Can You Use A Table Saw As A Jointer

Jointing on a table saw.

Can you use a table saw as a jointer.

Quite simply there are more versatile tools that are your first priority when putting together a woodworking shop. Make a jointer jig for the tablesaw. Just like a jointer the table saw setup requires an infeed and an outfeed side. In fact all you need to do is construct a jointer jig which pushes your lumber close enough to the saw s blade to shave off slivers giving it beautifully flat and squared edges.

The fence works on the same principle as a jointer. An l shaped auxiliary fence makes it easy to joint a board on a table saw see photo at right. If you have limited space or funds make one tool into other tools. To make this cut move the rip fence to the left side of the saw blade.

As long as you have a table saw the heart of any woodshop then you can get by. With the help of a simple shop made jig you can be jointing on the table saw. The outfeed side must be perfectly even with the saw blade. The infeed side must be a blade s width short of this point.

Build a simple table saw jointer jig that will give you the clean straight edges necessary to do glue ups and make other tight fitting joints. You don t need a jointer to get a straight square edge on a board. Turning your table saw into a jointer is simple. It doesn t require modifying the components of your table saw in any way.