# Straight edge for setting up a jointer



## GISer3546 (Jan 30, 2013)

I should be getting a new (to me) jointer soonish. Its previous owner is not a serious woodworker and actually refereed to it as a planer so I'd be willing to bet it wasn't set up quite to the usual standards. I have seen some short videos on how to tune up and use a jointer and most seem to specifically require a straight edge, and not a regular metal ruler. I have looked at the straight edges at my local woodcraft but not surprisingly they are far from cheap. I'm wondering if there is something I can get for cheaper that would get me the same kind of reliable straightness with tolerances tight enough to get this thing set up well, or is $60 straight edge really worth it?


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## tvman44 (Dec 8, 2011)

Not in my book. The aluminum straight edge I use was just a few bucks.


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## GISer3546 (Jan 30, 2013)

Where'd you get it?


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## Bill White 2 (Jun 23, 2012)

I have an Empire 4' aluminum scale which is quite accurate for long surfaces. At least good enough for wood working machines. That, and my drafting square has served me well.
Bill


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Don't get carried away with with precision, any straight rule will work. Lay it on a reasonably straight surface and check for gaps, flip it over and check other side, if gaps are the same rule is straight enough for what you are doing.
Thousands of woodworkers spend time building things in their shop, a few hundred sweat the details and fiddle with machinery instead, your choice.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*use a level*

I use a 48" aluminum level because it won't tip over when you remove your hands to make adjustments unlike a straight edge... and still plenty accurate. :yes:
Also useful around the shop and home.

http://www.sears.com/search=craftsman 48 in aluminum level


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> I use a 48" aluminum level because it won't tip over when you remove your hands to make adjustments unlike a straight edge... and still plenty accurate. :yes:
> Also useful around the shop and home.
> 
> http://www.sears.com/search=craftsman 48 in aluminum level


Ditto - 48" level but mine came from HF. I went through the rack and tested several against each other and found them all to be very flat. Then I tested the one I bought on my table saw when I got home and found it to be plenty good enough. I also tested it against my Starrett 24" rule and the level seems good all the way on both sides. Seems like it was in the $10 - $15 range, not sure, but it wasn't expensive.

The most important thing on setting up the jointer is making sure the outfeed table is at the same height as the knives. Second most important is probably coplanar beds and that's where the level or straight edge comes into play.


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## NickB (Sep 24, 2013)

Pretty much just agreeing with what's already been said:
Aligning beds to each other: 6' magnetic box level
Aligning knives to outfeed: Combination square (held upside down) or knife alignment jig
Aligning fence 90' to bed: Combination square

You can always check a straightedge by just drawing a line with it and flipping the edge over to the other side of the line. If the line still matches, the edge is straight.


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## GISer3546 (Jan 30, 2013)

Thanks guys, I'll be visiting my local HF very soon for an aluminum level. And thanks for verifying my assumption of what all needs to be checked before I take this thing home. It seems like even if the tables are out of alignment with each other that can be fixed through adjustment and the only deal breaker would be a table that wasn't flat.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

If you have a metal supplier nearby it'd be worth it to check and see if they have any extruded aluminium tubing. That stuff is remarkably straight. Not machine shop levels of course, but good enough for woodworking


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

GISer3546 said:


> I should be getting a new (to me) jointer soonish. Its previous owner is not a serious woodworker and actually refereed to it as a planer so I'd be willing to bet it wasn't set up quite to the usual standards. I have seen some short videos on how to tune up and use a jointer and most seem to specifically require a straight edge, and not a regular metal ruler. I have looked at the straight edges at my local woodcraft but not surprisingly they are far from cheap. I'm wondering if there is something I can get for cheaper that would get me the same kind of reliable straightness with tolerances tight enough to get this thing set up well, or is $60 straight edge really worth it?


Most metal "rulers" qualify as a straight edge. You also probably have a carpenters framing square. The 2' end on that is a good straight edge. You probably have more straight edges in your house.

George


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

woodnthings said:


> I use a 48" aluminum level because it won't tip over when you remove your hands to make adjustments unlike a straight edge... and still plenty accurate. :yes:
> Also useful around the shop and home.
> 
> http://www.sears.com/search=craftsman 48 in aluminum level


Very good suggestion. I had forgotten about that.

George


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## tvman44 (Dec 8, 2011)

Don't remember where I got mine. Have had it abt. 30 years. Sears maybe.


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## Gonzalex (May 27, 2015)

difalkner said:


> Ditto - 48" level but mine came from HF. I went through the rack and tested several against each other and found them all to be very flat. Then I tested the one I bought on my table saw when I got home and found it to be plenty good enough. I also tested it against my Starrett 24" rule and the level seems good all the way on both sides. Seems like it was in the $10 - $15 range, not sure, but it wasn't expensive.
> 
> The most important thing on setting up the jointer is making sure the outfeed table is at the same height as the knives. Second most important is probably coplanar beds and that's where the level or straight edge comes into play.



I love HF, but I would not suggest their squares, levels, or straight edges to anyone. You might find a decent one in the batch, but a common Empire or Johnson would be a much safer bet is your not looking to spend to much money.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Gonzalex said:


> I love HF, but I would not suggest their squares, levels, or straight edges to anyone. You might find a decent one in the batch, but a common Empire or Johnson would be a much safer bet is your not looking to spend to much money.


Can't disagree but I happened to be near the store and stopped in during one of their many sales. The 48" levels were priced way too good to pass up so I compared level to level and straight edge to level, all _their_ products, and found this batch to be very good for straight edges (holding up to the light 'cause that's all I could go by). And I probably spent 20 minutes taking things off the rack, holding them up to the light, and putting them back before I picked one to take home. 

But I would not under any circumstance just go by and pick one off the rack thinking it was very close. I got lucky, I guess, because using it against my 24" Starrett in any given section that size on the HF level it is no more than 0.001" out. 

My PM66 shows 0.002" dip in the center when I test with my Starrett in line corner to corner. The HF level, which actually reaches corner to corner, shows 0.003" dip in the center. That's probably more accurate given the distance and close enough for most woodworking we all do.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

I always heard that fluorescent light bulbs were very straight.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I always heard that fluorescent light bulbs were very straight.


At least within a couple thousandths! LOL! :laughing:


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## WarnerConstInc. (Nov 25, 2008)

I know guys that set up jointers with 8 foot bulbs. 

My tables are 8 feet in length. I can't afford or pick up a precision straight edge that long.

There is also the 3 board 4 screw method.


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## Seubs070 (Oct 7, 2013)

I used the method in this book of creating a master bar with mdf and screws. Works great. The book goes into very good detail how to setup common woodworking machines including a jointer. 

https://books.google.com/books?id=d...EIHDAB#v=onepage&q=jointer master bar&f=false


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## jdonhowe (Jul 25, 2014)

+1 on John White's book, "Care and Repair of Shop Machines"- a gem of practical info.


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## hwebb99 (Nov 27, 2012)

Based on my testing using a Stabila level and a granite countertop for reference a florescent light bulb is not straight.


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## Maylar (Sep 3, 2013)

I got tired of not having something dependably straight in my shop and broke down and bought one of these:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=50074&cat=1,240,45313,50074

Once you get past the basic flatness of a jointer table and you want to check for parallelism, you need something a bit better than a yardstick.


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## GISer3546 (Jan 30, 2013)

I am ashamed that I haven`t thought of this and surprised no one else has suggested it yet but could use my router fence? I was cleaning my shop and rearranging some things to make room for the jointer and my Jessem Mast-R-Fence II router fence caught my eye. Seems like that machined metal should be straight enough but I`m not sure.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

GISer3546 said:


> I am ashamed that I haven`t thought of this and surprised no one else has suggested it yet but could use my router fence? I was cleaning my shop and rearranging some things to make room for the jointer and my Jessem Mast-R-Fence II router fence caught my eye. Seems like that machined metal should be straight enough but I`m not sure.


If you trust the fence enough then theres no reason you couldnt. Heck, theres a few times where ive actually used the jointer fence as a straightedge for setting the knifes in the aforementioned jointer. Long story...


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## GISer3546 (Jan 30, 2013)

Well that makes me feel even more stupid for not having thought of. I have a granite surfacing plate but thats the only verifiable straight thing I have... and its 19" x 6" x 3" which isn't exactly conducive to use on a jointer.


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