Shooting board and a problem back set

[MaineGeezer]

I've got a 4' level that I stick a strip of sandpaper (self-stick) onto, then I sand the edges by sliding the boards along it -- in one direction only, don't go back and forth and be deliberate about applying pressure evenly. It works pretty well, but sometimes after checking the contact I find I have to lean a bit on an end or somethng to get full contact. Getting full contact over 20" or whatever is hard to do!

[ruby@magpage.com]

If your jointer table is long enough (24" or so) you can use it instead of a granite reference surface

Ed

[Morecowbell]

Great suggestion Ed - also provides a built-in fence. I confess I'd like to be able to do this with a plane, but its good to have plan B ready to go - thanks

[rcnewcomb]

Back and forth will produce the problems you mentioned

Guilty as charged.

If your jointer table is long enough (24" or so) you can use it instead of a granite reference surface

My router table seemed to help solve the trouble.

[tippie53]

I used to use my table saw I found 120 grit good for this

[Morecowbell]

My jointer beds aren't quite long enough but the fence is....

[Morecowbell]

Quick update - setup #2 didn't correct my issue, however, using the "tape" method on attempt #3 did. I had two issues: 1) my backs are hand thicknessed so they're not totally uniform thickness at the mating surface, and 2) it took me a while to get them thicknessed and over time they both developed a good twist. The Tape Method is very simple, almost seems too simple, but it worked very well with the advantage of allowing me to feel along the length of the joint to be sure things were even, before weighting them down on a flat board.

I didn't use the jointer fence as a sanding surface but I did use it to show me if I had a flat edge or not. Very helpful to have a good reference.