Bailey #8 replace a motorized floor jointer?

[Jerry Olexa]

Ready to buy/rehab Bailey #8...Dumb question of week: can a #8 or similar fully replace a floor model motorized jointer? I can see that elbow grease is involved with a handplane but satisfaction/control is probably better? Any practical things I should consider? Thanks in advance..This non motorized approach is compelling..

[Steve Voigt]

I don't use a tailed jointer, and lots of others here don't as well. In my opinion it is the easiest machine to get rid of.

I would prefer a #7 or, even better, a woodie jointer; that #8 would wear me out. But some people love them.

[Chris Hachet]

I have used jointer planes vs tailed jointers for 30 years. Unless I was running a production shop building something like kitchen cabinets, I cannot see the point of owning one. If anything, buy really good wood pre surfaced and you will only have minimal work.

I use a wooden jointer ECE style/ulyma and it works fantastic. Some day I will buy a metal Veritas or LN jointer just to have another on site. But there are a million other tools I want first.

[Judson Green]

A 8 won't be nearly as fast but if woodworking is a hobby for you than speed probably isn't your concern. A little patience mastering the skill of using a jointer plane and you'll have joints (or flat/straight surfaces) just as good if not better than anything you've done with a powered jointer.

[Shawn Pixley]

I don't have a tailed jointer. I use my #7 a lot. When I am using it, it is my favorate plane ("I bet you say that to all the planes"). I have yet to need a tailed jointer.

[Jerry Olexa]

Good, common sense advice..You guys are converting me...Sounds like a 7 might be better...Then later, I sell my JET jointer (to buy more planes)
Thanks..Good advice.

[Robert Hazelwood]

Edge jointing goes pretty quickly once you get the hang of it. I have both a #8 and a #7...I keep the 8 with a straight blade and I've cambered the #7 for a more aggressive cut. The #7 gets used to flatten faces of boards and correct a badly out of square edge (cambered blades are good at this) and the #8 can take finishing passes on a board face and edge. That's a nice system, but you could get by with either one and a mildly cambered blade.

My current method for stock prep is to flatten one face, joint an edge square to that face, and then mill the opposite face and edge (when stock width allows it) with a lunchbox planer. It's a nice balance between handwork and machine use. Also, the planer is useful for achieving consistent dimensions (thickness/width) from part to part - that can be difficult and time-consuming by hand. But flattening one face (at least to the point that it doesn't rock or bow on a flat surface, so that it can be fed through the planer) and jointing one edge is not too difficult.

[Frederick Skelly]

Good, common sense advice..You guys are converting me...Sounds like a 7 might be better...Then later, I sell my JET jointer (to buy more planes)
Thanks..Good advice.

Hey Jerry, I got an LV BU Jointer last year. Its a nice tool.
Fred

[Judson Green]

Good, common sense advice..You guys are converting me...Sounds like a 7 might be better...Then later, I sell my JET jointer (to buy more planes)
Thanks..Good advice.

Go for the 8. I use one for surfacing, and use a 7 for edge work. Either way its nice to have two jointers.

Though I do have a jointer (a 4" about the same length as an 8) I never use it. All surfacing and squaring is done with hand tools.

[Jim Koepke]

I used a #7 for a long time and felt a #8 wasn't necessary. Then one came my way at a price I couldn't refuse. Now the #8 gets more use for the heavy work and the #7 more for finish work.

So as others have said, it is nice having both.

BTW, there has never been a power jointer used in my shop.

jtk

[Brian Holcombe]

I have a 7 and it works well for me. I do complete dimensioning by hand for most projects. One of the best parts about jointing by hand is that you can take twist out without eating up a lot of material.

Get or make a set of winding sticks and straight edges. If you don't have a knife edge marking gauge that is something to get too.

Once I joint a face and edge for reference I will set my gauge for width and cut to width, then I set the gauge for thickness and make a line around the entire board. Cut to the line, check for flatness and you should be set.

[Matthew Hills]

Are we talking edge jointing or face jointing? (I seem to use a jack and straight-edges more for the face)

Matt

[Don Slaughter]

Jerry, I have a Stanley #8 and it is a great tool but it wears me out to use it. I also have an ECE jointer and it is a really great tool for flattening a large surface but my favorite is a Clifton #6......it is heavy but if doesn't seem to tire me out as much as any other. https://plus.google.com/photos/10034...MjikZXA9J3G5gE
Here you can see how it flattened my bench in about 15 minutes.
goodluck,
Don

[Joshua Hancock]

To answer your question, yes it can, but just be prepared for a learning curve. I think someone said it best here: don't expect the plane to do the work for you, you are going to have to use your head to make it flat.

It took me a few tries but once I got the change of it, I was face and edge jointing relatively quickly. Also a hand plane has no max width!

[Derek Cohen]

It depends ... on the wood you use, how much work you do, how fit you are, the space you have, finances ...

I predominantly use either salvaged old wood, which will be very dry and hard, or long lengths of air dried rough sawn sections that will require flattening and resawing. If there is a lot of wood to prepare, I have no hesitation in using a Hammer A3-31 jointer-thicknesser/planer. If there is a small piece or just a few sections to do, I use a jointer plane. Whatever is appropriate for the task.

The fun of handtool woodworking lies less in the rough work of preparing the timber, and more in the sizing, joint-making and finishing. Much of the work I do requires handtools. On the other hand it would be silly to ignore machines that compliment handtools. I do not view woodworking to be an "either - or" issue.

With jointers, I have found the extra width of #8 over the #7 to be a hinderance when pushing. It is unnecessarily wide. The advantage of the extra 2" in length of the #8 is negated by the extra width and weight.

Regards from Perth

Derek