I've used a No.5 jack plane to join boards before every time I think I have it down, though, I have a humbling experience. Then I figured it was because I was using a $30 Buck Bro's plane, so I invested in a $100 Stanley. Still hit or miss. So now I look at the $300 Veritas jointer plane with fence- MAYBE it'll help me. But maybe I'll be $430 into planes at that point and still have troubles. I have learned all of this throug an absent teacher- YouTube videos, forums like this one. I think I need an old guy to show me the way of the plane in person... I am typing this via iPhone as I lean on the Porter Cable bench joiner at Lowes. I'm going to give this thing a try, but I don't intend to quit planes all together (I rely on it for my arm contours still).
I'm at a crossroads now. I bought tools that are sufficient for building a few guitars, but now that I'm trying to build 6 bodies per week, my tools aren't cutting it. I threw away my Ryobi router and bought 3 Porter Cable routers instead. I'm streamlining every aspect of my building process, but when I score rough lumber like this, the edges stop me before I even start. It's just been a reoccurring problem that I can't seem to lock down. I've got my trusted methods I use for everything else, now that I've made around 100 bodies, but not a tool in my shop can create a straight, square edge! My dad asked me last week if I could cut a random piece of wood for him, and in a room full of guitars I made from scratch, I had to tell him I wasn't able to do it! Grrrrrr....