Jointer or Plane or ??

[joe Katzenberger]

Good evening ya'all
I am about to begin a workbench along the lines of Christopher Schwarz's Holtzapffel design. I will be using the commonly available southern yellow pine from a big box. I intend to use 2x12 and rip it into 1/3s.
My question is what are your suggestions since I do not have and rather not buy at this time a jointer nor a plane? Can I acclimate the SYP in the shop for some time and wipe the glue faces with acetone or should I hand plane each face first?
I plan on buying a jointer plan and flattening the top and bottom.
My request thus what are your suggestions given my lack of a power jointer and plane?
Thanks, joe Katzenberger

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Joe, to clarify, are you making a 4" thick top?

[joe Katzenberger]

Steve, the 12" SYP is measuring about 11-1/8". The rough cuts I anticipate will be about 3-5/8" if I use a small kerf blade on the TS. Thus 3-1/2" might be a closer thickness but do you have a reason to ask about the 4", in other words, should I be considering a thicker top by ripping 2x10s?
Thanks for your interest, joe K

[Mark Roderick]

If I understand your question, the faces of the boards must be very flat (as they would be if run over a jointer) before you glue them up. The boards are going to twist and bow and cup as they dry, so you have to have some way to flatten them, either with a machine or by hand. Good luck.

[Frederick Rowe]

Joe - A couple of thoughts.


I will be using the commonly available southern yellow pine from a big box. I intend to use 2x12 and rip it into 1/3s.If it is common framing lumber, you won't end up with 1"x3" pieces because of it's beginning nominal dimensions as well as the width of your kerf cut.


. . . should I hand plane each face first?
I plan on buying a jointer plan and flattening the top and bottom.To get a reasonably flat top, I doubt the glue faces of your lumber will be parallel unless you joint then plane the glue sides. Flattening the completed glued up top with a hand jointing plane is reasonable.


My request thus what are your suggestions given my lack of a power jointer and plane?First, be exceptionally particular about culling the lumber rack for the best, most straight , and driest lumber you can find. Cut to rough length, then rip as you planned. Then take the lumber to a shop with a jointer and planer and have your lumber face and edge jointed, then planed to final thickness - it shouldn't cost much. The resulting lumber should now have parallel sides for gluing, and a relatively flat top. Glue up your top and trust me, there will be plenty of hand planing left for you get the top to "flat". Without jointing and planing lumber for a project that size, you'll be in for a lot of twists and bows even with every clamp you own.

Just because you don't own a jointer and planer doesn't mean you should work without properly prepared wood. Most lumber yards I use, offer jointing and planing at a reasonable rate. Perhaps rethink purchasing the SYP (make sure it is SYP, not fir or other softwood) from a big box store and try a lumber yard.

Best of luck!

[Richard M. Wolfe]

However you do the surfacing (or have it done) it would be best to make the finished product as quickly as possible after the surfacing. Let the wood set and movement from drying or moisture uptake can give you problems.

[Randy Klein]

I intend to use 2x12 and rip it into 1/3s.

I would advise against that. I just finished a Roubo bench using SYP. My experience is that the middle of the board is pretty much junk (flatsawn, knots, splits, pith, checks). It would be better to just rip 4" off each edge and discard the middle stuff. That way you get nice, clean, mostly quartersawn wood.

Also, buy the 14 or 16 footers and have them crosscut it to your rough lengths for you at the store (unless you can transport those lengths). Those are typically cleaner than the 12 or 10 footers.

[joe Katzenberger]

Thanks to all. I believe that I need to rethink my approach and either buy the power tools or find a local source to do the work. But, every project is a reason to buy another tool so I need to make two projects out of this so I can justify both tools!

[Frederick Rowe]

Jointers and Planers are, for many hobbyists, the last major tools they buy (outside specialty tools or upgrades). I suppose this is because we would buy our lumber from the local big box store already S4S (surfaced on 4 sides). At some point we got tired of digging through warped, twisted, bowed and crooked poplar, red oak, and lame maple in the lumber isle (and paying through the nose for it by the linear foot) and entered the world of buying rough lumber by the board foot. And for that, you need a jointer and planer.

The rewards, though, are more than worth the cost of the equipment. First of all, the cost of rough lumber is much less than the premium you're paying for that undersized stick of red oak. Next is the variety. Besides local vendors and fellow woodworkers cleaning out their stock on Craigslist or the like; thanks to the internet you can have any exotic wood delivered to your doorstep. Lastly though, and my favorite, is watching that plank of dirty stained cherry start to emerge from the planer as finished wood as you take that first 1/16" off the top.

A lunch box planer and 6" jointer will get you started. Both are plentiful used and the depreciation is great (unlike the 8" jointers, and 15" planers - but you'll have time) so there are bargains to be found. There is plenty of guidance on their use together, so read up and start milling some lumber.

Best of luck!