Planning a Stickley Spindle Bed build.. need financial decision assistant.

Dolmetscher007
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Dolmetscher007 Journeyman Poster

Dolmetscher007

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Hey guys!

I have been in love with the idea of building a Stickley Mission Style Spindle bed out of quarter sawn white oak. I do not have a jointer or a thickness planner, nor hand planes. So, I at a crossroads, and I could just some gentlemanly perspective. Here is the major pieces of equipment that I have right now.

  • Nice Delta table saw
  • Dewalt 12" miter saw
  • Table-top Drill Press
  • Porter-cable router
  • Hand held belt sander
  • Random orb. sander
  • Palm sander
  • Circular Saw
  • Hand Held jig saw
  • Bostitch 18 gauge brad gun w/ compressor.
  • Lots of various clamps and tools

What I do not have...

  • Jointer
  • Bandsaw
  • Drum sander
  • Thickness Planner

It has finally sunken into my head that whatever wood I buy for my bed project, it will not be S4S. This means that it may have cupping, twisting, bowing, no flat surface to reference along a rip fence of a table saw. etc etc. So, in my mind, I can't really be saving my money to buy 100 bd ft. of quarter sawn oak, when... I wouldn't even have the tools to mill it into attractive usable boards. 

So, I guess I've answered my own question... I need to invest in at least a jointer before I make a significant ($800+) purchase of a pile of boards that will sit around untouched, because they are in their rough form. My problem is... which to buy first. In my mind, a jointer is the logical decision, because it can make a board flat on at least two sides. The problem is... jointers are incredibly expensive. I saw a Jet and a Delta bench-top jointer, each for around $400. I could swing that. But... the Jet had terrible reviews, and I mean terrible! So much so that it's made me wonder if bench-top jointers (6") are all just terrible. I don't want to spend $400 on a tool that may not only suck, but may ruin my lumber investment. 

Then after that, without a thickness planner, I can't get the board to an exact length. You can't just flip the board over on a jointer and make a lot of passes. The two sides won't be perfectly parallel. They may be "flat" but not parallel. I don't live near a Rockler or woodworking shop, and I certainly do not have a woodworker in the family who I can ask. What do you all think I should do?

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..Kev Master Poster

..Kev

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Not quite sure where your question is as you know what you need.

Yes, I would buy the jointer first and then the planer.  Grizzly is a good option for the Jointer and the Dewalt 735 will be the suggestion for the planer.  The money is what it is.  You can watch CL and try to score a deal.

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Brendon_t Master Poster

Brendon_t

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Another two options for you. 

1) buy at a location that offers milling services

2) ask around. There may be a member here within driving distance that could give you a hand,  using their milling machines.  I  wouldn't charge another member but if they brought refreshments and offered to pay to get my blades sharpened after,  it would be a nice perk.

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gee-dub Master Poster

gee-dub

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Another reply, another perspective.  So many woodworkers, so many variations on a theme.  Jointers make things flat, planers use an already flat surface to make the opposite side parallel.  You can reasonably face joint on a planer with a sled but, cannot reasonably thickness on a jointer.

When asked which of this inseparable pair of tools to get first I opt for the planer.  While waiting for your planer to arrive, build a planer sled.  Once your planer is setup you can face joint with the sled and plane without it to your hearts content.  Once you get tired of hefting the planer sled around simply to face joint a piece 18" long by 7" wide, buy a jointer :D.  You will still have the sled for pieces 60" long and 15" wide or whatever.

Disclaimer: All dimensions used as an example and do not imply usability for any given purpose ;-)

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Dolmetscher007 Journeyman Poster

Dolmetscher007

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I have never seen the planer sled. That thing looks awesome! It looks like it would solve a lot of issues. 

#1.) It can flatten boards that are as wide as your planer.
#2.) It saves you from having to buy a jointer for flattening boards... although, jointing 2 thin 3/4" board to be glued into a panel doesn't seem possible with a planner sled. 

But... I'm sure there is some amazing soul out there who has figured out a way around that too. Flush cut bit in a router, maybe?

I think the planner is the way to go. I will have to make a long sled. 7ft or so for jointing bed rails. I will practice on a whole pile of long  2x6s first, so my first time using a planer sled isn't on a $75 piece of quarter sawn white oak. 

Thanks for all the tips guys!

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..Kev Master Poster

..Kev

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5 minutes ago, Dolmetscher007 said:

I have never seen the planer sled. That thing looks awesome! It looks like it would solve a lot of issues. 

#1.) It can flatten boards that are as wide as your planer.
#2.) It saves you from having to buy a jointer for flattening boards... although, jointing 2 thin 3/4" board to be glued into a panel doesn't seem possible with a planner sled. 

But... I'm sure there is some amazing soul out there who has figured out a way around that too. Flush cut bit in a router, maybe?

I think the planner is the way to go. I will have to make a long sled. 7ft or so for jointing bed rails. I will practice on a whole pile of long  2x6s first, so my first time using a planer sled isn't on a $75 piece of quarter sawn white oak. 

Thanks for all the tips guys!

You can build a sled for the TS to rip a straight edge as well.  Or a track saw will do the trick.  However, rarely do either produce perfect jointed edges for a glue up.

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gee-dub Master Poster

gee-dub

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38 minutes ago, Dolmetscher007 said:

#2.) It saves you from having to buy a jointer for flattening boards... although, jointing 2 thin 3/4" board to be glued into a panel doesn't seem possible with a planner sled. 

But... I'm sure there is some amazing soul out there who has figured out a way around that too. Flush cut bit in a router, maybe?

A flush bit and router will do with an edge guide but . . . .

p_planerjigpic.jpg

Jigs and power tools are great time savers but, I will often place both boards to be glued in the vise and hand plane to joint the edges in tandem as discussed here:

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/hand-plane-butt-joint-edges/

This makes up for my less-than-perfect mastery of hand planes as the error is ignored when the boards are placed together.

 

 

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treeslayer Master Poster

treeslayer

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no jointer here either, but i do have the dewalt 735 and made a planer sled for cupped and or warped boards, and you can edge joint on the planer also. its not a replacement for a jointer, but it will work. personally i would go for the planer first IMO

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Eric. Master Poster

Eric.

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You can cheat your way through a few projects with just a planer.  A jointer without a planer is as useless as tits on a boar.  I saw in your original post you said something like "a jointer can make two sides of a board flat."  Which is totally true...in the shape of a wedge of cheese.  You need the planer to make the second side parallel to the first side that you flattened on the jointer.

So ultimately you do need both, but if you can only get one right now, planer first.  Don't skimp on either one...that only makes your life...uh...not fun.

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Pwk5017 Master Poster

Pwk5017

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17 minutes ago, Eric. said:

Try St. Louis if you wanna hit rock bottom.

 

18 minutes ago, TIODS said:

You should see mine ;)

 

Do yourself a favor and never search in the rust belt; you might weep. Central ohio up to Cleveland and on to Buffalo usually have quite an array. Pittsburgh is okay. 

 

To the OP, I wouldnt skimp on the jointer, but the 735 is hard to beat on the performance:dollar spectrum. To give you an idea, I went from the 735 to a 20" byrd powermatic, and I skipped everything inbetween because it didnt seem like much of an upgrade over the 735. The used craftsman I linked and a 735 could be a budget friendly entry into the world of milling.

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..Kev Master Poster

..Kev

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4 minutes ago, Aj3 said:

I say save up and get the jointer and planer.Dont cut corners on your machines or find ways to make your work harder.Do it right from the start to the end.

Pretty much what I was getting at..

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Dolmetscher007 Journeyman Poster

Dolmetscher007

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I have definitely decided to just buy a thickness planer. I will let my projects and interests influence which tools I add moving forward. I can build the planer sled to joint boards flat for the time being. It will be the middle of next year if I wait until I can afford both a planer and a jointer. BUT... I will keep my eye on craigslist. (That Craftsman jointer was already sold). 

Now I am left with the decision of which thickness planer to buy. I love pretty much everything Dewalt and Bosch makes. But I am going to read through and learn as much as I can. There are two Dewalts; one is $399, and the other $549. I don't now if the $150 is worth it... I have some reading to do. Any tips?

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Coop Master Poster

Coop

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Worth it. Damn worth it! 735 over the 734. You'll never look back. I have a friend that bought the 734 and is having discharge issues, not using a vacuum. Have a look at RichardA's pickup without a dc. Spend the bucks.

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Coop Master Poster

Coop

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7 minutes ago, TIODS said:

The 735 is the best lunchbox planer on the market period.  Beyond that, you need to step up to 220 power and double in price for starters.

 

7 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

Worth it. Damn worth it! 735 over the 734. You'll never look back. I have a friend that bought the 734 and is having discharge issues, not using a vacuum. Have a look at RichardA's pickup without a dc. Spend the bucks.

 

4 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said:

The Dewalt 735 is a beast for a benchtop planer. The built in dust/chip extractor sets it apart. As far as I know, the less costly one (DW734?) will plane as well, but with a bigger mess.

Case closed?

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