16" planer

[Mark Gibney]

I was talking with a friend about old planers and jointers, and it struck me that as far as I know plenty of 16" jointers were made, and plenty of 15" planers.

Why this difference?

Were there any 16" planers made back in the post-WWII period?

Mark

[Rod Sheridan]

Sure, any 16 inch combination jointer planer (41 cm).....Rod

[David Kumm]

If you are talking about old iron, Powermatic made a 16" and then went to 18". Most heavy " medium " duty planers were 18" back then with 24" being the heavy series. The oliver 399 was probably the 18" with the smallest footprint although the Yates or Delta Y180 were pretty compact.. The old planers had cast iron chipbreakers and pressure bars, and most could be bought with an onboard grinder. New machines generally lack a decent chipbreaker or pressure bar so they really benefit from an insert head which doesn't rely as heavily on those items for a good finish. 15-16" planers are a different class than the old 18" and became more popular when the home market machines showed up in the 1960s and particularly when Taiwan got involved in the 1980's. Dave

[Andy D Jones]

Sure, any 16 inch combination jointer planer (41 cm).....Rod

That's the best way to make sure your jointer matches your planer! And probably least expensive in that size, at least for relatively new machinery.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Rod Sheridan]

That's the best way to make sure your jointer matches your planer! And probably least expensive in that size, at least for relatively new machinery.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

True, however combination machines also are about as old as individual machines.

In modern times you’re correct, new 16 and 20 inch jointers are pretty expensive outside of combination machines....Rod

[Mark Gibney]

Thanks Dave, I learned a lot.
It may be more my lack of extensive knowledge but it seems there are 15" planers galore, and 16" jointers (not counting the combo machines!), which seems an odd thing.

[David Kumm]

The old small planers made in the US would be in the 12-14" range. The 15" came in the 1980's with the manufacturing move by Delta to Taiwan. Soon clones were badged by everyone.

16" jointers were a popular size in the industrial world. Not too awkward but could handle most stock. A few had guards that could be easily removed so wider stock could be rough jointed in two passes. 36" was the widest standard size available. Dave