12 inch jointer, 20 inch planer

[Scott Brandstetter]

I currently run an 8 inch jointer and 15 inch planer. Wondering what those of you who have graduated to a larger piece of equipment have thought about the decision to go bigger. The obvious decision is whether the time is worth the extra expense. I can certainly stay with my current equipment, smaller jointer and planer, but, that means more time sanding. My thought is that if I go to a 12 inch jointer and a 20 inch plus jointer, I minimize my finish time

What say you, those who have gone down this path.

[David Kumm]

I like wide jointers and would tell you to skip right to a 16" if you go larger. Most common size in used large jointers, followed by 12". Dave

[John C Bush]

I "graduated" from an 8" to 12" jointer and 12" Parks planer to a 20"er, I mill most of my stock from rough lumber and there have been many times I wish I had done a post-doc after the first graduation and gotten a bigger jointer, at least. I'm not sure how larger machines will save time sanding or finishing. Larger machines let you mill wider stock--sanding and finishing would be the same as needed with smaller equipment. Have fun shopping.

[Rick Fisher]

I have a 12" Jointer ( Griggio ) and a 20" Planer ( Griggio ) .. I also have a 16" Jointer ( Griggio ) which is about to be restored.. ( cutterhead ) ..

I would choose a 16" jointer over a 24" Planer as an upgrade. Having said that .. if you found a 12 + 20 combo you liked, its a sweet combo ..

( also not saying I would turn up my nose at a 24" planer .. but the longer + wider jointer is more important to me )

[Larry Edgerton]

I have a 12" jointer [Minimax], and a 20" planer [SCMI] and it does well for me. I was on the lookout for a 16" jointer when I ran across the 12", but it is not a real problem.

[Mike Wilkins]

Me and my money, I would go for a 16" combo machine, preferably a higher-quality machine. Its not often we come across a board wider than a 16" one, but they are out there.

[Robert LaPlaca]

I own a 410 mm Minimax combo j/p, I build 18th century furniture I love wide boards.. Needless to say I would love to own a 510 mm combo machine.. unfortunately my shop doesn't have the room for separate machines

[Jim Becker]

Wide is good...which is why I opted for a J/P combo. The width of the jointer is most important to me because flattening lumber sometimes is best handled with the material slightly skewed to the cutter-head with straight blades like my Tersa head has. My capacity is only 350mm (~13.65") , but in hindsight I "sometimes" wish I would have gone with the wider 410mm (~16")

[Dave Cav]

I replaced my 8" Grizzly with a 12" Invicta and never looked back. It's a good match for my PM 180 planer and much more useful than the 8". A 16" jointer would be nice but they don't come up used very often and it would take up a lot more room. So far the jointer has been the perfect size for what I do (furniture) and if I needed to flatten a face of anything wider I would use a sled in the planer, or the widebelt.

[Erik Loza]

I'm going to make suggestion more from customer feedback standpoint than as a sales guy. Cannot tell you how many owners have told me, after having one for a while, "Gee, why didn't I look at a combined jointer/planer earlier?". There are some combined machines that might not make sense for the guy on a budget, need of particular features, space issues, etc., but if there was one you needed to think about, it would be a jointer/planer. The switchover time is fast and not un-ergonomic, they are generally mobile if need be, and if you added up a quality 10" or 12" jointer and then a quality planer, it's not as great an outlay as many folks think. Especially once you consider the return on investment like space savings, higher overall quality, better cutting performance, etc.

Just some food for though. Plenty of options out there to look at.

Erik

[Peter Kelly]

I currently run an 8 inch jointer and 15 inch planer. Wondering what those of you who have graduated to a larger piece of equipment have thought about the decision to go bigger. The obvious decision is whether the time is worth the extra expense. I can certainly stay with my current equipment, smaller jointer and planer, but, that means more time sanding. My thought is that if I go to a 12 inch jointer and a 20 inch plus jointer, I minimize my finish time

What say you, those who have gone down this path.Why would a wider machine reduce sanding and finishing time? Just curious.

[Len Rosenberg]

I upgraded from an 8" Powermatic jointer to a Minimax 16" jointer/planer combo, and couldn't be happier with the outcome. I like working with wider boards, I like the ability to joint or plane glued up assemblies up to 16", and I especially like, for boards 6 to 12" wide, the ability to run them diagonally through the jointer or the planer. Helps avoid tear out in figured woods. Basically, your straight knives act somewhat like spiral heads, with a shearing action. I was really concerned with having to switch from jointer to planer and back, but turns out it is no big deal. And surprisingly, the machine does not take up much more room than the 8" Powermatic.

Len

[mreza Salav]

Why would a wider machine reduce sanding and finishing time? Just curious.

I have been wondering the same thing....

[Jeff Duncan]

I'm also in the "wider is better" camp as long as you have the room for it. I bit the bullet early and skipped from a junky 6" right up to an Italian 16". I love the 16" but there are still times when it falls a bit short. Someday may have to find a nice 20" to top out at:rolleyes:

good luck,
JeffD

[Paul Murphy]

Why mess around? Clement made a 36" jointer, good for 99% of the boards we'll ever see! :eek: https://awwm.wordpress.com/american-clement-jointer/

Just kidding [but I'd love a nice one anyway]. Actually I have a 16" jointer, and sometimes wish for a 20" machine. I'm lucky that a sawmill near me gets large logs, and saws nice wide boards.

[Jim Andrew]

I skipped the 8" jointer, and went with the 12". Would have liked a 16", but price kept me back. Also have a 15" planer, would have gladly gone with 20", but the 15" is half the money. And the 15" is a very good planer. If a used 20", good grade planer shows up near me, will try to buy it. Missed one a few months ago, dangit.

[Andrew Hughes]

If I had a 16 inch jointer I would still use it like two 8s.Use one half then the second until the knives got dull.I like making tables so I lean toward a long table.Thats what matters most for me.
Ive seen those wide combo machines with short tables doesn't make sense to me.

[Erik Loza]

...Ive seen those wide combo machines with short tables doesn't make sense to me.

They are engineered that way for space savings, due to the small shop sizes that are common in Europe. The idea being that you can add extension tables or use roller stands if need be, but that the machine will still give you plenty of width while remaining compact when not in use. If that makes sense...

Erik

[brett gallmeyer]

I have a 12" Moak Jointer and a 20" Grizzly Planer. I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I have needed to face joint a board over 12 inches. Originally I was looking for an old 16" jointer but this one came up at a good price and honestly in 4 years I haven't ever had a time where I personally needed more capacity. The way I look at it is two 12" boards edge glued is 24" which exceeds the capacity of my 20" planer. If I had a 16" jointer I would need a 30"+ planer.

I am very happy with my setup! Now I just need that Byrd Shelix head for my planner.......

Just my two cents...

Oh, and some eye candy...