Can I ?

[Lori Kleinberg]

Can I / should I joint the edge of more than 1 (1/2") wide board at the same time safely.:confused:
I am using a 6" jointer and have about 20 7" squares that I would like (need) to joint for boxes for gifts.

[Jesse Cloud]

Hey Lori,
I'm guessing that the boards are already face jointed and you are edge jointing to get a square corner....

In that case, it would probably be safe, but not very accurate.

Next thing, and you probably won't want to hear this... is that 1/2 stock isn't very stable and it probably won't stay square long. I would only mill as much as I planned to join in the next day or so. If you mill a big batch and leave it sitting in the shop, I suspect it will not be square for long - even in dry Tucson:rolleyes: .

Good luck!
Jess

[glenn bradley]

Not sure I'm getting the question Lori. If you mean can you joint a surface wider than 1/2", definitely. I routinely joint 4 - 5" wide boards as part of my squaring efforts. If your asking; can you stack three or four 1/2" thick panels and joint them at the same time I would say . . . not safely. Even if I clamped three 1/2" by 4" x 24" boards together to run them through on edge simultaneously, I would expect poor results. Bear in mind that I really need to substitute the technocal aspect to make up for my natural lack of ability. Others more skilled may have different opinions.

[Alan DuBoff]

Can I / should I joint the edge of more than 1 (1/2") wide board at the same time safely.:confused:
I am using a 6" jointer and have about 20 7" squares that I would like (need) to joint for boxes for gifts.I do it all the time with a hand plane (old Stanley No 8), it's VERY safe, AFAICT! :D The blade is only 2 5/8" wide though, so there is a limitation on the number of boards one does at the same time. Clamp 'em good so they don't move. I did 3 pine boards once as a test, but would probably tend to stick to 2. With 2 you have the advantage of getting a complimentary edge to glue up with each other.

I'm sure some do it on a power jointer, but I don't. The reason I don't is that too many things could distract me, like the boards sliding, or similar, that could cause me to loose concentration on what I want to focus on, the cutting edge and the wood, and keeping my hands away from there.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Thanks all. I will stick to one at a time. I was thinking maybe
I should move the fence in and out to even wear? It seems
I am alsways using just the back edge.

[Jeff Fritzson]

Lori,

it is great that you are asking but because you are asking if something is safe, you pretty much answered it yourself. Anytime I am working and I question the safety of what I am about to do, I rethink it and find another way. If I do proceed it is because I added safety to what I was doing. I guess that counts for "another way."

Trying to rush or expedite is one of the top reasons why people get hurt. I am not saying being efficient is wrong, just be safe out there.

Regards,
Jeff

[glenn bradley]

move the fence in and out to even wear? It seems
I am alsways using just the back edge.

I don't know if its logical but I do that. If nothing else it makes me feel like I'm sharing the wear on the knives.

[Corey Hallagan]

Thanks all. I will stick to one at a time. I was thinking maybe
I should move the fence in and out to even wear? It seems
I am alsways using just the back edge.

That would be a good idea as well Lori.

Corey

[Jim A. Smith]

7" long pieces? Be careful

[Per Swenson]

Can you?

Yes you can.

1/4 mdf for illustration purpose's.

Per

[Andy Hoyt]

When I have to edge join thin boards I'll often lean the fence over and run the boards through to get a wider mating glueable surface. Only works if the boards are very well secured to one another. And there's an orientation trick to this as well.

[Marion Rood]

I agree with Jim. 7" is shorter than what I would want to run on my power jointer.

[David Rose]

Lori,

Are these already cut to 7" long? If not, run the longer boards through first then cut them. A jointer really operates from contact with the outfeed table more than anything for it's accuracy. You would have little contact there before the cut was complete. I would expect a less than truly straight cut much of the time, if I did that. A bit of error in feeding would be exagerated.

David


Can I / should I joint the edge of more than 1 (1/2") wide board at the same time safely.:confused:
I am using a 6" jointer and have about 20 7" squares that I would like (need) to joint for boxes for gifts.

[Howie French]

I agree with 7" being a bit short. I never had a scare with my jointer until
the time I tried running a small piece through. WOW ! the kick-back
was very scary, I will never try that again.

Howie

[Mike Null]

Don't even think about it.

If you make a good template, square and to size you can safely use your router table and a pattern bit to do the planing.

But if I'm concerned about the safety of something with these tools then I just don't do it.

[Lori Kleinberg]

Thanks guys for all the help. These are already cut pine squares my son brought home
from a retiring woodworker. I decided to check and all pieces have at least 1 straight edge.
So I think I will use my gripper and tablesaw instead of trying to joint them.

[Blaine Harrison]

Thanks guys for all the help. These are already cut pine squares my son brought home
from a retiring woodworker. I decided to check and all pieces have at least 1 straight edge.
So I think I will use my gripper and tablesaw instead of trying to joint them.

Good idea. The minimum length of wood to edge joint on my 6" Delta is 9". The other thing is that pine typically has a lot of knots in it, which could also cause kickback.

Jointer injuries are very ugly.

Good luck on your project.

Blaine