Thread: Advice on Choice

Thickness planer.

I got the bandsaw first, and could resaw lotsa stuff, then would have to resort to handplaning/sanding everything smooth and flat again.

With the planer, much easier life.

I don't have a jointer myself, and I don't really think I will bother with one for quite a while. I can rip down one side with a circ saw, rip to width with the table saw and plane flat with a handplane. More work yes, but I get that kinda thing done in about 5 minutes on a decent sized hunk of wood.
The big $$$ for a decent jointer here just isn't worth it, and either way, I think it's down the list from planer and bandsaw. Especially if you build a simple sled for the planer to let it joint planks flat.

Mate, $400 is a small pool of money to play with. Anyway, I would buy a bandsaw first. A jointer and thicknesser cannot survive without one another (to me anyway).

I agree with Wongo, although you might want to top it up a bit for a decent bandsaw, rather than compromise.


You can always get the GMC thicknesser for $199, and get a good handplane with the rest (HNT Gordon for example).


Now I have a planer, I think they are an essential tool, but I wouldn't have known that without getting one. Had a job just a couple of days ago that would have left me scratching my head for ages working out how to do it, and giving up as too hard, that took <1 minute on the planer. Being able to flatten and square stock is a godsend. Sure, there are plenty of alternate ways of doing it.

Hmm - that's all 3......

For $400, either the GMC thicknesser, or save and wait till you can get a bandsaw you would be happy with.

Originally Posted by Wongo

Mate, $400 is a small pool of money to play with. Anyway, I would buy a bandsaw first. A jointer and thicknesser cannot survive without one another (to me anyway).

Agree with young Scotty... however with only $400 to spend (I mean that in a rhetorical way 400 is a lot or a little depending on your perception not everyone has a big budget or even a replacable one in the short term) what sort of bandsaw would he be able to afford that would fullfill his needs and that he would be happy with for a couple of years till he updates? I guess it would be a 14in if hes lucky hang on an lets take a gander around...

Just from the main two in WA

1) Carbetex... 10in BAS-350 = $329 or for a few $ more than the budget the 14in SW-1401 = $529

2) Timbecon... Your out of luck... closest is the 14in MJT-14 at $599

Sooo... lets go back to Carbetec and see if theres a jointer that he can buy for $80? nope... what about a jointer handplane... mmm nope Veritas 299, Lie-Neison $369, the record #7 comes close at $174 but your really out of luck without adding to the kitty

Well after extensive research on your behalf ol mate your left with either getting the 10in BAS-350 for $329 or upping the anti by $129 and getting the SW-1401 for $529 from Carbetec

You may be able to get a 12 1/2in thicknesser well you will be able to actually but you wont get a jointer for that $400... so I guess to conclude I think you may well be served best by getting the 14in bandsaw and taking the remainin $80 and heading around to the garage sales and such to find a bunch of hand planes
Cheers!

G'day Gazaly,

I'll join in the chorus and agree:

• bandsaw 1st;

• followed very closely by a jointer (I had both at the same time for reasons other, and would be lost without a jointer to compliment the b/saw; and

• as soon as you can work out how to get your mits on one, the biggest thicknesser you can, for my 2&#162; a C/T 15" - CTJ-381 or similar. (I've got one coming soon )

I'd go for the bandsaw first then the other two. As Wongo has pointed out, they're complimentary machines. i.e. Establish a surface on 1, 2 or 3 sides on the jointer and the opposite side/s is done on the thicknesser.

Having said that, you could do all four sides on the jointer & not worry about the thicknesser.

I tend to use the thicknesser more than the jointer however, since a lot of the timber I plane already has acceptable working surfaces but each of us is different.

So, 1. Bandsaw. 2. Jointer. 3. Thicknesser.

Originally Posted by keith53

Having said that, you could do all four sides on the jointer & not worry about the thicknesser.

Keith, how do you know that the opposite surfaces are parallel?

If one side is 90 degrees to the base, and the top is 90 degrees to the side, then the top and base must be parallel

Originally Posted by Wongo

Keith, how do you know that the opposite surfaces are parallel?

By using an extremely keen eye

As we agree, they're complimentary machines but when one is on a limited budget, compromise is often inevitable. I did that for years with my Triton WC (not complaining mind, and I'm happy with all it did). Recently, you may recall, I replaced the orange machine with a Jet supersaw (a decision into which you had some input). To say that I'm happy with it is a gross understatement but I no longer have to accept 'near enough is good enough'. In this area (tablesaw), I'm not compromising any more. Or at least I can no longer blame the machine - my lack of talent in this area is highlighted even more.

Originally Posted by Stuart.

If one side is 90 degrees to the base, and the top is 90 degrees to the side, then the top and base must be parallel

Something like this?? 2 surfaces are both square to the sides doesn’t make them parallel to each other.

Also it is easy plane the sides square by putting the base against the fence. It will be very difficult (or impossible) to put the thin side against the fence to plane the other base flat.

Originally Posted by Stuart.

If one side is 90 degrees to the base, and the top is 90 degrees to the side, then the top and base must be parallel

Originally Posted by Wongo

Something like this?? 2 surfaces are both square to the sides doesn’t make them parallel to each other.

Wongo, I think Stuart means if the base and top are 90 degrees to the same side, they have to be parallel.

Originally Posted by gazaly

Wongo, I think Stuart means if the base and top are 90 degrees to the same side, they have to be parallel.

Yes and my picture shows exactly that.

Definitely bandsaw. The most versatile and useful machine ever, I reckon. I bagged a large 20", second hand Meber for $800 at an online Grays auction a while ago and then recently got an all but new Jet 14" for $400.00. The Grays industrial auctions turn up some fantastic bargains sometimes, so your $400 can stretch much further than buying new from the usual suppliers.
A jointer and thicknesser are incredibly handy to have as well, of course. As Stuart. said, once you have one (preferrably both) you won't know how you managed without them. (Same goes for drill presses too I reckon). The best thing is they open up all sorts of new timber supply options. Especially recycled building material and reclaimed/fallen trees from farms etc. The masochists, traditionalists, flat earthers etc will say you can dress timber with handplanes. Which is true. You could also chew off your hand to remove your watch, rather than just undo the strap. But would you want to?

Umm...

As much as the bandsaw is nice, you can resaw with a table saw.

Even my crummy pile of junk will rip 150mm stock without too much bother fitted with a $50 thin kerf rip blade. Add in another $50 for a decent hand powered rip saw, and you can do much thicker stuff without too much trouble and not much lost wood.

My bandsaw has $100 worth of blade to accomplish the same task, but then you need a bandsaw to run that big mutha of a blade on...

I have both, I'd be willing to lose the bandsaw first (and replace it with a better jigsaw than I have now).


I still say planer first, since it will make things much easier once you get the stuff dimensioned roughly (by various means). The planer just makes life much nicer and faster if you are making things that are flat, not curvy.

If you don't have a table saw though, that's the first step...