Replies

1. 
   rwjiudice | Dec 29, 2006 03:40am | #1

   I've always used a planar for surfaces and my 6"jointer for edges. I've got a decent size shop and don't see need for anything bigger than a 6"er.

1. 
   amazon | Jan 03, 2007 11:30pm | #25

   Like posting previously, unless you custom make a planer sled, getting a square board is nearly impossible to do with just a planer.I bought a Delta X5 6" for the digable price of $350 that included the mobile base. That said, I wish I had got a larger jointer. I'm planning on selling the 6" jointer off and going with a much larger model on a Jointer/Planter combo from Felder or Minimax. I was a newbie-type when I bought it, but I very quickly outgrew its size.Always go bigger if you can afford it.

2. 
   Troy | Dec 29, 2006 03:48am | #2

   The wider jointers are nice for flattening bigger stock but you can work around the issue with shop space being tight you often have to compromise, your other alternatives would be a european combination jointer planer. One thing you can count on if you have a 6" jointer you will want to flatten 7" wide boards and if you have a 8" jointer you will want to flatten 9" boards ect.

   Good luck

3. 
   Glaucon | Dec 29, 2006 03:48am | #3

   I think you'll be disappointed if you only joint the edge- you'll have many (most, ~all) boards out of square. This will be a recipe for frustration.

   I'd recommend an 8" jointer- I have a Grizzly, and I've never regretted the purchase. As opposed to a TS and many other power tools, I use my jointer on every project.

   If price/space is an issue, you could get a 6", but I think you would probably be looking to upgrade to 8" within 2 years. There are ways to use a planer to achieve a "jointed" face, but they are a kludge. If most of your projects use sheet goods for panels, etc. you could get by. Lastly, you could limit yourself to 6" boards and joint larger pieces by hand. A used Bailey #7 can be had for ~$75, with a little time and effort it could do the trick for wider pieces.

   In the end, you will probably want to upgrade to an 8" jointer... mine is on a mobile base so it rolls out of the way fairly easily (or as easily as 500 lbs can roll...)

   Good luck,

   Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...

   
   

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   Edited 12/28/2006 11:21 pm ET by Glaucon

4. 
   Samson | Dec 29, 2006 05:03am | #4

   Perhaps you should get a 22" jointer:

   http://www.lie-nielsen.com/catalog.php?grp=1264

   If electric you must (Yoda speak), a planer can joint wide boards if you make a sled jig.  I personally find electric jointers rather challenging tools to obtain consistent good results from (but no doubt that's more my short coming than the tool's) especially when it comes to face jointing.  I often use my planes to get one face flat, then run the board through the planer.   

5. 
   bones | Dec 29, 2006 06:58am | #5

   Well, I have been planning on upgrading my 6" Delta for about 9 months now, so I have researched this thing to death.  I bought the 6" many moons ago because I did not have the bucks to go bigger. I wish I had a nickle for every time I regretted not waiting till I had the bucks for the 8". I know you are tight on space, but a jointer is (to me a critical part). I think (again my two cents worth) the longer the table the better. My 6" is very short, so not easy to control any real boards of size. I have worked around it by cutting my stock down to near final dimension and flattening a single face on a shorter piece.  For wider boards I either rip it down and joint and reglue, or use the LN # 7 to do the job, which it can, but you use sweat instead of power(no ear mufs required either).  Put it up against the wall and go as big as you can afford.  Me I'm down to Grizzly 8" or 10". They have a good reputation, and I have other Grizzly stuff that is very good. It just depends on how long I can wait before I pull the trigger.  I have my sights on the g0490 8" for 750 (parallelogram table), or there is a 12" for 1,495(parallel table). My heart says go for the 12", but brain says go with the 8" and use the other bucks for someting else.  Decisions decisions.  Good luck!

   
   

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   Edited 12/30/2006 1:12 pm ET by bones

6. 
   Alan Az | Dec 29, 2006 02:29pm | #6

   I just went through this process.  I ended up getting an 8" Yorkcraft (YC8J) from Wilke Machinery.  They are currently on sale for $599 + shipping.  I am still putting it together but so far I am happy with the fit and finish and Wilke's customer service has been excellent.  They helped me deal with a shipping problem and they went above and beyond.  In discussions here in Knots, Sawmill Creek, Magazines, and several classes one thing became clear to me.  Get the best you can with the money you can afford.  I also decided that the 8" would be better than the 6" not just for the added width, but mainly for the length.  Being disabled, and middle-aged, having the extra stability the longer bed gives me is critical for my safety as well as making it easier to get a better jointed board. 

   Using the planer for jointing the faces will not work, unless you build a sled.  I believe that you would not be happy with the results.

   Here is a link to the YC8J jointer:

   http://www.wilkemachinery.com/default.tpl?action=full&cart=1167390727100781&--eqskudatarq=2349

   Alan

   Started Learning, Still Learning, and will never know enough

7. 
   MikeHennessy | Dec 29, 2006 03:22pm | #7

   I too have what used to be a *small* one-car garage for a shop. At one end, I have my 6" jointer. To use it, I must first dig it out of the pile of stuff that accumulates on/around it and take off the sheet that covers it and roll it into the center of the shop. I do that about once a year -- if I HAVE to.

   I get almost all my stock rough from a local mill. I carefully select it to be a straight as possible. If I find a really nice piece with a bit of wind that I like, I'll spend 10 minutes on it with a scrub plane first to put it right. Otherwise, I rip one edge of each board with a [brand name intentionally left out <G>] straightedge guide/CS to get a straight reference edge. I find that, for me, this is quicker than trying to accurately joint a straight edge on an 8'-10' board. I then rip the other edge on the TS, using the previously cut edge as a reference. Then I run it through a thickness planer, removing equal amounts from both sides. Again, if there is any problem during this stage, it can be easily corrected in a few minutes with a scrub plane. I rarely have any difficulty doing it this way and when I do (about once a year), I'll resort to the jointer. I guess if I had a shop with plenty of space, I'd have a 12" jointer somewhere where it could be easily used and I'd actually use it. As it is, I make do and it really doesn't affect the quality of my work.

   I guess that's a long-winded way of saying that if space is at a premium in your shop, you need to weigh how much you NEED a biger jointer on the one hand against the loss of space on the other. Me? I'd rather have the extra space -- or maybe an extra tool!

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   ptu | Dec 30, 2006 12:22am | #8

   I unfortunately waited way to long to buy a jointer, I wished I had made it a priority tool when I set up my shop, be that as it may, I bought a secondhand Delta 6" jointer, and am very happy I did. I use it all the time to straighten the edge of boards. I flatten the sides in my planer, and so have never wished for a 8" jointer. I have made a portable infeed table for it so I can easily edge 8', or 10' boards. This is all I think I will ever need with the work I do.

8. 
   stantheman | Dec 30, 2006 01:26am | #9

   akg1776

   first question for any tool purchase is ..... what are you going to make?  If you will have significant number of boards >6" wide, then yes. 

   Sure, bigger is always better, but is it worth it if you only need the extra size once in  a blue moon?  there are work-arounds for everything if it it is an infrequent need. But I know I can wrestle my 6" jointer around if I need to, but 8"  is a major obstacle in a hobbyist shop. 

9. 
   Quickstep | Dec 30, 2006 04:31pm | #10

   I waited until I could afford the 8" and I'm glad I did. The thing that mostly attracted me to the 8" was the longer beds, so I could accuately joint longer stock. I originally got it with the intention of using it for edge jointing, but then began using it for face jointing and oh what a difference in my work! It's amazing what happens when you start with flat wood. I do a bit of frame and panel work and it's amazing what a difference it makes to have really flat frames and panels. I too am space constrained. I put the jointer on a mobile base and roll it out of the way when necessary.

10. 
    SteveSchoene | Dec 30, 2006 08:31pm | #11

    The planer alone just doesn't do the job.  It doesn't really flatten boards, only the jointer does that.  Planer's just make boards of equal thickness--jointers can't do that.  Consequently you really do need both.  Wider is better.  Confining yourself to 6" wide boards gets restrictive very fast, unless you are planning to only make small boxes.  That's why I strongly urge going with the 8" if at all possible.  (I have a 16" jointer/planer combo that replaced my 8" jointer.) 

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 31, 2006 07:11am | #15

   "Planer's just make boards of equal thickness"  When helping a newbie, I also find it useful to explain that a planer makes one face parallel to the other.  That helps explain why the jointer works in tandem with the planer to mill boards.  forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 31, 2006 08:14am | #18

   I like your wording better. 

2. 
   Glaucon | Dec 31, 2006 05:28pm | #19

   <"When helping a newbie...">Helping a newbie??? When did we start doing that??! LOL... lately it has seemed like open season on newbies around Knots. Happy New Year FG (god bless us, every one...).Glaucon

   If you don't think too good, then don't think too much...

2. 
   Samson | Dec 31, 2006 07:46am | #16

   It doesn't really flatten boards, only the jointer does that. 

   That may be a tad too absolute, as with a sled, a planer can make boards flat.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 31, 2006 08:13am | #17

   Sure, sleds can be used--but that's just a work around.  To have to do that every time I had a board wider than 6" would be a real pain.  Eight inches wide better suits the commercial reality of what lumber is available. 

1. 
   pzaxtl | Jan 03, 2007 07:35pm | #23

   Actually, it is possible to joint a board wider than 6" on a 6" jointer (I do it all the time since that is the jointer size I have).  However, it is not a technique I would recommend to a self-described "newbie".

   Michael

1. 
   akg1776 | Jan 03, 2007 07:47pm | #24

   I'd consider myself graduated from "newbie" status and entering into "senior newbie".  Been learning for the last two and a half years.  Never used a jointer before though...

2. 
   pzaxtl | Jan 04, 2007 01:00am | #26

   Sorry!  I didn't mean to impugn your skill or experience level -- I was simply picking up the term from a previous poster, thinking that you were just making your initial foray into woodworking.  Although, there is no shame in being a "newbie" -- all of us were at one time.

   Michael

3. 
   akg1776 | Jan 04, 2007 03:41am | #27

   No worries, inpugn away.  Just got up from my garage and demoted myself back to newbie.  I'll get there one of these days!

11. 
    bleubassplyr | Dec 31, 2006 12:24am | #12

    If you want to quickly and efficiently flatten and edge a rough board you should get a jointer. I had a 6" jet that worked well for what it was. It was too small and the beds were too short. I researched 8" jointers and ended up lucking out and finding a 12" Grizzly used. It works perfectly, has more width than I need most of the time, and ended up costing less than a new 8" jointer. If you buy a 6" jointer you WILL regret it every time you see a beautiful board that happens to be 7 1/2" wide. An 8" jointer will allow you the freedom to choose from 90% of the boards out there.

    There are more old drunkards than old doctors.  Ben Franklin

12. 
    BarryO | Dec 31, 2006 12:51am | #13

    For a hobbyist with limited space and budget, if I were to get rough lumber and faced both sides on a planer and jointed one edge, how out of wack would the finished board end up?

    This will produce a board with one straight edge, and with two smooth faces on a board with constant thickness.  However, the board will only be flat if you're lucky and/or start with a flat board to begin with.  This is because all a planer does is produce a smooth surface (the top) that's a constant thickness away from the bottom, but if the bottom is curved/twisted, then the top will end up being curved/twisted as well.

13. 
    kcgolfer | Dec 31, 2006 07:00am | #14

    It seems every door or panel I make is over 12" wide.  It now takes three boards instead of two with just the 6" jointer.  I'd go with the 8" in a heartbeat if I could do it again.  Your purchase will depend on what you are making......

     

     

14. 
    terrylee86 | Dec 31, 2006 08:04pm | #20

    I think Allan AZ gave you the best advice.  I have Bridgewood and Grizzly and they are both good for certain machines.  That machine on sale is a good machine for the price.  Get a mobile base for it and wheel it around when you need it.  You will be happier with an 8" machine for all the reasons given.

15. 
    akg1776 | Jan 03, 2007 04:30pm | #21

    Thanks to all for the input.  I'm fairly certain after reading all the feedback that I'll be going with the 8".  Thanks and happy new year.

    Drew

1. 
   bones | Jan 03, 2007 06:16pm | #22

   What every you get and what ever brand, do the rest of us a favor and do a review here. It will help us smucks who go after you make our decision.  Enjoy the new toy.