"bf" wrote in message
oups.com...

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').

Sounds like we think in the same channels although I have no
basis in reality yet. I have wondered how "much" cup/warp could
be stood, but ... most of the long work I do is such that the
internals will pull the longs into shape in one way or another.
I've gotten fairly good at getting things to come out assembled
square and stay square over the years since my best friend to
date has been the table saw, glue and screws/dowels/pins g.

Pop