Boards at Kiln, Help Me Understand What's Next

[Trent]

I visited a wood tool store and the sales guy told me I need a jointer, table saw and planer. He said this is the equipment I should have to get my dried boards ready to use. I hear people talk about "edgers" What is this about? does it make 2 true/straight edges? If an edger can do this, why buy a jointer and table saw? Sorry, I'm just starting to learn about wood working. 

[Warren]

Trent,

I am relatively new to this also.  My understanding, an edger is generally used with green lumber coming straight off the sawmill to take the barky edges off of flitches.  Not necessarily a perfect edge for fine wood working after the wood is dry.  I believe that is where a joiner comes into play to make perfectly straight/square/smooth edges that can be glued up, or used otherwise.

Warren

[Ianab]

If you are thinking about the edgers that are teamed up with a sawmill they are designed to rip the rough edges, bark, sapwood etc of the sawn boards. They are quicker than loading the boards back on the mill and edging them there.
The wood is still green and rough sawn, they aren't precise enough for finished woodworking. After the wood is dried and stable, thats where the jointer and table saw come in.

Cheers

Ian

[scsmith42]

Trent, let's back up a bit.  What types of boards are you working with, and what is your intent to do with them?  Are you interested in selling S4S lumber, interested in making it for your own projects, hardwood, softwood, construction grade, farm grade, furniture grade, or ???

Based upon your answers, folks can chime in with their recommendations.

Regards,

Scott

[fencerowphil (Phil L.)]

Hey Trent!

Warren and Ianab have already accurately defined the difference
in the use of the jointer versus an "edger."

In a small shop, the recommendation you have is a good start-up kit.
There is a way to use your table saw to get your rough kiln dried lumber
straight.  You can build a "sled."   This is a device to hold a crooked board -
a big "jig" if you will.  You clamp (or fasten in some other way) a board in
this sled.   The sled is slid along your rip fence.  Some sled designs can
rely on the table slots, instead of depending on the fence.   In either design,
the sled provides a way to send an irregular or bowed board through your
table saw in a fashion that keeps your blade parallel with the kerf that the
blade is cutting.  Once this good straight edge is established on the one
edge, you can then use the table saw without the sled to rip that board to
the nominal width you need.

You still need the jointer to refine that "straight line rip edge" into a "glue-
joint quality edge."  Also, jointers are used to establish a good "flat" on rough
lumber on one side, so that the board is ready to be sent through the planer
for "thicknessing."  So "edging" is preliminary to jointing the edge.  Similarly,
jointing the wide surface of a board is a prerequisite for sending that prepped
board through the planer.   People even make sleds to hold boards to run
through the planer to help with this type of preparation.

As Scott has said, what you plan to do does affect machinery requirements,
but, from what I am gathering,  you are just starting out in wood working, so
I answered accordingly.  In other words,  you will probably want to squeeze all
the value you can out of a few machines, until you get up a full head of
sawdust addiction!Phil L.   ;)

[brdmkr]

The sled that Phil mentioned will do a pretty decent job of straigtening an edge.  Some even claim that with the correct blade, this edge will be 'glue line quality'.  I haven't tried those blades, so I can't speak to that.  You can also rig a router to provide a good edge that is suitable for glue-ups.  This is done by off-setting the outfeed side of the router fence by just a little bit and using a straight bit.  It works fine for thinner stock (< 1 inch).  You could likely do a search for router jointer and come up with some pictures.

The bigger problem, as I see it will be in flattening the boards face.  Few boards will be flat after drying.  They will generally have some degree of cupping or other irregularity that needs to be removed.  The jointer is used to this as well as to joint  edges. 

If you have a jointer, TS, and planer, I would

1) joint an edge.
2) using this edge against the fence of the table saw, rip the board to the desired width (maybe a little proud if you will want to glue this edge).
3) joint a face.
4) plane the other face to the desired thickness.

It is important to remember that  a thickness planer does not make the faces flat.  Rather it makes them parallel.  If the bottom face is not flat, the top face will not be flat either (but both faces will be parrallel.

Of course, if you are going to sell the lumber, you can just sell it as rough cut KD.

[Trent]

Thanks Everyone. You are very helpful. Now, just what to do with the sweetgum after I straighten it up.