Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

On 11/26/2013 9:57 AM, Morris Sasser wrote:
Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?



Worth getting if you want to straighten short boards. On the other hand
I had a stand alone joiner for 20 plus years. It was the least used
machine in my shop and I got rid of it about 3 years ago.

I don't buy rough cut boards I fi need to straighten a board I use a
track saw.

Morris Sasser wrote in
:

Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person
get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

Smaller tools do not necessarily allow you to work with smaller pieces of
wood. If a 1/2" thick piece is too thin for a large jointer, it won't be
any better with a small one. With the larger one, at least you'll be able
to work larger pieces.

I do keep a "bench jointer" nearby in the form of a couple of hand planes.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 10:11:12 AM UTC-6, Leon wrote:
.... I don't buy rough cut boards I fi need to straighten a board I use a track saw.

80% - 90% of my work is with rough cut or recycled lumber. I use my stand alone jointer for almost all my projects. I suppose at least half of my jointed lumber is 6' long and longer. I have separate roller supports for infeed and outfeed. I suppose bench jointers are/have very short beds, so they may not be the best for longer (and heavier) stock.

Additional Comments:
For working recycled lumber, have 2-3 sets of extra blades, for when they get nicked, and especially for pre-facing (I often discover previously missed nails, tacks, etc.) prior to using the planer, if applicable. Probably more so with recycled lumber, referencing my practice for getting nicks in the blades, often, learn (and make a jig) to sharpen your jointer blades, rather than sending them out to be sharpened. Self sharpening is less expensive.

Sonny

On Tue, 26 Nov 2013 07:57:27 -0800, Morris Sasser wrote:

Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person
get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

The rule I've heard is that the longest piece of wood you can joint is
twice the length of the input table. IMNSHO, that might even be
stretching it.

So I wouldn't go for a benchtop. I've often wished my 6" Jet was an 8"
longbed.

--
This message was for rec.woodworking - if it appears in homeownershub
they ripped it off.

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 9:57:27 AM UTC-6, M Sasser wrote:
Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting?

Which one? What name brand? Possibly a $50 one might be a reasonable buy, depending on its use. There are old 4" Delta-Rockwells and Craftsmans that can do lots of tasks, very well.

I, personally, would stay away from "Taiwan-like" made benchtops.

Sonny

On 11/26/2013 7:57 AM, Morris Sasser wrote:
Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

I think it depends on the stock you buy.

Rough cut wood requires some work to be usable.

Lots of folks buy S2S or S4S and it doesn't require
as much work.

Most bigger cabinet shops have a jointer but again
that varies with the type of work being done.

If you build a lot of plywood boxes and add hardwood
face frames, a jointer might not be needed.

If you build a lot of hardwood tables and cabinets,
a jointer would be a great help.

Bigger is better in the jointer world.

Here is a bigger:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoind...l.aspx?id=5592

Here is what most folks end up with:

http://vintagemachinery.org/photoind....aspx?id=11956

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 11:08:54 AM UTC-6, Sonny wrote:
On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 10:11:12 AM UTC-6, Leon wrote:

.... I don't buy rough cut boards I fi need to straighten a board I use a track saw.



80% - 90% of my work is with rough cut or recycled lumber. I use my stand alone jointer for almost all my projects. I suppose at least half of my jointed lumber is 6' long and longer. I have separate roller supports for infeed and outfeed. I suppose bench jointers are/have very short beds, so they may not be the best for longer (and heavier) stock.



Additional Comments:

For working recycled lumber, have 2-3 sets of extra blades, for when they get nicked, and especially for pre-facing (I often discover previously missed nails, tacks, etc.) prior to using the planer, if applicable. Probably more so with recycled lumber, referencing my practice for getting nicks in the blades, often, learn (and make a jig) to sharpen your jointer blades, rather than sending them out to be sharpened. Self sharpening is less expensive.



Sonny

Same here, Sonny. I use a lot of recycled and rough cut wood. I use my bench jointer (and thickness jointer) all the time. I don't get many nicks in the blades because I use a Lumber Wizard metal detector on every piece of recycled wood that goes into my machines. It was kind of expensive (100 bucks), but it's paid for itself many times.

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 9:57:27 AM UTC-6, M Sasser wrote:
Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

You can probably score a nice 6-inch jointer for under $200 on Craigs List. I think I paid about $150 for my Jet and it has served my hobbyist requirements nicely.

Larry

Michael wrote in
:


Same here, Sonny. I use a lot of recycled and rough cut wood. I use my
bench jointer (and thickness jointer) all the time. I don't get many
nicks in the blades because I use a Lumber Wizard metal detector on
every piece of recycled wood that goes into my machines. It was kind
of expensive (100 bucks), but it's paid for itself many times.

I've got a smaller hand-held metal detector that was about $20. Every time
it catches a nail or screw that I missed, it's paid for itself. New planer
blades are about $50, so it doesn't take very many missed nails to make a
metal detector worthwhile.

Approximately how far down does your Lumber Wizard reach? I usually have
to scan all four edges on a 2x4 to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On Tuesday, November 26, 2013 8:27:19 PM UTC-6, Puckdropper wrote:
Michael wrote in

:





Same here, Sonny. I use a lot of recycled and rough cut wood. I use my

bench jointer (and thickness jointer) all the time. I don't get many

nicks in the blades because I use a Lumber Wizard metal detector on

every piece of recycled wood that goes into my machines. It was kind

of expensive (100 bucks), but it's paid for itself many times.



I've got a smaller hand-held metal detector that was about $20. Every time

it catches a nail or screw that I missed, it's paid for itself. New planer

blades are about $50, so it doesn't take very many missed nails to make a

metal detector worthwhile.



Approximately how far down does your Lumber Wizard reach? I usually have

to scan all four edges on a 2x4 to make sure I didn't miss anything.



Puckdropper

--

Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

Here's the info from the manual:
Under ideal conditions, and with a properly
tuned unit, the Lumber Wizard III can
detect:
a solid piece of metal at approximately 6”
deep
a large deck screw at up to 3”; a medium
nail at up to 1.5”
a paneling nail at up to 3/4”
a wood staple at up to 3/8”

This sounds about right in my experience. I will say that some people (product reviews I just looked at) who have bought the Lumber Wizard III have found that it breaks and customer service is terrible. I have had mine for years, at least five, maybe eight (tempus fugit), and it's always worked well for me. If I was going to buy another, I would probably get one from a company that is better known, like Garrett.

Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

It depends on the type of work you do. I've never owned a small bench top jointer, so I can't judge how valuable they'd be for smaller stock.

About 95% of the time I use my jointer for edge straightening -- and about 5% on facing cupped or twisted stock. My jointer is only 8"so I have occasionally rented time on larger ones.

It's not a tool that's used that much. Usually you run stock over it once or twice and that's it.

I know some woodworkers who also make tapered legs on their jointers.

What do you plan to use it for?

"Morris Sasser" wrote in message

Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or
should a person get a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

How big is the wood and what do you want to chop, edge or face?

For edges and relatively short pieces, I'd just as soon use my router table.
I have a 6" joiner, bed - in & out - around 4' but I don't use it much, just
seems easier to join edges with the wood riding on its face.

For edges and long pieces, I'd still just as soon use the router table.

For faces I use my drum sander.

So no, I don't think a bench joiner is worthwhile. If you want a joiner,
get one with a LONG bed.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

Morris,

Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting?
Or should a person get a stand-alone?

If I had to choose, I would probably get a 6" or larger free standing
jointer. A small bench jointer would probably only be useful for small
projects like model making.

That said, I have managed to get by without a jointer for many years. I'm
not sure where I would store the extra machine anyway.

I use my planer for many tasks that a jointer might be useful for. I find
that if I take multiple passes, flipping the board over between each pass,
I can usually clean up any cupping, minor warping, or thickness variations.
This may not work for a board with serious warping, but I would probably
cut that into smaller pieces and use it for something else anyway. Or, you
could build a sled to hold the board steady as it passes through the
planer.

I also straighten/smooth edges of boards by ganging them together and
passing through the planer on edge.

You can straighten a warped board on the table saw by attaching a straight
edge as a reference to guide along the fence. For minor imperfections, I
simply make several small passes, trimming just a little off the edge,
flipping the board on each pass. I glue up a lot of door panels and I can
usually get glue ready joints with that method.

You could also use a track saw to make a straight cut.

Another option is to use a straight edge and a router with a pattern bit.

Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

"Morris Sasser" wrote in message
...

Do you guys think a bench joiner is worth getting? Or should a person get
a stand-alone? Whats your opinion?

If you have the option of either I'd get a floor model of at least 6" width
(8"+ is better for face jointing). Longer beds are important if you are
using long stock... I went from a 6" about 4 feet long to an 8 inch about 6
feet long as the stock I was jointing was so big I had the 6" standing up on
edge, i.e., it was dangerous! There have been more than a few times that
I'd wished for a 12" wide jointer... but with various techniques got by with
the thickness planner.

On the rare occasions I use S4S rather than rough cut I don't think I've
ever had a board straight and flat enough to use without jointing. Sometimes
grabbing an L-N No 5 or No 7 bench plane is the right option while many
times the Delta DJ-20 is the right option.

I find a jointer to be a critical tool in my shop (whether electron or meat
powered).

John

HerHusband wrote:


That said, I have managed to get by without a jointer for many years.
I'm not sure where I would store the extra machine anyway.

That was my situation. I had a 6" jointer that I got for free, and I used
it once after I spent the time setting it up and sharpening the knives. It
always seemed to be in the way, or just taking up floor space that is too
precious, even in a 3 bay garage. So - I gave it to my son. He hasn't used
it yet, but at least it's out of my garage.


You can straighten a warped board on the table saw by attaching a
straight edge as a reference to guide along the fence. For minor
imperfections, I simply make several small passes, trimming just a
little off the edge, flipping the board on each pass. I glue up a lot
of door panels and I can usually get glue ready joints with that
method.


I use the straight edge method as well. In fact - I have a piece of cherry
just waiting for that treatment as we speak. First though, I have to do the
last emergency repair my plow is going to see. Just to get it through this
winter... Sucks because I've been getting into more woodworking projects
over the past couple of weeks or months, and I'm on a roll with some of
these projects. All small stuff, but it has captured my interest all the
same, and now I have to divert my attention to cutting, grinding, heating,
welding - all in old, cruddy steel. The joys of 20 year old equipment that
was only designed to last 5 years.

You could also use a track saw to make a straight cut.


I keep thinking of doing this, but I just go back to screwing or clamping a
board to a straight board and running it through.


--

-Mike-

That said, I have managed to get by without a jointer for many years. ...



I use my planer for many tasks that a jointer might be useful for. I find
that if I take multiple passes, flipping the board over between each pass ...

A faster alternative is to knock down the high spots with a scrub plane, and run it through the thickness planer. It doesn't have to be all that smooth, just close. It does take a bit more muscle power, and I've used it for boards too wide for my jointer, yet will go through my thickness planer.

On 11/27/2013 9:46 AM, John Grossbohlin wrote:
....

I find a jointer to be a critical tool in my shop (whether electron or
meat powered).
....

Agreed...it's the first in any stock preparation. Then again, I'm of
the age before there were the high-powered routers and all so my habits
are ingrained from 50+ yr of prior use.

As others have said, other ways are possible but to me it's indispensible.

Iff'en were starting a new shop I'd seriously consider the newer
multi-machines to get an equivalent-width surfacer to the capacity of
the planer. Probably best use of limited floor space for moderate to
large work. If limited to smaller work, the alternatives w/o would be
more attractive.

IF size weren't a restriction I'd go to old iron and an old 16" Crescent
or the like...

--