# Joining and Planing Rough Cut Red Oak



## MikeL El Paso (Apr 26, 2010)

Greetings from El Paso. My wife and I have been making our own stair treads ouf of 1 1/2 inch thick rough cut red oak. We've planed it down to 1 3/8 thickness, but then comes the problems. We've been using a small table saw to get the flat edges to then join the boards using a biscuit cut joint. The boards are either cut waving, or not on a 90 degree edge from the top and bottom. We are needing help..... some, and those are few and far between, have lined up perfectly, like the first one we did, so we got "happy" with it. Now, we are working on the landing, which is anywhere from 53 inches down to 47. (curve in teh landing). As we lay down the boards, we have up to almost 1/4 inch gaps on some, butted up against in others.. If they do "line up", there are still gaps, and I can only guess that they are due to not haveing true 90% cuts. Using a small 10 inch table saw we got at Sears, a Riyobi biscuit cutter, and a Rigid 13 inch planer. Thanks in advance.:huh::blink:


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

you need a jointer to get your edge's like 90 degree's The planer makes the thickness and the jointer gives you your edge but not the same on both ends Get one flat edge on the jointer Than run it on your table saw Set the fence at the width you want than run the board that will give you the same width on both ends


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## Colt W. Knight (Nov 29, 2009)

Yeah, a jointer will give you perfectly flat edges to join up. 

Also, what type of blade are you using on your table saw? 


If you decide a jointer is not in your budget, you can get a lot better results with your table saw with a few setup tricks. 

1. You are going to need a quality Rip blade, I use a 24 tooth Diablo available from HomeDepot with excellent results. Make sure it is set 90 degrees to the table, I use a plastic drafting square. YOu also need to make sure the plate surrounding the blade is flat with the table. 
2. You need to make sure your fence is aligned properly. Measure from the front of your blade to the fence and then from the back side of the blade to fence. Ideally, the back side of the blade to the fence should be 1/32" longer than the front side of the blade to the fence. This prevents the teeth on the back side of the blade from recutting the board as it travels through. 
3. Utilize feather boards to keep the stock up against fence. This will keep it from wondering and giving you crooked cuts. 
4. Utilize a splitter, this is typically built into the blade guard. A spliter will prevent the kerf from closing up and binding the table saw blade which is pretty prevelant using rough lumber. It can also be dangerous. 
5. Support long boards with auxiliary infeed/outfeed tables or rollers. 

*This only works if you board has a straight side to start with. That is where a jointer really comes in handy, but like I said, if its not in your budget you can simple buy a piece of 3/4" MDF from your local HD or Lowes. You can fix the board on to the mdf in a way that you can utilize its straight edge to cut a straight edge on your board. Now that you have on straight edge, you place that on the fence and rip the other side straight. 

Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it? Yup, thats why dimensioned lumber is thick. 

You won't get as nice a joints with a table saw as you will a jointer, but before I had a jointer I did all my joinery on a Radial Arm Saw or a Table Saw. You just have to make sure everything is square and you have a good sharp rip blade.


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## rodney (May 5, 2010)

*rough cut red oak*

I start all my projects with rough cut boards that have ben kiln dried at the mill. My first step is to put them on the joiner to get a straight edge. Then run them through the table saw to get the opposite edge straight with even width. If the boards are five inches or less in width I run one side over the joiner until it is staight followed by running the other side through the planer. That give a good fitting straight board.
If you do not have this equipment you may do the following: At some woodworking supply shops there is a long plastic jig that attaches to your board. It doesn't cost all that much. When attached to the board you run it through the table saw and that puts a straight edge on the cutting side. Take the attachment off, turn the board end over end and run the other side though the table saw. This will give you two straight edges with the same board width. I recommend using a Forrest blade or similar quality saw blade. Even with this method the boards will not butt up perfectly but they will be better, and you may can live with it.
For board to be "seemless" a good joiner is a necessity and is done by adjusting the machine to cut as little as possible off the edge. Run each board through it until the match is perfect, i.e. two or three times. Now this is done after the initial joiner planing. It is find tuning the connection.
Some boards, however, are warped, and cutting the warp out would make them too narrow for your application. In that case, and if the warp is less than 1/4" (anything over that I would not use the board!)take a skill saw and cut two to three slots lengthwise down the bottem side of the board about 1/2" or less from one end to the other. The slots should be at least one inch apart. I have had some boards where I cut four slots. If your boards are 3/4" thick a 1/4 slot may due. If they are around 2" thick, then 1/2 to1 in deep slots may be needed.
With these slots, the board can be pried into place and nailed, screwed, or glued with the biscuts. The strongest glue I have found is a 2 part epoxy glue from Three Systems. I use this glue for making outside doors.
I hope this helps and gives you more ideas.


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