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WOODWORKING

Chapter 13

SQUARING WOOD

Introduction:

Lumber does not come to you square. In other words, not all of the sides are at perfect 90̊

angles to one another. This occurs because the milling process is not intended to produce perfectly

square boards, and because the moisture effect on wood can cause it to warp. Good craftsmen will

always square their wood before they begin assembling or adjoining. If they do not, they know their

project will suffer for it. Simply put, if your wood is not square, your project will not be square.

Cabinets will rock, doors won’t shut properly, drawers won’t seal, chairs will teeter, and knick-

knacks will wobble. Therefore, lumber must first be squared with a machine called the jointer.

The Jointer:

Squaring wood is the process of planing or

shaving material off lumber pieces so that the face and

sides are at 90 angles. The jointer gets its name ̊

because it is used to prepare wood to be joined

together. It flattens distorted wood faces and

straightens curved edges along the length of a board.

Do not try to square board ends. Only run stock

lengthwise through the jointer.

Before the jointer was invented, woodworkers

used a hand planer, which had a single, wide blade for

shaving wood. Replaced by the jointer, the machine

used the same concept of using the blade to remove

wood material, but added a second blade for cutting

rapidly, and a squaring table and fence to assure

accuracy.

Lumber is placed on the table face down and

pushed through the jointer repeatedly until the board

is evenly cut, flattened, thinned, or smoothed. This

process is called planing. After the first face of the

board is completely planed (i.e. it is smooth and flat

from end to end), it is then flipped over and the

second face is then planed until the board has

reached the desired thickness. Once the two faces

have been planed, the board is stood upright on its

edge with one of the faces against the fence. The

edge is then planed. When complete, the two faces

and one edge will be square. Finally, the remaining

uncut edge is then cut off on the table saw. By

guiding the planed edge along the fence, this final

cut assures each side is parallel. Now, use the miter

saw to cut the ends and the board will be completely

square.

Hand Planer

Jointer cutting head

Unit III: Project Construction