Official Luthiers Forum!

One thing I found was immensely helpful through the learing process was jointing on cheap wood... I actually re-sawed a 2x4 into many slices - and then jointed these all up into a 22 and an 18 piece top..... The advantage is that you can practice making a zillion glue joints at a total cost of $3.00 or less (I pulled my practice 2x4 out of a scrap dumpster...)

Don't feel bad about the time it took you or your final solution.... There is an immense amount of technique involved... You gotta get a feel for exactly where to apply pressure and how much pressure as you shoot the joint.... "Hollow" spots are where you are pushing a bit too hard... "Proud" spots are where you are pushing a bit too light.....

You will also find that your clamping technique on the shooting board has an effect as well... Clamp the ends and you will find the ends are loose... Clamp the center and you will find the center is loose.... When you are talking about 0.001" gaps - even a 9" wide board clamped to a table flexes a bit under hand pressure....

In the end - there is no shame in sanding the joint so it candles properly... Builders use all sorts of techniques - routers, jointers, sandpaper, planes, you name it..... Though you wouldn't believe it from the internet lore - all have the capability to produce strong glue joints if they take proper care to ensure a tight, stress free joint.... and all have the capability to produce glue joints that split back open if the joint is poorly made...

Thanks