You ever grab a piece of lumber and think,
"Well... that's about as straight as a country road"?
Yeah, me too.
Instead of dropping a small fortune on a big, heavy jointer, I’ve got three simple ways you can get those edges laser-straight — using stuff you probably already have lying around your shop.
Method 1 and 3 can be a little precarious if you're not careful so make sure you have some cuts under your belt before you give it a go.
Here’s the cheat sheet:
🔹 Method 1: The Plywood Trick
Grab a piece of scrap ¾" plywood with a nice straight edge, slap on some double-sided tape, and run it along your table saw fence.
Boom. Instantly straight edge.
(And yes — it works for longer boards too. Just use a longer piece of plywood. Wild, right?)
🔹 Method 2: The DIY Jointing Jig
Make a super simple jig (I’ve got a video on that too) and kiss those rough edges goodbye. I even made two comically terrible boards match up into a panel so perfect it might just bring a tear to your eye. This is my first ever YouTube video so don't judge me too hard but it still has some valuable info.
🔹 Method 3: The Level Trick
Stick a level onto your board with good double-sided tape (trust me on this — use good tape or prepare for sadness), and cut.
I used this method on two beautiful, expensive pieces of walnut — because my wife doesn’t tolerate “charming gaps” and expects woodworking perfection. No pressure, right?
And guess what? It worked like a charm.
Whether you're edge-gluing panels or just tired of pretending your wavy boards "add character," these tricks will save you time, money, and possibly your sanity.
Happy building,
- Thomas
Thomas Custom Woodworks
P.S. Speaking of getting your shop dialed in — I just released my newest woodworking plans: the Simple Mobile Workbench!
It’s the perfect first (or second) workbench: solid, mobile, tons of storage, and no dado stack needed — your jobsite saw will be just fine.
Plus, like all my plans, it comes with a super detailed instructional video where you can build it right alongside me.
Check out the Simple Mobile Workbench plans here!
Your future self (and your future projects) will thank you.
