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Make your router think it's a jointer

If you don't have a jointer or if you're just getting into woodworking, a router table with fences and a straight bit can suffice for edge-jointing short boards.

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Place your laminate piece at the
left-hand edge of the bit-clearance
notch in the router table fence.
The rigid router fence will keep the
laminate from flexing.

We added an edge-jointing function to our router-table fence by simply clamping a piece of plastic laminate on the left-hand, outfeed end of the fence. Use sandpaper to ease the edge nearest the router bit, so it won't catch your workpiece as the board slides past. As seen in photo, we used a steel rule to align the laminate with the cutting edge of a straight bit mounted in the router.

Set the bit high enough to trim the entire edge of the board in one pass. Then, turn on the router, and move the board across the table from right to left. You'll remove 1/16" with each pass, and leave a perfectly straight, square edge. Repeat the procedure with a second board, and the two pieces can be glued together without a gap anywhere.

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Comments (6)

Woodchuck1954 wrote:

If laminate is hard to find, what about cutting up linoleum tiles? Two or three thicknesses will do.

10/27/2012 12:27:23 AM Report Abuse

bill98502 wrote:

For laminate (HPL, Formica) Home Depot sells 2' x 4' sheets of white laminate. Also many lumber yards and flooring stores. I recently wanted a small piece, went to a lumberyard. They showed me two rolls that had been returned by a customer (about 50 sq ft per roll). I got a whole roll for $25.

10/26/2012 01:13:25 AM Report Abuse

rossandlinda wrote:

Can someone recommend a resource for purchasing laminate?

10/25/2012 10:29:04 AM Report Abuse

gbreton65 wrote:

you need the laminate at the outfeed to be slightly offset from the infeed to allow for the loss of the 1/16" of wood during the pass.

7/12/2012 08:05:27 PM Report Abuse

jimharr1 wrote:

Enlarged fine on my PC. Excellent suggestion, thanks.

9/20/2011 07:46:42 AM Report Abuse

jdipie wrote:

What is the purpose of the laminate?