How to check straightness of boards edges?

[MikeG.]

Sorry for going slightly off topic but for holding doors throw away your wedges etc and get a Magic Gripper, they are brilliant..........

£37 for plastic ones........or pennies to make the same things from scrap and a cheap strap hinge. Hmm.....

 

[Jacob]

.......If the board's very long you might need additional support at the far end from the vise. I have a piece of wood with a couple of steel dowels that drop into holes in the leg furthest from the vise as and when I need it. On the other side of this piece of wood there are a series holes bored that can take a short length of broom handle, and this supports the other end of the piece of wood being planed........

One big advantage of having a bench with a wide apron is that you can G clamp, nail, screw, drill holes etc for a wide variety of holding operations. Even fit holdfasts.
G clamp a bit of scrap (or the workpiece itself if convenient) is what I'd most likely do. Helps of the inner face of the vice is flush with the apron.

 

[Doug71]

Sorry for going slightly off topic but for holding doors throw away your wedges etc and get a Magic Gripper, they are brilliant.


http://www.themagicgripper.co.uk/

:lol: :lol: Only £90 a pair!

Sorry for going slightly off topic but for holding doors throw away your wedges etc and get a Magic Gripper, they are brilliant..........

£37 for plastic ones........or pennies to make the same things from scrap and a cheap strap hinge. Hmm.....

They are about £20 each and you only need one, had mine for years and used it loads, they are very tough. I used Jacobs wedge method for about 20 years but would never go back to it.

 

[Jacob]

£45 each with VAT.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

G clamp a bit of scrap (or the workpiece itself if convenient) is what I'd most likely do. Helps of the inner face of the vice is flush with the apron.

My vise isn't flush (my preference), and there's no apron, so the supplementary leg thing does the trick usually. If the piece being edged isn't long enough to span from the vise to the far leg I find I generally don't need extra support, unless the piece also happens to be quite narrow. If that's the case I generally straighten the edges between bench dogs on the bench top. Slainte.

 

[Doug71]

Here you go Jacob as I'm sure you will be buying some and I don't want you paying too much :wink:

https://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/ ... _0QX-j7TIU

You can buy them individually at some places.

 

[Jacob]

Here you go Jacob as I'm sure you will be buying some and I don't want you paying too much :wink:

https://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/ ... _0QX-j7TIU

You can buy them individually at some places.

Plus carriage £44.90. It's a pair - half the price but still £44.90 too high!
I'm sure they work OK but so do the wedges and they are free (10 minutes work with a few scraps).
And sorry I just don't like gadget substitutes for simple trad ways of doing things!

 

[MikeG.]

Here you go Jacob as I'm sure you will be buying some and I don't want you paying too much :wink:.....

Even if Jacob liked this idea, can you see him forking out £45 for the plastic version when a few minutes of work with scrap and some strap hinges could produce the exact same gizmo for mere pennies?

 

[SMALMALEKI]

.... Custard’s link to edge jointing is a superb demonstration of the standard techniques taught on how to edge joint.

Except he uses straight edges. Making two edges each fit the straight edge is more difficult than simply fitting them to each other and missing out the straight edge altogether. He also uses the expression "reference face" which is confusing as the term "face" alone is all you need. A board has a (best) face, a back, a (best) edge and back edge. You get them as straight/square as you can first, judging by eye and square, and then fit them to each other, not to a straight edge.

One thing that isn’t totally clear in the initial question (to me at least) is how the edges are being planed. If the parts are being laid unsupported across the two saw horses then edge jointing will be very difficult.

You couldn't plane an edge on a board simply standing it vertically. How does our OP do it?

The technique illustrated in Custards article shows how long pieces are normally placed on a flat surface that supports it and the planning is done by running the plane alone the flat (reference) surface. Any flat surface when making the work bench will do.

You mean use the bench like a shooting board? Possible I suppose, but tedious. Easier to clamp or wedge them vertically if you don't have a vice. A pair of door props is really handy if you are on site or away from a vice.
Couldn't find a better photo: these door wedges are knocked up in minutes from scrap, or more carefully on a bench. Brilliant substitute for a bench vice. Stand board in one or two wedge props and put far end of board (door etc to be planed), against something solid for resistance to planing efforts.

Hi Jacob

This is my take on the wedge you show here. Is there any particular dimensions for it or just as I have done is okay?
On a different note as I am not joining two table tops together and the strip in the middle is in couple of pieces to make removing and cleaning easier then joining them is not very satisfying.

Regards

 

[Jacob]

Looks OK to me. Doesn't do to over-think sizes - just use any handy offcuts. You'll soon know if it really needs to be bigger or smaller. I usually taper the notch too - to match the wedge. Good to leave a fairly thick end to the wedge, as you have, so you can knock it out with a mallet.

 

[SMALMALEKI]

Looks OK to me. Doesn't do to over-think sizes - just use any handy offcuts. You'll soon know if it really needs to be bigger or smaller. I usually taper the notch too - to match the wedge. Good to leave a fairly thick end to the wedge, as you have, so you can knock it out with a mallet.

Dear Jacob

Thank you for your advice. I used off cut piece of 2*4 for those wedges.

I have another problem which I thought I ask for advice.
I need to drill a 30mm hole on my bench front skirt and worktop as it shown in this picture (I have the skirt in front of my bench as well). I can use bench drill or router with a template for this on a free piece of wood but when it’s mounted to work bench then it is a bit challenging.
What would you suggest to use and how to do it?

Regards

 

[FaecesForBrains]

If you're jointing boards you just check them against each other, there is no need for externalities imposed by a straightedge, string lines, etc. unless your plan is that they become part of the glue-up.

 

[Jacob]

Looks OK to me. Doesn't do to over-think sizes - just use any handy offcuts. You'll soon know if it really needs to be bigger or smaller. I usually taper the notch too - to match the wedge. Good to leave a fairly thick end to the wedge, as you have, so you can knock it out with a mallet.

Dear Jacob

Thank you for your advice. I used off cut piece of 2*4 for those wedges.

I have another problem which I thought I ask for advice.
I need to drill a 30mm hole on my bench front skirt and worktop as it shown in this picture (I have the skirt in front of my bench as well). I can use bench drill or router with a template for this on a free piece of wood but when it’s mounted to work bench then it is a bit challenging.
What would you suggest to use and how to do it?

Regards

If high precision not an issue a sharp spade-bit is good. They are underrated because they do look a bit crude but they work well, though may wander off slightly in a deep hole. Sharpen the spurs for a clean start.

 

[SMALMALEKI]

It is for passing the vice screw through. It is very important to be parallel and perpendicular to the outer wall. The skirt will work as back jaw. Wondering if there is a trick to drill it straight.

Regards

 

[Racers]

Put a large washer on the shaft of your drill.
When the drill is level it will stay in the same place when you are drilling.
A square or a couple of battens will let you see if you are 90 deg to the face.
Pete

 

[MikeG.]

It is for passing the vice screw through. It is very important to be parallel and perpendicular to the outer wall. The skirt will work as back jaw. Wondering if there is a trick to drill it straight.

Regards

Pete's is the method I would adopt, but alternatively, it shouldn't be too difficult to remove the skirt and drill the hole/s on a pillar drill.