Planer, Thicknesser or Both - Help?

[Chrome]

I'm a little confused and could do with some help (perhaps I'm just dumb?).

I mostly make pens and turned items, but more and more getting into other stuff and sell my products. In the past for projects that call for it I've always bought planed and finished wood, and have what I consider a high spec of equipment for a small garage-based workshop business (Jet/Dewalt/Makita/Fox). But now I'm doing quite a bit of work re-cycling and reclaiming wood, so I'm wanting to expand the workshop equipment to include more wood prep equipment.

Having never used either in a commercial setting, I'm considering whether I want a thicknesser or a planer or both (perhaps even both in one machine).

I've been looking at the Jet JPM-13 CSX 330mm Thicknesser as well as the Jet JPT - 310 Planer Thicknesser combined unit, but also considering units such as the UK Axminster range, as they do a 440mm width thicknesser.

I'm making all sorts of stuff commercially that I want to be able to use a consistent thickness of wood for. But I also possibly want to cope with wood wide enough to make solid guitar bodies (which is really just a hobby for me), so ideally want to be able to handle hardwood up to about 14 inches wide, but might have to compromise that width based on budget.

Cheers, Chrome

Surely if I have a thicknesser I don't need a planer do I? To me it looks as if a planer takes a layer off the bottom as it's passed over the blades, but a thicknesser takes it off the top. What is the REAL difference and what is it best to use each for?

I know the answer is probably best to get two separate units. but a single one appeals due to space restrictions. What do you think?

[NCArcher]

Hi Chrome,
The planer, or jointer, is used to get one face of the timber flat and to square an edge to that flattened face.
The thicknesser is used to make the second face parallel to the first. For thicker pieces you can also make the second edge parallel to the first.
If space is a consideration the combination machines are an excellent choice. I have an old 6" jointer and a small bench top thicknesser. I use them a lot as I mainly use recycled timber. I've been looking at the combination machines lately and I like the JPT-310. It seems like a lot of machine for the price.

[malb]

As NC Archer has said, a jointer or planer is used to get one face straight, and an edge square to that and straight. To do this it has a relatively long pair of tables and fence to ensure that it takes material off the high spots and leaves the lower spots with each pass. If the machine is correctly set up, by the time the machine is cutting evenly accross the width of the work for its full length it is straight and flat. However if the setup is not spot on, it may not be straight.

Once the board has a straight and flat side and edge, a thicknesser is used to remove material (generally from both faces to avoid the finished material wanting to bow due to uneven moisture content) until it reaches the required thickness. The thicknesser uses a very short table as a reference surface, as it's purpose is to get both faces parallel at the target thickness. If the material starts with a twist or bow, a thicknesser will not get this out, it will just make the other face follow the twisted or bowed surface.

For the second edge, for thin stock, it is normally trimmed a small amount over width on a table saw using the straight edge against the saw fence, then reduced to the final width on the jointer with a single pass. If you take multiple passes, you increase the chances of introducing a convex or concave into the edge if the jointer setup is not spot on.

For thicker stock, the second edge can be prepared in the thicknesser if the thickness is sufficient to ensure stability on the table. If you need to get a batch of material that is over length down to a constant width, you can assemble it into a wide block with all the jointed edges in a plane and anchor the material at each end to hold the block form, run it through the thicknesser to get correct width, then dock to length to release the individual parts from the block.

[Trav]

Short answer is that you want both for the reasons outlined above. There isn't much point in getting a thicknesser without a jointer - if it is not square to start, a thicknesser will not fix the problem. If I had to choose one, I'd get a jointer as you can make parallel cuts with a tablesaw.

Trav

[Chrome]

Thanks to you all for the comments and explanations.

The workshop is in for a treat now, I've ordered today this Axminster planer/jointer and this Axminster thicknesser and this Fox extractor and the Jet AFS500 Air Cleaner for fine dust particles. Phew... all spent up for a bit now!

I better start making some more stuff to sell.

Cheers, Chrome

[woodhog]

The simple scrub plane for removing large amounds of wood is fast. A jack plane and smooth plane combined with a sturdy work bench will do fine for most any wood including the wide 14" boards. You will also need a cabinet scraper. Search engine...winding sticks then read the pdf instructions.
Good luck whatever method you choose.