I'm looking to upgrade my 6" jointer to a 12" or 16" jointer. I'm aware the wider, the better. Space in the shop for either size is not an issue. The only real issue I'm having is stomaching the cost of a 16" vs a 12". I've been trying to keep my eye open for used equipment, but 12s and 16s are harder to come by. I have a 20" planer to accompany this.

So my question to all of you is: how often do you really need 16"?

I could frequently use a jointer in the 8-12" range... I"m not sure I've come across something I've built where I absolutely needed a 16 (I'll hand plane stuff here and there as needed if it gets too wide for my tools). Of course as my tool capacity expands I tend to build bigger things. What sort of things is everyone building that make use of a 16" jointer?

And for reference, I much prefer buying rough stock and milling it. I live relatively close to a fabulous hardwood supplier where I can buy most of it rough and mill myself... much cheaper than buying their S2S or S4S stuff.

On a last note... I struggled for a bit with buying the 36" vs 52" rip fence on my sawstop. I ultimately went with 52". Of course I read all of the threads with people that rarely use more than 36" rip capacity... I'm extremely happy I went with the 52" rip fence. I have ripped beyond 36" so frequently that it surprises me. The last time was just a few days ago when cutting a 44" x 40" backer for a vanity mirror (christmas gift). This sort of experience has me thinking I'd be just as happy with a 16" jointer as I suddenly found more uses for it. But gosh.. the price... buy once, cry once?