Jointer/Planer combo

[mpholway]

Hello all,
I am thinking of getting a 12" combo jointer/planer to upgrade and also save shop floor space. Does anyone have any advice/experience that they can share regarding this idea? If so, any specific recommendations regarding equipment options would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Matt
,

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

Hello Matt, I have owned my MiniMax FS41E 18 years. I previously had separate jointer and planer, I always wanted a wider jointer, so the FS41E fit the bill with a width of 16” (410 mm for our metric fans). My machine is equipped with a Tersa cutterhead, the Tersa knives are double sided replaceable knives, I can change the three knives in 3 cutter head in 3 minutes, the knives leave a beautiful finish. The table on my machine is effectively one piece, so change over is fairly quick.

Obviously, the ideal solution is separate 16” jointer and 16” planer, but I haven’t found the J/P to be an issue. If I had to do it again, I would love to hold out for a 20” (510 mm) jointer/planer. Minimax, Felder and Hammer all fine machines to consider.

 

[Mark Johnson]

I have a 16 inch Hammer with spiral head that has been fantastic. I had a Makita before, but there is no comparison between the machines.

 

[bob vaughan]

What few I've worked on had a problem getting the knives precisely parallel to one bed or the other but those were regular knives. The cutterhead was slightly askew in the machine. Maybe newer machines will have beds that can be adjusted.
I also noticed it took a lot of cranking down the planer bed to get the dust hood in.

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

What few I've worked on had a problem getting the knives precisely parallel to one bed or the other but those were regular knives. The cutterhead was slightly askew in the machine. Maybe newer machines will have beds that can be adjusted.
I also noticed it took a lot of cranking down the planer bed to get the dust hood in.

Bob, this is true of my MM, the planer has to cranked down to 6-7 inches for the planer dust hood be stored for jointer mode. In a pro shop it might be an issue, there are J/P including the newer FS41ES that have motorized planer tables..Pretty sure Felder, SCM and Martin have machines with motorized planer tables also…

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

I don't have a jointer, or jointer/planer combo, but I'v been in your shoes. Do I get separate machines... If so, I can only afford an 8" jointer and 15" planer.. but at these current silly prices, that's about $10k between the 2 machines. Insane, imo, especially since I'd only be able to joint 8" boards. I have plenty 8.5" - 13" wide boards, so what can/should I do?

I believe it is rather new, but check out the woodmizer mp-160 (?) You don't have to flip the jointer over into planer mode, which I found cool, but no option for helical/spiral head... Yet. I believe it's 12" jointer and possibly 16" planer? I need to check, but regardless, that might be another option?

 

[bob vaughan]

Years back FWW had an article on the earlier jointer-planers. I think somewhere between issue 100 and 120.

 

[bob vaughan]

Jointer Planers have been around for a while, some models specializing in wide work.

 

[zapdafish]

I got the grizzly combo with helix cutters and really like it. I have cut lots of ash, white/red oak with it and its still performing great. I havent tried other combo machines but I did have separate machines at one point. One thing I didnt realize is the planer raises the wood into the cutters rather than lower the cutters into the wood. Not a big deal but to me it means I can almost never get the exact same thickness wood if I have to redo something and if you use roller extensions, its a pain to set any in/out feed support because of this..

 

[Martin Roper]

I have the Jet JJP-12HH.

My "shop" is one bay of a garage so I need to save as much space as possible. Even so, I have to back one of the cars out to do a major milling project.

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

I have the Jet JJP-12HH.

View attachment 211096
My "shop" is one bay of a garage so I need to save as much space as possible. Even so, I have to back one of the cars out to do a major milling project.

Martin...

How do you like that model Jet?

I see Jet has 2 similar models, the JJP-12HH and the JPJ-12BHH (Jet JPJ-12BHH)

1 has the pork chop and the other has the Euro.
Other than that, I am not sure if 1 is newer or "better"

Also... would you, or anyone for that matter, recommend the Jet, or a Baileigh, Hammer, Minimax, Woodmizer, etc.?

I work out of a 1 car garage, too, and would like to have separates, but an 8" jointer (good one) is over $4k and a 15" planer is about the same (PM $4,500). For 2 machines $9k+, I am a hobbyist btw, I think $6k - $7k might be slightly easier to swallow (but still.. that is pricey)... If I do a combo...I would want it to be as "precise" as possible as well as last me 20+ years (I know... I might be dreaming here, but you know what I mean).


Regardless, I hope we can help the OP with their inquiry about a J/P.

 

[Martin Roper]

Martin...

How do you like that model Jet?

I see Jet has 2 similar models, the JJP-12HH and the JPJ-12BHH (Jet JPJ-12BHH)

1 has the pork chop and the other has the Euro.
Other than that, I am not sure if 1 is newer or "better"

Also... would you, or anyone for that matter, recommend the Jet, or a Baileigh, Hammer, Minimax, Woodmizer, etc.?

Rory,

I really like the Jet. I bought it used a while back for about 50% off the then retail price which has gone up $1000 since. It leaves an excellent finish that requires much less sanding than my old straight-blade planer and I get very little tear out even where the grain direction changes. The conversion from jointer to planer is painless and the chip collection is amazing compared to the separates I had.

If I could change two things they would be to have a cast iron fence instead of the aluminum one and a smooth surface on the tables vs. the "rippled" surface which I find harder to keep clean. I wouldn't mind having the porkchop blade guard either, but I've gotten used to the Euro guard and don't even think about it while jointing anymore. A longer bed would also be nice, but then again I rarely joint anything longer than 3-4' in length and a longer bed would eat up more shop space.

I see the new JPJ-12BHH has the smooth table surfaces. If I had to buy new, that might induce me to buy that one. I'm not sure why the newer model is $150 cheaper.

I can't compare it to any other combo machine. The only other machines I've ever used were my old Jet 6" jointer and Belsaw 12" planer that I had for several years. I've only seen those other combo machines in pictures.

One thing the Jet won't do is hog off a lot of material in one pass. My old Belsaw would take off twice as much per pass as the Jet. The extra passes you'll need are more than compensated by the smoother finish and reduced sanding.

Here are a few video reviews that explain things much better than I can. The first is for the JJP-12HH and the second for their European metric model of the same machine. The second one is a very thorough unboxing, assembly, and review.

 

[Mike Wilkins]

Hammer has 3 models of J/P machines with a spiral cutter head which they call the Silent Power cutting head. I have had a 16" machine for over 5 years and still on the original cutters, other than 2 which were rotated after hitting a nail (forgot to use my metal detector). Leaves such a smooth finish on the boards that I was tempted to get rid of my double-drum sander; ready to go straight to 120 grit on the random orbit. I would not hesitate to get the same machine again if it got abducted by a UFO. Felder also has a 20" machine but I don't have the coin or 3 phase power.

 

[joec]

I have just switched from having a Grizzley 15" planer and a Grizzley 8" jointer and went with a Felder A3-31 combo. I am still getting used to it. The changing over from jointer to planer, after years of standalone machines is the biggest issue for me. I like the shop space I now have available, but still find it a pain to have to plan more carefully on jointing and planer work. I have gotten my hands on my old benchtop planer I had years ago (gave it to a buddy) and how I sometimes set it up, If I am having to go back and forth between planer and jointer.

 

[RichardH]

I have just switched from having a Grizzley 15" planer and a Grizzley 8" jointer and went with a Felder A3-31 combo. I am still getting used to it. The changing over from jointer to planer, after years of standalone machines is the biggest issue for me. I like the shop space I now have available, but still find it a pain to have to plan more carefully on jointing and planer work. I have gotten my hands on my old benchtop planer I had years ago (gave it to a buddy) and how I sometimes set it up, If I am having to go back and forth between planer and jointer.

That was why I decided not to get one. On the one I was looking at In order to change between jointer and planner you have to lower the planner bed all the way to swing the dust shroud over which seems like a pain to me. It's probably not bad doing once in awhile but I tend to work in smaller batches rather than mill up everything I need at once so the machine didn't seem a good fit for how I work. Having said that if you are the kind of person who mills all their pieces at once in large batches it seems like a great option to get a larger capacity jointer in a smaller shop.

 

[joec]

That was why I decided not to get one. On the one I was looking at In order to change between jointer and planner you have to lower the planner bed all the way to swing the dust shroud over which seems like a pain to me. It's probably not bad doing once in awhile but I tend to work in smaller batches rather than mill up everything I need at once so the machine didn't seem a good fit for how I work. Having said that if you are the kind of person who mills all their pieces at once in large batches it seems like a great option to get a larger capacity jointer in a smaller shop.

It forces you to think about what you need in advance and try to joint all, switch over, then plane all. I used to jump around as it did not matter.

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

I am thinking of getting a 12" combo jointer/planer to upgrade and also save shop floor space. Does anyone have any advice/experience that they can share regarding this idea? If so, any specific recommendations regarding equipment options would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Matt
,

If going with a J\P.. I really like the Woodmizer MP160, since you don't need to switch over from Jointer to Planer.. etc...Nothing needs to be flipped.. but they don't offer a spiral\helical cutter :\

Also, these J\Ps all seem to have an aluminum fence, which I am not fond of. Maybe my thinking, and research, is wrong.. but I feel the aluminum fences are inferior to the single machine fences that are made out of metal\cast iron... ??

Even though I am a hobbyist, and working out of 1 garage bay in my garage, I'd probably "sacrifice" some floor space and get an 8" jointer and 15" planer.

Uuuugh.... why is it so hard to decide? Haha.

Matt\mpholway... So many decisions on J\Ps.. but I think there are really only 2-3 different companies that make them all?
Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Baileigh
Jet
Grizzly
Woodmizer
Don't think Rikon is making JP's anymore
Others I am missing?

Then you have Felder, Hammer, Minimax....and maybe a small handful of others I am missing?

Good luck in your search!

 

[Martin Roper]

Don't think Rikon is making JP's anymore

Still available.

Rikon 12" Planer / Jointer with Helical Cutterhead

That's not a bad price.

 

[Warped Woodwerks]

Sweet... I thought they stopped making J\Ps.. I was wrong.


No sir.. that price is very reasonable, especially in this hideous market.

 

[bowman]

Klingspors is an authorized Rikon distributor, contact one of the stores and get a price check for that beast