Planer/Jointer help

You don’t need a drill press and you can make your own router table
out of scrap.

Are you in an isolated area where buying a used jointer off ebay or Craigslist
is not an option?

Consumer woodworking machinery loses close to half its retail value
when it goes to the used market, so if you want to stretch your budget,
buy used and sell when you want to upgrade and buy used again.

I don’t need a drill press but it’s definitely nice to have, and I could make a router table but my abilities aren’t there yet, I don’t like to buy used tools, i would like to know that I am getting a brand new tool and that if something goes wrong it can go back, there’s also no way to tell how a tool has been treated no matter how good it looks…..id rather wait to get a new one then buy something I’m not sure of because it’s cheaper. Whatever I buy I need to last me, right now the only tools I want but don’t have are planer, jointer, bandsaw, drill press, router table. I can make do without these tools but I would much rather have them and I’m just trying to figure out the best way to go about it.

Just a quick note: router tables are very easy. My first real woodworking project was a router table. It was nothing but a flat surface (3/4” melamine on top of 3/4” plywood) supported by a plywood box. All made from scrap. Only expense was the special glue for laminating the melamine to plywood. Oh and I spent another $30 for a fancy power switch from Rockler. Believe me: if I can do it, anyone can.

Schuft, I do think I could build a simple router table but if I’m going to build one I’d want to build the table that I pictured myself having. Drawers for storage and just much more then a simple router table to get me by….I have been fighting myself on whether to buy one or wait and just build one and I’m still not sure what to do so I’ll probably hold off for now and focus on a jointer…...I’m looking at a grizzly jointer but I have heard bad things about they’re shipping process and have heard of things arriving damaged. Quick side note. I bought a track saw from dynamitetoolco.com and the track for the saw came bent like a V. I couldn’t believe that they would send something like that, I don’t know who bent it them or ups but it was completely unacceptable, ill never buy from them again

I filled my shop with old, used tools. Most from the sixties and fifties. My handtools are just about all older than me. I have planes and chisels 100 years old and more, they have proven they can last. Besides the money I saved, I think the quality of the tools is much better. I haven’t had near as much trouble from my old tools as my new ones. Most of the old tools can be fixed, not so with some of the new ones. I am willing to give up all the frills and electronics that now control everything we own in order to own tools that I understand, can fix and use without a degree in engineering. I prefer things to be simple and uncomplicated. It is possible to buy tools cheaply without ending up with a bunch of cheap tools. It takes time and some work but it can be done. It can be pretty rewarding, especially when you’re on a limited budget, to put together complete shop that is capable of producing the same quality work as shops costing much more. Regardless of cost, the best tools in the world are worthless in the hands of someone that doesn’t know how to use them. I know it works for me. I think I enjoy the hunt for tools as much as using them!

-- Every day above ground is a good day!!!

What do you think you will need a planer for? Unless you’re planing rough cut lumber or glued up panels most lumber is sufficently planed that it can be sanded smooth. A jointer in indespensible for woodworking, you need straight smooth edges and a joiner’s about the only way to accomplish that.

I’ve been using a 6” Powermatic for over 10 years in my cabinet shop and I can’t thing of a single time I’ve used more than 1 1/2 ” of the cutter, mostly just 3/4”. Jet and Powermatic are basiclly the same machine.

A planer is a nice machine to have if you are going to justify it’s cost. I’ve had a Powermatic 15” about as long as the joiner and I mainly only use it to plane down cabinet door panels before running them through the drum sander. I can order my stock planed for just a few cents more than unplaned, isn’t worth the time for me to plane it. I do order it oversize because their planer leaves a lot ot be desired for a finish.

If money is limited, and whose isn’t these days, I would spring for a good joiner and just buy stock that doesn’t need planing for now. Later on if you still feel the need you can get one and you’ll have 2 quality machines. Jusy MHO.

Rick