Going straight: Cutting crooked boards

Over the past few years I've built several projects using hardwood lumber, including African mahogany, white oak, cherry, and black walnut.

To keep costs down, I bought rough-sawn boards and milled them myself to the finished dimensions, an approach that takes longer, but is worth the effort: rough-sawn lumber typically costs $1 to $3 less per board foot than boards that are planed smooth and jointed square.

However, the edges of rough boards are wavy and uneven, making it challenging to rip them straight. I used to tack a long straightedge to the board and rip one edge straight with a circular saw. Then, cut the remaining edge straight on a table saw. 

That two-saw technique worked fine, but it's a bit tedious, especially when you've got several boards to rip straight. I recently found a much faster, simpler solution.

I purchased an E-Z Jointer Clamp Kit from General Tools, which allows me to rip any board straight using just the table saw. The kit includes two extruded aluminum clamps, and each clamp has two screw-down rods. Simply install a straight-edge board under one side of the clamps and tighten the rough-sawn board under the opposite sides.

Then run the clamped-up assembly through the table saw with the straight-edge board against the rip fence. Once one edge is ripped straight, remove the board from the clamps and rip the remaining edge straight on the table saw.

Each clamp features a swing-out stabilizer arm that provides the necessary support when ripping extra-wide boards.

The E-Z Jointer Clamp Kit retails for about $21, but I found mine online for $15.