I am close to finishing my windows. My wife told me that when I finish with the windows, she will buy me a planer.
I look back on all stationary tools I used (since most were bought new). Used all of it, but notice the bandsaw and drill press weren't used much. Wonder if getting a planer would be best investment of all, since then I would be able to buy rough lumber (cheaper)? I don't have a jointer.
Chuck
Chuck wrote: My wife told me that when I finish with the windows, she will buy me a planer.
I look back on all stationary tools I used (since most were bought new). Used all of it, but notice the bandsaw and drill press weren't used much. Wonder if getting a planer would be best investment of all, since then I would be able to buy rough lumber (cheaper)? I don't have a jointer.
Don't kid yourself, or your wife. You'll want both. Tom
And then you could probably sell the planer to some guy in Houston....! Tom
Before I even get into it, I'll admit that I have a planer, but no jointer. With that out of the way...
I'd be willing to bet you'd get more good use out of a jointer- The two tools obviously do different things, but a jointer does more of those different things. Aside from flattening stock, it can be used to cut rabbets, and it works with both edge and face grain with most stock. You *can* thickness with a jointer, but there's no guarantee that the two faces will be parallel.
The planer, on the other hand, only surfaces the wood and brings it down to required thickness- if it is already warped, you need to have an 80% flat surface, which means jointer or handplane in a lot of cases. But unlike the jointer, the two faces are parallel.
They're really a tandem team, but the jointer is more useful (IMO) right out of the box- I have saved some money by having the planer by buying rough stock, but that stock has to be in pretty good shape to make the planer useful- otherwise it ends up being a lot of work, and it's very possible that the money you saved by buying rough wood is offset by the time you spend doing prep.
Well you have to start with one or the other (unless you have enough cash). I got my jointer first but my planer followed closely after. My father had a planer for years with no jointer, so you have to decide. You will buy one and then realize that the other is necessary to what you want to do. I personally would buy the jointer and then the planer but everyone is different.
Lars
Truly, a conundrum. If I were in your position (I was) I'd be tempted to get a drum sander ala Performax (not Delta).
While not as fast as a planer it *can* be used with coarse grit to dress rough lumber effectively. It does a credible job of face joining too. I mostly use my joiner (don't have a planer) for doing edges but those can also be done on a router table.
If I had to get rid of alll stationary tools save saw and one other the "one other" would be the drum sander.
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That last sentence is a real conversation starter. I thought about it a while as I recently contemplated a temporary move to San Francisco. Having a 20x30' shop was out of the question, so I had to think small. I was getting around to thinking small good workbench, hand planes, and my beloved bosch jig saw with a broom and dust pan to do dust collection. :-)
Bob
Wow, thanks for the replies! Without owning a jointer, I just don't see myself would use it much? Also, since I plan to start buying lumber from Kettle Moriane Hardwares (Hartford, WI), they have a huge planer. I bought few boards from them before and all they do is pull out the stock I want, throw it in their planer, then it's done (only 50 cents per pass). But no jointer?
I just thought instead of having them planer for me, I would do it myself at home? BTW, I have a 8' JointAbility (again, not use much lately).
I did thought about a jointer some time ago (when I was dreaming of having a woodshop). With all the threads about 6" vs. 8", I decided on JET 8" jointer. Now, that will be lot of money, plus will need a different electrical plug (higher voltage).
I will have to think about it now. Maybe I will still let my wife buy me a planer, maybe the DeWalt 13"?
Chuck
Why not get an european style jointer/planer combination machine?
Web link?
I hardly use mine, but when I do I hammer it for a couple of days solid and save myself a fortune by buying rough timber rather than commercially planed. It's an excellent investment.
I'm still surprised just how useful my bandsaw was.
CNT wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:
Check on actual sources of rough lumber for the cost differences. In my area, rough lumber is in limited availability, and not priced significantly lower, unless I am willing & able to deal with it green. All of my green stock is now fuel for the lathe, so ...
S3S from a good, volume supplier is SO much easier to deal with that the jointer and planer have far less work to do. That's good, because there are parts of the process I enjoy a lot more than initial stock prep.
YMMV
Patriarch
Perhaps because they cost more than a jointer and a planer put together?
Steve
CNT wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:
The nice thing about having your own is the ability to work your own finished pieces to the thickness you want for that part.
Not everything should be +/- 3/4" thick.
Patriarch
on 7/28/2005 3:57 PM Patriarch said the following:
Exactly my reason for buying a planer. Thinking of stock for drawer sides, etc. Essentially, anything other that 3/4" or 4/4" boards.
Recycling some pine shelves. Rip to width, resaw, and then clean them up and thickness/clean them up with the planer.
While it's true that the price differential - not even considering the availability of rough wood - between surfaced boards and rough may not be all that great, the planer is just what you need when you want some drawer stock at ½" or less for that nightstand or jewelry box you're making.
Can you buy the half inch or 3/8" stock? Sure, but you WILL pay for it and probably have to look around to find it.
With the emphasis on sources, not just grades..
Rough vs. planed is a tiny saving, if I buy them both from the shiny, tidy retail shop. But if I can deal with it rough, then I can buy from the tree hippies instead, who only cost a quarter as much and have nicer timber.
Andy Dingley wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
My tree hippies are at least a 100 mile round trip. Or more. While we're not paying Euro prices for fuel yet, it's still a ways, for my meager volume. The deal has to be GOOD.
The bigger the volume, the better the cost savings. As usual.
Patriarch
Same here. My main supplier will put the boards throughthe big planer and take it to size in one pass. Included inthe price.
Every time I think about getting a jointer, something else comes up that just seems like more fun. Some day I'll have one, but I'm not in a rush. Can't get by without my planer though. Good for cleanup after resaw. Good for thing that you don't want to be 3/4" because that is the stock you have on hand.
If I was cutting and air drying my own wood, the story would be different. I'm not so I'll stick with planer first.
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