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I've got a bunch to wood strips which are 1.5 by 1.5 inches and around 25" long, I want to glue those together but would like to run them on my benchtop jointer before doing so.

Planing the face will be easy using the guide blocks, but how do I make it square with the edge given that its only 1.5 inch high over the jointer without getting my hand too close to the blades? My understanding is that I have to push the face (after planing it) against the fence in order to get a 90 degree angle between the face and edge.

The other tools that I have at my disposal are hand tools and a cheap bandsaw. I have only a jack plane (stanley #5) which I am still learning how to level stock with.

OKAN
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1 Answers1

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Sounds like you're a good candidate for investing in a set of push blocks. An example is below.

push blocks

These don't necessarily need to be bought, but the store-bought ones usually have a grippy rubber bottom which helps when pushing stock.

Homemade push blocks don't need to be anything fancy, either:

enter image description here (source: woodworkersworkshop.com)

To get a set of square faces, first joint one face, using the push blocks to keep the board flat on the bed. Next, rotate the piece ninety degrees so that your newly-flat face is riding the fence. Then, keep pressure with the push blocks such that the inner corner of the board is kept down and the face is right on the fence. If done right, you should have two perpendicular faces.

After this, you can make another face parallel to the first one by running it through the table saw. Then the top face is made parallel with a planer. It is possible to do this all with a jointer, but it is more error-prone.

Glorfindel
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grfrazee
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  • Thanks for the answer, I've added more info to the question, basically my concern is when I have to push the face against the fence to get a 90 degree angle with the edge. Would you still do this with the guides or do I need a special push block for this? – OKAN Aug 25 '15 at 01:53
  • As long as you keep the pressure going into the inside corner and keep the first face flat against the fence, the push blocks will work fine. – grfrazee Aug 25 '15 at 01:55
  • @Omar K, please see my edits and see if that helps. – grfrazee Aug 25 '15 at 02:11
  • That is what I was thinking of doing, using the blocks as I would on the face but try to push the piece against the fence, but I thought there would be a better way, anyway I'll have to try to see if it works for me :) – OKAN Aug 25 '15 at 10:01
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    @OmarK You could either get (or make) right angle push blocks or use two regular ones (like the ones above) with one pushing against the fence – Matt Aug 25 '15 at 12:32