Thread: A little newb help please!

Two methods come to mind,

You could mount the router in a table with a straight bit coming out. Then have a fence with the outfeed side of the fence in line with the router bit. The infeed side just slightly back.

Feed the piece from the infeed side, the router cuts away the wood and the outfeed ensure the cut is supported.

The second option would be to get your self a long plane like a number 7. Place the two that are to be joined together edge to edge and mark several lines ensuring that both pieces are marked. Lift the boards from the middle and clamp them together, with the lines that were marked showing on the outer sides. Try and align these are best you can but really super important.

Now start planing the edges from one end to the other. When you get a complete width cut from the plane and not a heavy thick cut you should have a good edge for gluing. Go one more step further and plane three more times in the middle going a little longer with each cut but not to the edge. This will give you a slight bow in the middle and it needs to be slight.

This part is important, strike a line with a square across both edges that you have just planed and extend this to the outside faces. These lines that you have marked will be the lines that you can follow to ensure alignment on what you have planed.

You might want to get a few more clamps.

How do I clamp the wood without the sides folding up on me?

Also, should I use dowels or biscuits to join the wood, or just glue the flat edges together?

I would personally just edge glue them. I would not do dowel or biscuits unless you want them for alignment and to prevent them from moving when applying clamping pressure.

To stop the board from folding, you could consider using two short piece of wood clamped across both boards. This would be on either end and one or more in the middle depending on the length of boards been clamped.

One thing to remember with the short piece across the boards you best cover this with packing tape as to prevent these from sticking to the boards.



I have just given you a reason to purchase more or even make your own clamps.

Can't ever have enough clamps!

Thanks for the advice.

Christos has nailed it on the head, so to speak. To reinforce what he wrote, more clamps. For that length of table I think you'd need a clamp very 200-300mm (every foot in your speak).

Originally Posted by Fricasseekid

Ok gentleman, question time...
Here's a list of my current power tools:
Jigsaw
Skillsaw
Porter cable 1/2hp router (no bench)
12v power drill
6" orbital sander
Finish sander

I need to efficiently edgejoin a bunch of boards. My budget is very limited (less than $200).
What 1 tool and method would you guys recommend to get the job done?

I'm thinking either:
a router table+good rabbit bit
or
a biscuit cutter+a hand powered edge planer

I'll also add that I have three cheap 3' Jorgenson bar clamps. So I'd love to hear some advice on how to properly clamp for this type of joining.


Somebody feed me please!

saw horses for a bench?

spend your $200 on some sash clamps to pull the boards together for glueing and a few ~12" F clamps

to joint your boards
clamp them in pairs edge to edge on your saw horses with a gap of about 3/8" between them
put a 3/4" straight bit in your router
use a third board as a straight edge to guide your router - clamp this well to one of the boards you want to joint so that the bit in the router is centred in the gap between the boards
now route both boards widening the gap between them to a consistent 3/4"
you wont get a straight edge -- but you will get a pair of matching edges which will glue up the same as a pair of straight edges -- just be sure to mark a series of alignment lines to speed the alignment process

You guys are great! Thanks for sharing all the experience.

Hi Fricasseekid
We should have asked what the joined up boards are for
It might be that the ONE best tool is a Kreg pocket hole jig
Pocket hole screws will pull the boards together and align them -- no need to buy a bunch of extra clamps

Originally Posted by ian

Hi Fricasseekid
We should have asked what the joined up boards are for
It might be that the ONE best tool is a Kreg pocket hole jig
Pocket hole screws will pull the boards together and align them -- no need to buy a bunch of extra clamps

The boards are for toy boxes that I build. I posted photos in my member introduction thread: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f175/hiya-fellas-147209.

I don't know that I could make good use of pocket hole screws in this type of build.

I actually used the router method posted above. It's takes time to set up, but works perfectly with my limited tools. Plus if i carefully select which boards I'm matching up, it's not even needed. I also found a cheap biscuit cutter and am using #10 biscuits when necessary to keep everything as flush as possible.

Two more question:
Do I need to worry about the joint showing up during finishing due to the glue seepage, even after sanding?

Also; Is it normal to have to sand the joints flush after the glue drys? I'm sure some you use planers, but I don't have that luxury right now. But I shouldn't expect my edge joints to be perfectly flush, should I?

if you have cipboard that is a bit longer and wider than your planks afew weges,and 2 pieces of wood a bit longer and thicker than your planks you dont need clamps. screw the one piece of wood on to the cipboard put the planks against that scew the next one one leaving 3-4mm gap then force a wedge in the gap every 15-20cm and do what christo wrote to keep all of them straight dont forget to put some paper or newspaper on the chipboard so they dont stick together. it always good to use biscuits .

Originally Posted by greek carpenter

if you have cipboard that is a bit longer and wider than your planks afew weges,and 2 pieces of wood a bit longer and thicker than your planks you dont need clamps. screw the one piece of wood on to the cipboard put the planks against that scew the next one one leaving 3-4mm gap then force a wedge in the gap every 15-20cm and do what christo wrote to keep all of them straight dont forget to put some paper or newspaper on the chipboard so they dont stick together. it always good to use biscuits .

I'm not sure I follow...
Also, what's chipboard?

Chipboard Sheets