Jointing Long Boards

[custard]

Even when I edge joint a board on the power planer I usually take a pass with a hand plane before gluing up. But I'm building an oak table with an 80" top, and that's not something I do every day. I've spent an hour matching the boards and now I'm aiming for invisible glue lines.

I don't know if I'll get a better result straight from the planer (four knife cutter block, sharp knives, with a 1.6 metre cast iron table and an additional metre from cast iron extension tables all set dead flat), or from a number 8 Lie Nielsen bench plane?

Any advice?

 

[G S Haydon]

Sounds like a sweet table custard. I think the tables should do a good job for sure and I would start there. If when the edges are offered up they need that extra little bit, then it's time to crack out LN No8 set really fine. To be honest, in this context I have never needed to touch an edge joint that came off a machine yet.
To be honest I think you are more than well equipped to suck it and see.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

mmmm...lets play spot the perfection frame!!!

Let it go dude...you've more than got it covered!

 

[andersonec]

I would have thought a 7 ft (dead flat) bed would give a straighter edge than a 2 ft plane (no matter what the make) just make sure the fence is at 90 deg exactly.

Andy

 

[Eric The Viking]

I would have thought a 7 ft (dead flat) bed would give a straighter edge than a 2 ft plane (no matter what the make) just make sure the fence is at 90 deg exactly.

Andy

Within reason surely that shouldn't matter, as long as you flip the adjacent boards so any angle discrepancy matches?

I still wouldn't set it at 80 degrees though

E.

 

[katellwood]

I smell a Felder,

Do you have a panel saw with a long sliding table, if you do why not shoot the edge through the saw on the slide which will prepare the edge straight prior to pushing over the surfacer

Or alternatively if your table saw has a mitre fence groove then fix a strip the same width as the groove on a ripping of 8' ply or MDF parallel to the factory edge of the board then with a support front and rear of the saw use this as an impromptu sliding table.

At that length you need to get the edge something like prior to edging

Hope this helps

 

[custard]

Maybe I'm fretting too much, but I've nursed these boards for a long time, they're virtually flawless quarter sawn oak and colour match perfectly, so I can't just pick up replacements at B&Q! I always get stressed out with special timbers, I once made a chest of drawers where the drawer fronts were from consecutive boards cut from a very wide elm plank, so the grain swirled right across all four drawers. I couldn't bring myself to risk cutting the half blind dovetails by hand, knowing that if I messed one up the whole piece would be firewood, so I did it on a Leigh jig...I regret that decision to this day!

Anyhow, thanks for the advice, I'll do a dry clamp up straight from the planer and if all looks good go to the glue up. I'm sure I'll be back for more advice when it comes to the breadboard ends! It's a six plank top but I wish it was five, breadboard ends always seem to look better with odd numbers of boards in the top.