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How to Put a Straight Edge on Rough Sawn Lumber When You Don't Have a Jointer

Working with rough sawn lumber gives a great sense of satisfaction, but before you can get started on your woodworking project you need to put a straight edge on it. In most circumstances a jointer is the ideal tool for this, but if you do not have one to hand then you can use a bandsaw and table saw to produce great results.

Things You'll Need

Bandsaw
Table saw
Straight length of wood
Pencil

Instructions

- 1
  Draw a straight line down the rough sawn lumber as close to the edge of the wood as possible to ensure that nothing is wasted. The best way to do this is to place a straight length of wood on top of your lumber and draw a line down the edge of it.
- 2
  Feed the lumber into a bandsaw, cutting as close to your pencil mark as possible. You may need to leave a slight margin of error if your bandsaw is not that well tuned.
- 3
  Repeat this process for the opposite side of the lumber so that you have a board with two opposite edges more or less straight.
- 4
  Pass the lumber through a table saw to ensure that the straight edge is uniform. It is best to feed the lumber slowly to ensure that the wood does not split.
- 5
  Flip the lumber round to repeat this process on the opposite side. You may need to flip the lumber back and forth several times to make minor adjustments until you are happy that both edges are straight and completely parallel to each other.

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