Jointer selection

[Andrew Gibson]

How wide is the stash of walnut you have? that may help you choose the jointer. If it is all wide boards I would suggest the wider. then I will offer to take the 8"+ boards off your hands, my scrub plane can handle anything up to maybe 24" before I start running out of reach... If you have boards wider then 24" I will grow longer arms or sit on it while I plane it!!!!!

[Jonathan Link]

If you have a planer you have an option to consider. A planer sled.
I don't have a jointer. Here's my process.
Rough cut to a bit oversize on my SCMS (Sliding Compound Miter Saw).
Face joint on the planer w/ sled
Square my rough cut on the SCMS, putting the face of the board against the fence on the SCMS.
Attach to a table saw sled so I can rip the rough stock square by making sure the stock is square to the base of the sled (has hold downs to keep the piece attached to the sled)
Remove the piece from the sled and rip the other side to final width.

Does it take a bit longer? Yes. Are there times I wish I had a jointer? Sure, do. Is it on my list to buy? Yes. But, I was able to start working with rough wood without having to get a jointer as early in the process. A jointer is a one trick pony, which can be replicated with some other equipment, time and ingenuity. If you don't have an SCMS, you could probably get decent results with a circular saw. There are even tricks to get panels to match up if you have a vice and hand plane.
Do a search for a planer sled, one of the links will be a video from Fine Woodworking magazine, watch it. My first planer sled was as simple as a piece of jointed red oak, some shims and some hot glue attaching the board and shims to my sled.

I want to thank you all for the information. I was impressed with how many of you not only looked at my post but gave worthwhile advise.

Some background. I am a social studies teacher who has worked on wood projects off and on since I was a young man. I am 59 years young as of December 29th. When I was 27 my brother in law and I cut down several walnut trees and had them rough sawed. They have been in my shed all these years. I have carved some of the wood and enjoyed the results. When my daughter got married in June I promised her and her husband that I would make a clock case for them. I have a DeWalt surfacer but found out that it won't take out the twists and bows from the walnut. When I carved the wood these problems didn't matter. What does matter to me is that I use the wood of my youth to make the case for my daughter and her husband.

[Mike Zilis]

Sorry to throw a wrench in this, but could you consider selling your planer and going with a combo machine like a Jet JJP-12? This would give you a 12" planing and jointing capacity. Once you have 12" of jointing capacity, you wonder how anyone gets by with less.

-Mike

[glenn bradley]

If you have a planer you have an option to consider. A planer sled.

Yep, a well made sled got me by for well over a year while I saved for my jointer:

[Heather Thompson]

Bill,

I would like to suggest that you update your profile to include your location, Creekers are everywhere and you may be just down the road from someone that would be willing to help you out with some of their equipment. There have been many posts here where fellow Creekers have assisted others, there is one that comes to mind where a member had a Shopsmith with bandsaw but needed to resaw a large board, it ended up with a simple come on over and lets saw it up. Creeker visits are good for the soul and help build the SMC community.

Heather