Just a basic jointer question...


s1rGr1nG0

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14" boards sound amazing! I would also kill for your Felder 941, not just for the 16" width, but also because I like pushing buttons! :)

Still, I am pretty adept with hand planes, and can level, thickness and smooth any width you like (what I have in hand planes would probably buy a 941 :o). 

There is very little here that is wider than 8" ...

TheDevilLiesInTheDetails_html_a9c41c1.jpg

This is a bowed front chest with curved sides. The jointer/planer (Hammer A3-31, 12" wide) was especially needed for the 1/4" thick side panels. However my design called for these to be bookmatched, with the total panel depth around 16" (I cannot recall off the top of my head) ..

OneStepBack_html_m34b74f22.jpg

I would never wish to return to an 8" wide jointer. I would love to have your 16" machine. To me, 12" is a very good compromise. I have had the A3-31 for about 5 years now. It is teamed with a Hammer N4400, which I have had for about 10 years (I like Hammer - just purchased a K3 slider). This has a resaw height of 11 1/2" which, as you see, limits me anyway. I would need a larger bandsaw capacity to warrant a 941. 

I think that when choosing jointer size, it is very important to get the widest you can that you can afford. Consider combo machines since this is often the cheapest way. Bed length is really not as important as bed width (you can always length a jointer bed; you cannot widen it). I was invited to write an article in Popular Woodworking about this about a year ago (the back page commentary). When you cannot go down this path, or are already the owner of a narrower machine, learn to use hand planes. They will free one from being confined.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

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When I first started woodworking, I had to get good with hand planes. Some eBay specials had to get me through due to budget constraints. 

The button pushing is fun!

Agreed a combo is the most cost effective way to get into a wider jointer. Which is how I started down the path. 

I've seen some of your planes. I really love the infill you restored. I'd love to play with it some time :) You could easily buy a AD941 with your collection. I opted to sweat less :) 

 

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I have a cutech spiral bench jointer, 6" wide. It works well for smaller stock, takes up little space and was inexpensive. I see now they have recently started selling an 8" model with bed extensions. Something to consider.

http://www.cutechtool.com/product-p/40180h-ct.htm

For wider material I remove the guard, joint, flip the board again and joint again. I just get it to a state that I can plane the opposite face. Once that face is true, I use it to plane the original. Not ideal, and slower, but generally gives very good results. 

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17 hours ago, Unknown craftsman said:

@Llama in trying to think what that wood is it looks like spalted olive. Looks great and it deserves the right to face the beds of your Felder. ^_^

Aj

I'm pretty sure it's spalted elm. I think it would look cool as a box or something. 

I wish I had more, I'd make door panels with it.

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23 minutes ago, Llama said:

I'm pretty sure it's spalted elm. I think it would look cool as a box or something. 

I wish I had more, I'd make door panels with it.

I'll make you a helluva an offer. Send me that ugly chunk you have and I'll send you some SYP for those door panels. You haven't lived until you've seen book matched pine doors.

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On 11/10/2017 at 5:58 AM, derekcohen said:

After 25 years of building furniture, 5 years ago I upgraded from a 8" Delta to a 12" Hammer A3-31 with spiral blades. I really do not feel the need to upgrade again. 

My rule of thumb is that the bandsaw needs to have a resaw capacity that fits the jointer and the planer/thicknesser. Frankly, boards in excess of 12" are very rare, and if wider than this, I can (and have) used handplanes. 

Regards from Perth

Derek

I like this, very reasoned IMHO, approach.

I will note that you are talking about available retail woods and excluding slabs.  I work 50% with slabs, so I see very different widths than you do!

None-the-less, I don't think it's practical for most of us to get a machine that does everything.

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On 11/12/2017 at 10:43 PM, Isaac said:

I have a cutech spiral bench jointer, 6" wide. It works well for smaller stock, takes up little space and was inexpensive. I see now they have recently started selling an 8" model with bed extensions. Something to consider.

http://www.cutechtool.com/product-p/40180h-ct.htm

 

Interesting product.  I notice that they are selling it with a spiral head, but that the cutters are HSS rather than carbide (they do have carbide replacements).  I wonder how well the HSS works?

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16 minutes ago, Mark J said:

Interesting product.  I notice that they are selling it with a spiral head, but that the cutters are HSS rather than carbide (they do have carbide replacements).  I wonder how well the HSS works?

Just based on their own pricing, I imagine it works okay, but the carbide steel is their premium option. For the 6" model, the tips can be rotated 4 times each, so even if the HSS dulled a little quicker, you should get some reasonable life out of it. I haven't seen the 8" model, but am guessing it operates the same way. I wish it was available when I bought mine, and I would have gotten it. Now I'm thinking of selling mine to upgrade. 

I like the idea of the bed extension bars - that is certainly the toughest challenge for this tool, milling longer stock. That being said, I don't often have piece that long in my work, so I can generally avoid this simple by milling a bunch of 4 foot pieces instead of 8 footers. It does produce a bit more waste and take longer, but is a reasonable option.   

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22 minutes ago, Mark J said:

Interesting product.  I notice that they are selling it with a spiral head, but that the cutters are HSS rather than carbide (they do have carbide replacements).  I wonder how well the HSS works?

I bet they don't stay sharp very long. Since insert heads are mostly a scraping cut just like a high angle scraping plane. 

Aj

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"sometimes" would be my response and that's mostly because some, or dare I say many, wood grain types will get torn up doing this. It's like planing against the grain instead of with it. Messy.

A person might be better building an auxiliary fence on the other side and removing the standard fence to accomplish this. Then it would work properly. Maybe a bit clumsy, but no sense in ruining some good lumber.

There are left-handed guitars and scissors, but no left-handed jointers. I wonder why? :-)

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