# Gaps in Edge After Ripping



## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

Beginner woodworker. So I ripped two pine boards to edge glue. However, when I put them together, in some parts it is nice and tight. In other spots there is a small gap. I think the blade is fine. I actually had just adjusted it because with an earlier board the back of the board was getting pinched by the blade causing a very slight bevel on the lower portion. I gave the blade a slight tweak and it seemed ok. I have featherboard set up to help keep the board against the fence and the fence is clamped since I don't have the greatest table saw. Any suggestions as to what it might be? Thanks.


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## dbw (Dec 2, 2013)

based on the info you provided it sounds like your TS fence isn't parallel to the blade and/or the blade is not square to the table. Can you take a few pictures and then attach them here?


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## Tmanpdx (Mar 11, 2019)

There is tension in wood and sometimes ripping releases it and you get gaps. Typically you get rid of these by using a jointer.

When jointing wood, my recipe is:

0. Always start out with 15/16 wood (4/4)
1. Face Joint on side 
2. Skip plane (just to flat, not to perfect) in the planer
3. Joint on side on the jointer
4. Rip the wood to the same width with the TS
5. One pass on the Jointer that I just ripped if I'm going to glue that side

I'm guessing you don't have a planer / jointer and you probably don't have a supplier where you can get 4/4 stock.

In that case you can edge joint with a long straight edge and a circular saw. Then rip it in your TS. The long straight edge can also tell you how straight your board is.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> based on the info you provided it sounds like your TS fence isn t parallel to the blade and/or the blade is not square to the table. Can you take a few pictures and then attach them here?
> 
> - dbw


I'll post some later. I'm out right now. I'm pretty sure the blade is square to the table. Since I had to adjust the blade because the rear was catching the piece I checked it. The fence may not be. It's one of the cheaper ones and it does move. That's why I clamp it down. Now, I do have it set to where it's just a hair wider on the back to avoid the pinching issue. Is that wrong?


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> I m guessing you don t have a planer / jointer and you probably don t have a supplier where you can get 4/4 stock.
> 
> In that case you can edge joint with a long straight edge and a circular saw. Then rip it in your TS. The long straight edge can also tell you how straight your board is.
> 
> - Tmanpdx


No jointer or planer for now. I live in South Florida. We have some lumber suppliers down here, I just haven't been out to explore their supply. I am new to woodworking, so I am using cheaper construction pine from Home Depot right now, while I improve my technique.


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## diverlloyd (Apr 25, 2013)

The construction line is a lot of your issues. It's moisture is higher then nice lumber and is prone to being stressed. That being said I use the construction lumber but I buy the cull lumber and leave it in the shop attic for a at least a year before I use it. It seems to be more stable that way. Also it's never has a straight edge so ripping using the factory edge is just about impossible. I have a sled built to get the initial straight edge to use as reference when ripping it down.


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## fuigb (Apr 21, 2010)

https://toolcrib.com/blog/2009/02/6-table-saw-jointing-jig-plans-straight-edge-no-jointer/

I use a homemade jig similar to option 6 in the blog link posted above. My sled is built upon a leftover scrap of 3/4 ply from a flooring job. With this piece of junk and homemade clamps (again, see the linked post) I fear no evil when it comes to big-box crap lumber, recycled hardwood pallets, lumber of my own manufacture from neighbors' trees, etc.


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## diverlloyd (Apr 25, 2013)

> https://toolcrib.com/blog/2009/02/6-table-saw-jointing-jig-plans-straight-edge-no-jointer/
> 
> I use a homemade jig similar to option 6 in the blog link posted above. My sled is built upon a leftover scrap of 3/4 ply from a flooring job. With this piece of junk and homemade clamps (again, see the linked post) I fear no evil when it comes to big-box crap lumber, recycled hardwood pallets, lumber of my own manufacture from neighbors trees, etc.
> 
> - fuigb


Mine looks like #6 also. A good jig will make your life easier.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

How long are the boards and how wide are the gaps? Long boards with small gaps can usually be closed up with clamping pressure


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

Turns out that the blade was just a little off. When I put the combination square I noticed a bit of light coming through. I readjusted as above and I'm still getting the cuts in the other pics.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> https://toolcrib.com/blog/2009/02/6-table-saw-jointing-jig-plans-straight-edge-no-jointer/
> 
> I use a homemade jig similar to option 6 in the blog link posted above. My sled is built upon a leftover scrap of 3/4 ply from a flooring job. With this piece of junk and homemade clamps (again, see the linked post) I fear no evil when it comes to big-box crap lumber, recycled hardwood pallets, lumber of my own manufacture from neighbors trees, etc.
> 
> - fuigb


I built no. 1, but after noticing that my blade wasn't truly squared to the table, I wonder if that contributed to the problem and the jig might not have a 100 straight edge.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> The construction line is a lot of your issues. It s moisture is higher then nice lumber and is prone to being stressed. That being said I use the construction lumber but I buy the cull lumber and leave it in the shop attic for a at least a year before I use it. It seems to be more stable that way. Also it s never has a straight edge so ripping using the factory edge is just about impossible. I have a sled built to get the initial straight edge to use as reference when ripping it down.
> 
> - diverlloyd


A year? Wow. I had read in other places to allow it a few weeks to acclimate to the environment, so I've left them in the garage for 3 weeks before I got around to using them. I think the sled I had might have been the problem. The blade wasn't squared so it might have led to the problem. Since I'm new to woodworking, I'm using the cheap stuff from Home Depot to work on my skills. I made a stool from some similar pine boards to use in the garage rather than sitting on a bucket. The wife liked it and wants me to make a few for the bar, but I want to use better wood for that, so I'm practicing with this stuff.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

Attach the piece to the top of a straight strip of plywood using a couple of screws if you can. The plywood acts as a straightedge against the table saw fence and the wood being cut will follow that line.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

> I m still getting the cuts in the other pics.
> 
> - SSotolongo


That's not bad. What you making?


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Possibly because the boards aren't flat. They may be twisting just a tiny amount going through the saw and so the edges don't align perfectly. Lloyd is right, the longer you can leave those boards to acclimate the fewer problems you'll have.

The usual order of milling operations are:
1: flatten 1 face
2: true 1 edge 
3 & 4 make the opposite face and edge parallel to the first using a planer and tablesaw
5: sticker and allow to rest overnight
6: repeat to reach final dimensions. 
My suggestion is don't do any of this more than a day before you'll use the lumber because it will move again and you'l have to go through it again.

People cheat on it all the time but it's helpful to know what you should be doing so you can figure out where to cheap.  For example, if the boards aren't flat, it's hard to get a flat/true edge on the tablesaw.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> I m still getting the cuts in the other pics.
> 
> - SSotolongo
> 
> ...


Wife asked if I could make her this table she saw on Ana-White.com but she asked if the top could be one solid piece instead.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> Possibly because the boards aren t flat. They may be twisting just a tiny amount going through the saw and so the edges don t align perfectly. Lloyd is right, the longer you can leave those boards to acclimate the fewer problems you ll have.
> 
> The usual order of milling operations are:
> 1: flatten 1 face
> ...


I thought I could edge glue the pieces together for and make the top and then put them on the sled and flatten the piece out. I guess I should have flattened them on the sled first and then ripped and edge glued.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I agree with Rich you should make your boards flat and true before you rip a edge to join together.
And never ask for any advice on Ann White builds. 
I just cannot think of anyone that's has less integrity in their builds. 
A total sham,fraud,imposter, a fake. All for YouTube views.
Good Luck


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> I agree with Rich you should make your boards flat and true before you rip a edge to join together.
> And never ask for any advice on Ann White builds.
> I just cannot think of anyone that's has less integrity in their builds.
> A total sham,fraud,imposter, a fake. All for YouTube views.
> ...


I don't know anything about her. The wife showed it to me and asked me to make it for her. I haven't looked through her site. I guess she puts up some shoddy projects?


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

When people advise you to "flatten" or "true" your wood it requires more that running it through your machines. You must have a reliable method for testing the result. Usually this means an accurate straight edge and a bright light source. Before gluing two edges together, put the boards together and hold in front of a bright light - like the sun. Correct the gaps before gluing.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> When people advise you to "flatten" or "true" your wood it requires more that running it through your machines. You must have a reliable method for testing the result. Usually this means an accurate straight edge and a bright light source. Before gluing two edges together, put the boards together and hold in front of a bright light - like the sun. Correct the gaps before gluing.
> 
> - Phil32


I have a 4 and 8 foot level with a true straight and flat edge, but before that I'll need to make a new jig to run the boards through the table saw. After DBW said my blade wasn't truly squared to the table, I checked it and he was right, so I don't trust the jig I made. I'll have to make a new one and make the sleigh to flatten the boards first. Thanks.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

A lot of Anna White's designs have flaws that don't take into account wood movement or sound structural approaches. They are often designed to appeal to her audience's tastes but may not hold up well. We get a lot of new woodworkers on LJ trying to fix issues with her designs. For example, I found the plans for this shelf on her website and on this one, it looks like the shelves are suspended between the shelf supports with pocket hole screws. The shelf supports are also attached with pocket screws. I don't think that is an approach that an experienced woodworker would do. Even the cheap stuff you buy from Ikea or Walmart would not use that joinery technique. BTW the shelves also act as the cross bracing and won't resist racking well. The braces on the ends are simply cosmetic. The way they are added on, they are not there to provide any stability.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> For example, I found the plans for this shelf on her website and on this one, it looks like the shelves are suspended between the shelf supports with pocket hole screws. The shelf supports are also attached with pocket screws. I don t think that is an approach that an experienced woodworker would do. Even the cheap stuff you buy from Ikea or
> - Lazyman


I wasn't too sold on that method either. I was going to make some modifications. Make the shelves one solid piece and cut the slots for the vertical supports and some cross braces for the shelves to rest on.


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## diverlloyd (Apr 25, 2013)

Yeah a year is a while to wait but I bought 15 2×10s from the cull lumber at Home Depot. So it was as cheap as it could get. Considering I also am restoring a car in my shop waiting a year here or there isn't to bad.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Sad to admit, but we bought some Ikea stuff for our kids college rooms. Wish it was built using something as good as pocket screws! I don't use them often, but there is a place for pocket screws.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

> I thought I could edge glue the pieces together for and make the top and then put them on the sled and flatten the piece out. I guess I should have flattened them on the sled first and then ripped and edge glued.
> 
> - SSotolongo


You can, I did it a number of times when I first started because all I had was a circular saw, drill, some chisels, and a Stanley #4 plane. So I would do exactly what you mention, glue the boards together and then flatten the tabletop with my plane. But if the boards aren't reasonably flat, the saw can move side to side a tiny bit and produce slight imperfections. Using a sled should help. It still happens to me. I glued up a white oak top last week and had to run several of the boards more than once because I was getting the same gaps you are, and they were flat. But I'm very picky. Sounds like you might be picky too. Nothing wrong with that.


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## SSotolongo (Mar 25, 2019)

> I thought I could edge glue the pieces together for and make the top and then put them on the sled and flatten the piece out. I guess I should have flattened them on the sled first and then ripped and edge glued.
> 
> - SSotolongo
> 
> ...


I ran the opposite edge through the table saw last night and got a better edge with fewer gaps and the ones I got were smaller. I'm going to go ahead and glue them this weekend. I need to get a few more clamps though. If worst comes to worst, I'll rip the boards through the glued edge and retry. They're cheap pine boards from Home Depot. I got them in case I screw up (rookie woodworker) and the table the wife wants me to build is going to be painted and in a place that few people will see it.


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