Edge jointing or just jointing is the process of making the edge of a
wood
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of ligni ...
en board straight and true in preparation for subsequent operations, often ultimately leading to joining two or more components together. Traditionally, jointing was performed using a
jointer plane. Modern techniques include the use of a
jointer
A jointer or in some configurations, a jointer-planer (also known in the UK and Australia as a planer or surface planer, and sometimes also as a buzzer or flat top) is a woodworking machine used to produce a flat surface along a board's length ...
machine, a hand held
router and straight edge, or a table-mounted router.
Although the process derives its name from the primary task of straightening an edge prior to joining, the term ''jointing'' is used whenever this process is performed, regardless of the application.
Normally, the desired outcome of jointing is an edge which is straight along its length and perpendicular to the face of the board. However, there is a technique often used when gluing up
panels, referred to as a ''sprung joint''.
In this technique, the desired outcome is an edge which is slightly concave along its length. When two such edges are brought together and clamped, the sprung edges create greater tension at the ends of the join, which assists in creating a seamless joint.
When using a
hand plane
A hand plane is a tool for shaping wood using muscle power to force the cutting blade over the wood surface. Some rotary power planers are motorized power tools used for the same types of larger tasks, but are unsuitable for fine-scale planing, ...
to perform this operation, two boards are often clamped face to face in the
vice
A vice is a practice, behaviour, or Habit (psychology), habit generally considered immorality, immoral, sinful, crime, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refe ...
and both jointed at once. This creates two edges that are the mirror image of one another. In this way, even if the edges are not perfectly perpendicular to their respective faces, when the two board edges are brought together, the result is a flat panel because the error in each edge cancels the other out.
References
Joinery
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