Jointing 13 ft long 8/4 lumber

[Dennis Peacock]

If you were building a dining or kitchen table out of 8/4 lumber, how would you joint the edges so they mate well with the other boards? Let's also add in that each board weighs in at around 100 pounds each. NOW, how would you joint the boards?

Inquiring minds need to find out!

[Brian Nguyen]

Track saw--maybe? But more likely answer is to pay someone else to do it as I'm not about wrestling 100lbs boards around.

[Tom M King]

I use my smallest jointer-a 6". A strong helper, and I man handle it on the infeed end, with me handling the press to the table, and Big Mike doing most of the support.

The part that is probably different is where the weight starts going off the other end. The reason I use the small jointer is because it's light enough to be tipped by a heavy board. It's not possible to get a roller stand to Exactly the right height, so the roller stand is set about an inch low. As the balance point passes the tipping point, the feed is slowed up, and allowed to Ease over until the roller stand catches it. From there, the pass is finished after it passes the cutterhead.

I'm sure most would be surprised how well this works out. It's really not that hard, since that HTC mobile base moves the pivot point back under the machine, as you can see by the two wheels. The single wheel on the infeed side is off the floor in this picture. It works easier with that mobile base under it, than just sitting on the machine base.

Not saying to try this at home, but it works for me.

edited to add: I chuckle when I see people talking about the length of jointer beds limiting the length of boards that can be jointed. I started with a little 3' long 6" Delta four and a half decades ago.

[Jim Becker]

Whenever I need to process a board over my jointer that is respectively longer than can normally be done, I setup auxiliary supports on both infeed and outfeed side that are very carefully setup to be exactly at table height. I can then concentrate on keeping the board on the table before and after the cutter head as best as possible. In your case with 13' stock, I'd have human helpers, too, to make sure things don't go amiss. Unfortunately, 13' exceeds even the largest sliders that would typically be found in big shops, but if it didn't, I'd flatten on the jointer, thickness close to final and then have them straight-lined on the slider to avoid edge jointing those long boards. You may very well want to try and subcontract this long stock, but that will also eat into your cost. If you're working this job on time and materials, go for it. If you quoted a fixed price...decision time.

[Brian Holcombe]

I’ve faced and edge jointed 16/4 x 10” x 10’ ash boards. Support tables and a friend to help lift.

[Jamie Buxton]

I wouldn't try to horse that big a plank over a saw or a jointer. I'd bring the tools to the plank. I'd first straight-line the plank with a track saw. If you don't have a track saw with 13' by 8/4 capacity, a long straightedge and a circular saw will do. The saw may well leave a surface which is good enough to glue up. If not, I'd clamp the plank on edge, and clean up the saw marks with a hand plane. That sounds like big work, but it isn't. You're not trying to straight-line the plank, you're only needing to remove the saw marks.

[peter gagliardi]

Like this.
IMG_0020.jpg
12' of infeed that is set dead level at 1/8" pass, with just over 8' outfeed. 16' stock is a non issue, with 1 person

[ChrisA Edwards]

By no means an expert in this procedure, but just a thought, trying to edge joint such a large board, might not a shaper be an alternate method. Much easier to pass the board through flat on the shaper table, possibly using a power feeder. With the shaper's fences offset, similar to the jointer table, hopefully you could receive similar results.

[johnny means]

Butt the mating boards together and run a skilsaw or router up the seam.

[Lisa Starr]

I don't own a jointer. Smallish stuff goes on my router table. Big stuff like you're talking about I'd do with my track saw now that I own one. Prior I would have used a straight edge and circular saw.

[glenn bradley]

I do as Jim and Brian mentioned; infeed and outfeed supports and a friend to help lift it on and off. A scissor-lift table might do in place of a friend but, would be a bit awkward.

[Paul F Franklin]

See this thread: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....e-roller-stand

for a way to get infeed/outfeed support. I show the stands in use with a bandsaw, but I also used them with the jointer and planer and they were a tremendous help. Granted, I was only dealing with 12' 5/4 cherry, but the stands allowed me to focus only guiding the stock, not supporting the weight.

[Allan Speers]

I'd do it with my track saw.

But then, my track is Eurekazone, which is very thick and stiff, so will maintain it's level-ness on such rough stock.

And my saw is a 10 1/4" Makita 5104, with a high quality rip blade.

It's a fantastic setup for exactly this type of scenario, which I also had to deal with a few years ago.


You might also want to first take down any "local" high spots on the face, with a hand jointer, as per Tom King's post.
If the stock is REALLY rough, you might even find use for a scrub plane, set very shallow.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I wouldn't try to horse that big a plank over a saw or a jointer. I'd bring the tools to the plank. I'd first straight-line the plank with a track saw. If you don't have a track saw with 13' by 8/4 capacity, a long straightedge and a circular saw will do. The saw may well leave a surface which is good enough to glue up. If not, I'd clamp the plank on edge, and clean up the saw marks with a hand plane. That sounds like big work, but it isn't. You're not trying to straight-line the plank, you're only needing to remove the saw marks.

Exactly how I have done it for years. Circular saw with guide or track saw, followed by a hand jointer: LN no 7 or 8, or Veritas low angle jointer with a 90 degree fence.

[Bill Carey]

I use my smallest jointer-a 6". A strong helper, and I man handle it on the infeed end, with me handling the press to the table, and Big Mike doing most of the support. ...............

Dam! I knew I should have opted for the Big Mike accessory when I bought my little Cutech jointer. (which, btw, I love. For me it's great)