Help Wanted: Jointer and Planer Recommendations
I am looking for a Jointer and Planer.
I reviewed the following for the past few days:
DeWalt 735x – Planer $637 on Amazon
Wahuda 8″ Benchtop Jointer with Spiral Carbide Cutter Head – $550 on WahudaTools.com
I never bought either planer or a Jointer before.
I have a table saw, Miter saw and a couple of skill saws. I have a $200 table saw, bought about 10 years ago. I thought of upgrade to Sawstop – table saw but it is very expensive.
My background in construction activities:
I am new to fine wood working, but i have expertise in construction. I attended few classes on carpentry, plumbing, steel building and harwood flooring etc few years ago. We did Hardwood flooring in our house by ourselves and we did backsplash in the kithchen few weeks ago. Today we finished building a couple of saw horses using plywood.
I bought 20 board feet of cherry to build a table. But without Jointer/planer, i cannot work on the project.
Can you please suggest a jointer and a planer?
Thank you,
Welcome to woodworking!
I can’t speak from direct experience about jointer since I’ve never owned one. However, I have owned a Dewalt 735X for awhile now and it’s done just about everything I’ve asked of it. It’s only limitation is its size, but I rarely need to plane boards wider than 13″. I’d recommend it, especially if you find it on sale. Good luck!
On May 20, 2020, at 16:24, Louis Fiorucci wrote:
?
There are several manufacturers that make powered wood working tools. Many to choose from, ranging from portable to stationary units.
It is important to consider what type of woodworking you wish to do. If you have a broad range of interest, then it is best to buy a machine that can meet the needs.
Jointer:
I purchased an 8” bed jointer with 4 individual knives back in 1992. The import company was on the West Coast and the manufacturer was “Transpower” of Taiwan. Excellent machine, and documentation is great.
Planer:
I purchased an 16” bed planer with 3 individual knives back in 1992. The import company was on the West Coast and the manufacturer was “Transpower” of Taiwan. Excellent machine, and documentation is great.
Heads UP:
If you buy machines with individual blades, keeping the blades sharp is a key factor in quality preparation of your wood work pieces. I use a wet grinding wheel sharpener made by Tormek. The Swiss unit is not cheap, but highly accurate to make razor (scalpel) sharp blades to you jointer/planer units. Grizzly sell a comparable unit for a few hundred $ , while the Tormek is $800 + (with accessories).
Back then, I don’t recall if the helical cutter heads for each machine were available, but I am giving consideration to upgrading both machines.
Transpower may have been taken over by another company ??, or may be out of business.
I have a friend in Frederick who bought a portable worktable planer unit made by DeWalt. He likes the unit.
Other Equipment:
A few years ago I upgraded from a 14” bandsaw to a Grizzly 19” 3HP unit. Tracking is exceptionally good, and power is plentiful. Made in Taiwan for Grizzly.
About the same time, I took a chance and purchased a 10” bandsaw for wooden toys and parts that I make. Surprisingly, the Rikon was well made, tracking excellent, and documentation thorough. Although the unit was made in China, it appears that oversight and adherence to specs/manufacturing was very good.
Happy Shopping & Do Your Homework
Lou