Quick feedback please

[Daniel McPherson]

I am about to order from minimax. I am new to woodworking but want to get set up right in the beginning. I am trying to decide if I get a combo machine and have 12" J/P capability or spend $2,500 more and get a separate table saw and 16" J/P.

Advantage of the separate machines is they are separate and I can J/P 16". Disadvantage of separate machines is it costs $2,500 more and I lose the shaper function.

They reason I am looking at the separate machine option is more than anything to get 16" J/P capability. But I don't know if I would realistically need that capacity often enough to justify an extra $2,500 expense and the lose of the shaper. (realistically I don't see myself ever using the shaper so I could care less about that)

So, is it worth the extra cost to get the extra capacity on the J/P or is 12" enough for any realistic projects?

(I plan to build cabinets and furniture etc but don't really have any experience doing any of this stuff)

Thanks for helping out a total newbie

[cody michael]

I had a 12 inch planer and wanted bigger, I felt it limited my projects. Have a 20 inch now and really like it

[Mike Henderson]

12 inch jointer, no problem. 12 inch planer, a bit small. You'll wish you had a bigger one.

Mike

[Mike Heidrick]

Why not a separate saw shaper from minimax or felder?

[Mike Schuch]

I have a 8" jointer and 15" planer. I have no complaints and have never felt a need for bigger. I haven't ever used the full 15" width of my planer.

Cabinets are mostly plywood with solid wood for frames which could be handled on a 4" jointer. If you do solid wood panels in the doors you will need wider than 16" to flatten them after the glue up.

For furniture you are likely to appreciate the 12" jointer but I doubt you will find a lot of stock even that wide. For leveling wide tops after glue ups a 16" planer probably won't be wide enough. A drum sander or a wide belt sander would probably be more appropriate. I would suggest doing some networking and try to find someone with a wide belt sanded that will sell you time on it. A local stair case builder charged me $20 to sand a 36" x 70" top glue up. It would take me a very long time to justify buying even a drum sander at $20 for a perfectly flat top.

[Roy Harding]

I have a combo machine, 12" jointer/planer. As others have mentioned, 12" jointer is plenty - there are rare occasions when I've wished for a wider planer. BUT, I also have a 24" drum sander - so things that would be quicker on a planer can be accomplished - slightly slower - on the sander. It seems to me, no longer how wide your equipment is, there will be occasions you'll wish it was wider. Once in a while, I wish I had a 48" wide belt sander, but it's only once in a while. And if I had that wide belt sander, I'm sure once in a while, I'd wish I had a 60" model.

One plus to a combo you didn't mention is the fact that less total floor space is required - as you didn't mention it, I'll assume it's not a consideration for you.

[Jim Dwight]

I have a little Ryobi AP-10 lunchbox planner - very different equipment - but I find it's 10 inch width is seldom a limitation - because most boards are less than 10 inches wide. Even when they are not, if you straighten an edge they often are. For a glueup, I just get rid of the joint lines with a hand sander. Doesn't give me perfect flatness but has worked fine for me.

I am a hobbiest, but I've built 6 bedroom sets and one kitchen plus other furniture. So I've been doing it awhile.

It is really nice to have nice tools but less tools only limit you if you let them. Everything used to be made with hand tools. I am happy to have my power tools but I also have limited space for tools so I knowingly make some compromises.

Having the same width jointer and planner is based upon preparing stock "the right way". Several decades ago when I took shop class we were instructed to flatten a face and straighten an edge on the jointer. Then use the planner to get to the thickness you want. I very rarely do that and I do not think I am alone. I much more commonly do both faces on the planner. That doesn't give me as straight a board but when it is fastened into the piece I am making it works. My point is how wide a jointer you need is a function of what you will use it for. If you are going to flatten the first face, you need one as wide as your planner. If you do this, you may end up with pretty thin boards - that's one reason I seldom do it. Crosscutting to rough length would often help. If you just use the jointer on edges, even a 6 inch will work. (My jointer is a 10 5/8 Inca)

[Matt Day]

I suggest you take your time before making a large purchase like this.

[Chris Merriam]

Widest board I've bought is 10-11 inches, so 12in jointer is fine for me. As far as planing, it's just your panel glue ups that you have to decide on. For me, most of my furniture glue ups are 20-24in wide, so any planer under that width means multiple glue-ups, so either buy a massive planer that will cover all your needs (expensive and unlikely to get full use) or plan on doing glue ups. For me, knowing I have to glue up, I don't really care at that point if I have to glue up 2 or 3 sub-assemblies at that point, it's all about the same and it all has to be flattened again by hand anyways. Any another way to look at it, I've never made anything over 24 inches wide. Even if I spent more and bought a 15 or 20 inch planer, I would still have to glue up, just the same amount as I would with my 12 inch planer most likely.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Daniel, I have a 12" J/P (Hammer A3-31) and a saw/shaper ( Hammer B3 Winner).

I never plane glue ups, they come out flat enough that a quick shot with a scraping plane or light sanding is perfect.

For me a 12 inch planer is perfect, as it matches the jointer size.

What I couldn't live without is the shaper, either buy a saw/shaper and J/P or a full 5 function combination machine.

Don't forget the stock feeder, I use mine for the saw and shaper.............Regards, Rod.

[Jim Andrew]

Think if you really get into woodworking, the shaper option would be really nice. I have a 12" jointer, and 15" planer, the jointer is hard enough to push a wide board through, and I do not plane glue up panels, use my widebelt for that. The widebelt comes in really handy, as it flattens the panel as it sands it. Now if you really want to get carried away, you could get a bandmill like mine. Of course you need a skidsteer or a tractor with fel to get your logs up on it. Helps to use the forks to handle the boards as well. This is a slippery slope.

[Jim Becker]

A big part of the decision needs to take into consideration your shop space and workflow. For me, the separate slider and J/P was the only workable way to go based on my shop layout, so I have the S315WS slider and an FS350 J/P. (the latter is ~14"...I couldn't fund the 16" at the time) This has worked out beautifully for me. There are times when I do wish I had the slightly wider surface on the J/P, but it's not constant. Here's a couple of panoramic shots of my shop so you can see why I needed to do the separate saw and J/P...ie, that stairwell.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/shop/IMG_3739_zpsyfsgydr5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/a-j-adopt/shop/IMG_3738_zps0ulpjgq9.jpg

[mike mcilroy]

Here's a couple of panoramic shots of my shop so you can see why I needed to do the separate saw and J/P...ie, that stairwell.


Can you see my envious shade of green from Bucks County?:D

[Jim Becker]

Mike, the pano makes it look much bigger than it is! LOL figure 22' deep by 30' wide...minus the stair well and DC/compressor closet. About the size of a 2.5 car garage.

[Wade Lippman]

I don't think much of combination machines, but ignoring that....
A 12" j/p and a big drum sander is more useful and much cheaper than a 16" j/p; at least in my experience.

[Jim Becker]

I don't think much of combination machines, but ignoring that....
A 12" j/p and a big drum sander is more useful and much cheaper than a 16" j/p; at least in my experience.

That can be very true for some woodworkers and not so true for others. Machine choice remains a very subjective thing. For what I do, the wider J/P is more pleasing to me...and I sold the drum sander long ago because it was just taking up room.