"Jack Stein" wrote in message
...
Tom Watson wrote:

When I glue up solid wood panels I pay a lot of attention to stock
prep. Eliminate all cup, crook and bow on the jointer, or with a
plane. Get everything to the same thickness by making a final pass
through the planer or sander using the same setup for all the stock to
be machined. Rip all the pieces with a blade that will give you a
glue line edge.

At this point, I definitely have no need for anything but glue, clamps and
cauls. Hardly need cauls if everything is prepped to perfection..


Jack consider also that when thinking about a joint even an edge joint we
typically do not consider lthe board having a less than desirable edge. I
work with a lot of red oak and the edge of a perfectly straight board may
very well have grain that runs at an angle to the edge and eventually will
open up on the edge of the board. It is true that glue is most often
stronger than the wood itself so the joint line is unlikely to break. BUT
the wood itself is often weaker than the glue line and the extra tennon and
or biscuit in that joint adds strength to the board in from the joint line .
I have seen glued up boards break right beside the joint line along a weak
grain line. The better tennon or biscuit will help to reinforce the weaker
areas of of the board near the joint line.