# Using a planer as a jointer



## kyscroller (Mar 20, 2013)

I have a planer and I was wondering how safe it would be if I wanted to use it as a jointer. I would make a sled out of MDF to support multiple layers of wood to plane the edges for gluing. I know I would have to stack enough wood to make it thick enough for the feed rollers to pull it thru. Any thoughts?


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

I'm curious to hear about this also. Any info would be greatly appreciated!


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

My pops and I have done this before having jointers. The key is having it wide enough (Few peices together) and supported so they don't tip over. We use small clamps preventing them from moving. Light passes and support is the key.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

Genius! I am wanting to build a table for the Mrs. and don't have a joiner. I was wondering how to get all the boards the same width. Now I know! Anyone have photos of how to put the boards together? Does this involve any type of sled to hole them in place? Not real sure of sending metal clamps through a planer. For me, Murphy's Law comes into play too many times.


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## Quanter50 (Feb 11, 2012)

In my opinion, under no circumstances should any metal object be passed through a planer. You are inviting disaster. Yeah, ok, occasionally you may catch a hidden nail in a piece of wood, but could you imagine the sound a clamp would make?? I can see it now "Today on mythbusters, can a wood workers clamp actually be launched through two floors and a roof from a basement workshop?"


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## LoganN (Mar 13, 2013)

Honestly I've done this more times than I can count. I have done it with single boards and with multiple ones. I don't usually clamp them together, but I do make sure they can stand on their own. It might help that I take very little off - just enough to ensure they are flat and the same width. I didn't even use a sled.


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## SPHinTampa (Apr 23, 2008)

If you have a router or a table saw, it might be easier to use an offset fence to do edge jointing.

Lots of articles on line on how to do this. here is one:

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/routing/make-your-router-think-its-a-jointer/


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

As long as the warp is only one direction, I've done that. Light passes. My Grizzly spiral head won't do it, it clamps down on the wood too tight with the rollers. If I do it, I do it in my old Rigid lunchbox planer.


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## GusG (Mar 19, 2013)

I'm with Logan. As long as the edge can stand on it's own pass it through the planer. You will be fine. I have done this on occasion. I will use my jointer plane to finish one edge and then send it through but I only take like 1/32" of each pass.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

As Shawn said, a router and off set fence might be better. 
If ripped with a good blade and good technique, (Using a sled to rip one straight edge is advisable) using the planer on the edge will work.
I've done it with the planer in order to insure that they were all the same width.


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## kyscroller (Mar 20, 2013)

I had planned on ripping one good edge on the tablesaw and making sure that all the boards were really close to the same height. My thought of the sled would to sandwich the boards between two pieces of MDF with bolts on the ends to clamp the boards together to plane down the edges. Adding a piece of MDF on the bottom and securing it to one of the vertical MDF boards would make it one unit then. You could add bolt holes along the length of MDF to accomidate different length boards. It would work better with shorter boards though than longer ones only because of the clamping pressure needed to hold everything secure. I don't know if I would use clamps only because what if one hangs up in the planer sides. That wouldn't be a good thing. Let me make one up and I'll post some photos.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

May be drill a 1/4 hole in the ends and run a dowel
through several pieces of lumber and run them doweled
together through the planer.

Using metal clamps is ill advised.

Good luck on your endeavors.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I do this often with my Ridgid planer and have never used a sled or clamps. I just stand the boards on edge and send em through. They really do not have a tendency to tip over as long as the face against the table is flat and square to the face. I do use a sled/carrier board to face joint boards that are too wide for my jointer.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Like Andy said, a sled or clamps are not necessary with 3/4" thick stuff. Thinner might be problematic.
And everything, it seems, is too wide for my jointer. I too, use a sled for surfacing with the planer. I built mine from plans in FWW several years ago. A bit complicated in use. Others use wedges and hold them in place with hot melt glue. An easier solution, methinks.


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## kyscroller (Mar 20, 2013)

Most of my wood I use is 3/8" or thinner. I try and use real wood and not plywood when I scroll saw items. It has a better look and feel to it and it draws more people into our craft tables. I try and use all local wood from a local sawmill that kiln drys all their own wood which helps. I just need to get them to cut thinner material or find someone near me to resaw. Hoping next year to maybe get a bandsaw but the boss has to approve that.


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## sprucegum (Dec 6, 2012)

Pretty simple to make a bed board out of MDF and put some well braced guide boards on it to hold your board on edge. My old folley Belsaw planer molder came with a bed board and adjustable aluminum guides. There are holes in the cast iron planer bed to bolt the bed board down with but I always found it faster just to clamp it down. I never used it to straiten boards for glueing and I am not sure it would be accurate enough. I put a skill share post on here a while back on how to perfectly joint boards for glueing on a table saw. I think it was posted as poor mans jointer never fail glue joint if you care to search for it.


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## frosty50 (Dec 22, 2011)

I have done this a couple of different ways: if the boards are fairly uniform in width, i group them together using clamps at both ends and run them throught the planer, usually in lenths greater than 3'. for smaller stock, I use a sled, made like an "L". 30" in legnth, with bottoms of the "L" about 3" in width and the upright of the "L" 3 1/2". I then cut a 3/8" slot an 1" from each end centered at 1 3/4" up from the bottom. The slot is about 10" in lenght, using carriage bolts, washers and nuts to sandwich the boards to be planed. you just want to make sure that the stocks is firmly agains a solid surface before tightening the bolts together. It works well and I have used this over the years for a lot of diferent projects. Remember that the you are limited to board width by the maximum thickness your planer will allow you to plane. My sled is made of 3/4" baltic birch ply left over from another project. Hope this helps.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I have never used a planer as an edge jointer, but it sure does clean up edges nice once they are jointed and ripped. I have never had any problems sending boards on edge through the planer. 
I think if you are going to do much milling, you might as well just get a jointer. 
I have a router table with a "jointing" feature. It is basically a way to offset the outfeed side of the fence. I never use it because it just isn't as convienent as a jointer.


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## Woodbum (Jan 3, 2010)

The board is too wide for your jointer, but your planer goes high enough to run it through on edge? Curiouser and curiouser? I just learned something again that I could do, but probably shouldn't. It just doesn't feel right to me.
I "jointed" 6.5" 6/4 QS white oak on my table saw using as sled because my jointer bed was not long enough to do a good job. Thankfully now I have a new jointer. Good luck, work safely and have fun.


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## verdesardog (Apr 2, 2011)

This is done all the time in cabinet shops. Most shops cut stiles and rails a bit over size and run on edge through the planer on both sides to clean up all saw marks….even just one piece alone…..


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## mking1 (Jan 11, 2011)

I've been using one for years, ¾ inch MDF and little wedges and hot melt glue. Now I have a 12 inch jointer.


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## Craftsman70 (Jul 31, 2012)

I watched the FineWoodWorking video where they make a sled that you attach the board to and send the board through the planer to face joint it. In that article and others I've found they always make a sled that you attach the board to. What about making a long flat table for your planner so it sits flat like a jointer table at the bottom of the planer. Could you use MDF to make two flat tables at the front and back of the planer and that would act like the table on a jointer?


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## BTimmons (Aug 6, 2011)

Craftsman70,

I don't see why not. Although most people may not have the room to spare for a setup like that. At least, unless one could make it able to be broken down for storage when the planer isn't in use. Otherwise, that's a lot of square footage that needs to be clutter free.


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