What's the difference between a jointer and a planer?

[bill buck]

Me, first timer here and beginer wood worker. I bought a planer thinking I could plane down rough cut wood to dimension and it would be perfect. I was disapointed to see it was still cupped when I was done with it. I was told a jointer was the first thing I should have used, but that still leaves me wondering what's the difference. Yes it's tough being the new kid on the block (even if I am 42), but you gotta start somewhere.

Bill Buck

[Art Mann]

Here is what is going on. The feed rollers of your planer are forcing the lumber to be flat against the bed as they go under the cutter head. As soon as the pressure is released, the wood springs back to its former cupped or twisted shape. A jointer is supposed to be used without applying a whole lot of downward pressure. As you pass the wood over the head repeatedly supported by flat surfaces on both sides, the cup or twist is literally cut away, leaving a nice flat surface. Once you have one good flat surface, the planer will machine the opposite surface parallel to it leaving you with a straight flat board. You can actually use a planer to flatten as well as make the two surfaces parallel, but you have to support it on a sled as it goes through the planer so that the feed rollers don't mash the cup or twist flat.

[Rick Levine]

My first suggestion is to start watching New Yankee Workshop with Norm Abram. That's how I got a lot of my knowledge of woodworking. Additionally, you should read as much as you can about the subject, especially before you buy any more tools. A planer is usually used in conjunction with a jointer.

The jointer flattens one side of a board and the planer, when you flip the board over, will make both sides parallel. The jointer will also square up the edge. Then you take the board to the table saw, putting the jointed edge against the fence to make the edges parallel. Finally you go back to the jointer to clean up the sawn edge. At least that’s how I do it after learning from Norm’s show.

[Don Abele]

Bill, Welcome to the Creek.

Your question is one often asked and the difference between the two machines is often misunderstood. I'm sure you'll get quite a few replies, so here's mine:

A jointer makes the faces of the wood flat - but no parallel to each other. It can also make two faces perpendicular to each other.

A planer is used to dimension lumber to a standard thickness.

A planer can not take the cup out of a board because the feed rollers exert enough downward pressure to temporarily flatten the board.

To properly dimension lumber you face plane one side on the jointer. Turn the piece 90 degrees so the face you just planed is against the fence and then edge joint that side. You now have two faces which are flat and perpendicular to one another. Now over to the planer. Run the piece through with the planed (jointed) side down. This will make the top and bottom faces parallel to each other the piece uniform in thickness. Take the piece over to the table saw and rip it so the two sides are now parallel to one another. Then return to the jointer and edge joint the final side you just ripped. Now your piece is square, parallel, perpendicular, and a uniform thickness. And if you're thinking that's a lot of work, you're right. After doing it for several hundred board feet, I decided I'd buy my lumber S2S (surfaced two sides) at 4/4 thickness. This way I can skip a few steps and still wind up with boards that are the thickness I want them.

Keep the questions coming, we're all here to help. And again, welcome to the Creek.

Be well,

Doc

[Mike Heidrick]

Hi Bill. Welcome.

You can do this but you need to build a sled. Check out this article (Search for it at google as I cannot link to it here on the site due to SMC rules).

Do a search for this text ;)

http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuideArticle.aspx?id=5245

[John Thompson]

The others have explained what each does. I just wanted to add a comment of something that you migth run into somewhere along the line especially if you happen to converse with a European WW on one of these forums.

The Europeans don't use the word jointer for the machine that flattens a face and an edge. They refer to it as a "surface planer" as it is used like a hand-plane to surface stock flat. And the use of the single work planer as we use it.. they refer to it as a thickness planer which simply recieves a piece of stock with one side flat (which is feed with flat side down) and it takes it down to the thickness you desire while flattening that remaining side also.

So both machines in their lingo are planers... one to plane surfaces flat and the other to plane down to thickness with flattening the remaining side as a result.

Regards...

Sarge..

[Fred Voorhees]

Bill, one of your best bets to learn a ton about the hobby of woodworking is to simply read this forum. I have learned vast amounts of information and gained some woodworking freinds along the way. I remember discovering this forum and would spend hours just reading. You can't go wrong doing that.;)

[Jake Helmboldt]

Bill, Welcome to the Creek.

Return to the jointer and edge joint the final side. Now your piece is square, parallel, perpendicular, and a uniform thickness.

Don, that last step at the jointer is not correct. There is no way to reference a parallel edge which is why the last step should be on the table saw w/ the jointed edge against the fence. Otherwise you are simply jointing a nice straight edge that most likely will not be parallel to the other edge.

To the original poster, do as someone else said and do a lot of reading. Go to your library and check out books with basic techniques laid out and all of this will be very clear (not to be confused with easy):mad:. But seriously, once you undestand the functions and techniques for various tools you will be well on your way toward understanding the fundamentals.

[John Michaels]

If you're on a budget, the planer and table saw will suffice without the jointer. I hot glue a warped piece of lumber to a really flat piece of plywood or other straight board, then send it through the planer. Comes out with one flat side, then pry off, flip over and run through again. Now both faces are parallel. Next hot glue gun the lumber to that same piece of really straight plywood with less than an inch hanging over on one side. Cut on the table saw. Now pry off and cut opposite side on the table saw again. Now you can crosscut the ends making everything square.

Here are some tips on hot gluing from one of my previous posts:

I use a hot glue gun to attach the board to the sled. It's pretty simple and very effective. Get a very straight piece of plywood, MDF, or board. Take some blue painters tape and run it down both edges of the board that needs to be planed. This protects your work-piece from the glue which is strong enough to tear chunks out when removed. Lay the board on the sled and run a bead of hot glue along each edge of the board. Note: the blue tape wraps around the edge and is underneath the board about 1/2" for strength.

[Don Abele]

Don, that last step at the jointer is not correct. There is no way to reference a parallel edge which is why the last step should be on the table saw w/ the jointed edge against the fence. Otherwise you are simply jointing a nice straight edge that most likely will not be parallel to the other edge...

Jake, thank you VERY much. I was typing faster than I was thinking and missed adding the table saw step to make the two sides parallel to one another. I'll go back and edit my post to make it correct. Thanks again.

Be well,

Doc

[Norman Pyles]

First welcome to the forum. Lots of good info on the woodworking forums. Also "The Wood Whisperer" and "New Woodworker" are two good sites also. Please think about learing to use your new tools safely too.:)

[Jake Helmboldt]

Jake, thank you VERY much. I was typing faster than I was thinking and missed adding the table saw step to make the two sides parallel to one another. I'll go back and edit my post to make it correct. Thanks again.

Be well,

Doc

No prob, I figured that was an oversight. Wouldn't take but one headscratching moment to figure out what went wrong with the nice long, smooth-edge parallelogram that resulted. "Hey, what the...?". Just wanted to make sure the original poster wasn't confused.

[glenn bradley]

Welcome Bill. I got by for 18 months without a jointer by using a planer sled. This version was my keeper: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=58735 It is not as quick as just walking up to a jointer and taking a pass or two but, it was a blessing while I saved my pennies.

[Cary Swoveland]

John,

That's an interesting way of attaching the workpiece to the sled. That's a good solution for the jointerless, and for the rest, a good way to face-plane boards too wide for the jointer.

I'm not clear, however, about the procedure you're using. Is the glue attached to the blue tape and the sled? Do you first use shims to get the board relatively parallel with the sled, then hot glue at the points where the board contacts the sled? How do you remove the hot glue from the sled? (I'm among the few on the planet who have never used hot glue.)

Thanks,

Cary