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Thread: Justifying A Major Tool Purchase

  1. #61
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Holcombe View Post
    Even a 16" machine doesn't get you very far with live edge stuff. You'd need a monster for that.
    For slabs, I use a router sled to level them


    But for the legs that JP would sure make life easier.

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Becker View Post
    And Julie...a nice "romantic" trip to Miami to enjoy the area while picking up your new power tool will be fun!
    You should have been a power tool salesman, Jim. You would have made a killing!
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  2. #62
    Re: mobility for the Hammer A3-31

    I did not get the Felder's mobility kit for my A3-31. I put the JP on leveling casters with ratchet adjustment because I wanted to move the JP in any direction. Later on, I ended up with a narrow-fork pallet jack for other heavy tools. Thinking back, I would not have purchased the caster given my experience with the pallet jack. Instead, I would bolt the JP onto a custom pallet and use the pallet jack to move it. The pallet jack costs about $250 new.

  3. Julie I'll throw in a mobile base recommendation for the Portamate brand, I have their highest rated one and a medium one (3500 & 2500 I think). The big one is under my 12" jointer and my 6yr old daughter could roll that machine around the shop! It cost about $140 off Amazon.

  4. #64
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    Put me in the iceberg camp. I had a DW735 and a 6" jointer for a long time and, while you can do quite a bit with them, my 16" JP (Minimax FS-41 Classic) is in such a different league that I do not consider milling lumber a chore anymore. I have the Tersa knives in mine and really like them. I had a Byrd in my old jointer and don't have a strong preference either way.

    I would seriously think about going to the IWF as others have suggested. Maybe you can parlay your A3-31 money in to a 16" j/p for about the same price.

    I wrote a review of the Portamate 3500 mobile base a while back. I'm very happy with it and don't find it at all difficult to move my machine around, although an uneven floor might be a big issue with any mobility option.

    Best of luck in your decision. I look forward to seeing more of your work.


  5. #65
    I don't understand the insistence of milling wood down to 3/4" for everything. Take it to whatever needed to get smooth and flat surfaces. 3/4" is just an industry standard because machines could always get that size from thicker or thinner rough 4/4 stock. Unless you do production work or need a given thickness to fit hardware or match something else you can do what looks best.

    If you want the combination machine get it. You can always sell it for close to what you bought it for if you find it doesn't suit you after all.

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    Florida
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    1,950
    WOW! Do they make that kind of discount at IWF? Wish I was able too make it up there.

    Quote Originally Posted by Brian W Evans View Post
    Put me in the iceberg camp. I had a DW735 and a 6" jointer for a long time and, while you can do quite a bit with them, my 16" JP (Minimax FS-41 Classic) is in such a different league that I do not consider milling lumber a chore anymore. I have the Tersa knives in mine and really like them. I had a Byrd in my old jointer and don't have a strong preference either way.

    I would seriously think about going to the IWF as others have suggested. Maybe you can parlay your A3-31 money in to a 16" j/p for about the same price.

    I wrote a review of the Portamate 3500 mobile base a while back. I'm very happy with it and don't find it at all difficult to move my machine around, although an uneven floor might be a big issue with any mobility option.

    Best of luck in your decision. I look forward to seeing more of your work.

  7. #67
    I have a small shop and prefer to work from rough lumber. I haven't had the time to make much furniture since buying a 50 year old house in 2013 that needed a lot of work. I need to stop playing on my computer and get started pulling the balusters and sanding the last area of hardwood floor that needs refinished. When I get it done, I think I am done with the interior.

    I have a 8 5/8 jointer with short beds, an INCA, and an old Ryobi AP-10 planner. I don't use the jointer much. If I face plane the boards, I usually end up to thin for my project. That might not happen with your supplier. But I don't have big difficulties using slightly non-flat lumber off the planner. I rip an edge straight on my DeWalt track saw. I could do this on the jointer but it's easier with the track saw.

    I bought the Ryobi used for $100. It would hardly work but the issue ended up being totally VERY dull knives. With sharp knives, it has planned a couple hundred board feet or more so far. It only goes to 10 inches wide but that is seldom an issue. It it is, they can be ripped and glued back together. The head doesn't lock and it tends to snipe but it is very usable. For my purposes, I have no plans to upgrade my planner. It works fine for what I do. I have a couple bedroom sets to make when the house is finished - hopefully starting later this year. I am pretty sure it will all get planned with the little Ryobi.

    I think a lunchbox planner isn't a serious limitation for most hobbiests. You seem to be on the high end of hobby work, however. It might make sense to get a floor standing planner, maybe a Grizzly if you want to keep the cost low. But it may create a space issue for you. Seems like your big issue is the DeWalt broke. Maybe you are wearing it out but it's hard to say.

  8. #68
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Parrish View Post
    WOW! Do they make that kind of discount at IWF? Wish I was able too make it up there.
    The best deals are if you bring a trailer and take home a machine that they have at the show. Felder usually has show specials but they also usually give the same deals if you order right around the show dates, they have the summer specials catalog out now and the A3 31 is on sale as others have mentioned. I think the only J/P Felder is bringing to IWF this year is an AD 941. Unless you are already going to be at IWF it is unlikely to save the cost of going unless you buy a floor machine.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  9. #69
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    There is a CU300 minimax in the classifieds for $6500 located in FL. Might be worth looking into.
    Bumbling forward into the unknown.

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
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    Punta Gorda, FL
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    No savings on shipping (with a long weekend in Miami thrown in there) because the JP is shipped from Delaware. Don't know why online there's a 4-8 week delay but through the sales rep you can get it right away. I thought the Miami rep had it there but he said they don't have a showroom or warehouse in Miami yet.

    We'll be heading out shortly to buy some furniture. Something tells me the JP isn't on my SOs radar anymore.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  11. #71
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    Bummer...I was looking forward to your big smile on acquiring a new machine!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    Northern Illinois
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    943
    Seems like you have enough responses already but . . .

    I don't own a drum sander but my understanding is that a drum sander is not a replacement for a planer. The amount of material that a drum sander can remove in a single pass is much less than a planer and the travel through the sander is much slower than a planer. I don't believe that a drum sander and a planer are meant to serve the same purpose although they both will flatten and thickness.

    As for giving up woodworking, that sounds like something you aren't really considering and shouldn't.

    I bought a Jet 8" helical head jointer over 5 years ago. I was never sorry. Don't know what width boards you normally are able to buy, but I rarely find boards wider than 8" so being able to flatten one side of a board before thickness planing made a huge difference in my woodworking. So, maybe wait for a Jet sale and see what the best price is you can get. The Jet HH jointer isn't the best on the market, but it does a great job; good clean surface and the carbide inserts have not yet needed to even be rotated.

    As for the planer, I have owned my Dewalt 735 for over 10 years without a problem except that the knives could have a longer life. Hard to identify with the problems you describe, but I wouldn't expect a lot from Dewalt. They have been through many changes over the past several years and are great at making cordless tools, but their service access isn't what it was.

    Judging from your posts, you plane a lot more lumber than I do, so a planer upgrade seems definitely in your future. Maybe a used one is a good option, but I'd do a lot of comparisons of prices for new versus used and service and parts over the life of the tool before you try used. The reason I have rarely bought used is that I'm a terrible judge of what could go wrong and I hate spending my time refurbishing equipment instead of woodworking. Even sharpening is sometimes irritating even though it's necessary.

    I think combos are a great possibility. However, you might want to analyze your workflow. Sometimes a combo machine can change the order of things. For example, I normally joint one side of a board flat, then plane the board to thickness (or close depending on what I'm doing), and then joint one edge to either face, depending on direction of grain, and finally rip to the final width (joint the new smooth). That order of things would be cumbersome with a combo because of the changeover required (not a huge deal but still a little cumbersome).

    In the end, with the apparent volume of lumber you are using, a Dewalt 735 is probably not heavy duty enough to handle it. A wide/long bed jointer is a godsend for processing rough lumber. Don't know if this helps at all.
    Last edited by Randy Heinemann; 08-19-2018 at 4:34 PM.

  13. #73
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    Apr 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Day View Post
    I didn’t mean to offend anyone with my DW735 comment, and I apologize if i did. I know they are popular and a great choice for a lot of folks. Just saying that compared to a bigger cast iron planer it’s hard to compare.
    I could not agree more with this comment. Like many I started woodworking with a DW734, then sold it and bought a DW735. A few months ago I purchased a Grizzly 15" spiral four post. All 3 planers will surface wood but the Dewalts now seem like toys compared to operating the Griz. The Griz cuts smooth and easy like it's not even working, just coasting. No more screaming and straining as the stock moves through the planer. Just night and day difference.

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    Every tool has its appropriate use. I have a 15" Jet and it is great for big jobs and big cuts. It works great. However, I also have a DW735 and use it for lighter cuts and smaller pieces. Given the serrated infeed roller, I have to take off quite a bit to remove the marks. With the DeWalt, I can take off precise amounts.

    It is similar to having a big bandsaw for resaw which works great for that. I have a big Jet Bandsaw but also have a 10" Rikon for detail work that the Jet will not do.

  15. #75
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    Apr 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Frank View Post
    Every tool has its appropriate use. I have a 15" Jet and it is great for big jobs and big cuts. It works great. However, I also have a DW735 and use it for lighter cuts and smaller pieces. Given the serrated infeed roller, I have to take off quite a bit to remove the marks. With the DeWalt, I can take off precise amounts.

    It is similar to having a big bandsaw for resaw which works great for that. I have a big Jet Bandsaw but also have a 10" Rikon for detail work that the Jet will not do.
    Agree, very true.

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