You have no wood jointer, but it’s urgent to join two wood pieces together. Do you know how to join two pieces of wood without a jointer?
If not, wipe the sweat from your cheek, and let’s start doing work.
Follow the instructions and make the task done.
Working Without a Jointer
One of the best alternatives of a jointer is a sanding drum. This drum is the best solution for joining wood and removing the small bumps or any other form of imperfections from the surface of the wood. All you need is a sanding drum and a straight edge fence. You can clamp the fence to the table and run the work along the fence, with the sanding drum touching the opposite surface. Ensure that you run the wood against the rotation of the sanding drum.
Often, a sanding drum can give you better results than a jointer, but for pieces of wood that are too warped or twisted, a sanding drum takes more time. You can easily make a sanding drum yourself using a mandrel and an electric motor.
Another option is using a radial arm saw. You can use the radial arm saw in a vertical position too. A factory sawn piece of wood can act as a fence in this case.
Let’s check the steps how to join two pieces of wood without a jointer.
Jointing without a Jointer
One of the best alternatives of a jointer is a sanding drum. This drum is the best solution for joining wood and removing the small bumps or any other form of imperfections from the surface of the wood. All you need is a sanding drum and a straight edge fence.
You can clamp the fence to the table and run the work along the fence, with the sanding drum touching the opposite surface. Ensure that you run the wood against the rotation of the sanding drum. Often, a sanding drum can give you better results than a jointer, but for pieces of wood that are too warped or twisted, a sanding drum takes more time. You can easily make a sanding drum yourself using a mandrel and an electric motor.
Another option is using a radial arm saw. You can use the radial arm saw in a vertical position too. A factory sawn piece of wood can act as a fence in this case.
Edge jointing without a jointer
With a sanding drum, it is quite easy to have perfectly finished wood surfaces that you can easily join with another piece. However, you can also use a table saw to joint the edges. Again, for this, you will require a factory sawn edge for the guide of the fence.
When you are using a table saw, then calibration is quite essential. You will have to check that the blade is perpendicular to the table and parallel to the fence. Next, you will have to set up a straight edge that needs to be clamped against the table fence. This is the edge on which you will move your work. Next, when it is all set up, cut two opposite ends of the wood and check for the fit. If the fit is perfect, you can proceed with the cut.
Joining two pieces of wood
When you want to merge two panels or pieces of wood, you will need to ensure that the surfaces are perfectly smooth and flat. A factory-sawn wood piece can help you check if your lumber is perfectly flat or not. Alternatively, you can clamp the two panels together to check if they are flush. If there are any imperfections, you can send them away.
Next, apply wood glue along the edge where you want to join. Do not apply too much glue because it would bleed out and also increase the drying time. Next, once you have glued the two pieces together, clamp them firmly and let them dry. Generally, 20 to 30 minutes is good enough for drying. Wipe away any excess glue that comes out of the edges. In humid conditions, the drying time is more. You may have to wait over an hour before you can remove the clamps. You can let the joint cure overnight. You can also drill pocket holes and run screws through them to have a stronger joint between the two pieces of wood.
Importance of Jointer
A jointer is one of the essential woodworking tools. It is one of the first tools that one needs to purchase before starting woodwork. Often those who are new to woodworking are confused about what to get first – a jointer or a planer. It is always recommended to get a jointer first. When you are starting with woodworking, you will need proper flat wood boards. You will need them to be precisely flat as there are certain tolerance and exactness requirements. Most wood that you will purchase from suppliers is not entirely flat. A jointer can fix that.
A jointer can make the board perfectly flat and can remove any warps or twists in the board. So, when you start working with boards, you need to run the lumber through a jointer first. Having pieces of wood that are similar, having the same thickness, and having the perfect edges also make them much easier to join. However, if you do not have access to a jointer, even then you can easily flatten lumber and even join them.
The primary purpose of a jointer is to ensure that the pieces of the wood are in proper shape. Just like when you are building a home, the foundation is very important. If the foundation is done right, the house can be constructed squarely, without any errors. If there is an error in the foundation, it is reflected in the entire home. In the case of woodworking, ensure that you have squarely cut flat lumber as the foundation. Once you have the perfect pieces of wood, you can build anything.
How does a Jointer Work?
If you do not have access to a jointer, but want to get the same results with your woodworking, then you need to know how a jointer works so that you can replicate it with other tools. A jointer has two tables – the infeed table and the outfeed table. Both the tables are aligned in the same plane. Now, there is a cutter head that is located just between the two tables and the blades are lined up with the surface of the outfeed table. The infeed table can be lowered a little.
Now, depending on how much of the material is to be trimmed off from the wood, the infeed table is adjusted. The wood is passed from the infeed to the outfeed table, with the cutting head in the middle trimming off the excel material. The jointer also comes with a fence that is used as a guide while trimming the materials. The fence can also be adjusted as needed.
When you power up a jointer, the cutter blades rotate. All you need to do us push the wood from the infeed table, towards the outfeed table. However, when you are using a jointer, make sure that you are wearing safety gloves. Moreover, use push pads to push the wood.
The Benefits of using a Jointer
Now, even though a jointer may seem like an essential tool, you can still work without it. It is not the perfect solution, but then again, it is a good enough resolution to get flat, well-finished boards. Here are how you can use other tools to perform the tasks that you would have usually done on a jointer.
Bottom Line
Now you know How to join two pieces of wood without a jointer.
A Jointer is an essential tool when it comes to woodworking, but you can also flatten woods, finish edges or join two pieces together without a jointer.
If done correctly, these alternative methods can provide you with good results too.
If you want to join wood planks, check our Tips On How To Join Wood Planks Together article for the detail.
