What planer/jointer or other tools do I need?

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I have a friend who has his own sawmill and he enjoys just milling lumber. He says he doesn't do much with it, he just loves using his sawmill. I see the potential to pick up some nice wood reasonably cheap, which would work out nicely as I'd like to try getting into furniture building a bit more. Problem is, they are 1-2" thick/rough cut. So I'd need to do the rest of the work myself. I don't have the room or money for a big operation so I am wondering what my options are. If I look at something like the Rigid or DeWalt bench top planers I am worried that I'd be running into changing blades all the time just due to the amount of lumber I'd be running through them. Or would they work just fine? Is there something else I need to consider, or would a table saw, jointer and planer be all I need to make use of this stuff?

[Neal Clayton]

table saw, jointer, and planer covers the basic stuff, yup.

steer clear of the small bench top tools.

shop your local craigslist/ebay for used good tools instead, you'll thank us later ;).

as you get more of an idea what you want to do you'll probably want a mortiser, a shaper or router table, and enough clamps to build a mile of fence out of the rails, but that'll come in due time.

[Rick Fisher]

Table saw, Planer, Jointer and a Bandsaw. The rest (stationary tools) are luxury items. :D After that, an SCMS or Radial Arm saw.


edit..

Oh .. and +1 on avoiding the benchtop stuff.

[Neal Clayton]

forgot that furniture people can't live without their bandsaws ;).

i get by with a jigsaw, but i don't build furniture so i can't really relate to missing one being a problem.

[Kent E. Matthew]

My next purchase is going to be a planer. No one around here uses a bench top planer? I religiously monitor craigslist everyday. I am puzzled that with the economic downturn of late there are not any deals out on the list. That site is slow right now.

[Paul Demetropoulos]

Rick,

If I were getting 1"-2" rough cut lumber I would most certainly want a bandsaw. Otherwise you'd be using the tablesaw to resaw the lumber?

[Thomas Pender]

As a hobbyist furniture maker, I use my band saw far more than my table saw, i.e., for almost all ripping operations and all resawing, which is dangerous on a table saw. Once I got my Festool saw and MF table, I started to use my table saw much less - safety issues, ease of use, repeatability, etc. Once I get my Eurpopean Slider, that will change.

Don't forget necessary hand tools as well - an awl, good rulers, chisels, a block plane and good shrpening stuff. In addition, a bench and vises are also important tools. (Hand tools also make much less dust.)

As a tip for a first time buyer of wood working machinery, I also do not endorse using dado baldes on table saws although I have one and many folks use them well, including Norm Abram. I note in Europe that their use is not permitted because they are seen as dangerous. Opinions differ, but that is strong evidence.

However, I could not do as much as I do without my jointer and planer. While I have some nice hand planes, hand planing hundreds of board feet of wood would leave me little time to do much else. A couple of routers and a router table are also good, but use of these tools requires significant practice.

Totally agree with comment about avoiding most types of table top machines, but some planers and the Ridgid Oscillating Spindle Sander are exceptions.

I would definitely try things I could accomplish on a jointer, planer, and tablesaw (especially if you are rich enough to start with a Saw Stop or a European type slider) before graduating to the more complex tools, like shapers, mortisers, etc. Most guys will say buy a tool because you need it, not to have it. Finally, before you go to far, read up on dust collection - take a peak at Bill Pentz' website, but don't be cowed by it.

Good luck. Tool buying is the most slippery slope I know. A before and after picture of my basement shop is hard to contemplate. Our hobby is not cheap, but it is wonderful and as SWMBO says, at least she knows where I am when she hears the cyclone swtich on.

[glenn bradley]

Just to show we all have different opinions; given that you will be getting rough lumber, in order for me:

Bandsaw
Jointer
Planer
Tablesaw

--- everything else ---
Routers
Router table
Drill press
ROS
Cordless drills
Chisels, planes, scrapers, screwdrivers, blah, blah, blah

That's my .02 ;-)

[Neal Clayton]

Rick,

If I were getting 1"-2" rough cut lumber I would most certainly want a bandsaw. Otherwise you'd be using the tablesaw to resaw the lumber?

do people really resaw 2x material?

i start out with 2x rough material for just about everything, other than some 1x 12" wide stuff that i make moldings out of.

by the time a 2x board of any significant length (8 feet or more) is flattened and squared, i'm usually down to 1.75 if not 1.50.

[Rick Fisher]

Resawing 2" stock is pretty common. It allows you to match veneers.

http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m455/jokerbird_photo/P1010602.jpg

This is what I mean. this is a glue up. I seem to remember 3 boards ??

Anyhow.. If you resaw the stock from the same board, you get a very uniform look. So its pretty common.

[Curt Harms]

do people really resaw 2x material?

i start out with 2x rough material for just about everything, other than some 1x 12" wide stuff that i make moldings out of.

by the time a 2x board of any significant length (8 feet or more) is flattened and squared, i'm usually down to 1.75 if not 1.50.

If I can, I cut to approximate length then face joint, edge joint and plane. The less length the less material has to be removed to get to flat and square. Of course if you need long boards for entry doors and such that doesn't work.

Curt

[Kevin Looker]

I think the hardest tool to find at a reasonable price when starting out is a large jointer. You almost always need to face joint a board first before going through the planer because planers can't remove twist or bow in a board that's longer then the bed of the planer.

Perhaps a combo machine would be your best bet especially if you have limited space but you may be able to find an old monster jointer & planer for less than the price of a new combo machine but then you would also have to invest in a phase converter.

I wish there was an easy solution.