On 4/9/2012 1:06 PM, Pat Barber wrote:
On 4/7/2012 12:08 AM, 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 don't think you have been looking at "commercial grade" equipment if
that's all you have seen.

A 6" jointer is about the smallest you can buy.
....

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/95

A nicely built little 4" jointer. Dad had one; brother has it now. As
noted, the disadvantage of the smaller ones is the shorter bed lengths;
"bigger is better" is certainly true w/ jointers, especially.

The only thing I disliked w/ the Delta 4" is that doing the cabinets for
folks used some hard maple for the facings and the lightness of the
cutterhead made it chatter more than one would like if tried to face a
2"+ piece; just not enough mass. It did fine on jointing glue edges
even on the maple.

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