Craftsmanship in Wood

Are you sure you would be happy with an 8" jointer?

There aren't any structurally sound designs in models that 8" size, for some reason, save for the Makita 2020, which is hard to find. Delta DJ20 was another, but longish table overhangs. If you will indulge me in making a suggestion, I would strongly advise trying to find yourself something larger.

This Oliver for instance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiI4gGcG_T0

Not the older design with pedestals so it should stay aligned. Was $2700 in 2014. There are more of those around.

There are 12" Northfields out there as well. Inca made a 10" (I think) for luthiers and furniture makers, though it had very short tables. There are lots of options from Japan in the 300mm size, but of course there is shipping on top.

I'm no fan of Powermatic, but there is this one in the Hudson Valley:

http://hudsonvalley.craigslist.org/tls/5844597041.html

They also have that model in a 12" size I do believe.

That's my worry, I'm concerned that most 8" jointers are basically made for hobby shops and so they likely skimp in some area to keep the cost down.

I think that even if I wind up waiting longer to get all the tools I want, I'd rather wait and buy the best I can buy than to get something now and grow out of it in a few years.

I'd like a 20" jointer but I think it's too impractical given my location, so 12" is probably best and is generally going to be professional shop equipment.

Likely I'll buy a planer before a jointer.

Considering the cost of these two machines individually, it's actually approaching 16" J/P combo pricing (6-10k depending). I really hate to limit myself to 16", which will actually cover a great deal of my cabinet work, but won't quite do it when I need to make 18.5" deep cabinets.

I have a feeling these machines are geared mostly toward timber framing work, but still, it seems like a viable option.

Much to think about....

I've also caught wind of the Gyro Air dust collector. I didn't mention it, mostly because I've been waiting until some hands-on reports appear before considering it "real".

It caught my eye as I'm plotting against a space limitation problem: I've got relatively low ceilings in my new shop space. Clearance is 94" max along on one side, sloping down to 88" along the other. I'd prefer to vent outside, but there's no easy way to do that on the "high" side of the space; it's effectively underground on that end.

I could put a collector immediately outside the shop, which removes the height restriction and saves space inside. However, I'm in a residential neighborhood, so I'm concerned about creating a noise nuisance.

Brian wrote:Considering the cost of these two machines individually, it's actually approaching 16" J/P combo pricing (6-10k depending). I really hate to limit myself to 16", which will actually cover a great deal of my cabinet work, but won't quite do it when I need to make 18.5" deep cabinets.

I have a feeling these machines are geared mostly toward timber framing work, but still, it seems like a viable option.

Much to think about....

An Austrian-made Knapp 20" J/P combo occasionally comes onto the market - there was one earlier this year IIRC.
Only drawback is that the company is no longer in business.

For a 20" J/P combo otherwise, you will have to look for something made in Germany.

Thanks Chris! I'll do some pondering. I'm limited to single phase, so that alone eliminates a host of more series machines. I can use a phase inverter but think I'll avoid that route for this.

I'm swaying back toward separate machines.

Personally, I think separate machines are a much better arrangement, and in some cases, with some manufacturers, can be placed in a nestled, or 'space-saving' arrangement.

If you do go with a J/P combo, a highly accurate table height gauge/readout for the planer is a must in my view. But, in the end, swapping back and forth between functions is tedious, and only with the biggest German combo machines do you get a decent jointer fence. The smaller Italian machines mount the jointer fence at the far end of the infeed table, usually, and this means it is overly flexy right where you need it most - at the cutter head.

The single phase power does limit your choices.

Once you get to a decent machine the price advantage of the combo disappears as well. I'm limited on space, but really only want a handful of machines so even the separate machines will be fine.

I'm fine to hand joint large panels (I joint and thickness currently), so I think that going with a 20" wide planer is a must, the bulk of the work for me is in thicknessing slabs and panels and so 20" wide will eliminate a great majority of that.

So, after going round and round with it, I'm thinking 12" on the jointer as you suggested along with the 20" wide planer.

It does seem like it would be a nuisance to constantly swap the machine back and forth from jointer to planer, and I'm sure tight tolerances are lost in the swap.

Look at this one Brian:

http://www.woodweb.com/exchanges/machin ... 95375.html

Awesome! Thank you for pointing me toward woodweb. I'll keep a close eye on it and hopefully a bandsaw comes up before I pull the trigger on a new one. I plan to do the bandsaw and dust collector soonish, then once funds begin to pile up (lol) I'll start a serious search for a used jointer and maybe planer too.

I am planning a MM20 from minimax. I just passed on an Italian 18 laguna and I'm not sure if I should be kicking myself or if I saved myself from dealing with laguna customer service at some future point.

You always have an excellent insight into these machines as a professional user, it is much appreciated. Reading sawmillcreek on these same topics can make ones head spin.