On 30 Sep 2004 13:38:52 -0700, (Eric Anderson)
wrote:

An 8" jointer would probably do it, but it is heavy, expensive and
large.

What about taking the motor and cutterhead of a 12" planer and turning
it upside down, putting a steel bed and fence on it? Would we not
have the jointer equivalent of the cast iron planer turned into the
stamped steel portable planer?

By the way, I often use the planer on rough sawn planks, as described
above, that are in good condition, but to be entirely kosher about it,
a planer turned upside down with a well formed stamped steel short bed
and fence seems like a possible way of going. Sure would not be the
nice, quiet machine that the present jointers are, however.

sounds like a lot of dinking about to achieve a kludge. if what you
like is dinking about with machines it could be worth it. I DO like
dinking about with machines, but that one's going on the list of
things to think about again in 10 years.

I paid $600 for a 70's rockwell delta 8" jointer. it's on wheels. it's
big, but for my shop it's about right. I'm not sure how you're going
to get long enough tables on your 12" frankenplaner to be useful
without running into the same space issues. heck, with a sled in the
planer you can joint short wide pieces in the thicknesser and still
have it as a thicknesser.