Next Shop Machine...help me choose

[Bernie May]

Gosh, if a new 16" J/P is not out of the financial picture, I would go that direction in a heart beat. I have a Hammer 12" combo, but would love a 16" combo.

[Matthew Hills]

You can use the 12" J/P as a 12" jointer... and keep the wider planer.
(are you getting boards that wide, or is the capacity needed for glue-ups?)

I do like the fences better on the older, iron jointers. So going vintage jointer is another possible direction.

Do you have use for other big sanders? (edge sander? spindle sander?)
Do you have use for a mortiser?
CNC?
Laser engraver?
Workbench?

I've also heard enjoying the tools you do have is a viable consideration.

Matt

[Rod Sheridan]

Lisa, it’s the jointer/planer for your next machine.

I have a 12 inch Hammer A3-31 which is fine for me asI never have any wood wider than 12 inches.

I don’t need a planer wider than that as glue ups don’t need planing with good jointing before hand.

Regards, Rod

[Lisa Starr]

Wow! Lots to think about here. I'll have to do some serious soul searching and some measuring/graph paper work to see how viable adding a sizable jointer to my shop really is. I also need to look at the dimensions of the various J/P combos to see if there is any hope of storing one where the current planer lives when not in use.

To be completely honest, the lathe is definitely a space hog vs amount of time used. Maybe I need to see if I can figure out a different bench/storage arrangement for that to gain some room.

[Rod Wolfy]

A Hammer A3-41 or a comparable MiniMax 16" jointer/planer (with the spiral cutterhead) would be only about 2' more space than your planer or a foot wider than an 8" jointer. Get it on a mobile base. I think the Hammer is even on sale at the moment. (Like a last tool you'll upgrade to). The finish is almost good enough to not sand, according to owners like Rod.

I've never bought a lathe, as it would almost be another hobby in itself. A larger bandsaw is very handy, though. I have a 14” and a 21” (and a 12” Jet HH J/P on a mobile base).

[scott lipscomb]

Yep as others have said, a j/p combo. I have a 15" four post, too (that I really like) buts its in storage in another shed and I gave my 8" Powermatic jointer to my buddy. I absolutely love my older FS35.

[Bill Dufour]

I found I make a lot of drawers and what not that are between 6-8 inches wide or less. That is why I upgraded from a 6" to an 8" jointer. Wider then 8" is huge step up in cost. Remember a jointer can be raised up a little and the tables can float on top of many tools such as a tablesaw. Or it can go down and nestle below the tablesaw extension table.
I have never seen a jointer with a base that has a door to store stuff under it. It could store stuff like under taablesaw., cans of hardware, spare blades, adjusting jigs etc. I keep spare coils of wire under my planer. The dust does not bother them at all. It also acts as ballast so the machine is not top heavy and it make sit less likely to tip over. My drillpress is up on a small box structure to get it to a comfortable height for me. I keep spare motors down there.
Bill D.

[Terry Therneau]

An edge sander is one of the last tools woodworkers buy, and then one of the last they sell. I have found that out personally. I just rearranged and thinned my shop to make room for a sliding saw: the jointer/planer, bandsaw, and edge sander were never on the consideration list for removal. Shaper, router table, radial arm, second bandsaw, unisaw all were on the list.


Terry T.

[Lisa Starr]

You folks really helped my make up my mind concerning a jointer in my shop. I've contacted Felder/Hammer to discuss purchasing a A3-31 12" J/P combo machine. So far, I haven't heard back from them. I'm not at work today, so I spend the morning shuffling my shop and determined that I can accommodate it. While a 16" would be nice, I realized that I rarely use the 15" width of my existing planer and the footprint of the 12" better fits my shop.

Thank you for your comments. Hopefully Hammer gets back to me quickly and I can pull the trigger. After researching the available combo units, I really think the Hammer is the unit I would like to have.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Excellent choice, I love my A3-31. If you need it mobile, I highly recommend the PortaMate 3500 or 3550 mobile base. I have the 3500 on my A3-31 and the 3550 on my Hammer F3 Shaper.

Here's what to expect when it's delivered.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Moving the A3-31

[Rod Wolfy]

Lisa, you can contact Erik Loza on this thread, he's a Hammer/Felder rep.

[Jim Becker]

Lisa, I think you'll be happy with that decision. I've never regretted having my J/P combo. I like working with wide lumber and also like the ability to work with irregular shapes, etc., that having a wider jointer bed affords. And with flattening and thicknessing in the same footprint, I preserve precious shop space. Yes, you'll find yourself planning things a little more to avoid that one minute changeover from being frequent, but that's not a terrible thing, either. Sometimes those brief pauses keep one from making mistakes thae come with haste.

[Andy D Jones]

I guess I'm not as good as some at glue ups, so I plane afterwards.

I chose a 16" A3-41 with carbide cutter head.

-- Andy Arlington TX

[Lisa Starr]

Well-it is official! I've placed my order for the Hammer A3-31 for my workshop. The delivery isn't until late Nov/Dec, but that's okay. I have some shop arranging/building to do and I've lived with out a jointer for years.