
Plane
A hand plane is a tool for shaping wood. When powered by electricity, the tool may be called a planer. Planes are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and impart a smooth surface to a rough piece of lumber or timber. Planing is used to produce horizontal, vertical, or inclined flat surfa…
How to turn your planer into a jointer?
A jointer's use is primarily to make lumber flat on one side and straight on one edge. The planer makes the lumber parallel and the table saw rips parallel to the jointed edge. If you want the freedom and also the responsibility to make your lumber as flat and as straight as it can be, then the jointer is necessary.
Which to buy first, jointer or planer?
Simply put, a jointer flattens a face or straightens an edge while a planer adjusts the thickness of the wood. You may need one or the other, or possibly both to complete your project. Understanding how they work and what they require is crucial in choosing which one is …
Can I use a router table as a jointer?
Feb 15, 2019 · A planer (not to be confused with a jointer-planer) is a tool used for ensuring an even thickness of a board, or making sure that they are co-planer. Instead of dealing with both the edges and face of a board, a planer only deals with the thickness, or the distance measured between one face and the other.
How important are a planer and jointer in woodworking?
Apr 24, 2015 · The reason is that in many cases, the jointer is part of the foundation of your collection of woodworking tools. Just like when you are building a house, you want the best foundation you can get so the rest of the house can be built squarely and accurately.

What is the purpose of the jointer & planer?
A jointer or in some configurations, a jointer-planer (also known in the UK and Australia as a planer or surface planer, and sometimes also as a buzzer or flat top) is a woodworking machine used to produce a flat surface along a board's length.
What's better a planer or jointer?
A jointer creates a flat surface on wood, and yes, it can be used to correct bow and warp on one side of a board at a time. "A planer is a thicknesser. It takes a thick board and makes it thinner. To use a planer, the board should already have one flat side.
Do you really need a wood planer?
If you really want to get into woodworking, a thickness planer is worth the cost. Once you have it, you'll never regret the expenditure, because you'll be in control of your stock thickness like never before.Jun 28, 2016
Is a jointer necessary?
Simply purchase your lumber already milled in S3S or S4S form (surfaced on three sides or surfaced on 4 sides). If you're at a point in your woodworking where you're starting to use rough sawn lumber, say from a lumber mill or your local sawyer, then a jointer is absolutely essential to your shop workflow.Jan 18, 2020
Will a planer fix warped boards?
In order to flatten a warped, twisted, or cupped board, a common approach is to first use a jointer to create one perfectly flat face. Then you run the board through a thickness planer with the flat face downward, and the planer makes the top face parallel to the bottom.
How can you flatten a board if you only have a planer?
1:245:55Milling a Board with Only a Planer - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo we're going to have to use the sled to flatten it the trick is to stabilize. The board on a flatMoreSo we're going to have to use the sled to flatten it the trick is to stabilize. The board on a flat surface called a planer sled. So that when it's fed through the planer it can't rock back and forth.
Can I use a table saw as a jointer?
Although the table saw can be used as a jointer to make the faces of a wood piece flat, it can also be used to square an edge to have perfectly perpendicular faces. You can use the same jig to do this. For adjacent faces to be perpendicular, the table saw blade must be square with the tabletop.Oct 28, 2021
How do you joint without a jointer?
0:037:425 Ways to Joint a Board Without a Jointer - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnything. With any decent capacity is gonna take 220 volt or 240 volt power. So maybe it's notMoreAnything. With any decent capacity is gonna take 220 volt or 240 volt power. So maybe it's not something you need right now let's go over ways to join a board both edge. And face joining.
What is the difference between a jointer and a planer?
Simply put, a jointer flattens a face or straightens an edge while a planer adjusts the thickness of the wood. You may need one or the other, or possibly both to complete your project. Understanding how they work and what they require is crucial in choosing which one is needed for your project. Neither are truly necessary, but they do make great time savers and are extremely useful if you’re planning to work with wood for a long period of time.
How to operate a wood jointer?
The proper method of operating of wood jointer consists of standing on the side of the jointer that is opposite of the fence and placing the edges of the board facedown on the infeed table and butted against the fence.
How do planers work?
For the most part, planers all work the same way. They all have a cutting blade that is located within the middle of the tool that removes small layers of the wood. The cutter is similar to a chisel that runs down the length of a board but is much wider, allowing it to remove more material. The wood is trimmed by a controlled motion tool, creating a smoother surface after it has been but.
When a Jointer and a Planer Is Needed?
If you have a woodworking project in your hand or want to build furniture on your own, you will need to get lumber. Buying lumber from a lumberyard or mill doesn’t make you prepared to start your project immediately. Often the lumber pieces come rough. You have to mill the lumber ready to use for your required projects.
What a Jointer Can and Cannot Do?
When it comes to squaring boards, the jointer is the right tool to do so. A jointer also gives boards a nice flat surface either on the face or on edge. You can say that a jointer makes a board prepare to run through a planer.
What a Planer Can and Cannot Do?
A planer is used for making two parallel surfaces. You can make both faces and edges parallel with a planer. A board with each surface is parallel with its opposite surface means the board has consistent thickness all over the board. Having this type of board is greatly necessary for any woodworking project.
Final Decision: Jointer or Planer or Both
Having a jointer and a planer is the best option to choose if you have no limitations. But for some reason, if you want to get only a jointer or a planer, then which one should be? In this situation, my suggestion for you will be to get a planer first. Then at a later time, get a jointer for yourself.
What is a jointer used for?
Although a jointer is named for its ability to cut a perfectly straight edge, it can also be used for ensuring perfect flatness of the face as well. What it does not do, however, is ensure the thickness of a board. Its primary purpose is only to guarantee a perfectly straight edge or face. This distinction is worth noting because it is often used ...
How to use a jointer on wood?
When using the jointer on the edges of the board, push the board through slowly and evenly, keeping your hands well away from the cutting head. The push-through should be done in one even movement, without stopping. Once it has passed through, inspect the wood again to make sure that the desired cut has been achieved.
What is a jointer tool called?
For instance, in many cases a jointer is actually referred to as a jointer-planer, and in many other cases it is just called a planer. To add to the confusion, there is also a planer tool for metalworking, which does very different things in relation to its woodworking counterpart. For the purpose of clearing up this confusion, ...
How to determine thickness of planed board?
The thickness of the board will be determined by the distance between the feeding table and the cutting head, so it is necessary to set this distance before operating the machine.
How does a planer work?
Once the board has been pushed through enough, the planer takes over the process by using the feed roller to pass the board through to the other side, while the internal blades remove wood from the board in order to achieve the parallel dimensions of each face.
What should be aligned with the cutting table before jointing?
The cutting head should be aligned flush with the outfeed table prior to operation. It is also best to inspect the piece of wood before jointing it, to check for any physical defects such as jagged edges, cupping, or knots that might be present.
Is a wood planer the same as a jointer?
The short answer to this is: No, neither machine is absolutely required for woodworking, or for achieving the results that are provided by both machines. However, the real answer is a bit more complicated. While many woodworkers are perfectly capable of jointing and planing wood without the use of these machines, using them both can help save a lot of time and effort. In fact, both of these machines work quite well together, allowing a woodworker to create perfectly flat, jointed, and paralleled wooden boards with a minimum of time and effort. That’s why both machines are common mainstays in the workshops of many serious woodworkers, and would be a welcome addition to yours.
Why do you need a jointer?
The reason is that in many cases, the jointer is part of the foundation of your collection of woodworking tools. Just like when you are building a house, you want the best foundation you can get so the rest of the house can be built squarely and accurately.
Who is Colin Knecht?
Colin Knecht. Colin has been a woodworker all his life; even from an early age, he enjoyed the creativity of working with wood. His first formal instruction came in high school when he was fortunate to be taught by a master woodworker.
Is it dangerous to take a board flat?
Not making boards flat, then taking them to another tool such as a table saw, can be dangerous. Boards that are warped can move around between the fence and the blade on a table saw and this is an invitation for saw kickback which can result a serious injure or worse.
Does a jointer need to be reset?
Like most woodworking tools and machinery, equipment needs to be checked and reset if it is not aligned properly from time to time. Regular maintenance is a part of woodworking and is important for the quality of your builds and for your own safety.

What Is A Planer?
- A wood planer is a tool that is used to alter boards so that they are both flat on all sides and uniformly thick. There are two distinct categories: 1. Handheld 2. Thickness Planer WEN Benchtop Thcikness Planer – Click to See Details Handheld planersare most useful when the bo…
Differences Between Jointer vs. Planer
- The main difference between a jointer and a planer is that a jointer is used to flatten the uneven wood surface to remove warp, cupping, and twists. Whereas an electric planer is used to make the board flat, parallel with uniform thickness. On a jointer, the blade is below the workpiece, while in a planer the cutter head is above the work. For most woodworkers, the terms jointer and planer ar…
Which Is Better? Jointer Or Planer?
- For a user whose job is mostly to flatten one face and square up one edge, a jointer is the best option. While some, with constant work on two flat and parallel faces, will choose a planer as the best option and an ideal alternative. Regardless of the amount of work you have, you will need a planer, jointer, or both. But it’s ultimately a decision you’ll make for yourself, depending on your s…
When A Jointer and A Planer Is needed?
- If you have a woodworking project in your hand or want to build furniture on your own, you will need to get lumber. Buying lumber from a lumberyard or mill doesn’t make you prepared to start your project immediately. Often the lumber pieces come rough. You have to mill the lumber ready to use for your required projects. You can buy milled lumber at high prices, but that doesn’t solv…
What A Jointer Can and Cannot do?
- When it comes to squaring boards, the jointer is the right tool to do so. A jointer also gives boards a nice flat surface either on the face or on edge. You can say that a jointer makes a board prepare to run through a planer. As a planer need at least one flat surface of a board to run it through the planer, a jointer extends its helping hand in this case. Warping defects of a board is solvable wit…
What A Planer Can and Cannot do?
- A planer is used for making two parallel surfaces. You can make both faces and edges parallel with a planer. A board with each surface is parallel with its opposite surface means the board has consistent thickness all over the board. Having this type of board is greatly necessary for any woodworking project. You can achieve a specific thickness of a board that is required for your pr…
Final Decision: Jointer Or Planer Or Both
- Having a jointer and a planer is the best option to choose if you have no limitations. But for some reason, if you want to get only a jointer or a planer, then which one should be? In this situation, my suggestion for you will be to get a planer first. Then at a later time, get a jointer for yourself. Now, you may be wondering what the reasons that provoked me to give you that suggestion. Proceed …
Conclusion
- ‘Do I need a jointer or do I need a planer?’ – is a common question for DIYers and anyone who is going to start woodworking. I have analyzed this question with each possible option so that you can get help taking the final decision. The comment section is open if you have any opinions to share. Happy woodworking!
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