Pop wrote:
Hi all,

Birthday coming up, and I'm in a bit of a quandary. I've been
given the opportunity to pick up either a planer OR a jointer
(not both) and I'm not sure which to go for first or which would
be the most useful. I also have little experience with either
tool.

In my opinion it's a no brainer to get a planer. Without a planer, a
jointer isn't going to do you much good (you won't be able to get the
opposite face of the board parallel with the face you just joined).

I have both tools, and I have found that I use my jointer less and
less. Often times, if the boards are only a little bit warped/cupped,
the planer does just fine flattening them out. I buy mostly rough cut.
If I get a board that's twisted beyound planer flattening (maybe 5%), I
save it for cutting into smaller pieces (like 2'-3').