Router Table as a jointer?

[Eddie Darby]

Anyone use their router table as a jointer and do you think it has the same quality as a jointer?

I use my router table for jointing, and I think I get a better joint this way, than with my 6" jointer.

The number of cuts are way higher on a router, 20,000 RPM times 2 or 4 blades, 40,000 to 80,000 cuts per minute. The jointer is 5,000 RPM times 3 blades or 15,000 cuts per minute.

I use the Lee Valley shims for fine cuts.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...53,43885,42837

[Gary Curtis]

It will be about 6 months until I can buy a jointer. So until then, a router table will have to perform that function.

An additional point to bring up here is that the relatively small diameter of router bits (compared to a jointer cutter) presents the cutting blade at a large angle to the workplace. As in "chop-chop", instead of "slice-slice". It is much the same quality difference that one gets with a shaper vs a router.

I would guess that a spiral bit would help a lot in that regard. Whatever, I'll be forced to use my router until I buy a jointer.

Gary Curtis

[JayStPeter]

Google "sawboard". You can make one of those for your circular saw and for your router with straight bit. Both will work to get one edge jointed well enough. You'll need to align your circular saw base with the blade and get a good blade to get a glue ready joint, but it's easily possible. It's easy with the router, but you might have to trim really rough boards with the circular saw first anyway. The wood can split if you take too much with the router.
Even though I have an 8" jointer, I still occasionally use a circular saw and guide to straighten a wildly curved edge. It's just quicker and easier than umpteen light passes on the jointer. The sawboard and good blade are good to have around anyway for sizing down plywood.