# Edge gluing: to smooth or not to smooth



## IAMike (Apr 30, 2014)

First of all, I'm fairly new to woodworking. I'm going to be making my first edge-glued panel soon, a butcher-block style top for some cabinets for my mom. They're landry room cabinets, so the top will be made of poplar. I got 8/4 stock from my local hardwood dealer, it's what they called "table saw ready" but the surfaces that will eventually be glued together (the long, top and bottom) are fairly rough, definitely not what you'd get from a S4S product. My dilemma is this: I don't have a jointer or planer. That's why I ordere the "table saw ready" (planed and straight line ripped) product. What do I need to do before I rip it and glue those edges together? Would a good sanding be adequate, or should I rent time on one of the planers or jointers at the local by-the-hour woodshops nearby? Thanks in advance for looking!


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

Never heard the term "table saw ready". By your description it sounds like what I'd call S3S straight line ripped one edge. I really don't know what it is by their description. They may claim "table saw ready'' but that doesn't necessarily mean its glue up ready. I buy all my lumber at a specialty shop that caters to the cabinet maker in the Anchorage area. Even there I rarely find S4S stock that is glue up ready. That's why I mostly use rough cut lumber, but I do have a jointer and planer.

A good sharp glue line rip blade with leave a surface that is good enough to do glue ups.

For a successful glue up of your project it's essential you have straight square edges that mate together without any gaps between the mating surfaces. Do not rely on clamp pressure to pull parts together that don't mate properly. Check you stock for these qualities.

First I'd cut all you stock to and inch or two longer than you need. Now lay all the boards out on a flat surface and push then together and see how the fit. Once you see that they don't fit together fit together proper like it's time to go to You tube and see how to make a table saw jig to straiten one edge of each board. Once you have a straight edge on one edge you then rip the other edge on the table saw using the straighted edge against the fence. Now lay them all out again and see how the fit.

BTW it would really help if we knew how long and wide this glue up is going to be.
Also how wide is your stock. *Good answers come from providing good details. *


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

A the poster said, the edges of the two pieces need to be perfectly straight and square (or at least complimentary angles)

If you don't have a jointer or a jointer plane, its going to be difficult, to say the least, so I would recommend using the jointer. I usually alternate faces when edge jointing just to cancel out any slight deviation from 90 degrees.

Make sure you go back and do the glue up right then or you wood may not be straight the next day!

Also, depending on where you live, if the humidity is going to be high, I would put the panels in plastic, either bags or wrapped with saran wrap to avoid warping.

As far as "table saw ready" I, too, have never heard that term, but I can assure you it doesn't mean its perfectly straight and ready to glue up, as you can see. Even S4S isn't ready to use.

All stock, even S4S requires some fine tuning before gluing up a panel because no matter how straight it is milled, wood moves with changes in humidity.


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## IAMike (Apr 30, 2014)

Thanks for the tips, both of you. The stock is 8/4, about 8" wide and 8' long. The final product is going to be 31" wide and 7' long (or it could be split into two pieces fot the two cabinets it's going to sit atop). The "table saw ready" meant that they planed it and straight line ripped one side.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Thanks for the tips, both of you. The stock is 8/4, about 8" wide and 8 long. The final product is going to be 31" wide and 7 long (or it could be split into two pieces fot the two cabinets it s going to sit atop). The "table saw ready" meant that they planed it and straight line ripped one side.
> 
> - IAMike


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## WoodNSawdust (Mar 7, 2015)

When you do your glue up alternate clamps on the bottom and top of the panel. Also use clamps at the ends of each board to keep the edges aligned (one board from moving up or down).

I start with the center most clamp and work outwards alternating the next left clamp then the next right clamp.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> When you do your glue up alternate clamps on the bottom and top of the panel. Also use clamps at the ends of each board to keep the edges aligned (one board from moving up or down).
> 
> I start with the center most clamp and work outwards alternating the next left clamp then the next right clamp.
> 
> - WoodNSawdust


Good advice for most clamps though not necessary with parallel clamps.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

A three board top I glued up, started out like this









With three boards folded like a map. Ran a jointer plane( see my avatar) alnog each set of edges until they were straight and even. Unfold and glue up.


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