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Jointing super-thin strips?

5K views 10 replies 11 participants last post by  timbertailor 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Simple question for you all. I see a lot of woodworking projects out there (easiest to find would be long-grain cutting boards) where there's a lot of laminating done and there's very thin (1/16 inch or so) accent strips laminated inside. How do people do this? If I rip a 4/4 board to 1" wide, I know how to joint that edge. But you can't cut down such a thin strip in a jointer or with a hand plane. Are people just using better table saws/blades than I am, and their initial rip cut is giving them all they need to have a clean gluing surface?
 
#2 ·
I've never tried it, but I would definitely do it this way if I needed thin strips jointed. I'd first cut the thin strips on my table saw, lay out whatever grit sandpaper you need to more than cover the length of the thin strip, use double-sided tape and tape it to something flat and firm (melamine / mdf comes to mind), then slowly sand away 2 to 3 strokes for a finished side. Repeat for the other and it should work out for an even strip. There might be better ways, but that's just my method I came up with.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
If you have a router table, you can use it to joint small strips of wood. A straight bit on a router table is essentially a small jointer turned 90*. It helps to have a micro adjustable fence, but many manufacturers include spacers designed to set the outfeed fence a little proud of the indeed. I don't know if I would try that at 1/16", but with feather boards or a "GRR-Ripper" you'd be surprised at how small you can go. The GRR-Ripper and a table saw might be a solution also. I've seen the inventor of that cutting amazingly thin strips at woodworking shows.
http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/routing/make-your-router-think-its-a-jointer/
 
#10 ·
You can resaw super thin strips, and joint a new edge for every pass- the rough edge can be smoothed with a razor sharp plane, or better and faster, a card scraper.

Or

You can resaw a thin strip, flip the piece over on the same face (in case your blade isn't 90) and continue to make cuts- clean this up with the scraper.

Or

Cut on the BS, get a drum sander. A good drum sander gets my veneers down to a 32nd.
 
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