Member
I have a 16" b/c I didn't have the space for bigger when I bought it. I also buy all my stock rough and while it's not everyday I need more than 16", (well actually 410mm), it's not rare by any stretch either. So of course my advice is go as big as is practical for you.
good luck,
JeffD
Contributor
I’m also voting to go for 16”, because you will rarely rarely need more, but generally, 8s are double the price of 6s, and 12s are double the price of 12s, and 16s are quite a bit more than 12s. So while we can all say to get 16”—except Darcy with 36”—it is usually going to cost you another $2000ish. For the life of me I could not find a 16” SCMI for under $3800 across the country. You should be able to nab a good 12” used for under $2000. Depending how risk averse you are, I would give a hard look towards some of the ‘off brand’ machines. I feel like people don’t value the Eastern Europe makes, Griggio, Paolini, Casolini, etc at the same level as SCMI. At that size, I’d buy on condition, price, and cutterhead over age or make.
Contributor
you said how often do you need it? what kind of work do you do? Like all of these posts you need what you need to do the work you do. I could have never made a living with a six inch jointer, the 8 worked for a while till a repeat job where I needed 9" material. I did it on the 8 till the wife of one the old guys i knew asked me to buy his SCM.
Contributor
If space is an issue, have you considered a combo machine? Not sure what you have for a planer but the combo machine would obviously negate the need for that and potentially open up more room for you.
I have the Hammer A3-31 (12” J/P) I have definitely needed more capacity at times and will likely upgrade once more to the bigger machine. 90% of the time the 12” is plenty...but would love the 16”.
I’m taking delivery of a Festool Domino df700 XL....so I’ll probably wait a little while before I make any more big tool purchases.
Contributor
If your planer is not at least 16" I am not seeing much advantage here. Depends on where you live and how often do you see boards more then 12" wide for sale. I suppose it also depends on how strong you are. Can you really lift and safely control a ten foot long board that is only 12" wide. Even in California old growth redwood is too expensive for most projects.
Guest
I just got a batch of hard maple in that were 14 and 16 wide. I use a large jointer for flattening wide glue ups more than just facing wide stock.Originally Posted by Bill Dufour
Member
12 is nice but if you can afford a 16 then why not? I use a hammer 41A and for the money it is a nice 16 inch jointer.
Contributor
But we do not even known what continent the Op lives on. He may live where trees never get over 6" diameter, like northern Scandinavia or the Baltic countries. There is a reason Baltic birch is plywood and seldom stick lumber. When I hear Baltic Birch I always think plywood, never lumber.
Bill D
Last edited by Bill Dufour; 12-21-2018 at 9:40 AM.
Member
Get the 16 inch. You're thinking about it....so might as well.
Moderator
A wide jointer isn't just for wide boards. There are many other operations where one might benefit from the more generous machine, including finessing highly figured material through to minimize tear-out, working with a wider glued up construction and cleaning the edges of an odd shaped construction. Most folks also do not try and flatten/straighten really long boards, either, because of the material handling you mention, regardless of the width of the machine. Best practice is always to work with the shortest pieces for a particular purpose, outside of "skimming" material to "see what you got". It's rare that a component needs to be uber-long...even 6-8' isn't necessary for the majority of projects so breaking down lumber first after skimming takes care of the material handling thing.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
You have the space.
So, you will always be able to use the 12” jointer that is built into the 16” machine.
Not so, the other way around........
Contributor
Didn't read the rest of the posts so sorry if this duplicates them. I have an 8" jointer and have found that, only once in the 6 years I've owned it, I could have used one a little wider and then only about 9". Generally I don't have access to hardwood boards that are wider than 8". Most are around 6" - 7 1/2" (or less than that). The move to an 8" jointer, though, was a game changer for me. I now can flatten all but a rare board on the jointer before thicknessing and that was not possible very often with a 6" jointer. So, if you feel you need a 16", go for it. It would be a great tool. I just find I don't need anything more than 8" (which I'm sure costs a bit less than even a 12").
Contributor
Exactly. The first time you have some panels that went wonky after glue-up, you will be happy for the extra width. Honestly, my 410mm jointer sits gathering dust most of the time, because I do not generally get rough stock and typically shove everything through the moulder to S4S. But being able to skew a tricky piece across, or tune up a long and heavy timber once in a while makes it worth having in the tool quiver.
JR
Guest
I must be in the minority, I will SLR skip planed material, glue up the panel, flatten one side then plane to thickness.
Way less time involved in that, plus I can be pretty lazy worrying about how flat I can keep the glue up.
Moderator
Yea, but you have a bunch of "giant tools" available.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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