# Steps to face joint/glue two boards



## NavalAg05

Long time lurker if you will…I have a question that I can not seem to get a good anwser on:

I need/plan to face glue two oak boards together for a project. Do I need to run the face through a jointer/planer before I glue and clamp the boards together? Will this provide a better / stronger joint or is it not really that important.

The oak is not really a rough cut, but its not nice and deminsioned either.

Hope this adequatley explains what I am looking to do.

Thanks in Advance!


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## marcuscraft

The face isnt too important. Just make sure your two edges are nice and clean and there is no gap when you put them together. I very often glue up panels and then plane them.


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## Charlie5791

He said, "face glue". Like laminating 2 boards together to make a thicker one? That's how I read it.


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## marcuscraft

Hah, you're right Charlie. I'll blame the 5am reading of it for my misinterpretation. I guess I'll generalize my post a bit more…whatever two faces you're gluing, make sure they're smooth and flat.


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## NavalAg05

Charlie is correct, plan to put two 1 by oak boards together to form a 2 by.

Just looking for tips so I don't screw it up bad.

Thanks


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## kdc68

If it were me, I'd joint or plane the "mating" faces of your oak only at this stage. Leaving them wider, thicker, and longer than finished dimension. Glue them up. Having the pieces oversized a bit eliminates the worry of perfect alignment during glueup . Then once dried, your workpiece is ready for final dimensioning…


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## guitchess

My vote is to plane them. I have never had perfect results without planing. My two main reasons are:

1. The faces will not be perfect for very long after planing. There will be more imperfections than on a freshly planed face.

2. I feel that the joint is stronger because new, fresh grain is exposed allowing for better glue adhesion. As a board sets, the outside surface dries and gets filled microscopically with dust. All the vacuuming/ tack ragging will not remove all of this. Finally, there is the issue of you handling the board. Oils from your skin further contaminate the surface.

Of course, these issues may not cause a "bad" joint, just one that is marginally weaker.


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## CharlieM1958

I have face glued many times, for things like bowl blanks and table legs. I don't have a jointer, and I've never had an issue. The key is to use a lot of clamps.

Having said that, if you have access to a jointer, it's certainly a good idea to have those mating surfaces as smooth and flat as possible.


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