jointer/planer

[mark downing]

My shop is too small for separate jointer and planer. Any recommendations on 12" combos? The budget can't handle MiniMax or Felder goodies, rats.
Bed rollers and helical head capability seem important but the machine will be used mostly on a hobby/carpentry level.
Advice appreciated.

[Paul F Franklin]

See my mini-review of the King Canada 12 j/p here: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread....st-impressions

I only got it a few weeks ago and don't have a lot of time on it, but am quite happy with it so far.

Other similar machines are the Jet and Balleigh. Grizzly's is 5HP and has the porkchop guard, and IIRC, requires one to remove the fence to convert between j/p.

[Curt Harms]

Jet, Baileigh and Rikon look pretty similar. I have the Jet with straight knives, modified the fence so it moves about 90* instead of 45*. I made my own mobile base so will sit in a space about 2' X 5' and is easy to pull out to use and push back. I don't find change over from jointer to planer a big deal at all. Planning ahead helps with minimizing changeovers. Tables are about 55" overall. Some find that too short, I usually cut to rough length then flatten which usually wastes less material. I rarely joint long material and have used roller stands for additional support on those few occasions.

[John TenEyck]

If you can afford a new 12" Jet or Grizzly, for example, then you can afford a used MiniMax or Hammer. Why settle for less than you want? FWIW, I've been using J/P's for 30 years. Neither of my machines had bed rollers. IMO they are unnecessary; just keep the table waxed and all will be well.

John

[Scott Buehler]

I just purchased the Rikon jointer planer combo with helical head and love it! And even better, I got it for 15% off through ACME Tools! It has a new cast iron extension roller on the outfeed side. Very good fit and finish.

[nicholas mitchell]

Definitely look at the Scorpion line from CWI. I would consider it superior and more fully equipped, including heli-head, than any of the machines mentioned so far.

[mark downing]

John, other than craigslist and eBay can you suggest other used tool sellers?
Thanks guys for all the help.

[David Kumm]

An insert head is a benefit as many if not all of the machines you are looking at will lack a chipbreaker and pressure bar. If the machine is designed with an infeed roller, cutterhead, and outfeed roller with no metal pieces between them, an insert head will negate some of the benefit of the missing parts. Dave

[John TenEyck]

John, other than craigslist and eBay can you suggest other used tool sellers?
Thanks guys for all the help.

They show up here now and then in the Classified section, and at WoodNet.net. Facebook Marketplace is another place to look. Woodweb.com has a Buy/Sell section with lots of traffic, though mostly industrial eqiupment. And there's ExFactory and other auction sites to follow. It's not nearly as easy or fast to find a used machine as buying a new one, but patience usually pays off.

John

[michael dilday]

I have the Jet JJP-12 12" Jointer/Planer with the straight knives. It is a beast and it works well. Like Curt Hamms said I also cut to rough dimensions then joint/plane. If you plan your work you can minimize changovers. It only takers me a minute or less to change between jointing and planing and it is a great space saver. Even with the shorter beds I still get good results jointing.

[ed vitanovec]

Rikon Tools has a Jointer / Planer, nice machine.
https://www.rikontools.com/product/25-210h

[Andy D Jones]

I noticed that the J/P's that use the older style angled ways to adjust jointer table heights, are the same ones that require the jointer fence to be removed prior to converting the machine to planer use. The geometry of the hinges on the tables prevents them from remaining parallel to each other when they are raised up out of the way for planing.

The jointer tables that use the eccentrics to adjust table heights (similar to parallelogram jointers) stay more or less parallel when the tables are raised out of the way for planing, thus the jointer fence can be left on the machine while planing.

Removing/replacing the jointer fence before/after using the planer adds to the conversion effort. Plus, you have to find a place to put the jointer fence when planing.

Andy - Arlington TX

[Scott Buehler]

The Rikon has chip breaker, metal infeed and rubber outfeed rollers, takes me 20 seconds to switch from jointer to planer. It's priced very competitive. May not be quite as nice as Felder or Hammer, but less than half the price.

[nicholas mitchell]

Folks should stop saying Felder and Hammer in the same breath. They are night and day.

[Rod Wolfy]

I have the Jet JJP12 w/the helical head. Before that I had a Felder BF631, with the j/p on it with straight knives. The Jet is every bit as good, if not actually a lot better that the Felder was. The knives don't leave planer knife marks on the wood & it was much better on the figured wood than the Felder. I have yet to turn a carbide cutter on the Jet. It's on a mobile base, so it moves easily, has a 3hp motor and it works great with my Rockler 4" dust right fittings.