Thread: Need help choosing jointer and thicknesser!

Hi Ryan, your biggest issue if you want new machines is your budget.
With only $1200 for both,you are pretty much limited to benchtop machines.A lot depends on how much you are going to be using them and what you will be making.

I started with the Carba-tec benchtop thicknesser and jointer.For occasional and light use the were ok but as I make furniture soon found them inadequate and sold them on to upgrade.

I ended up buying the combination spiral head machine from Carba-tec which now sells for over $2000
The straight blade version of this machine is a fair bit cheaper at $1500 which would probably be a good choice if you can squeeze your budget up slightly.Hare and Forbes similar spec machine is around the $1700 mark.

A better option may be to look out for second hand machines.

Both make a lot of sawdust, what have you got in the way of dust extraction?

Hello Ryan,

I have had the same challenge with not enough spare $$$ to invest in these great machines.
A friend suggested a chat to the chaps at the local men's shed and this has solved my problem.

They have a big modern planer / thicknesser / jointer and for the sake of $ 1.00 a week membership I can dress my rough slabs of Camphor Laurel any of four days a week. Also there is also a wonderful source of experienced members with all sorts of helpful knowledge.

All the best and I hope this helps.

Cheers, Fred

Originally Posted by Dareen

Hello Ryan,
I have had the same challenge with not enough spare $$$ to invest in these great machines.
A friend suggested a chat to the chaps at the local men's shed and this has solved my problem.

They have a big modern planer / thicknesser / jointer and for the sake of $ 1.00 a week membership . . . . .

That's very cheap. we charge $65 a year (paid up front) and $2 a session (half day) so if someone comes for 4 sessions a week for 40 weeks of the year they're up for $385 a year.

I'd love to join a men's shed and I most likely will, but I'm actually trying to start a small business so will be doing lots of woodworking in my workshop. Are the hare and horbes 8" jointer for like 1k okay and then a thicknesser for like 500?

Originally Posted by BobL

Both make a lot of sawdust, what have you got in the way of dust extraction?

I have three festool vacs.

Originally Posted by Vorpal

I have three festool vacs.

That's fine for hand held power tools, they don't have a hope of working with machinery.
I'll let Bob go into all the details of why, but basically it comes down to them not being able to move large amounts of air due to small hose size. They'll also fill up every few minutes.

All comes down to what you are making, if you give us an idea we can better advise you.
Just over $1000 buys you a reasonable jointer for semi-trade use but $500 is not going to get you much in the way of a thicknesser other than a hobby/light trade machine.

You need to thinks carefully about the choice as these are more or less the most important machines in a workshop.You could be just wasting your limited budget on something of very little use.

Originally Posted by Vorpal

I'd love to join a men's shed and I most likely will, but I'm actually trying to start a small business so will be doing lots of woodworking in my workshop. Are the hare and horbes 8" jointer for like 1k okay and then a thicknesser for like 500?

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

That's fine for hand held power tools, they don't have a hope of working with machinery.
I'll let Bob go into all the details of why, but basically it comes down to them not being able to move large amounts of air due to small hose size. They'll also fill up every few minutes.

It's not just the hose size. The internal pathways of vacuum cleaners are deliberately constricted so they can develop a higher pressure but can't move more air even if larger hoses are employed.

A vacuum cleaner moves about 100 CFM whereas for dust control from a jointer/thicknesser you need about 1000 CFM

I'm inclined to agree with mark david, go for the Carbatec combo spiral machine or similar. I have a Electra Beckum HC260M (combo machine probably 30 years old now) and it has been a very useful addition in my workshop. The change-over from planing to thicknessing is quite simple and does not take too long. If the spiral head machines had been around in my day I would have opted for one of them as they are quieter and better for chip collection as the waste pieces are much smaller than with a conventional straight blade setup. Also as BobL mentioned dust/waste extraction is of extreme importance so you need to consider this in you purchase. I believe you should reconsider your budget to no less that $3K for the thicknesser/planer combo including a basic dust extraction system. Good luck with your purchases.

Thanks for all your comments guys.

Im not going to be doing any work too strenuous. Mostly using 32mm tassie oak in various sizes. No longer than say 1200mm in most cases. Didn't even think about dust extraction. Thought my current system could handle it . I was just going to use my router table to edge joint but I have a 1/4" router and hard to get straight bits that long

If you are only joining up to 1200 long then a dedicated long bed jointer is not essential.A combination machine would best suit your needs and budget.

You will also save considerably on floor space, if that is an issue, plus you will have a simpler DC set-up as you only have one machine to connect up.

I have occasionally planed or thicknessed very small pieces of timber without bothering to switch on the DC but a considerable amountmof fine dust is created even when machining pine.

If you are doing a fair bit of machining and not using a DC you will quickly be knee-deep in shavings.
I know this as I tried it with a 10x6 machine I had back in the 1980's with no DC of any kind.

The things I did back then were nuts, cutting mdf and other timber with no DC or masksJust don't go there?

Originally Posted by Vorpal

Thanks for all your comments guys.

Im not going to be doing any work too strenuous. Mostly using 32mm tassie oak in various sizes. No longer than say 1200mm in most cases. Didn't even think about dust extraction. Thought my current system could handle it . I was just going to use my router table to edge joint but I have a 1/4" router and hard to get straight bits that long

Originally Posted by mark david

If you are only joining up to 1200 long then a dedicated long bed jointer is not essential.A combination machine would best suit your needs and budget. You will also save considerably on floor space, if that is an issue, plus you will have a simpler DC set-up as you only have one machine to connect up.

That's all I have at home. If I need to joint longer stuff there'a a small aircraft carrier at the tree loppers yard that I can joint on.

It's a bit of a PITA to switch the combo from thicknesser to jointer but I don't use it that often so its not too bad. This machine is on wheels and pushed to one side of the shed and not connected permanently to the DC. Sometimes I joint a small bit of timber without connecting the DC but I still turn on the DC and open up a couple of 6" ports and it vents the fine dust out of the shed very quickly. Any more than this and the DC is essential to clear the chips.

Originally Posted by BobL

That's all I have at home. If I need to joint longer stuff there'a a small aircraft carrier at the tree loppers yard that I can joint on.

It's a bit of a PITA to switch the combo from thicknesser to jointer but I don't use it that often so its not too bad. This machine is on wheels and pushed to one side of the shed and not connected permanently to the DC. Sometimes I joint a small bit of timber without connecting the DC but I still turn on the DC and open up a couple of 6" ports and it vents the fine dust out of the shed very quickly. Any more than this and the DC is essential to clear the chips.

A combination unit sounds good, however, i was hoping to thickness at least 300mm, which standalone devices can do, but combi's are generally smaller?