On Sat, 7 Apr 2012 00:08:51 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

I've been looking at jointers and planers for a home shop. It seems that all of the commercially available jointers are 6" and the planers are about 12". What's the point in having a planer twice as large?

I must be missing something obvious... help a rookie out?

Thanks!


I'd really like to have one triple the width. OK, you just jointed
your 6" boards, planed them to the thickness you want, then glued them
together. Maybe it is not quite perfect. You put it through the
planer and now it is perfect!

Maybe you did not use the jointer at all. You bought a 1 x 12 or 1 x
8 pine board at the lumber yard. Your project would be perfect if the
two pieces in the center were 5/8" thick. Hey look, if will go right
through my planer!

My planer is 13". Coincidently, the most used cutting board in my
house is 12 7/8" wide, made from glued up pieces of maple.

Another reason is cost. The tool manufacturers can build 12" planers
at a much more reasonable price than a 12" joiner, so they do.