I’m sure this is nothing new for most but I figured I’d share for that one guy that might not know about it. I have neither money nor room for a real jointer but sometimes you need a straight board so whatcha gonna do? Build a jointer sled. The pictures are pretty much self explanatory so I’m not going into any kind of in depth build explanation. Plywood was left over and the clamps came from harbor freight. Total cost was about $35.
My only build advice is to get a good long straight edge. I have a 6’ box level and a 6’ aluminum ruler. Make sure the plywood has a nice straight edge before cutting any pieces. Obviously, to get a nice straight cut out of the material you plan to joint requires a perfectly straight jig to begin with.
I plan to make a 3’ version of this someone in the future for shorter stock.
Losing fingers since 1969
I have a jointer/planer but use this setup when I buy S2S lumber because a lot of time it has some pretty good bows and this makes it a lot faster to get a straight edge and one or two swipes on the jointer gives me good results fast .
Nice Jig .
Brian,
Your set-up looks excellent. Since I don’t have a jointer either, I’ve used various methods in the past for straightening boards. At one point I just screwed my board to a 8’ long laminated shelf. Since then I concocted this to use on the table saw.
It’s over 9 feet long and only used for materials longer than 4’. I have a set of straight-edge clamps (2’, 3’, 4’) I use for shorter materials. The L-piece of metal cost me $14.86 at a local “junk” yard (for lack of a better description of the place). I only used 4 hold-down clamps from Harbor Freight (at half price) so I don’t have too much money in it and it works quite well. I like the fact that it’s only about an eighth-inch thick which means I don’t have to raise the blade very high.
L/W
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Benjamin Franklin
for long boards, if the board is way off I take to the bandsaw to get close to a strait line then onto the jointer.
for shorter boards I use my long sled.
Abbas, Castro Valley, CA
L/W that is a great idea. It’s hard to assemble this thing out of plywood and keep it straight when it’s so long. In fact, after using it, I noticed it’s not as perfect as I thought. It’s very close and fine for the projects I’m working on now but I want to make a dining table in a few months and absolute perfection will be required for that job. I have a roofer friend that might be able to hook me up with a piece like yours.
Losing fingers since 1969
I really like all the solutions that I have seen on the tread. All practical and easy to put to use.
Thanks.
Tor and Odin are the greatest of gods.
Thanks for sharing. It’s nice to know how to get by without a jointer.