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I picked up some wide cherry boards, 14 inches that will become a dresser top that will be 22 ½ wide. They are pretty flat to start with. I usually run boards through a jointer first and then a planer. My max with to joint is 8 inches. So, my question is should I:
1. Just run then through the planer as is?
2. Cut them in half on the bandsaw to keep the grain flow together and then joint, plane them and glue back together?
I’ve done option 2 before and I can always see the cut mark. If I were to just plane them, I will still need to match the grain to make a panel and cut to size. I never tried this with such a wide board. I would hate to see this warp over time.
Thanks,
Mike
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11-02-2022, 03:26 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-02-2022, 03:27 PM by fredhargis.)
Face jointing is to flatten a board, and it sounds like yours are already there. I think I would just plane them to the desired thickness, jointing the edges for glue up.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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IMO, "pretty flat" can still cause issues with joinery that needs to be square. A planer won't remove a cup or warp that might cause issues during glue-up. If the variance is something like 1/16" or less, maybe clamping during glue-up can solve the issue, but it also introduces some permanent stress into the joint that could conceivably cause problems like splitting later. I'd probably face joint the board, but I'm kinda OCD with that kind of thing.
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Allan Hill
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I know that "proper" technique is to face joint as part of the flattening process, but I almost never do that. For panels and wider board glue-ups I rarely do anything beyond edge jointing. If the board isn't relatively flat to begin with, I either don't buy it or I don't use it for panels. The planer and drum sander provide enough of a flat surface that I don't really worry about it.
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(11-02-2022, 03:52 PM)FS7 Wrote: I know that "proper" technique is to face joint as part of the flattening process, but I almost never do that. For panels and wider board glue-ups I rarely do anything beyond edge jointing. If the board isn't relatively flat to begin with, I either don't buy it or I don't use it for panels. The planer and drum sander provide enough of a flat surface that I don't really worry about it.
That's pretty much what I do, too, even now that I can joint/plane up to 12". The furniture I've made with those boards (dressers, vanities, etc with drawers) isn't warped now after many years.
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If you want them dead flat then you have to joint them in some fashion. To work with full width lumber build a sled so you can run it through your planer. With thick lumber that is pretty flat to begin with you often can flatten them in the planer if you take very shallow passes. Yet another option is to hand plane one side flat, or at least flat enough, to run through your planer. Still another option is to build a router sled to flatten one side. Where there's a will you will find a way.
John
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(11-02-2022, 06:35 PM)jteneyck Wrote: If you want them dead flat then you have to joint them in some fashion. To work with full width lumber build a sled so you can run it through your planer. With thick lumber that is pretty flat to begin with you often can flatten them in the planer if you take very shallow passes. Yet another option is to hand plane one side flat, or at least flat enough, to run through your planer. Still another option is to build a router sled to flatten one side. Where there's a will you will find a way.
John
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
You'll have to decide just "how flat" is flat to you and for your project. I always go for as flat as I can get it - YMMV.
Doug
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I'm not sure who here mentioned this trick first (so feel free to assign or receive credit). The trick is to use hot melt glue to bed the warped or cupped board to a sled. (mine was ripped from an 1-3/4" solid core door). Take a few light passes to get a flat surface, and then pop it off the sled and plane as usual.
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If the boards are both flat and properly dried, they wont randomly "move over time". That happens when the moisture in the wood changes. So if your wood isn't properly dry, then it's going to move in some way as it acclimates.
I've simply planed and used boards that were already flat, and they stay flat. The issue with not using a jointer is if the board ISN'T nice and flat to start with. If you put a banana through a planer, you get a smoother banana out the other side, but it's still a banana.
I'd also suggest the idea of a planer sled if the rough boards have any noticeable cup / twist / bow to them. Sight down the board and/or use winding sticks to check it's straight. Sure it's a bit fiddly and takes time, but the idea of cutting wide boards down, then gluing them back together seems like even more work. The planer sled allows you to joint one side, then remove the sled and plane the opposite side. Same idea, just a different tool.
A router sled lets you go even wider. Again the idea is the same, just a different tool.
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I have access to a wide belt sander. If I see any cup in a board can I just run it through cup side down and take lite passes? It won't take much I would think. I never tried this.
Thanks,
Mike
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