Is a 12" jointer needed?

[mike stenson]

Too much like work. I got my 7 and 8 out once, that was enough.

It'll flatten/square any width board though So no, a 12" jointer absolutely isn't needed.

[Scott Bernstein]

I assume the OP is a hobby wookworker...I think many of us (myself included) start with a 6" jointer. They are small, affordable, and require only 120V. I started with a grizzly helical head 6" jointer, which I grew out of after just a couple of projects. I did end up using it for several years. It was always challenging to use larger stock with only a 6" wide jointer, but there are various techniques and jigs to get by. I eventually ended up upgrading to a European 16" jointer-planer combo machine. I am extremely happy with it and it does not take up nearly as much space as separate machines, nor a standard American style jointer, of equal capacity. The beds on my combo machine are much longer than my old 6" machine but much shorter than a "full-size" 16" stand-alone jointer. If I need to mill longer pieces, I can attach the removable bed extensions, which work great. The major downside to these big machines is the cost, size, and weight. Plus you need a large dust collector to match...planing and jointing 10-12" or bigger lumber creates an awful lot of chips.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Travis is getting quite the woodworking education as of late I’m still waiting for a thread on the justification of a Domino

[Phillip Mitchell]

And yes, if you have to ask about needing a bigger jointer then you don’t really need one. It becomes apparent very quickly when you need a bigger one...

[Brian W Evans]

Travis,

I've had a 6" and an 8". Both worked OK but I skipped the 12" and went straight to a 16" for my current jointer. The main reason for upgrading was that I got tired of shopping for <8" wide boards or dealing with work-arounds. The 16" will handle any width lumber I'm ever likely to get, and lets me skew narrower pieces to reduce tear-out. That said, if I had come across a used 20" or wider, I might have gone for it.

Of course, wider also means more mass and likely more power - both good things in a woodworking machine, IMO.

You could consider a J/P combo machine which, if you sold your planer, might be roughly in the ballpark of a 12" parallelogram. This way you would have a planer that exactly matches the width of your jointer and also more space in your shop.

[Jim Becker]

I'm a proponent of having wide jointing capacity, preferably to match the width of thicknessing. It's one reason I like J/P combos. I like wide boards and want to be able to flatten them appropriately.

[Ben Rivel]

I'm a proponent of having wide jointing capacity, preferably to match the width of thicknessing. It's one reason I like J/P combos. I like wide boards and want to be able to flatten them appropriately.

Thats what I was thinking! Pickup a J/P combo like the Hammer A3-31 or A3-41 and get the best of both worlds!

[Ron Selzer]

What brand/model is your J/P?
wanting to get a larger jointer, the more I look the more confused I get
starting looking at 8", then 12" then 12 J/P, now you say you have a 16"
only want to buy one more, started with a 4", have had a 6" for over 30 years
trying to figure out what I want
Thanks
Ron

[Randy Heinemann]

Since I bought my 8” helical head jointer I have found only one situation I needed a wider bed for. Depends on what you make. If you’re doing a lot of table tops maybe a 12” would be worthwhile. Otherwise I found that, for the few times I need a 12”, I can find a place to reasonably flatten and/or thickness the wood for me. A jointer is needed to flatten one side and for edge jointing. The planer is used to thickness after flattening one side. Sometimes you can flatten the first side with light passes till flat. Also you could build a sled to flatten on a planer. Research on YouTube. .

[Derek Arita]

You need a hand plane. For convenience and everything else, we want a 16" J/P. I get the largest and best machines I can afford and have space for. I would imagine it's the same for most of us.

[Jim Andrew]

When I was shopping for jointers, bought the G0609 Grizzly, parallelogram 12" jointer, and checked the catalog, and it is no longer listed. The new G0834 is considerably more expensive. My choice would have been to go for a 16", but they were about double what the 12" was, so just figured I could "get by".

[Alex Zeller]

When I was shopping for jointers, bought the G0609 Grizzly, parallelogram 12" jointer, and checked the catalog, and it is no longer listed. The new G0834 is considerably more expensive. My choice would have been to go for a 16", but they were about double what the 12" was, so just figured I could "get by".

I just saw a G0609X sell at auction for $2600+ (with buyer's premium and loading charge). It was a 12 year old jointer that looked in great shape. I was thinking that must of been close to the price of it new.

[Jim Andrew]

Paid about that for mine, including the Byrd cutterhead. Thing is, it is a little more than half of a G0834. Mine has been excellent, so guess it was a good buy.

[Brian W Evans]

What brand/model is your J/P?
wanting to get a larger jointer, the more I look the more confused I get
starting looking at 8", then 12" then 12 J/P, now you say you have a 16"
only want to buy one more, started with a 4", have had a 6" for over 30 years
trying to figure out what I want
Thanks
Ron

Ron,

Not sure if you were talking to me, but I have a Minimax FS41C. If I had it to do over again (and had the money), I'd have stepped up to the FS41ES. You're talking a lot more money to do that, though.

I'm very happy with this machine and I don't hesitate to recommend it. I got the Tersa cutterhead (standard) instead of the carbide/segmented head and I really like the Tersa system.

[Mark e Kessler]

I have never worked in a placed or owned anything less than a 12” and now have a 16” which is an ok compromise for me, I build small to medium size (king bed, is that medium?) furniture. I don’t know how long you plan on doing this but buy the biggest that you can afford and buy quality new or used. I have questioned some of high dollar quality tool purchases in the past thinking I over did it but if you are in it for life hobby or professional as soon as its paid for and some time passes I can’t even remember spending the money and I have a machine for 20-30 years or longer, if I want to sell it for whatever reason it sells quick and for top dollar. I sold a 25 year old scm 12” j/p that I had for 20ish yrs in one week for $3200 which I think is pretty good, it was beat to death I ran a lot of work through it.

Also lots of debate here, my preference would be Helical head on a combo j/p (thats what I have), or straight knife on jointer, helical on planer, or straight knife on jointer, maybe straight on planer if I had a wide belt.