Advice needed jointer vs planer thicknesser

[Zen]

Hi, hope you are all cosy and well in your sheds.

One day I will probably end up with both machines, but for the time being as I am on a budget and gradually expanding my arsenal of woodworking tools I am looking to get either, but I need your advice. Which of the two will be more useful and should I get first?


Pictures are for illustration purposes only I don't have particular models in mind.

Thicknesser Jointer

Also I just found a combi version, between the two, is that any good?

 

[Jameshow]

PT but don't waste your money and get a decent one like a Metabo kity rp 12" one.

 

[baldkev]

Yep, like above, get one that does planing and thicknessing, but go second hand and get something more robust....

 

[Ollie78]

A thicknesser ( Planer in USA ) is worthless without a planer ( jointer in USA) .
The planer makes one face flat and straight, then an edge can be planed at 90 degrees so you have one square corner.
Only then can you run them through the thicknesser which will make opposing faces parallel.
If you run a bent board through a thicknesser it will be smooth but still bent.

As @Jameshow said I would stay away from all of the ones pictured.
Get a 260mm planer thicknesser with a cast iron bed, it really is night and day difference with the light alloy ones.
Sheppach, Startrite, Elektra Beckum (now Metabo) Record power, all have similar machines.

something like this.

Second hand is the way forward.

Ollie

 

[Bojam]

Basically, a "jointer" (more commonly called a "surface planer" in the UK) is a one trick pony. A thicknesser is more versatile and does more to reduce the drudgery of milling stock. In a ideal world, you would have both. But as other people have said don't waste your money on a cheap one.

If you can only afford one to begin with then a thicknesser is definitely the way to go.

To joint a peice of wood (i.e. flatten a face and square an edge) you can get by with handplanes. The reference face doesn't even need to be perfect, you just need to remove the high spots and ensure that there is no twist/rock. Once you achieve that you can flip if over and run it through the thicknesser until the opposite face is flat and clean. Then flip it back over and run it through again to clean up the original reference face. Straighten and square an edge with a handplane and then, if the stock is narrow enough you can feed that through the thicknesser to give you a parallel flat and straight edge. If the board is too wide then rip the other edge parallel with whatever you have (e.g. table saw, tracksaw, bandsaw, handsaw) and clean up with a smoothing plane if required).

See this video on "hybrid milling" from the Renaissance Woodworker who uses this type of approach.

It is also possible to build a planer sled to flatten stock entirely using a thicknesser. See this article for how to build a fancy one. There are simpler designs to build but more faff to set up.

Of course, you can use handplanes for the whole stock milling process if you have the time and the patience to learn how to do it well.

 

[Bojam]

A thicknesser ( Planer in USA ) is worthless without a planer ( jointer in USA) .
The planer makes one face flat and straight, then an edge can be planed at 90 degrees so you have one square corner.
Only then can you run them through the thicknesser which will make opposing faces parallel.
If you run a bent board through a thicknesser it will be smooth but still bent.

As @Jameshow said I would stay away from all of the ones pictured.
Get a 260mm planer thicknesser with a cast iron bed, it really is night and day difference with the light alloy ones.
Sheppach, Startrite, Elektra Beckum (now Metabo) Record power, all have similar machines.
View attachment 144882something like this.

Second hand is the way forward.

Ollie

Agreed that the Metabo HC260 or equivalent is probably the best low cost (ish) option. You might well be able to find one second hand and if not then to buy new isn't too expensive. In addition to cast iron beds, I believe these models have induction motors, which makes them a fair bit quieter to run.

I'd suggest something like the iTech 260S if you can afford it. Substantially more expensive but worth the investment if you're interested in a heavier duty machine. Comes with a spiral head installed which is great if you work a lot with tropical hardwoods and/or heavily figured timbers.

 

[dzj]

Both machines have their place. Depends what you plan to do with them.
Thicknesser first was mentioned above. If you get the planer first, you'll do edge to edge gluing
much easier. In this case you'd have a flat reference surface and 2 edges, but the back would need to be
touched up with a hand plane. It's closer, in a sense, to traditional woodworking where reference surfaces
were more important than stock being of equal/ parallel thickness.

 

[loc0]

Agreed that the Metabo HC260 or equivalent is probably the best low cost (ish) option. You might well be able to find one second hand and if not then to buy new isn't too expensive. In addition to cast iron beds, I believe these models have induction motors, which makes them a fair bit quieter to run.

I'd suggest something like the iTech 260S if you can afford it. Substantially more expensive but worth the investment if you're interested in a heavier duty machine. Comes with a spiral head installed which is great if you work a lot with tropical hardwoods and/or heavily figured timbers.

Metabo HC260 is fitted with aluminium tables. Still very capable machine. When I was on the market I've decide to fork out for Itech 260s. No regrets

 

[heimlaga]

Two separate machines are more effeicient in professional use because you don't have to change over from surfacing mode to thicknessing mode and back. On the other hand they take up significantly more valuable space. You need both machines anyway.
The advantage with a combination is that you can cram more capacity into a limited space. You don't only save the space taken up by the machine but also you have one infeed-outfeed path across the room instead of two. Changeover time is a small issue compared to having enough capacity in a solid enough machine for the task on hand. Using a too small and lightly built machine is a monumental waste of time.

To my eayes the machines you link to are such monumental time wasters. You are likely to grow out of them soon and the resale value will be close to zero. If you can afford it get something better. Maybe secondhand.

I run a combination with 60 cm capacity weighing around 1,2 metric tons in my pasrt time workshop. Separates would be better but with the current cost of building and heating additional square metres a combination is much more cost effective.