Interesting Jointer Perspective

[Eric.]

I don't think you need an aircraft carrier to produce very high end work.  But you do need a good jointer (unless you really dig grunt work) at least 6" and preferably 8".

The jointer is arguably the most critical tool in a shop because without it you can't get straight and square (unless you really dig grunt work), which means your project is gonna suck from the start...which makes for not only a sloppy end product but a totally unenjoyable experience.  The day that you have a finely tuned good jointer in the shop is the day that you start having fun woodworking.

It's also one of the most (THE most) finicky tools in the shop to set up.

And with these two factors in mind, I present to you the argument...forget the table saw, bandsaw, planer, whatever...invest your money and shop space in a high quality big jointer, and cut corners somewhere else.

It's not a sexy tool, but it is a critical one.

[Isaac]

1 hour ago, Mike. said:

Isaac - I do one of 3 things with wider boards:

1) Rip and re-glue.  I do this if the part is not visible, or particularly fussy.  This is the most efficient way (in terms of lost material) but, if you are not careful, can result in a visible glue line (or at least one that is visible to me.  My wife would never spot it).

2) Remove my blade guard and joint the first 6" of the board with the machine and the remaining few inches by hand.

3) Build a planer sled.  I do this for 10-12" wide stock.  I don't like to keep jigs around (take up to much space), so I just build a quick and dirty sled using a piece of MDF and I tape down wedges until the board doesn't rock.

Wherever possible, I rip, then joint and plane.  Your jointer needs to remove everything between the highest high spot and lowest low spot.  Ripping and cross cutting first, where feasible, will result in less work for your jointer.

If I am buying wide boards, I try to get them as flat as possible.  I have found the best wide boards from these guys in Skokie. They take great care in drying their lumber.  I believe they air dry for a full year then kiln dry.  It comes out of the kiln almost perfectly flat.  I bought some 12" wide rough sawn walnut from them that did not need to be jointed at all.  It was flat enough to go through the planer right out of the kiln.

http://horiganufp.com/

Trust me, if you stick with the hobby for a few years, you will shoe-horn a 6" jointer into your basement

 

Wisdom! Most people gets this wrong.  They dump all their money into a tablesaw because it is the "heart of their shop."    Spend the $$$ on the finicky tools.  

1) Jointer - get the best you can afford

2) Bandsaw - get the best you can afford

3 & 4) Planer and Tablesaw.  These are relatively simple machines.  You can do great with a 3HP grizzly and save the extra $1000-$2000 you would have spent on a Sawstop or PM on your jointer and bandsaw.  This is coming from a Sawstop owner .

I really believe your jointer and bandsaw are the buy once, cry once tools.  A $300 lunchbox planer can do great work for a long time, as can a <$1000 grizzly.  A crap bandsaw or jointer are literally paper weights.  

 

Speaking of that, from other threads I know you are a big bandsaw fan, to the point of almost not needing a TS, right? What is your process for ripping then? do you band saw and then joint it to get to the exact desired width with a smooth finish? How do you get multiple pieces to the same exact width?

[Unknown craftsman]

6 hours ago, Isaac Gaetz said:

So you tend to use a lot of narrower planks for your table tops then?

No not necessarily if I have a wide board that I like.

I might rip it down the middle on the bandsaw face it and joint it back together.Sometimes this will save thickness and remove stress.

I struggled for a while with a jointer that would only get me close to making up a top without glue lines.

But I did learn a thing or two with my Ln foreplane.When I die I'm going to ask god if I can bring my Oliver with me.

Just I case.

Also would like to add that I agree with Eric and Mike.

Aj

[collinb]

Where do you get knives for that thing?

U. S. Navy

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk