Folks -
I've been struggling with jointing long boards (80") on my current project. I have a pretty decent size 8" jointer, and I know that this can be done, but it's a battle for me. Some of the boards I manage to kinda hit that sweet spot and get them face-jointed quickly, some I more or less end up turning the majority of the board into shavings or giving up on that board.
I've read how to do this, I've used my rollerstands to support the end of the board which is off the jointer bed, I even made little tables for the top of the rollerstands to get more support, but am still getting crummy results. It doesn't help that my basement shop floor has a wildly uneven surface. It looks as though the concrete was surfaced by a hyperactive 8 year old with a garden rake.
So I'm thinking of making some sturdy tables which can be aligned with the infeed and outfeed tables, and was hoping that maybe others have beaten down this path before me and were willing to share, post pics, etc.
My plan at the moment is to have the tables be about 8" x 24", laminate, with an apron underneath. One short end will be supported by being clamped to the end of the jointer from underneath. I was going to put some magnets in that apron end to hold it while I get it aligned for clamping. The far end of the table I was planning to support off the ground with a piece of 2x material, with leveler feet at each bottom corner. All comments on this idea appreciated.
Thanks for all help -
Ken