No Jointer, No Problem! How To Joint A Board With Just A Bench Plane

[@BraMKJ]

I came to your channel thanks to the shooting board collab with Rex Krueger. Both of your channels are awesome and have really helped me. I've learned a lot from watching Paul Sellers and you guys, thanks a lot!

[@viracocha03]

Ill tell ya what, ill teach ya how to roll a joint, you keep teaching me woodwork skill !!

[@criswilson1140]

I use a number 5 to knock the big high spots down and then use a number 8 to finish it afterwards. For a reference square/flat on long boards, I use a 10 foot section on angle iron. As a kid, my grandfather taught to me how to "sense" square by having me plane 2x4 edges down until there was only about an inch of board width left. I thought he was only having me do that to keep me busy and out his way in his shop. It was years later before I understood and appreciated what he was teaching me.

[@MintStiles]

Grandpa knows that nothing can replace time with real wood. Dont hit gravel; watch for knots and how to deal with them; learn to read grain; how much pressure to use...etc.

[@alanmcwilliams4264]

Even Paul Sellers didn't cover the best way to use a plane like you did in this video, many thanks now I know what I'm doing wrong

[@mm9773]

My preferred method to joint longer boards is to use a jointer plane and a reliable straightedge. I appreciate these videos telling us how to do things with a small number of simple tools, and I think they are well worth having, in order to get us excited and get us started, but there’s a reason why No. 7 planes exist: they’re really useful. I used to tell myself that it doesn’t matter if I need a week to prepare my stock, because it’s my chosen hobby, so it’s all fun, right? I don’t subscribe to that view anymore. It can be a joy to get a board flat, straight, parallel and square by hand, but it does tend to get old. The two biggest obstacles to taking on a project are sharpening the tools and preparing the lumber, and the best advice I can give is to make those things as easy as possible. Unfortunately for us Europeans, it has recently become much more expensive to pick up vintage Stanley/Record planes from the UK, but if you can get your hands on a decent jointer plane, go for it. They put some of the fun back in stock preparation.

[@chuckgrumble5440]

ya fun and satisfying but i bet it gets old to do that every project

[@J.A.Smith2397]

Great video for ppl that don't know what hand tools are capable of!

[@whittysworkshop982]

Lots of good tips here for beginners 😁🤙 I find too that when gripping the plane at the front; like you showed with the "finger fence"..... it makes a difference where your thumb is too. If it's to one side then it will cut heavier on that side, I keep my thumb centered. This can be tested, apply slight pressure to one side and read the shaving, it will be slightly heavier on that side, this can be good to make slight adjustments to the squareness of the edge 😁 "I like skinning cats" made me cackle like a madman 😂🤣😂🤣 also "how to roll a joint"....... you've brightened my day James 😁🤙😂

[@lourias]

I jointed my first boards last night. They were not perfect, but I did use your techniques without realizing it was the correct things to do.

[@harryrodd4383]

This is the exact video I needed right now. Thank you.

[@hashimchohan6320]

i love he sound effect of power joiner that you mimic lol

[@markelder6681]

James, thanks for the idea of planing boards together to help them mate during glue up. I will definitely be using that technique.

[@professor62]

I’m so glad you can trust reality, James! That’s very reassuring! Haha Seriously, thanks a lot for this video. I do have a No. 7, but honestly I’d rather do my jointing with a smaller, lighter plane. And I really appreciate all the tips you’ve given to make that process easier.

[@jamesopell]

Excellent explanation on using a handplane to joint a board. I enjoyed your thorough process of using a straight edges, squares and joint two boards....

[@voldmar]

(Looking on my jointer’s parcel tracking) What a timing, James! :-)

[@TankGunner84]

Hahaha I love hand tools but I won’t give my jointer or planner up any time soon. I can have a board squared up in about 1.5 minutes.

[@shanksjeffcott8598]

That was great, iv just learnt why my edges look like they do😂. This video has helped so much. Thanks you rock

[@MCsCreations]

Really fantastic tips, James! 😃 Thanks a lot!!! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@wolfman75]

Cool!!!!!! Thanks James!!!! 👍😎😃!!!!!

[@jonescrusher1]

Excellent lesson, thorough and well paced

[@Jason_Showman]

Great video James! I've been planing for a while and to this day, I still have to imagine I'm driving a "U-shape" or I'll end up sniping off the front and back of my board.

[@cameronmccreary4758]

I have done it in the past with the hand plane but, I prefer the milling machine. I clean up one face, one edge and then head to the Jointer and the Planer for the finish. Final surfaces are hand sanded using large flat blocks.

[@theeddorian]

You can create a square by folding a piece of paper in half, then very carefully folding the paper across the first fold so that the folded edges are precisely aligned. The two folds, new fold and the first create a right angle. If necessary you can build an ad-hoc square using the folded paper as a guide or template to align the two parts. Once the square is assembled you can use the two parallel lines trick to tune it.

[@brooklynpaul4003]

Excellent

[@vanessakitty8867]

Good explanation. I am doing these steps on some rough sawn boards this coming weekend.

[@James_T_Kirk_1701]

I like trying to joint boards by hand but I’m not there YET. One power too method I’m fond of for 2-3’ pieces is a straight bit in a router table. Set the fence so the outfeed face is forward a 32nd to 16th proud and make your pass. This works really well and I did this a lot when starting out with just an old craftsman bench top router table and worksite table saw.

[@jonway7845]

Great technique video, informative as always.

[@JoffJk]

Great video, thank you lots of excellent tips, advice, and mindsets.

[@lornaj3310]

You're doing good things, Wright. My searches for hand-tool classes in my area have come up empty... the art is dying and I need you to keep it alive!

[@freshcoatpaintingmore9951]

What came first the straightedge or the straightedge 😆. Great video.

[@nickdarbenzio3073]

Thanks! Great explanation

[@MG-vo7is]

Nice.

[@yoavklein123]

A question please: You say that with the jointer plane, you don't need anything else to tell you if the stock is flat - the jointer plane tells you that. But what about when you work on a much bigger piece of wood - say a door or something like that. The jointer plane for this size of wood is pretty much what the bench plane is for the video's piece of wood.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Jointer plane will tell you if something is flat up to around 6 ft. After that is the amount it is off it is within the flexibility of the wood most of the time. So at that point it doesn't matter quite as much.

[@steveshapland8846]

Rule of the: A plane can joint a board 3X it's length. After that, get your straightedge or chalk line out.

[@lucasciabica9307]

You rock 😂😎

[@babthooka]

Great style! Liked, commented, etc.

[@timothyclarke37]

Thanks!

[@deemdoubleu]

Worth mentioning trying to turn the timber round and plane the other direction just in case you're hitting the grain - often makes a massive difference

[@bluekingfisher1416]

Have you been shopping on EBay UK again for those Record planes? You naughty boy. Good vid, mate. Cheers.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

The planes aren't record. They are Stanley. When I restore planes for my own use and I need to redo the japaning, I use a metallic blue for my tools.

[@MintStiles]

The cost of a no 8 that is tuned to make straight cuts is pretty much astronomical these days. Yes you can buy a junker and tune it up, but not everyone starting off knows what they are doing, also the bigger the plane the more difficult it is to work on. Most power jointers are cheaper. No 4 is okay, No 5 is better, but it takes a lot of training and understanding of your plane.

[@lynxg4641]

Yup, doable, but takes some patience, lots of practice and ultimately, skill. Despite liking hand tool wood working for just such a reason, I've still got my eye on a number 5 1/2 or 6 for doing just this, not humungous like the 8, but still a few extra inches to help make it a bit easier - just have to figure out which brand and well of course, funds.

[@mm9773]

All the people who tell you that you don’t need a No. 7 have one thing in common: they own a No. 7, and they’re not planning to get rid of it. If you’re considering to get a hand plane for jointing, I can only urge you to get an actual jointer. I have a No. 5 1/2, and it’s quite heavy, without giving me a lot of length. I use it on the shooting board, but that’s about it. I might really like it if it was the only plane I had, but I still regret not getting a No 5 instead: I thought the additional width would give me more stability and perhaps make it easier to judge if I’m square, but it mostly adds weight and makes it harder to push it when the iron isn’t freshly sharpened. The No. 7 is even heavier, of course - but I’m getting something from it. I appreciate not only the overall length, but I particularly like the fact that there’s a lot of sole in front of the iron: it makes it a lot easier to register the plane when you start a stroke, and for that reason I like it for shorter boards as well. I use it more often than I thought I would. Of course it also depends on what you already have, and how easy it is to get your hands on good, affordable planes. If I could only ever have one plane I’d get a No. 5, but the No. 7 has been fun to use, and it’s made it much easier to prepare stock.

[@joespilman7333]

Tks

[@marknahabedian1803]

Could you teach your finger what square is by starting with a squared edge, removing the plane iron, and going through the motion over and over again?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Maybe. But it helps to know what out of square feels like to so you know which direction to go. It would be fun to try though.

[@TheCatNipGardener]

Commenting below

[@nishantgeorge]

Thank you! I need to get replacement irons for a couple of restored antique planes I got on eBay. Which ones would you recommend?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

The gold standard in my book is veritas PMV 11. But I did a recent plane iron test. Actually comparing a whole pile of them.

[@impersonalis8353]

Thanks

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Thanks that means a lot!

[@impersonalis8353]

Hi, James. Just a little appreciation from me to you. What means a lot to me is that 'warmth' of your videos. Thank you James.

[@vincenguyen2922]

When you consider the edge straight, do you absolutely see no light under the straight edge with a bright light shining from behind?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

It all depends on what I'm planning it for. If it's the edge of a table I probably don't even use a straight edge. I just eyeball it. But if it is joining up to another board then I do it very close to no light. It depends on how much clamping pressure I want to put on it. If there's a sliver of light, you can usually clamp that out. But if nothing's connecting to the board then perfectly straight really isn't that important.

[@Phly-Boy]

I need to make a jointer sole for my transitional, but cutting the bed feels very intimidating.

[@thegoldend6]

Wait. What was that about the high spot?

[@glencrandall7051]

Take a little here. Then take a little there. And back again. How do you keep a 1x6 finishing up as a 1x5? 😢

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Sneak up on the line with thinner shavings. And only make it as flat as it needs to be. Do be a perfectionist.

[@Vincent-S]

Man, still need to get a wooden jointer, if not for board jointing then for flattening the bench lol

[@vladmolnar780]

Hi. If we can not buy an antique stanley no4, are the brand new stanley bailey any good? Have you ever seen one? Thank you very much for your videos

[@ricos1497]

They're not especially great. I have one and it's okay. You generally need to do a bit of work to it when you buy one, but no more than you would an antique one. The important point is that there is nothing special about a new Stanley, they're not a brand that you can expect quality from in the way you might have previously. With that in mind, there are probably lots of other brands out there that will give you similar for less, or much better for slightly more, it just depends where you are in the world and what availability there is.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

For the money they are okay. They're not as good as the old ones but they're not bad and they will do the work. In my book the best cheap plane is the one from TayTools. It'll take a bit of work to get up and going, but it actually is a fairly decent plane. That doesn't mean it's going to match an old Stanley but it will get you up and going.

[@JackKirbyFan]

I realize this is an old video, but I'll ask anyway. Have a solid hand jointer planer and I checked for flatness on the planer itself - so far so good. It still has a tendency to create valleys. But it's a bit long to take down teh valleys so I use a jack plane and that solves it. That's OK technique?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

sounds like you are taking a heavy cut. the more the iron sticks out the more of a valley you can create.

[@JackKirbyFan]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Thank you for your reply. So, I did reduce that down to a really thin shaving, but then it's, I assume, getting rid of the hills. Problem is the jointer planer rides right over everything now. Suggestion?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

That sounds like it's working late supposed to. It should just hit at the very beginning and end of the board just on the high spots and then every pass it takes a little bit more from each of those spots until you get one clean shaving from end.

[@JackKirbyFan]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo Well, my frustration is from LONG boards. 8 to 10 feet. Short boards are easy. Those long sawmill boards that are a basic sine wave when you get them are really hard. Take too much off and you make it worse with sine wave shapes on the edge. Don't take enough off and the hand jointer planer just rides on the wood. Can you clarify what I am doing wrong! Thank you SO much for your assistance. means a lot to me.!

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

oh on longer things > 5' I often use the eyeball down the edge and just touch the highs pots. the jointer is really only actuate enough around twice its length. longer then that and you need something else to tell you what is straight.

[@simonorchard1115]

Are you psychic or something? I've got just this to do in the next few weeks. My straight edge is the left over edge of a board that came from the baumarkt pre dimensioned.

[@TaylerMade]

hi james, i have a question regarding your carvings. having been inspired by you to get some chisels and give it a go, i am having trouble finding somewhere to download some printable patterns. do you have any suggestions? thanks

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

I just use Google image search and pull something off of there. I can size it to what I want in paint.

[@TaylerMade]

@@WoodByWrightHowTo thanks

[@MRichK]

Is there any trick to get the opposite edge parallel to the one you just jointed, or is it just keep measuring?

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

Use and marking gauge or a panel gauge to mark a distance off of the first edge that you jointed. And then just plain the other edge down to that marking gauge line.

[@scottb.2022]

So, if I understand the process, I only should plane the high spot?🙂

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

How did you know that. That's a secret?

[@MichaelOlsen-Engineer]

Tip 1: a wax stain on a thread will also give you a straight line. The wax prevents the stain from spreading and gives you a nice crisp line. The heavy duty thread provides a finer line than what is normally used in a "chalk line". Tip 2: Holding the plane at a skew may further assist in keeping the weight centered on the edge, especially when complimentary jointing.

[@Iamwood1005]

the amount of words "touching" and "spots" used in this video is alarming😂

[@ryanstieglitz8077]

Comment down below

[@standswithfish]

Soooo, what spots do you hit?😁

[@alvindueck8227]

So, how many cats are running around without their skin on 'em?

[@truenorthpositivejuniorten4628]

Can I just come over to your house and you can just teach me stuff????

[@c.a.g.1977]

12:20 😺😸😹

[@DavidBarr9476]

In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they are not.

[@daraven4714]

I cheat, i lay the reference face on a fairly flat board on the bench and use my bench as a giant shooting board to square up after I get the edge straight.

[@joschmoyo4532]

If my shop foreman had seen me trying to edge joint a board with a number 4 he would have been doubled up laughing along with everyone else in the shop. That makes about as much sense as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. Nobody who is properly trained edge joint's in the vice. EVER.

[@warkitty3426]

Just remember, we’re evolved to be much more efficient at skinning you... 🙀

[@crazyfly5505]

Please don't skin cats.

[@WoodByWrightHowTo]

But it is so much fun lol