Portable Planer vs. Planer/Jointer

mvettori · Post by **mvettori** » Fri May 18, 2007 11:05 am

A question for the carpenters out there...

I have a few dollars to spend and I'm looking to add to my workshop. I've been spending a lot of money lately at the local mill getting wood planed down for different projects, so I'd like to invest in a planer. I heard in different circles that a 6" planer/jointer is a better choice than a 13" portable planer becuase it is more versatile.

Not knowing how a jointer/planer works or how it may differ from a portable planer, I was wondering if anyone out there had any thoughts/advice on the subject?

Mike

Woodchuck · Post by **Woodchuck** » Fri May 18, 2007 2:48 pm

Mike, Your talking about two different pieces of equipment... The jointer or jointer/planer, as some people call it, is the one with the long thin input and output tables with a horizontal "planer" which holds the cutting blades in the middle. It is used primarily to "flatten" a board or to "straigthen" the edge of a board. A 6" planer is capable of planing a board 6" wide, i.e. a 8" planes a board up to 8" wide. Go online under google photo's and enter jointer and/or planer and you can see all kinds of examples. The thickness planer is generally a 4 post machine with a cutting head that raises up and down to plane the thickness of a board. I have a 12 1/2" Dewalt planer and absolutely love it but the new 13" is even better. I now start all my projects with rough sawn stock and plane down my own. It saves a bunch of money and if you start with straight stock, IMHO you can get away without ever having a jointer. I hope this helps...
CYA, Joe

Glen Smith · Post by **Glen Smith** » Fri May 18, 2007 3:20 pm

As Joe says, the planer will see much more work than the jointer in boat building projects. I have both and the jointer pretty well gathers dust but the planer gets used on every rough board I purchase. Even if a board isn't perfectly straight, you can get a workable straight edge on it using the tablesaw and a long fence.

RonMc1954 · Post by **RonMc1954** » Fri May 18, 2007 4:39 pm

I agree with the above. I have both and the jointer is collecting dust!
Ronmc1954

Kerry · Post by **Kerry** » Fri May 18, 2007 7:27 pm

There are combination machines called planer/jointers - here's one: http://www.toolcenter.com/25-010.html, but indeed maybe you are really talking about a jointer.

If your boards are not flat to begin, it's possible to build a sled to hold the wood while you pass it through a thickness planer to flatten (or joint) one face. Some people are quite happy doing this. I have both a jointer and a planer, and use them both, but the planer does get more use.

I guess it depends what you're going to be doing, and what kind of boards you're able to purchase.

Cheers and best wishes with the decision,
Kerry