Couple random questions, equipment and table tops

[Scott Brandstetter]

My son and I have got our business going at a pretty good rate in a short amount of time (small, part time shop building mainly bedroom dressers, nightstands, and general occasional tables). We have an 8 inch jointer and a 15 inch planer. I am considering upgrading, would like to go to a 12 inch jointer and 20 inch planer but funds don't allow for both. We seem to have a lot of furniture tops that are 20 inches or less. As I type this out I think I know the answer but the question I was going to ask is what would you upgrade first, the jointer or planer. I guess it makes sense to upgrade the planer since we can use the jointer to make the tops with multiple boards and get the good finish (not final finish) with the planer. Not sure if it matters but we have a 16/32 drum sander dialed in really well for the tops; going through with dual passes of course.

One last question, when joining boards, do you typically alternate the curve of the grains from board to board?

[Sam Puhalovich]

I'd up-grade the sander to a 22-44 oscillator.
It's a wonderful 'flatner' ... especially with a simple sled and extension tables.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Scott, I don't use much flat sawn material, when I do I select board arrangement for the best appearance rather than grain direction.

I have a combination jointer/planer, and only use it for dimensioning.

When I make larger panels I simply glue them together, and flatten them with a plane or scraping plane. You can get within a few thousands of an inch on glue up simply by feel with your finger tips. At that point a slight amount of sanding with a random orbital sander will be all you need.

If I were making the decision I'd go with a complimentary jointer, in the 12 to 20 inch range.

If you're making multiple tops per day I would perhaps add a widebelt sander, although with accurate glue ups you don't really need one..................Regards, Rod.

[Jim Dwight]

I arrange boards based upon appearance rather than grain orientation. I've seen authoritative pieces saying to alternate and others saying to deliberately orient them so they all go the saw way (and then put the convex side up and hold it down with fasteners). I decided it doesn't matter that much so I arrange them to look nice.

I'm not sure why you would upgrade either. If you intend to use a sander on the tops anyway, why go larger? If you have boards you want to flatten wider than 8 inches, maybe replace the jointer.