Straight edge for jointing, best method

[Cabinetman]

I would joint straight from the saw. Use a No.8 for preference - you will get away with a No.7. The plane must be sharp. Start the cut by pressing hard on the knob, and pushing the plane forward - as stated earlier, curl the fingers of left hand around the plane, it both steadies the plane, and helps keep the plane on track. As the cut progresses, apply downward pressure on the tote to equal the pressure on the knob. As you approach the end if the cut, apply more and more pressure on the tote, while reducing the pressure on the knob. This will help reduce the tendancy for the cut to become convex. Do this on the two adjacent boards, then stand (on edge) one board on the other. With a light behind, you will clearly see any points where they do not meet correctly. You will also be able to check that the two edges meet at 180 degrees. Let us know how you get on, please. Best wishes.

All correct, just say if a nr4 is all you have it works just fine too, it’s all I’ve ever used and I’ve jointed up loads of table tops and panels over the years.
When you put the boards on top of one another as described, use a piece of wood across the two pieces to show if you have a heavy hand on one side when planing. Most of us do!
Ian

 

[ey_tony]

My woodwork has it's origins in organ building so most of my work has always been done by hand rather than using machines so I've always owned a long accurate wooden straight edge (pitch pine) which I've regularly checked and used together with a long steel plane which does a really good job of jointing the edges of long boards.
Obviously it will depend upon one's skill with a plane but that is how it was done for centuries and long before machines took over many of today's woodwork tasks.

 

[gmgmgm]

Ok great, I’ve got decent track saw with 3 meters of track so this could work.
Any pointers on the techniques you mention to get them to match?
Thanks

Couple of ways of doing it, depending upon the thickness. You can stack it, or more easily, get the edges pretty straight then hold the edges close together. Run the track saw along the (small) gap so that the kerf cuts both boards. This will then be a consistent edge on both sides.

Some more tips: tracksaw kerfing trick for jointing boards - Google Search shows some discussions and Youtube videos.

 

[Hornbeam]

I think the timber you are jointing also plays a large factor. Something soft like pine will be fine straight of a table or track saw . If you are working with a really hard timber like maple or some of the exotics, I think you meed a much better finish. I would also aim for a very slightly concave jointing surface. which means there is more pressure on the ends of the joint meaning it is lees likely to fail with any subsequent drying and timber shrinkage, This is best done with a hand plane
David Charlesworth wrote some excellent but long winded (as was his style)articles on this