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Thread: Any need for a Thicknesser when you have a jointer?

  1. #1

    Any need for a Thicknesser when you have a jointer?

    Hi Guys,

    Think it is about time I invested in something to allow me buy rough lumber and save some cash from the planed all over stuff.

    Can I just buy a jointer alone (with no additional thicknesser), which will square off all of my sides/faces, and continue to run it through until I get my desired thickness (instead of using a special thicknesser)?

    PS Not sure if I have the terminology correct here - we have planers to square edges, and thicknessers to reduce the thickness of a board. You interchange "planer" with "jointer"??

    Thanks

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by Eoin Ryans View Post
    Hi Guys,

    Think it is about time I invested in something to allow me buy rough lumber and save some cash from the planed all over stuff.

    Can I just buy a jointer alone (with no additional thicknesser), which will square off all of my sides/faces, and continue to run it through until I get my desired thickness (instead of using a special thicknesser)?

    PS Not sure if I have the terminology correct here - we have planers to square edges, and thicknessers to reduce the thickness of a board. You interchange "planer" with "jointer"??

    Thanks
    Eoin

    A jointer and a planer are two separate machines, that perform two distinct functions. The jointer is commonly used to make joint one face and one edge 90 degrees to each other. The planer, thicknesser, makes the board a uniform thickness using the Joined face as it's reference. The other edge is made parallel with a table saw, most commonly.
    A planer can do 1/2 the work of a jointer with a sled, make one face uniform and flat, but a jointer can not do the work of a planer.
    "The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)

  3. #3
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    Thicknesser and planer are same. Planer poor for sraightning. Jointer to square edges and straighten boards. Jointer is poor for thicknessing. I use my planer a lot, used my jointer very little and finaly sold it. Other folks do just the opposite. Can use either one for either job with enough jigs, sleds, etc if you want to go through the effort. Which to buy if just one?? Just depends on the type projects you do, type wood you work with, and other tools you have. No same answer for everybody.

  4. #4
    If I could only have one, it would be the planner.

    I have a jointer, it is a little one but it does the job but I don't use it that much.

    I have found that with the planner I can plan one side flat then flip it over and get both sides parallel. With that done I square the edges with the table saw, work just fine for me.

  5. #5
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    To put it in very simple terms, a jointer can flatten both faces but will not necessarily make them parallel to each other. That's what a planer does...thicknesses the stock while keeping the two faces parallel. As was stated, after one edge is jointed, the piece is ripped to width on the TS and those edges are now parallel. It's common practice to rip the piece 1/16" over and then joint the ripped edge.
    Cody


    Logmaster LM-1 sawmill, 30 hp Kioti tractor w/ FEL, Stihl 290 chainsaw, 300 bf cap. Solar Kiln

  6. #6
    Warning! Confusing and circular descriptions ahead.

    What we (in N. America) call a jointer is used to make one face of rough and often twisted, cupped or bowed materials flat (or planar) and often to make one face and one edge of a board square to one another. If you run one face of a board through a jointer (aka JOINT THE BOARD) and then flip it over and do the same to the opposite face, there is absolutely no guarantee of the faces being co-planar when you're done, and the chances of such happening are probably very small.

    What we call a planer in N. America, doesn't make things planar, it just makes things thinner (though one can employ various jigs to use a planer to make things planar). So, if you put a twisted, warped or cupped board into a planer, a thinner twisted, warped or cupped board comes out the other end. However when you put the perfectly flat face that you created with a jointer on the reference surface of the planer (it's bed) a thinner, board with two flat and co-planar faces comes out the other end.

    I suspect Eoin may be outside the US which would confuse matters further.
    In much of the rest of the world they call a jointer a planer and they call a planer a thicknesser - so the machines' names actually described their function more accurately.

    http://www.recordpower.co.uk/categor...--thicknessing

    Eoin, you probably want one of each if you're doing work that requires square and co-planar solid wood stock (if you're making Windsor chairs or small boxes or casework from sheet goods or whatever, it might not be needed). If you can only get one, get a planer and find another way to joint boards or take a straight edge and winding sticks to the lumber yard to pick out the flattest possible stock (there there is no guarantee it will stay flat since wood moves). Of course the other option is a combination machine which incorporates the functional of both into a single machine (often at the same cost as two individual machine but with a smaller footprint).

    good luck
    -kg
    Last edited by Kevin Groenke; 03-10-2013 at 9:44 PM.
    Kevin Groenke
    @personmakeobject on instagram
    Fabrication Director,UMN College of Design (retired!)


  7. #7
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    When I was starting in the hobby I just had a tablesaw. I made it work.

    A little later on I got a used Planer (Also called a "Thicknesser" in the UK).
    For many years, I made it work.

    Yes, "banana in == banana out", but still, with a bit of care there are many ways to still get perfectly workable lumber out the other end.


    Finally, I saved up enough in the "hobby" part of the home budget to pick up a 6" Delta Jointer. Yes, it makes things better.

    But if you could only get one, I'd get the planer.
    "It's Not About You."

  8. #8
    You might be able to get by, using hand planes and lots of extra time, but if you want to accomplish much, you need both. You could probably get by with a lunchbox planer, (thicknesser), but I'd hate to get by with no jointer. It is also used to get a straight edge on boards, which I use as a mating surface for glueing. The neanders probably say all you need is a hand plane, but I like power tools.

  9. #9
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    Using US terminology:

    If you want to buy rough sawn lumber you basically have two choices:
    1) Have both a jointer and planer. The jointer is the first machine used and it makes one face square to one edge. The planer is used second and makes the other face parallel to the one milled on the jointer. The other edge can be make parallel on the table saw, the planer, or bandsaw, depending on the size/shape of the wood.
    2) Have just a planer and use a "planer sled" (google it to learn about it more) to get 2 parallel faces. Then use a jointer and straight edge to get a flat and square edge. You'll probably get really tired and frustrated with this method if you go through a lot of wood with your projects.

    If you just had a jointer, your sides might be flat but would not be parallel.

    It's best to have both a jointer and planer.

  10. #10
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    I am having the same dilemma too... I cannot buy surfaced lumber because they are often improperly dried, meaning if I buy it planed it won't be square a few months later because they weren't dried when it was surfaced, so I prefer roughsawn lumber so that I can surface it once it won't move anymore. However most jointers I have seen are 6" and planers average around 12" (which is enough). I don't see how I can join the face of lumber when it's only 6". I thought I can probably join one face, run it through a bandsaw to make the other face parallel and then run it through the jointer once on the rough side.

    Currently I just plane the wood by hand, very tedious and I have no way of making sure that it's even square.

  11. #11
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    Tai,

    Perhaps you should check on a 12" combination jointer/planer. There are several on the market, some probably made near you. It would be nice to be able to both joint and plane a 12" board.

    Look up Grizzly, and Hammer, for two models.

    Rick Potter

  12. #12
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    I have put my hard hat and body armor on.

    Most of the wood I use is 4/4 or 5/4 and 12+ inches wide. I have a 6" jointer making face jointing difficult. I use a 13" planer for the faces and have not had a problem removing cupping. For cupped boards I use very small increments to get one face flat then plane the other side to get it flat. Excessively cupped boards can be ripped to reduce the cupping on the pieces to a workable amount. A light cut puts less pressure on the board and then reduces the cjhances of pushing the board flat while planing (and it spring back to cupped on exit).

    I try to avoid twisted or warped boards. IfI do get one, judicious cutting before planing can help eliminate planing problems.

    Once I have flat/parallel faces the jointed is used to square and flatten one edge.

    So far I have only had one board that I could not get flat berfore it got too thin.

  13. #13
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    I am not in the US, but I am in Taiwan so I can't just buy Grizzly tools. While they are made here the factories that make them are not all that forthcoming about who they make what for, and in most cases won't even sell to individuals. In fact I have no idea who made my bandsaw, there must be 100 NDA's those factories had to sign meaning if they sold a machine they can't tell them who made it... it means I am heavily dependent on the dealer for parts/repair.

    I have not seen a jointer/planer combination, all I have seen are separate machines. So the most common ones are 12" planers and 6" jointers, both benchtop. In fact most machines sold here are benchtop and I have to go to industrial suppliers for anything not benchtop. They have larger planers but I am short on money at the moment so I can't buy it now. I am looking for a decent table saw that doesn't take up too much room at the moment.

  14. #14
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    They're somewhat similar, but really perform different core functions. A jointer flattens a reference face and squares an edge to it. A planer creates a uniform thickness and makes two faces parallel to each other. Without a flat reference face, the planer will pretty much duplicate whatever randomness exists in the board, and makes it difficult to create a true 90° edge. You can use a planer sled to act a reference face on a planer in lieu of a jointer, but it's a bit more work. The two tools work great in tandem....watch Norm Abrams, Tommy Mac, the Wood Whisperer, or David Marcs ...they flatten a face on the jointer, square an edge on the jointer, then move to the planer to duplicate the opposite side to a uniform thickness. A jointer by itself won't make the two faces parallel to each other.


    Last edited by scott spencer; 03-11-2013 at 11:52 AM.
    Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

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    ..................

    op?
    Last edited by scott spencer; 03-13-2013 at 6:16 AM.
    Happiness is like wetting your pants...everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth....

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