Planer and Jointer Dilemma

[Steven DeMars]

Here is my dilemma, I need a planer and a jointer. Trying to decide what to buy. If you had $3,000.00 absolute max to spend on both, including needed accessories, tax & shipping. How would you spend your money. Am I planning on spending too much? I like good equipment, but I tend to go overboard sometimes. Possible options I see.

Buy a $700.00 planer & a $700.00 jointer from Grizzly with (4) blades. Have change.

A really nice jointer with a spiral head from Grizzly or Powermatic and a Dewalt 735 lunchbox planer. Have change.

A really nice planer with a spiral head from Grizzly or Powermatic and a less expensive jointer from Grizzly.Have change.

Or just buy a 15" planer with spiral head & and 8" jointer with a spiral head from Grizzly. No change

Or just buy a 15" planer with spiral head & and 8" jointer with a spiral head from Powermatic. Over shoot budget, anger wife somewhat . .

And the thoughts / scenarios and list go on....

Bottom line, I'm somewhat of a beginning woodworker and want to start building things from non standard material. Tired of 2X4, 2X6, 4X8 and so on . . .

Want to build small furniture and nice machinist tool chest

[Gary Herrmann]

If you think you're in this for the long haul, 15" and 8" spiral heads would be a great choice.

I got there after going the 6" and Dewalt route. Nothing wrong with it, but you have decide about short term vs long term desires and realistic needs vs having change in your pocket.

[bob cohen]

How large is your shop and where is it located, i.e., how difficult or easy will it be to move equipment in and out? My shop is in the basement, which pretty much thwarted by dreams of a 12 inch jointer. If you have the space, i'd think about a 12 jointer (can get one from grizzly for less than 1500) and a 15 inch planer. 15 inch is plenty big for a planer IMO, but with a jointer, bigger is always better.

[Eric DeSilva]

Craigslist? I picked up a 20" grizzly planer and an 8" grizzly jointer for $750 (for both). Takes some patience, but I see (I'm in the DC area) heavy iron come up fairly regularly... The ones I got were older, but still in great shape. (I am, however, still kicking myself that I let go a PM 20" planer and PM 8" parallelogram jointer--both looked new--for $750 ea. because I hadn't at that point reconciled myself to the size).

[bob cohen]

A dust collection systems is pretty much mandatory for planers and jointers. That could set you back another 1,000, so you need to plan carefully. Also, how are you on layout, hand tools, and clamps. I probably have a least another 1,000 invested there. Don't worry though, lots of guys here will be happy to spend your money for you.

[Doug Shepard]

...
Or just buy a 15" planer with spiral head & and 8" jointer with a spiral head from Powermatic. Over shoot budget, anger wife somewhat . .
...


That would be my choice. When your wife kicks you out I could pick up a great deal on barely used PM equipment on criagslist:D

[Don Abele]

Steven, I'm in the same situation as you are, with a similar budget. I'm replacing a 6" Jet jointer (with Byrd Shelix head) and a 13" Ridgid planer. They both perform well for me, I just have a need for a wider jointer and more powerful planer.

I'm seriously considering the Grizzly combo unit with the spiral head. But I have reservations about the bed length of the planer and it's height above the floor (it's really low). I'm not too worried about the length of the jointer bed as it's longer than the one on my 6" Jet which I've never had problems with.

As an alternative, I looked at separate units: the G1021X2 15" Planer and the G0609X 12" Jointer. Though this combination puts me SERIOUSLY above the cost of the combo unit. The jointer is nearly the same price by itself as the combo unit.

I know this doesn't help much...just my proceedings thus far. Hopefully we'll both figure out what's best for us.

Be well,

Doc

[Steven DeMars]

The thought of two machines in one does not appeal to me. Probably because I am not as experienced as most and would not plan my work well enough. I would be flip flopping back and forth . . .

[J. Z. Guest]

Well, assuming you've got the power & space available for any of these machines, here are my thoughts:

1) Aligning & sharpening planer & jointer knives is my most-hated wood shop task. Toward that end, I'd immediately eliminate anything without a spiral cutterhead. Carbide cutters with four sides apiece sounds like a nice dream to me.

2) Any bigger than about 13" on a planer doesn't really buy you anything unless you also have a jointer to match it. Ergo, I'd go for a kickass 12" spiral cutterhead jointer and a more humble planer, also with the spiral head.

Seeing the projects you want to get into though, I'd probably choose to spend only about $1000 on the jointer and planer, as you're going to need a LOT of other things too. For instance, do you already have a nice table saw? A couple of nice routers & router table? (or shaper droooool) How about a bandsaw? Guys who do their ripping with a bandsaw rarely show up at the emergency room with kickback related injuries. ;) You're probably also going to need an extra $1000 to run more circuits to your shop. 220 V circuits at a minimum, unless you're going to three phase to power the heavy machinery! Then, there's the other $1000 worth of stuff that you won't know you're missing until you start a project.

The only thing that really struck me off-center was that you're considering all these huge machines to make small stuff. I equipped my whole shop for under $3k. Not that I don't envy you, but try not to blow it all at once, because there are things that are going to crop up that you need. If you have to go back to The Purchasing Department after youjjust dropped $3k on this stuff, she'll run you out of town. OK, at least my wife would, hehehe.

Oh yeah, and don't forget the money for hernia surgery. :D

[Bruce Benjamin]

A dust collection systems is pretty much mandatory for planers and jointers. That could set you back another 1,000, so you need to plan carefully. Also, how are you on layout, hand tools, and clamps. I probably have a least another 1,000 invested there. Don't worry though, lots of guys here will be happy to spend your money for you.

This is a good point. But depending on what jointer and planer he gets he doesn't necessarily have to spend up to a grand for DC. Yes, getting the best DC you can afford is a great idea for your lungs. But if you're on a tight budget sometimes you have to make do. That was/is my situation. I have a Sunhill 8" jointer and a DeWalt DW735 planer. My Harbor Freight DC with the Wynn cannister filter gets just about every spec of visible dust from both of these units. Well, after running them both for 20 minutes or so I might have a cup of sawdust or so between the two of them that didn't get sucked up. Most of that is from the jointer. I'm not saying that the HF DC will get all of the fine dust or is as good as a Pentz designed cyclone but if the choice if between that and no DC at all then the HF is the way to go.

Bruce

[Bruce Pennell]

Steve CL is the way to go. I just purchased; 5hp Left tilt Shop Fox cabinet saw, with; run off table, Bies. fence and over head dust and blade guard, 3 WWII blades, Freud dial-a-datto, ext. table,anti kick back rollers, 3hp dust control Grizzly with 2 remotes, grizzly 6" jointer,Rigid 13" planner with stand and DC, Dewalt 12" miter saw, dust hoses and fittings (filled the back of my truck), 17" Grizzly GO513 Bandsaw with a box of blades,Rigid table top sander, About $1200 worth of veneers and mohogony. For $1600 The equipment is less than 3 years old and probably has 20 hours use. 3 of the 4 saw blades where new, never used. I buy a lot wood and equipment off CL, make sure you really check things out though. I looked at a RBI Hawk 20" scroll saw last week, looked brand new, not even a scratch. Yet when I started the saw and made a cut the saw had a lot of vibration. I passed on that one, but $250 on a hawk is a great deal. Sometime the hunt is fun! Good luck Bruce

[Derek Hansen]

Steve CL is the way to go. I just purchased; 5hp Left tilt Shop Fox cabinet saw, with; run off table, Bies. fence and over head dust and blade guard, 3 WWII blades, Freud dial-a-datto, ext. table,anti kick back rollers, 3hp dust control Grizzly with 2 remotes, grizzly 6" jointer,Rigid 13" planner with stand and DC, Dewalt 12" miter saw, dust hoses and fittings (filled the back of my truck), 17" Grizzly GO513 Bandsaw with a box of blades,Rigid table top sander, About $1200 worth of veneers and mohogony. For $1600 The equipment is less than 3 years old and probably has 20 hours use. 3 of the 4 saw blades where new, never used. I buy a lot wood and equipment off CL, make sure you really check things out though. I looked at a RBI Hawk 20" scroll saw last week, looked brand new, not even a scratch. Yet when I started the saw and made a cut the saw had a lot of vibration. I passed on that one, but $250 on a hawk is a great deal. Sometime the hunt is fun! Good luck Bruce

Hold up - you got all of that for $1600! $@*#&)!!

[Bruce Pennell]

Derek forgot a couple items; Jess-em miter gauge, and some other wood, oak and Zecote (sorry don't know the spelling). Just saw the price on the Bies overhead guard $466. I was shocked, the guy's wife wanted her garage back and just wanted to get rid of the stuff. Also got 10- 3/4" pipe clamps and some cheap HF clamps. Probably forgetting a few things. I will be selling a few items soon, I'll post pic's after I get the shop reset. This started as, "I think I'll make some new shop cabinets". Figured on a 4-5 day job, its turned into might as well upgrade and build more cabinets (now a month or 2 job). Just called my guy to have him drop in a couple of 220 lines. Can't wait to get the excess out of my way, and start playing again . :D Can't seem to get that smile off my face. Sometimes even handicap old farts get a good deal...

[Chris Padilla]

Consider one of the Griz combo J/P but with a 3k limit, 12" on both is the best you can do.... Going 16" on that J/P combo puts you into the stratosphere and possibly in a divorce.

Wide planers are relatively cheape...wide jointers are relatively expensive. I bit the bullet a couple years back and picked up a 16" Minimax J/P mostly due to shop space and I figured this would be the LAST Jointer or Planer I will EVER need. So far, so good.

[Joe Chritz]

Save a tad or shop used and get a 15" Grizz 0453 planer with straight knives, a 24" dual drum sander (takes care of chip out when needed on the planer) and a 8" jointer with regular dovetail ways.

You can get the three new for under $3300 delivered. I have the 8" jointer with the Byrd head and I love it, but a drum sander is useful for so many things I put the money a 15" spiral head would have cost towards that and haven't been upset since.

Joe