Jointer planer size question

[Van Huskey]

I have been shopping a new jointer and planer setup. I have been looking at the Jet and Grizzly 12" combos but there just doesn't seem to be enough "field" time on these to be comfortable. I think I may go with a more standard (in the US) seperate method.


If you had the choice would you have a 8" jointer and 20" planer or a 12" jointer and a 15" planer? I have decided I want helcal heads and the previous sizes are as far as I want to push my budget.

[Scott T Smith]

If you had the choice would you have a 8" jointer and 20" planer or a 12" jointer and a 15" planer? I have decided I want helcal heads and the previous sizes are as far as I want to push my budget.


For me - no question - I'd have the 12" jointer / 15" planer with helical heads. My logic is that most of the boards that I work with are narrower than 15", and a good many are wider than 8".

[Rod Sheridan]

I went from a General planer and General 8" jointer to a 12" combination unit.

I bought a Hammer A3-31, and couldn't be happier.

Buy a Hammer/Felder/MiniMax machine and get all the experience, engineering and quality control that those companies have put into combination machines for decades.

Oh, as well you get the capacity and performance.

Regards, Rod.

[glenn bradley]

I'll vote for the 12" and 15". I rarely come across things I want to do that exceed my 8" jointer and 12-1/2" planer but, it has happened. The jointer limit I bypass with a planer sled but the planer limit is what it is. Another inch or so on either would be the sweet spot for me. I wouldn't buy either of those machines without a spiral head. Having had both, I'll never go back.

[Van Huskey]

I went from a General planer and General 8" jointer to a 12" combination unit.

I bought a Hammer A3-31, and couldn't be happier.

Buy a Hammer/Felder/MiniMax machine and get all the experience, engineering and quality control that those companies have put into combination machines for decades.

Oh, as well you get the capacity and performance.

Regards, Rod.


Not for the money, the time I have spent on an MM and two Felders have me envious AT the price of a straight blade jointer and planer BUT I would much rather have a quality set of machines with helical heads and for significantly less money. The only way I would consider a combo machine is if it had a helical head AND was priced significantly LESS than two quality machines.

[Glen Butler]

I went for an 8" jointer and 20" planer. Most of the woods I work with are less than 8", but when the panels get glued up I often need the full 20". Sometimes more but I work around that. BTW, I will usually face joint one side, then glue up (edge jointing is a given)(but not really if I had to specify that), then thickness plane, so I don't have to worry about how my boards line up while gluing.

[Rod Sheridan]

Not for the money, the time I have spent on an MM and two Felders have me envious AT the price of a straight blade jointer and planer BUT I would much rather have a quality set of machines with helical heads and for significantly less money. The only way I would consider a combo machine is if it had a helical head AND was priced significantly LESS than two quality machines.

Hi, mine was substantially less than the two quality machines I sold.

The new price of the two machines I sold is almost $10K, so you could get a Hammer and a helical head for about half of that.

In fact after selling my two used machines, I paid for the Hammer and had some cash left, although I don't have a helical head.....regards, Rod.

[Jeff Duncan]

Well I did have the choice.....16" Jointer and 20" planer w/ straight knives. The kicker is they're better quality machines than anything you can buy from Grizzly or Jet new and they cost a heck of a lot less.

good luck,
JeffD

[michael case]

I labored over a similar decision. Only I was leaning toward the Jet 12" combo. But, Despite what certain advertiser-influenced reviewers have written, IMO length does matter. The tables on the Grizzly or the Jet combo are less than 5'. The infeed table which again IMO is critical to taking crook and bow out of longer stock is a mere 25" on the combos. So if you need to really true up 6' door stiles etc. you may really be better off with a respectable 8" Parallelogram. There is also a lot to what Glenn said about planing joined panels. I'm want to up grade to a 20" planer for the same reason.

[Scot Ferraro]

I have never had an issue with the shorter beds on my Hammer for most things and when I want more support I use support stands. Some of the Euro manufacturers (Hammer included) sell bolt on extension tables that extend the length of your machine by 16, 32 or 64 inches (depending on what extensions you buy). This might be a great option for handling longer stock and in instances where the 55 inch bed length does not work. for me the width is the key factor -- I would forego longer beds for greater width any day of the week -- most projects are less than 6 feet for the type of projects I work on and 55 inches is more than adequate for these types of tasks. 12 inch width handles 95% of what I come across at the wood store.

Scot

[Van Huskey]

There are ways to deal with bed length which I think are easier to do than deal with not enough width. I think I am leaning toward a 12" jointer since I measured a lot of my boards in the shop and enough are over 8" to justify that route.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I always felt that a combo jointer/planer's primary purpose is for space savings. Otherwise, I would always opt for the convenience of separates.

You can buy quality either way. So that's a moot issue.

Also, there are a lot of posts regarding the Jet and Grizzly 12" combos at SMC and elsewhere, as well as their European cousins. The Jet and Grizzly machines have been on the market for over 2 years so there is some consumer feedback now.

Further, the Jet machine was also available in Europe prior to being imported to the US. It's not an unproven new design.

Both of these machines seem like they would satisfy the home shop enthusiast and last a long, long time.

-Jeff :)