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
Portable Planer vs. Planer/Jointer
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
CYA, Joe
Joe "Woodchuck" Gledhill
Garden City, MI
Garden City, MI
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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.
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
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