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Planer or joiner?

3K views 53 replies 31 participants last post by  knotscott 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've never been around either so to you folks out there that know much more than me….. which should I get first and why?
My main purpose would b to clean up rough cut lumber.
 
#3 ·
A planer makes a board flat on one side. A planer makes the other side not flat match the flat side. So you need both.
You also need a table saw trued so you can cut a jointed board square. If you joint the board then cut it with the table saw off because it does not cut true you are in trouble. I would say buy a good table saw and jointer then buy a planer.
 
#4 · (Edited by Moderator)
A jointer makes a board flat on one side. A planer uses that flat side as a reference and trues the opposite face. So you need a jointer first.
Fixed that for you.

A thickness planer has rollers in it that push the board through as well as push it down some. Because the planer only 'sees' a small portion of the board at a time, if you plane a bowed board, you'll end up with a bowed board. You need the jointer (or hand planes) to make one face flat first, otherwise the planer is mostly useless.

That being said, there are varying opinions. You'll have to decide which one is more useful for you to own first, but in the end goal is to have both as they compliment each other.
 
#5 ·
To add to that, I've read some articles that suggest purchasing the planer first. Then you would purchase already milled lumber (often 13/16" thick) and use the thickness planer to bring it down to the thickness you want to work with.

My problem with this approach, is that milled lumber still moves. I'm lucky to have a specialty lumber store nearby. Everything they sell is Kiln dried and kept in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. Their wood is as stable as you could ask for. However, my basement is not. My basement is drier than most and underground enough where the temp is fairly consistent year round, yet I've had boards that started perfectly true at the store warp overnight. At that point they need to be jointed again.

Point is, I can do things with the jointer that don't require owning a planer too. But there's almost nothing I can do with the planer without first using the jointer. YMMV.
 
#8 ·
Ask yourself :
What size lumber will you be cleaning up ?
How wide are the boards?
In my case I use my jointer every week. I use my planer every six months…...maybe.
I started with table saw and a jointer. I added planer to shop MANY years later,
Each woodworker will have a different preference.
 
#10 ·
Another vote for planer first. I have a planer, I don't own a jointer.

Planer is for thickness, not flattening. Jointers are for making a truly flat surface or edge. But you can use a table saw sled or clamp on straight edge and table saw to make a jointed edge. There are even ways to make a jointer fence for a table saw (though I have no experience with those).

As Slider mentioned, you can use a sled with a planer. I've done this a lot. Like any machine a jointer does a specific job very fficiently. And if you need it a lot, then sure buy one. If you only need it occasionally, there are good alternatives.

And don't forget, both planing and jointing can be done with hand planes.
 
#11 ·
I vote for jointer first - even though I bought a planer first. Flat and square are the basic prerequisites for most woodwork, and the material you buy is more likely to be of consistent thickness than with straight edges. In a pinch, a jointer will get you closer to thickness than a planer will to flat.

Like canadianchips, I find I use the jointer much more often than the planer. (Get a long bed.)
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
A jointer flattens a true reference face across the length of a board, and squares a reference edge adjacent to that face. A planer makes two faces parallel with each other to a uniform thickness, though it can provide some flattening via the reduction of high points.

Having both a jointer and a planer is best because it's the most efficient and accurate method. If I had to choose one I'd go with the planer first, because with the help of a planer sled, a planer can be coaxed into doing one of the primary tasks of a jointer….flattening a face. Then you can square the edge using a TS or router technique, which ultimately gets you the flat reference face and a squared reference edge that a jointer provides, then you can go about obtaining a uniform thickness and two parallel slides from the planer as intended. It's next to impossible to get the jointer to do the tasks of a planer however.

You can also get a board flat enough with a hand plane to finish the flattening with the planer, if you're adept with a hand plane and understand the process.

Worth noting is that many folks use just the planer (without a jointer or planer sled) to get a "flatter" surface without obtaining a true reference face, and try to square the edge from there . The issue I see with that process is that the "flatter" surface, isn't uniformly flat across the entire length of the board, meaning that the squared edge isn't necessarily a true 90° to face. This can suffice, but is more likely to produce less exacting results.

A planer using a planer sled to flatten a face:




Jointer:
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
There are times you wish you had a jointer
I vote for jointer first - even though I bought a planer first. Flat and square are the basic prerequisites for most woodwork, and the material you buy is more likely to be of consistent thickness than with straight edges. In a pinch, a jointer will get you closer to thickness than a planer will to flat.

Like canadianchips, I find I use the jointer much more often than the planer. (Get a long bed.)

- RogR
You know a heavy amount of wood is purchased everyday without the need for a jointer. Most suppliers don't even sell rough lumber or will with no deduction in cost. Most wood purchased is surfaced and edged before purchase..
 
#14 ·
You need both as they do completeley diff purposes. If I could only get one then I'd get the planer as you can set it up to be a jointer, but by default a planer only gives you two parallel surfaces. You can create a sled with wedges to joint a surface then plane.

I'd get the planer, and buy a #7 or #8 jointer plane. You could start your work by jointing 1 surface flat then plane to parallel.

I did this for a long time. I suggest you find a copy of Rob Cosmons rough to ready great vid.

Power is easier for sure, I have a 12" jointer now an an 18" planer, but a hand plane will get it done. Good luck.
 
#16 ·
If you have hand planes, a good bench and
sharpening equipment, you can do without
both. Considering the low prices and enormous
labor savings of benchtop planers, I suggest
getting the planer first unless you can find
a used 6" jointer for $150 or less in your area.
 
#17 · (Edited by Moderator)
Im not really new to wood working just new to trying to build out of anything other than store bought pine.
That said my original thought was to get a planer. I do know that it will not actually make a crooked board flat but my plan was to get a couple metal studs and use them as a sled to run them through then once both sides are flat I can move over to my table saw (also with long metal stud along the fence) to clean up an square the sides. I do have a small assortment of hand planes as well.
Does this sound like a decent plan?
Ideally Id probably have both machines but IF I can only get one to get me by a while this seems lik the best plan….Am I over looking anything?
Also I don't make furniture grade stuff. The biggest project Id like to undertake soon is putting boards on the inside walls of a potion of my building. 8ft tall by 20ft long. I already hav some barn lumber for this job but it needs cleaned up and I really don't want to do that much with hand planes
 
#19 ·
While you can get by with a planer and sled, the jointer is a one-trick pony. You can't effectively thickness with a jointer. But with a planer sled, and time, you can square a face. A table saw jig can get you pretty close for an edge. I've been getting by with a planer and a sled for some time while I save up for a jointer.
 
#21 ·
Another take on that issue is that a concave board will be very unstable entering a machine jointer. 16 years ago, a chattery board led to a shaved off fingertip (no bone thankfully) that took weeks to heal . Since then I either don't bother with warped boards or use a hand plane to take care of the worst outlying portions. The planer then does a much more controlled job with convexities. Thus a #7 or #8 jointer plane and a 13' power planer will take care of most jobs.
 
#22 ·
You know a heavy amount of wood is purchased everyday without the need for a jointer. Most suppliers don t even sell rough lumber or will with no deduction in cost. Most wood purchased is surfaced and edged before purchase..

- JackDuren
If you are buying S4S chances are that it is already accurately thicknessed … so what is your planer for? I would not rely on my tablesaw for edges accurate enough to glue together and honestly, I would sooner slit my wrists that mess with a planer sled to flatten anything.
 
#24 ·
Ideally Id probably have both machines but IF I can only get one to get me by a while this seems like the best plan….
I was contemplating the same question last year (Jointer or Planer) as well, and I purchased the planer (the dewalt 734). With a good rip blade on my TS, a few jigs, and straight edge along with a sled for the planer I haven't seen the need for a jointer.
 
#25 · (Edited by Moderator)
Another vote for the planer. If you have to choose, it's much easier to get good results from a bandsaw or tablesaw jointer jig than from a planer jig.

As for price, if you're dimensioning medium to large lumber you're going to be better off with a 12" planer than a 6" inch jointer. Going bigger on a jointer is going to get pricey, so you're not going to use a it for the broad sides of the boards anyway.

I also don't own a jointer and have never needed one. And everything I make is perfect… right…? hah!
 
#26 ·
Like others, I bought a planner first it's a good tool and helps you get the thickness of wood you want . It is somewhat complicated, it will depend on what kind of wood you buy and what size projects you're making and if the wood your buying stays flat, that has to do with moisture content ,internal stress and species of wood you may use now or in the future. There are other tools that can reduce the thickness of wood like a table saw and band saw but as others have said if your wood is not flat the combination of jointer and planer work very efficiently at flattening and squaring up lumber.
If possible I would suggest you take a beginning class on woodworking and get a feel for some of the woodworking tools , what they do and how they work before you invest in any tools, also do some research on squaring and flatting wood and wood movement. This is the best way to find out what tools you'll need and how they will help your build what you want to build.
best of luck
Jim
 
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