Table Saw Or Planer First – Mastering Rough Lumber For Perfect

ByJim Boslice Table Saw

When working with rough lumber, you generally use your table saw first to break down oversized boards into more manageable, roughly dimensioned pieces. This makes them safer and easier to handle for subsequent steps.

After initial ripping and crosscutting, you then use your planer (typically after jointing one face and one edge) to achieve consistent thickness and perfectly parallel surfaces, transforming rough stock into project-ready material.

Working with rough lumber is one of the most rewarding aspects of woodworking. It allows you to transform raw, often irregular, pieces of wood into beautiful, precise components for your projects. But for many woodworkers, especially those just starting out, a crucial question often arises: “Do I use my

table saw or planer first

?”

This isn’t just a matter of preference; it’s a fundamental workflow decision that impacts safety, efficiency, and the ultimate quality of your finished piece. Get it wrong, and you could end up with warped boards, dangerous kickbacks, or simply a lot of wasted effort.

At The Jim BoSlice Workshop, we understand this common dilemma. We promise to demystify the process, providing you with a clear, step-by-step guide to preparing rough lumber like a pro. In this comprehensive article, you’ll learn the correct sequence for using your table saw and planer, discover essential safety practices, and gain the confidence to tackle any rough stock that comes your way.

Understanding Your Tools: The Table Saw and Planer Explained

Before we dive into the “table saw or planer first” debate, let’s quickly review what each of these powerful machines does. Knowing their primary functions is key to understanding their optimal use in your workshop.

Your table saw is primarily a dimensioning tool. It excels at making straight, precise cuts, especially for ripping lumber to width and crosscutting to length. It’s your workhorse for sizing material.

A planer (or thickness planer) is designed to create boards of uniform thickness with parallel faces. It shaves off thin layers of wood, bringing a board down to a specific dimension and smoothing its surfaces.

Both are indispensable, but their roles in the stock preparation process are distinct and sequential.

The Golden Rule: Why Dimensioning Comes Before Smoothing

The short answer to the question “table saw or planer first” is almost always:

table saw first

, then planer. This isn’t just a tradition; it’s a principle based on safety, efficiency, and achieving the best results. Let’s break down the “how to table saw or planer first” logic.

Rough lumber often arrives with irregular shapes, uneven thicknesses, and sometimes even a twist or bow. Trying to feed a wide, twisted, or bowed board directly into a planer can be dangerous and ineffective.

A planer needs a stable, flat reference surface to work properly. Without it, the machine will simply replicate the existing inconsistencies, resulting in a board that’s consistently uneven.

When the Table Saw Takes the Lead: Initial Cuts for Rough Stock

The table saw’s role in the initial stages is to break down oversized, often unwieldy, rough lumber into more manageable pieces. This process, often called “breaking down stock,” makes the wood safer to handle and more efficient to process on other machines.

  • Ripping to Approximate Width: Rough lumber is rarely perfectly straight on its edges. Using your table saw, you can rip the board down to a rough, slightly oversized width. This removes irregular edges and reduces the overall size of the stock, making it easier to handle on a jointer or planer.
  • Initial Crosscuts: Sometimes, rough boards are extremely long or have significant defects at the ends. A crosscut on the table saw (or miter saw) can shorten the board to a more workable length, removing major defects and making it safer to manage.

Safety First: When cutting rough lumber on a table saw, always use a featherboard and push sticks. Rough edges can bind, and uneven surfaces can lead to kickback. Always ensure your fence is set correctly and the board is firmly against it.

When the Planer Steps In: Achieving Flatness and Parallelism

Once your rough lumber is broken down to manageable sizes, and crucially, after you’ve established at least one truly flat face and one square edge (usually with a jointer or a planer sled), your planer takes center stage. This is where the “benefits of table saw or planer first” workflow truly shines.

  • Creating Parallel Faces: The planer’s job is to make the top and bottom faces of your board perfectly parallel to each other. It ensures consistent thickness throughout the length and width of the board.
  • Smoothing Surfaces: Beyond dimensioning, the planer also leaves a relatively smooth surface, reducing the amount of sanding required later.

Remember, a planer needs a flat reference surface. If you don’t have a jointer, you can create a planer sled to flatten one face of your rough board before sending it through the planer. This is a critical step to achieve truly flat, dimensioned lumber.

Step-by-Step Workflow: The Jim BoSlice Method for Perfect Stock Preparation

Let’s walk through the “table saw or planer first best practices” for turning rough lumber into perfectly dimensioned stock, ready for your next project. This process prioritizes safety, accuracy, and efficiency.

Step 1: Inspecting Your Rough Lumber

Before you even think about firing up a machine, take a good look at your wood. This initial inspection is vital for minimizing waste and ensuring safety.

  • Check for Defects: Look for twists, bows, cups, knots, cracks, and internal stresses. Mark these areas with chalk or a pencil.
  • Identify Best Sides: Determine which face and edge have the least amount of warp or defects. These will be your starting reference surfaces.
  • Plan Your Cuts: Visualize how you’ll break down the board to yield the largest, clearest pieces, accounting for any defects you need to remove.

Step 2: Breaking Down Oversized Stock with the Table Saw

This is where the

table saw or planer first

workflow truly begins. Your goal here is to get the lumber to a manageable size, making it safer for subsequent operations.

  1. Initial Crosscuts: If the board is excessively long or has major defects at the ends, use your miter saw or a crosscut sled on your table saw to cut it into rough lengths. Add a few inches to your final desired length to allow for future trimming.
  2. Rip to Approximate Width: For very wide or irregularly edged boards, use your table saw to rip one edge straight. You might need to use a straight-edge jig or a sacrificial fence if the factory edge is too rough. Then, rip the other side to a rough width, slightly wider than your final dimension.

Pro Tip: When ripping rough lumber, always position the straightest edge against the fence. If both edges are rough, you may need to create a straight edge using a jig or by freehanding a cut (carefully!) before referencing against the fence.

Step 3: Jointing for a Flat Reference Face and Square Edge

This is arguably the most crucial step in preparing rough lumber, as it establishes the foundation for all subsequent milling. While the question is “table saw or planer first,” the jointer often sits between these two for optimal results.

  1. Flatten One Face: Feed one face of the board over the jointer until it is perfectly flat. Take light passes (1/32″ to 1/16″) to avoid tear-out and stress the machine. Mark your passes with chalk to see where material is being removed.
  2. Square One Edge: Once you have one flat face, place that flat face against the jointer fence and joint one edge until it is perfectly square to the newly flattened face.

No Jointer? No Problem: If you don’t have a jointer, you can create a planer sled. Attach your rough board to a flat sled with shims to prevent rocking. Run this assembly through your planer to flatten one face. Once one face is flat, remove it from the sled and proceed to joint an edge (with a table saw jig) or simply plane the opposite face.

Step 4: Planing to Thickness and Parallelism

Now that you have one flat face and one square edge, your planer can work its magic. This step ensures your boards are perfectly parallel and at your desired thickness.

  1. Plane Second Face: With your jointed (flat) face down on the planer bed, feed the board through. This pass will flatten the opposing, un-jointed face parallel to the first.
  2. Alternate Faces and Adjust Thickness: Continue planing, alternating which face is up, taking light passes (1/32″ to 1/16″) until you reach your desired final thickness. Alternating faces helps relieve internal stresses in the wood and prevents warping.

Careful Passes: Never try to remove too much material in a single pass. This can strain your planer, cause snipe (depressions at the ends of the board), and lead to tear-out. Slow and steady wins the race here.

Step 5: Final Dimensioning and Squaring

With your boards now flat, parallel, and at approximate thickness, it’s time to return to the table saw for the final precise dimensions.

  1. Final Rip to Width: With your jointed edge against the table saw fence, rip the board to its exact final width.
  2. Final Crosscut to Length: Using a crosscut sled or miter gauge, trim the ends of your board to the precise final length, ensuring they are perfectly square.

By following these steps, you’ve transformed rough, irregular lumber into perfectly dimensioned, project-ready stock. This methodical approach is the cornerstone of quality woodworking.

Common Problems and Troubleshooting Your Stock Preparation

Even with the correct “table saw or planer first” sequence, you might encounter some bumps in the road. Here are some common problems and how to address them, ensuring your “table saw or planer first tips” lead to success.

  • Snipe: This is a slight depression at the beginning or end of a board after planing.
    • Solution: Support long boards adequately with infeed and outfeed tables. Take lighter passes. If persistent, leave boards slightly longer and trim off the snipe after planing.
  • Tear-out: When wood fibers are ripped out rather than cleanly cut, often seen around knots or in difficult grain.
    • Solution: Take shallower passes. Feed the board with the grain. If using a planer, consider using a spiral cutterhead or a higher-quality blade. A slight skew during planing can sometimes help.
  • Bowed or Twisted Boards After Planing: Sometimes, internal stresses in rough lumber are released during milling, causing the board to warp again.
    • Solution: Let your lumber acclimate to your shop’s humidity for a few weeks before milling. Take very light, alternating passes on the planer. If a board warps significantly, you may need to re-joint and re-plane. Sometimes, it’s best to cut the board into shorter sections before milling.
  • Burn Marks on Table Saw: Often caused by dull blades or slow feed rates.
    • Solution: Use a sharp, clean blade appropriate for ripping. Maintain a consistent feed rate. Ensure your fence is perfectly parallel to the blade.

Tool Care and Maintenance for Optimal Performance

Proper care of your table saw and planer is not just about longevity; it’s also a critical part of ensuring your “table saw or planer first care guide” leads to safe and accurate results. Dull blades and dirty machines can lead to poor cuts, tear-out, and even dangerous kickbacks.

  • Keep Blades Sharp: A sharp table saw blade cuts cleanly and reduces the risk of burning and kickback. Sharp planer knives prevent tear-out and make the machine run more smoothly. Replace or sharpen them regularly.
  • Clean Regularly: Sawdust and pitch buildup can hinder performance. Clean your table saw’s arbor and blade, and clear dust from your planer’s rollers and cutterhead area. A good dust collection system is invaluable.
  • Wax Surfaces: Apply a thin coat of paste wax to your table saw top and planer bed. This reduces friction, making it easier to feed wood and preventing rust.
  • Check Alignment: Periodically check the alignment of your table saw’s fence to the blade and the squareness of your planer’s infeed/outfeed tables.

Sustainable Practices in Lumber Processing

At The Jim BoSlice Workshop, we believe in craftsmanship that respects both the material and the environment. Incorporating “sustainable table saw or planer first” and “eco-friendly table saw or planer first” practices into your woodworking workflow is a small but significant way to contribute.

  • Minimize Waste: Plan your cuts carefully during the initial inspection phase. Optimize board usage to get the most out of each piece of lumber, reducing offcuts.
  • Source Responsibly: Whenever possible, choose lumber from sustainably managed forests (look for FSC certification) or reclaimed wood. This supports responsible forestry and reduces demand for newly harvested timber.
  • Utilize Scraps: Don’t throw away small offcuts! They can be useful for test pieces, small jigs, or even kindling. Consider a scrap wood storage system.
  • Dust Management: A good dust collection system not only keeps your shop clean and safe but also allows for responsible disposal or even composting of wood dust (untreated wood only).

Frequently Asked Questions About Table Saw or Planer First

Here are some common questions we hear from woodworkers tackling rough lumber.

Should I always use a jointer before a planer?

Ideally, yes. A jointer creates one perfectly flat face and one perfectly square edge, which are critical reference surfaces. Without them, a planer will simply make a board uniformly thick but still warped or twisted. If you don’t have a jointer, a planer sled can flatten one face, and a table saw jig can square an edge.

Can I just use my planer to flatten both sides of a twisted board?

No. If you feed a twisted board into a planer without first flattening one face, the planer’s rollers will press the board flat against the bed during the cut, but once it exits, it will spring back to its original twisted shape. You’ll end up with a board that has parallel faces but is still twisted.

How much material should I remove per pass on a planer?

For most home shop planers, aim for very light passes, typically 1/32″ to 1/16″ (about 0.8mm to 1.6mm) per pass. Trying to remove too much material can cause snipe, tear-out, or even bog down the machine.

What if my rough lumber is too wide for my jointer?

If your jointer isn’t wide enough, you’ll need to rip the board into narrower sections on your table saw first. Then, joint and plane these narrower pieces. You can then glue them back together to achieve your desired width, ensuring the glue-up is perfectly flat.

Is it safe to cut rough lumber on a table saw?

Yes, but with extreme caution. Rough, uneven edges can bind against the fence, leading to kickback. Always ensure one edge is as straight as possible against the fence (using a jig if necessary), use a featherboard to hold the stock securely, and always use push sticks. Never freehand rough lumber without proper support and safety measures.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of milling rough lumber is a foundational skill in woodworking, and understanding the proper sequence—

table saw or planer first

—is your key to success. By using your table saw to break down stock, followed by jointing and then planing, you transform raw, irregular wood into precise, project-ready material.

This methodical approach not only ensures accuracy and quality in your finished pieces but also significantly enhances safety in your workshop. Remember to inspect your lumber, take light passes, keep your tools sharp, and always prioritize safety.

The journey from rough lumber to a perfectly crafted piece is deeply satisfying. Embrace the process, learn from each board, and watch your woodworking skills flourish. Stay safe and stay comfortable in your shop, and happy building!

Jim Boslice
Latest posts by Jim Boslice (see all)

Similar Posts