Jointer and shaper

[Danno30008]

Good morning:

I am a "newby" and need some help...
I am just getting back into woodworking an dplan on making some cutting boards for family and friends. My budget is kinda limited and my questions are:
1. Can a shaper round over the ends of the cutting board, like a router?
2. Can I use a jointer to level off the board after glueing? I am thinking of making the boards just over 12" wide and make them in two 6" sections, run them over the jointer and then gluing the two poeces together, finally sanding them to a nice finish..

If not, looks like i will have to add a planer.
Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Take care
Dan

[thekl0wn]

On topic #1... Are you trying to round over the boards? I wouldn't think the joiner would be your optimal piece of machinery for this. Some of the guys on here that use the joiner more often may be able to chime in more on this, but to me it doesn't sound like the best idea.

On topic #2... I would think the planer would be the better option for this. Of course, my lack of experience on the joiner usually causes the first 6-8" and last 6-8" to be useless.

I'd like to see what everyone else suggests, but I would think a small planer and a small router & roundover bit would be a much better option than a joiner. And on something of this size, I would think a belt sander and ROA could be another option over the planer as well.

Good luck, and keep us posted on the projects! :D

[Don]

Hey, Danno and welcome to the forum. Yes, you can certainly use your shaper for the edgework. Depending on your cutter selection, you can use the shaper to "size" and "shape" in one single operation. This would involve having something like a bullnose cutter and bearing rub collar of the correct dimension. You would make a template the size of your finished board, rounded corners and all. Fasten your blank to that, then walk this assembly around the board. This procedure is a little advanced, so be sure you know how to do it before attempting. If this interests you then post back and we'll go into more detail. This method would get you into a production of many of the same parts for gifts.

The trick with edge gluing is to be as precise as possible. Cull out any any unruly pieces early. Once you have the parts glued and in the clamps, don't be afraid to spare the block of wood and mallet to "align" the parts. Get your finger on each joint and feel for flushness. If it's not, then smack it into submission. At this point the clamps are only at about 50% tight. Monitor the clamp tightness as you go. Make sure you coat both surfaces, we want a lot of squeeze-out. This will keep the joint moist while you adjust and of course make for the best bond.

After clamping and adjusting. Clean up is essential. If using a resin glue, putty knives to remove squeezings from both sides, PVA glues cleanup with plenty of wet/damp rags and a bucket of warm water. Don't be afraid to get stuff wet at this point, it'll only be surface wetness.

The reason for the cleaning is that glue and paints are the hardest on jointer and planer knives, nothing will dull them quicker. Of course you can surface with the jointer, but if that is the only machine you have then the extra care needs to be taken with the above. You won't have the luxury of having the thickness controlled as a planer does.

Good luck and let us know how the project turns out. You may want to look at the thread, http://www.woodworkingbuzz.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160

All the best, Don

[jcclark]

Ditto to the above.
I find the shaper gives a better cut than the router so I always
opt to use it when I can.
On glue-ups Ive gone to useing the random orbital sander for leveling
instead of my belt sander. With coarse paper (like 80 grit) it's
not much slower and eliminates any gouges or deep scratches I've
encountered with the belt sander.
If you're careful at glue-up, it shouldn't need to much.

I've also leveled panels with the planer, but you need to have the same
grain orientation to lessen tearout, and I always get some
chatter marks with wider panels so I have to coarse sand anyway.
And if you don't get them out thoroughly, they'll come back to haunt
you after the finish is on.:cool:

[Danno30008]

Thanks everyone for your input.. It is nice to get some positive feedback from senior members that not make me feel like a clown because i am asking some questions. I have belonged to some other forums, and my experience was not very positive, so thanks again..

Ok, I understand the comments and thanks to everyone that shared.

Don, when I get ready I will re-post to get info about the "advanced procedure". Think I will make one our of pine too, so that can be the trail piece, just in case I screw one up.. I would rather it be made from cheap pine than the walnut, hickory and tiger wood I am using.

Thanks again an dtake care

Dan

[thekl0wn]

I need to go back to first grade... :rolleyes:

I kept rereading your first post, and thinking... "Why would anyone use a joiner to roll the edges? :confused:" Upon re-reading, I noticed you were correct in stating the SHAPER! :p

[Terry Mac]

I need to go back to first grade... :rolleyes:

I kept rereading your first post, and thinking... "Why would anyone use a joiner to roll the edges? :confused:" Upon re-reading, I noticed you were correct in stating the SHAPER! :p


K, we'll work our A,B, C's after nap-time.


:D

[jcclark]

Hey Dan, if you do some test runs with pine, be sure to check
your cutters before final runs.
Pine has a tendacy to gum cutters up making for burns on good wood.
Just clean your cutter good before useing on the "real" stuff:D

[Danno30008]

Ok, lots of feedback and it is GREAT!

Instead of spending $500 or so on a good shaper, can't I just get a good router and use what I call a round over bit? The cutting boards are Walnut, Hickory and Mahogny 1/38" Thick/wide and the total width of the cutting board is right at 11.25"... So, won't this work? Will I have any problems on the end grain with the router? Thanks again and take care
Dan

[thekl0wn]

I'm guessing you're not going to be doing a huge roundover, so I see no issue with using a router/table. We've ran Mahogany through the router table before without an issue, as well as Oak, Ash, Ipe, etc, and even using bigger cuts than a simple roundover, and that's all on either a 3/4 or 1/2HP Ryobi or 1/2HP DeWalt router.

As for your end grain question. Check out JCClark's thread on the fence shims. I don't know how much material you'll be removing, but if it's very much this can help.

[Don]

Hey, Danno. Sorry, I assumed you already had a shaper to use. I did think it was a little odd that a self professed "newby" had one - but you never know. Good luck with the project.

dawjr

[jcclark]

A router works great for round-overs.
That's what they're made for:D