On The Skid
I needed to joint the faces of the glue joints for a wheel made from limbs. The faces were too short to safely run over my jointer. I needed some way to hold the stock while running over the jointer.
Sometimes the best solution to a problem is also the simplest. It always takes me a while to sort through the various complicated options; realize they won’t work; and begin looking for an idea that will work.
That proved to be the case this time. After trying several designs, I settled on a sled or skid to which I can clamp the item to be jointed. I made this from a piece of 3 x 3 inches x 2 feet cottonwood jointed square on all four surfaces. Joint the bottom about 4 inches back and approximately 1/8 inch deep. Make pencil marks across the surface of the small piece to be jointed. Clamp this small piece to be jointed to the skid, make sure the face to be jointed is down against the infeed table. Raise the table to cut about 1/16 inch or less deep. Turn on the jointer. Hold the back end of the skid firmly down against the infeed table. Push the skid forward until the small piece has gone past the jointer knives. Raise the back end of the skid to clear the knives, and check to see if all the pencil marks have been cut away. If necessary, lower the table a little and joint again.
Ellis Hein, author of The Woodturner’s Project Book
Wood Turned Art 