Re: Planers versus jointers

McQualude · 2003-08-15T06:02:11+00:00

RickHlavka spaketh...A jointer makes a board flat, it can also true the edges for glue up, cut rabbit joints, cut tapers and curves as well.A planer makes both sides parallel and reduces the thickness of wood.Maybe you don't for flooring if the boards are relatively flat and you have a good blade. My initial woodworking training included a jointer and I am convinced that I must have one, although I have been getting by with hand planes.The sequence I was taught is this:1. flatten one face on the jointer2. true one edge on the jointer, you can rough it out with a TS, cut opposite side parallel with TS, then joint to width3. use planer to make sides parallel and get within a hair of final thickness4. tool the wood5. sand/scrape (I usually use 60-80-120)6. assemble7. final sand/scrape (150-220)I've probably left something out, but I'm sure someone will remind me. You can substitute hand planes during steps 1-3, it's just more labor intensive.

Aug 15, 2003 22 Replies

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Swingman 22 years ago

You're right ... and while I do have all those items on hand, I still wouldn't have taken on that job without the/a jointer.

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RM MS 22 years ago

I kinda agree with you, in that you can live without a jointer if you have to, and if you are willing to fasten temporary pieces of known straight boards or other edges to run against the fence of the table saw. A little twist in flooring is not a big deal, it will be fastened down anyway,and T&G is even better.

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Juergen Hannappel 22 years ago

there are also very nice combination machines, that use the same rotating blades both for planing/jointing and thicknessing, by the simmple effort of having an infeed/outfeed table, a (removable) vertical fence and an additional thicknessing table below that setup. It works very well (at least my fathers Metabo machine, now about 20 years old) and saves a lot of shop space (and money...).

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