Planer to jointer

[malc75]

Can't afford a jointer so am thinking of converting my planer into a small one. I know I will only be able to straighten wod under two inches wide but thats all I need for plank edges ect. Anyone ever made one of these?

 

[xy mosian]

I've never done this, but it sounds like a good idea.
What is needed in a jointer?
Co-Planar tables
Adjustable in-feed table
Square fence

Now of those I would think the adjustable infeed table might be tricky. Unless you remove the existing 'front' table of course and organise a completey new version. Height adjustment? A rough guess would suggest that your hand-held planer might handle say 2mm maximum. I wonder if moving the new in-feed table along a slope might work. The tricky bit may be holding the adjusted table rigid, but a couple of well sited clamping bolts should sort that.
You could swap the rear sole as well, but as that is fixed an extra length to the surface would be little problem.
Sorry for jumping in, just my initial thoughts.
HTH, xy

Sorry all the above assumes that you're starting with an electric planer, if you are not then ignore all and put it down to a good lunch.
xy

 

[malc75]

I've never done this, but it sounds like a good idea.
What is needed in a jointer?
Co-Planar tables
Adjustable in-feed table
Square fence

Now of those I would think the adjustable infeed table might be tricky. Unless you remove the existing 'front' table of course and organise a completey new version. Height adjustment? A rough guess would suggest that your hand-held planer might handle say 2mm maximum. I wonder if moving the new in-feed table along a slope might work. The tricky bit may be holding the adjusted table rigid, but a couple of well sited clamping bolts should sort that.
You could swap the rear sole as well, but as that is fixed an extra length to the surface would be little problem.
Sorry for jumping in, just my initial thoughts.
HTH, xy

Sorry all the above assumes that you're starting with an electric planer, if you are not then ignore all and put it down to a good lunch.
xy

Yep, using an electric planer, thinking of sitting it level in an 18mm mdf base with the infeed level and the outfeed about 1mm higher by using thin metal plate and a vertical rip fence to hold the wood square with feather boards. If it doesn't work nothing lost!!

 

[rafezetter]

This question has been floated here before, and something I've considered myself - here's a link I found that might give you an idea or two:

http://rummageinthegarage.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/homemade-jointer.html

 

[CaptainBarnacles]

Do you have a router table with a fence?

I remember seeing someone use a router table as a jointer once and thought how simple that idea was - just a jointer on it's side. From memory the fence was a one piece tye so to compensate for the wood that had been removed by the bit a thin shim of laminate was stuck to the outfeed side of the fence.

I'll dig around and see if I can find where I saw it.

PJ.

 

[CaptainBarnacles]

This isn't the one I saw originally but here's one I just found on YouTube that demonstrates the principle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lheWuf1Bzk

Hope it helps,
PJ