooked rough lumber.

Kent, I presently don't have a bandsaw in my shop so will use a TS sled as others have suggested (we're moving to central Oregon next year when my wife retires and I'll be moving out of my current cracker box shop to a 1,200 sq foot space and will be adding a sliding TS, bandsaw and belt sanders, and will be upgrading from my router table to a decent shaper). I guess that last bit was off topic :)

[scott vroom]

Do your boards need to be 10' long? If not, cut them down to shorter lengths, then you can use any of the methods suggested.

The desktop slab will be 9' long finished; I want to mill 10' boards to allow for removal of the inevitable snipe I get when planning long boards.

[Larry Copas]

Years ago there was an article in FWW about a rip sled with a runner to fit in the miter slot of a table saw. Wasn't much to build one so I made one 16' long. Needed two roller stands on each side of the saw. No clamps required and it was as fast as standard ripping. I would do a 1,000 bf in an afternoon. With a good blade and taking my time I could get an edge ready for glue. If you can find the article...

Cheap and dirty a piece of 1/4” X 2” X 10' steel for a straight edge along with a circular saw will work. I just checked at my local steel supplier and it will sit you back $9.50 plus tax. That steel bar is plenty straight for most woodworking uses.

Like some of the others, I would just use the jointer unless the piece was really heavy.

[Mel Fulks]

I find it easier without stands unless material is impossibly heavy. Decide which edge you prefer to joint . If it is the convex start the board with the end over the head resting on out feed table. Set depth of cut at a little less than what you
estimate the defect dimension . Run with pressure on out feed side ignoring infeed end. Repeat as needed ,then take a light finish cut in ordinary manner. For concave edge you can drop wood over head to aprox middle of board and cut holding
down on infeed table . Turn board around and run other end. Then repeat with regular pass with pressure on out feed table.

[Bill Huber]

I did this once a long time ago, I had a 2"x10"x12' board for a deck that needed to be cut down to 6" wide.

I made a chalk line on it for my circular saw and then screwed some 1"x4"s on the chalk line for a fence for the circular saw.
It worked out fine but I am not sure it would work for you problem.

[Max Neu]

I don't think it would be that hard to make a 10' straight edge.Just take an 8' long piece of plywood that has a straight edge, square one end up, then pocket hole another piece about 30" to it.You can check the edge by the splice with another 8' straight edge, make adjustments to get it straight if needed.Then you can use it for a rigged up track saw.

[Don Parker]

I would make friends with somebody local who owns a track saw and borrow it for this limited project. my DeWalt track saw tracks can be bolted together, end to end, to make one very long track, making it the ideal tool for this task.

[scott vroom]

I ended up with a Mickey Mouse but effective solution: 1" L brackets, one at the front and 1 at the rear holding the board to the MDF sled. Flip the board over and straight line the other side....done. The edge with the 2 screw holess will be hidden in the glue up. Total set up time: less than 5 mins.

[Keith Weber]

A jointer will work.

I agree. It's the easiest and quickest way I know of.

Unless you consider a 10-foot slider - quicker AND easier!

[Kent A Bathurst]

Kent, I presently don't have a bandsaw in my shop so will use a TS sled as others have suggested (we're moving to central Oregon next year when my wife retires and I'll be moving out of my current cracker box shop to a 1,200 sq foot space and will be adding a sliding TS, bandsaw and belt sanders, and will be upgrading from my router table to a decent shaper). I guess that last bit was off topic :)

Yeah, well, my friend -

At which point you get an official You Suck from me.

I remember when you first showed up here and went down this rabbet hole some years back, and had a zillion+ questions. And now look at you. :D :D

Good on ya, brudda.

[Kent A Bathurst]

The desktop slab will be 9' long finished; I want to mill 10' boards to allow for removal of the inevitable snipe I get when planning long boards.

You have an issue that needs to be addressed, Scott. Snipe does not need to be "inevitable". What planer are you driving?

But - I always go an inch or so long..............but not a foot.

[Jon Grider]

Snap a chalkline on either the convex or concave side, use your bandsaw to carefully cut to the line, then clean up the bandsaw cut on your jointer. Just another option assuming you have a bandsaw.

[scott vroom]

Yeah, well, my friend -

At which point you get an official You Suck from me.

I remember when you first showed up here and went down this rabbet hole some years back, and had a zillion+ questions. And now look at you. :D :D

Good on ya, brudda.


.....and what a long, strange trip it's been :D

[Rick Potter]

How about an aluminum extrusion. When my solar was put on, I talked the installer into some 21' extrusions they use to rack the panels. Haven't used it for anything yet, but it sure looks straight.

Maybe if you see someone doing an installation, they might have some extra you could get cheep. Cut it to 10'...a few screws......

Rick P

[Phil Thien]

Looks like it worked well, Scott.

This sort of problem reminds me of a trick I saw in the tips section of Fine Woodworking a long time ago. This guy had a piece of aluminum channel about 24' long that he stored above his table saw using some sort of hoist. Within a couple of minutes he was able to lower this real long fence down to the saw, attach it to the actual fence, and then rip wonky material up to 12' long. When he was done, he just lifted it back up to the rafters (or whatever).

[Chris Padilla]

Bring the boards to my house as I have both a track saw AND a large jointer. :)

[John Coloccia]

You have an issue that needs to be addressed, Scott. Snipe does not need to be "inevitable". What planer are you driving?

But - I always go an inch or so long..............but not a foot.

re: planer snipe
If you maintain a bit of upward pressure when feeding the board, until the board is halfway through, and then maintain a little upward pressure on the outfeed side until the board is finished, you'll find that the vast majority, if not all, of your snipe disappears. A large part of snipe if the board angling into the head slightly when both rollers aren't engaged, or when you have a long board who's weight is significantly fighting the rollers.

Anyhow, personally I would have taken the board to my local mill and had them straight line rip it. Maybe I'd even have them just rip it to final size.

[Jim Andrew]

Straight line ripping boards was one of the reasons I bought a slider last winter. Would like to have got a bigger one, but got the 79" stroke slider. Use a clamp to hold one end of the board, and hold the other end as I feed the board through. I can now go directly from the tablesaw to the glue table for panels. Too bad I couldn't get the 8' slider, but it is more than I was willing to spend.

[Ed Weiser]

Hi Scott,

Where in Central Oregon are you headed? We love it here in Sisters. Great place to retire!

[scott vroom]

Hello Ed,

We're heading to Bend, right down the road from you. We love Central Oregon and are excited to be moving close to our son who is a general contractor in Bend.

[Ed Weiser]

Scott, you will really enjoy Bend. I will tell you, though, that quality used machinery here is tough to come by and that I have either found some items in Portland or have had to buy new. You might want to look hard before you leave CA!

[scott vroom]

Scott, you will really enjoy Bend. I will tell you, though, that quality used machinery here is tough to come by and that I have either found some items in Portland or have had to buy new. You might want to look hard before you leave CA!

Ed, I plan to haul what I have now up to Oregon and purchase new for the items I still need.

Yeah, Bend is a great area to retire. We've been vacationing there for 23 years, since the kids were toddlers. It is getting a bit crowded though......when we first visited in 1991 the population was 20K, now it's 80K. And with the State of Oregon unwilling to expand the Urban Growth Area into the surrounding agricultural lands, city housing prices are rising. We're looking at small acreage outside the city limits....most likely MUA10 or EFU zoning (ag).

[Tom M King]

Not a 10' board on a 6' jointer table...think about it.
I do it all the time. Even 16 footers once in a while, but I do have a couple of very strong helpers that are used to working with me.

[Tom M King]

I've been using incorrect terminology for describing the boards. I've been saying they were bowed when in fact they're ever so slightly crooked. They are neither bowed, cupped or twisted. in fact they appear perfectly flat and may not require any face jointing. Sorry for the confusion.

My entire focus with this thread is removing the crook from the rough lumber via straight lining and then finishing with edge jointing. Several posters have suggested using a jointer to remove crook but I don't see how that's physically possible with 10' boards on a 6' jointer bed. Roller stands won't be of any use in my situation. Once the crooked board reaches the end of the jointer table it will begin dropping below the jointer bed hence changing the plane of the trailing 7' of crooked board. If I'm missing something i'd love to hear specifically how you do this on your jointer. As far as I can see, straight lining on a saw has to be the first step in straightening crooked rough lumber.

Kent, I presently don't have a bandsaw in my shop so will use a TS sled as others have suggested (we're moving to central Oregon next year when my wife retires and I'll be moving out of my current cracker box shop to a 1,200 sq foot space and will be adding a sliding TS, bandsaw and belt sanders, and will be upgrading from my router table to a decent shaper). I guess that last bit was off topic :)


If any board is held down on the outfeed table, you can straighten it. If you need to take some off of each end, start the board where you need to past the cutter head, and take off what you need to with however many passes it takes. A lot of times you need to take some off of both ends, so do one end, and turn the board around. Eye it after each pass to see when you have it good enough that a few passes will run the whole edge.

I can't count the hundreds of times we've done this.

Now, I wouldn't do a whole truckload of lumber like this, but say you are doing a stack of a hundred parts that are going to get edge jointed before running through the table saw, where most of them can take a full pass. You sight each piece as you pick it up, and do what you need to with that one piece until you can make a complete pass across the jointer.

[scott vroom]

If any board is held down on the outfeed table, you can straighten it. If you need to take some off of each end, start the board where you need to past the cutter head, and take off what you need to with however many passes it takes. A lot of times you need to take some off of both ends, so do one end, and turn the board around. Eye it after each pass to see when you have it good enough that a few passes will run the whole edge.

I can't count the hundreds of times we've done this.

Now, I wouldn't do a whole truckload of lumber like this, but say you are doing a stack of a hundred parts that are going to get edge jointed before running through the table saw, where most of them can take a full pass. You sight each piece as you pick it up, and do what you need to with that one piece until you can make a complete pass across the jointer.

Might work great for smaller boards but I'm dealing with dense 5/4 10' boards that weight north of 30 lbs. In my case, straight line ripping not only will be faster but easier on the body too.

[scott vroom]

You have an issue that needs to be addressed, Scott. Snipe does not need to be "inevitable". What planer are you driving?

But - I always go an inch or so long..............but not a foot.

Kent, I normally allow several extra inches for snipe. In my current situation, though, I need 9' finished boards and my choice from my supplier was 8' or 10' or 14' lengths. I picked up 10 footers and I guess I could have shortened to 9.5" prior to planing but I just figured it was an extra unnecessary step and the 10' lengths pretty much takes snipe off the table (so to speak :) )

[scott vroom]

Straight lined and edge jointed. Going to glue up two 16" halves first, joint/plane, then glue up the 2 halves for the final 30" slab. The last one of these large slabs I built I used a few biscuits for alignment, extended open-time glue and curved cauls to keep the joint flat as possible since I'm going to have to smooth with a ROS by hand. I ordered potassium dichromate to oxidize the wood before finishing with a clear poly. Never tried the PD, going to experiment on scrap pieces.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Kent, I normally allow several extra inches for snipe. In my current situation, though, I need 9' finished boards and my choice from my supplier was 8' or 10' or 14' lengths. I picked up 10 footers and I guess I could have shortened to 9.5" prior to planing but I just figured it was an extra unnecessary step and the 10' lengths pretty much takes snipe off the table (so to speak :) )

Oh - well, then - in that case I would maybe do the same. OTOH - depending on the wood, grain quality, etc., I might end up with the 14' to get at the "nicer" bits, and rough cut to finished length + 1" or so.

Carry on.

[Yonak Hawkins]

A lot of times you need to take some off of both ends, so do one end, and turn the board around.

I agree with all except turning the board around. I agree with working on the concave edge of the board, working on each end individually until it starts to get close. ..But if you turn the board around most likely the surfaced edges will not be parallel. It's important to always keep the same (at least two) points on the side of the board touching the fence the entirety of every pass.

[scott vroom]

First 2 boards glued up. No biscuits necessary, alternated clamps over/under and added cauls even though the boards were flat.

[Jim Becker]

Your original jig is the way to go.Fabricate another one and it will be close at hand should need arise again.

I agree totally...this is the best and safest way to accomplish the task with a North American design table saw.

Please also give consideration if you really need those boards to stay 10' long...if they do, without a big sliding table saw or sourcing a piece of 10' sheet stock, they are going to be difficult to do. I do a lot of straight-lining on my 8'6" slider...and most boards are already sectioned down where they are close to component size. I do layouts on boards with chalk and then cut them. The advantage is that I can choose my initial cut line for best grain and pattern rather than relying on the original board edge.

[scott vroom]

I agree totally...this is the best and safest way to accomplish the task with a North American design table saw.

Please also give consideration if you really need those boards to stay 10' long...if they do, without a big sliding table saw or sourcing a piece of 10' sheet stock, they are going to be difficult to do. I do a lot of straight-lining on my 8'6" slider...and most boards are already sectioned down where they are close to component size. I do layouts on boards with chalk and then cut them. The advantage is that I can choose my initial cut line for best grain and pattern rather than relying on the original board edge.

Jim, it's a long thread and you probably missed the pic of the sled I made to rip my stock. I used an 8' x ~12" x 3/4" MDF panel onto which I attached the boards...basically made my own slider...not difficult at all really. It worked perfectly and glue ups are already completed. Couldn't break down the stock as I'm making a long desktop slab.

[Vince Shriver]

To borrow a phrase normally associated with an entirely unrelated activity - Looks like a "Happy Ending". Good thinking on the long rip cut.

[scott vroom]

Planed the 2 halves, here's the final glue up. 30" x 10' x 1". Potassium dichromate should be delivered tomorrow, will experiment on scraps to dial in the right aged look. Then poly top coats and attach to cab bases.

[scott vroom]

Planed the 2 halves, here's the final glue up. 30" x 10' x 1". Potassium dichromate should be delivered tomorrow, will experiment on scraps to dial in the right aged look. Then poly top coats and attach to cab bases.


I did a test of the potassium dichromate on about 6" of the desktop slab. I mixed 1/2 tsp in 16 oz water.....it really darkened the wood. pics show the effect after a couple of brushed on coats of clear poly.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Gotta get me summa that stuff. Any idea what it does on, say, cherry or curly maple? Or QSWO?

Also -

I do not need to wait for you to get your new shop equipped to give you this message.

Bend? Bend Oregon? You are retiring to BEND OREGON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Man - my business travels used to take me there every couple months. In............jeeeezzzz..............lemme think. Musta been mid-90's.


So - enjoy yourself.



297047

[scott vroom]

Gotta get me summa that stuff. Any idea what it does on, say, cherry or curly maple? Or QSWO?

Also -

I do not need to wait for you to get your new shop equipped to give you this message.

Bend? Bend Oregon? You are retiring to BEND OREGON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Man - my business travels used to take me there every couple months. In............jeeeezzzz..............lemme think. Musta been mid-90's.


So - enjoy yourself.



297047

Potassium dichromate works best on high tannin woods....cherry, walnut, mahogany, etc. It is an oxidant and turns the wood instantly dark and gives it that aged look. I sampled it on some soft maple and it gave it the appearance of barn wood...kinda gray. I'll probably test it later today on some QSWO scraps in the shop. Best source of info is the supplier, Sam at shellac.net.....he's an 'ol timer with extensive refinishing experience. He also sells a product that adds tannins to low tannin wood to which is then applied the dichromate.

Yup....moving to Bend next year. There is a semiconductor fab in Bend....in the 90's it was owned by Advance Power Technologies where they ran a low frequency RF bipolar xstr line. Any chance you called on them? Not sure who owns it now....maybe Microsemi?

[Jim Becker]

Jim, it's a long thread and you probably missed the pic of the sled I made to rip my stock. I used an 8' x ~12" x 3/4" MDF panel onto which I attached the boards...basically made my own slider...not difficult at all really. It worked perfectly and glue ups are already completed. Couldn't break down the stock as I'm making a long desktop slab.
That was exactly the method I used when I had my cabinet saw.

[Pat Barry]

I did a test of the potassium dichromate on about 6" of the desktop slab. I mixed 1/2 tsp in 16 oz water.....it really darkened the wood. pics show the effect after a couple of brushed on coats of clear poly.
Scott - nice job on getting the top cut, jointed and glued up. The wood looks great. The grain match is very nice. What kind of wood is this?
I can't say though, that I like the contrast of the grain in the finished area. I would be hesitant to use that process on this nice wood. I think the grain contrast in the finished area is too high and may be overwhelming. If that is due to the potassium stuff I'd look for an alternative, maybe just BLO with a compatible top coat. Just my opinion -

[scott vroom]

Scott - nice job on getting the top cut, jointed and glued up. The wood looks great. The grain match is very nice. What kind of wood is this?
I can't say though, that I like the contrast of the grain in the finished area. I would be hesitant to use that process on this nice wood. I think the grain contrast in the finished area is too high and may be overwhelming. If that is due to the potassium stuff I'd look for an alternative, maybe just BLO with a compatible top coat. Just my opinion -


Hi Pat,

The wood is Sapele....it's a member of the mahogany family. The grain is bi-directional which gives it that stripped look. As you walk around the board, the dark stripes turn light and light turn dark. The pics you referred to show a very dramatic grain contrast due in part to the lighting....and yes it is pretty intense. Here's another pic of samples from the same boards. The 2 boards at the top are both treated with the dichromate, while the bottom board was sealed with GF Arm-R-Seal. You can clearly see the aging effect of the dichromate on those 2 top boards.

[sean schriver]

Huh??? The jointer will work if properly set up! I've done 16' boards on a 6' jointer!

I second that. a former employer showed me how to nib off the toe and heal on the concave side first then make your final passes. Or, I've see him use the convex side and holding equal pressure on either side of the board, starting with creating a flat in the middle and gradually running more and more of the the middle until you've reached the toe and heel then making your final passes. before getting my 8 inch jointer, I used to have to have everything straightline ripped,...not any more thanks to the jointer and watching my boss....

[scott vroom]

I second that. a former employer showed me how to nib off the toe and heal on the concave side first then make your final passes. Or, I've see him use the convex side and holding equal pressure on either side of the board, starting with creating a flat in the middle and gradually running more and more of the the middle until you've reached the toe and heel then making your final passes. before getting my 8 inch jointer, I used to have to have everything straightline ripped,...not any more thanks to the jointer and watching my boss....

Sure, you can do it. But why would you when a single straight line cut on a simple TS sled does the job? I had 10' 5/4 boards weighing 28-30 lbs that were as much as 3/4" crooked. I cannot envision how "nibbing off" 3/4" at 1/16" per pass times 2 ends on a board of that size and weight could possibly be easier than a single pass cut on a table saw.