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Howard,
I think the work-around with the "infeed" and "outfeed" being in the same plane is also handled by backing in the blade as you shoot your final cuts. The blade is just barely sticking out shaving a very thin slice. This and the slight pressure behind the blade gets the straight cut.

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Wade
Nashua, NH
http://www.wadefx.com

[QUOTE=Howard Klepper] I hate to hijack, but the basic question has been answered.

Something that has bothered me for years about jointing with a plane:

If a machine jointer has to have the outfeed table flush with the cutter, and the infeed a bit lower to cut a straight jointing surface, then how can a hand plane do it with the "infeed" and "outfeed" in the same plane and the cutter sticking up from that plane? If you set up a machine jointer like that, you would not get a true cut.[/QUOTE]
Howard I'm glad you brought this up. I have had this same thought. I like to know the answer to this too.

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

[QUOTE=KHageman] I like using a shooting board with a 36 inch level. I attach sandpaper along
the solid edge of the level and use it to true the joing. Has worked great for
me. [/QUOTE]
I think I like the idea of this method the best. If i'm gonna do it by hand. I have seen this method before in wood working magazines.

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Guitars, guitars and more guitars.

Thanks, Hesh. You posted a tutorial on the way you like to joint and glue
tops that I bookmarked. I thought the straightedge was pretty innovative
and was looking forward to using mine, haha.

By uniform pressure, do you mean uniform in front and behind of the
iron?

When I was running the school's shop in college, making manipulatives
for the math dept., I joined a few tops and backs on the Delta Unisaw of
all things. High quality blade and a sled. I have a video of it.    

Lots of great ideas in this thread. I like Mike's use of a router.

For me the reason to use a plane is the quality of the glue surface. I have no doubt you can make a tight joint with any number of methods. But check Hoadleys book for close-up pictures of surfaces that have been planed, sanded, and machine finished. But, maybe I'm just old school (just ask my 17 year old daughter).

                           Peace, Paul

There's a point where good enough is good enough. If you have tight glue lines that are virtually invisible and will not break, it's good enough. Doesn't matter how you got there from here.   If the quality of the glue surface is good enough with a jointer, it's good enough. More labor does not necessarily equate with higher quality.

I use my Rigid 6" jointer, its worked perfectly every time right out of the box with no set-up.

What extra labor? - I can shoot a joint with a plane just as fast as I can walk over to the jointer and do it.

                        Paul

Each system works fine....Though I can't imagine a better joint than those I get with a properly set up jointer, Geez, I can't even find the joint/glue line most of the time without some serious looking and it takes 1-2 passes....10 seconds at most!

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars