Bandsaw vs jointer. For your next purchase you would buy……
ianovice
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I can afford a really good bandsaw or an 8 inch jointer. But not both. Also, I don’t have 220 in my garage …. yet.
which one would you buy and why??
PS. I have a table saw, router table (and 3 routers – two I got used and cheap) and a planner)
Replies
Both.
My opinion would be that it depends on what you want to build which leads to what extent you are expecting to have to flatten rough lumber. You joint edges lots of ways - router included; you can flatten faces with hand planes but it’s slow and sometimes can be difficult. Depending on your table saw, your bandsaw can be great addition to rip. It’s makes curves easier than a handheld jigsaw (although a jigsaw can certainly work), and bandsaw makes re-sawing easy. An 8 inch machine is recommended - mine is 8 in helical head. Maybe get a good bandsaw and look out for a used 6 inch jointer that can carry you until you can save for an 8 inch machine
Eventually, you will have to have both. A jointer and a planer pay for themselves fairly quickly. If you have both and a table saw, you can buy rough lumber instead of dimensioned lumber. That will cut your wood costs by about 70%. Get the jointer and put the savings towards the bandsaw. I just upgraded from a 6" knife to an 8" helical head and my projects took a clear step up.
It really depends on what you plan on building, but for me it would be a good bandsaw that is capable of resawing. The bandsaw is an extremely versatile tool and one that's hard to replace otherwise. You mentioned that you have 3 routers, I hope you have built or bought a decent router table. If not do it, with a router table it is relatively easy to set up a fence to do edge jointing and there are plenty of plans to make a router jig that will let you flatten uneven boards prior to planing and you won't be limited to them being 8 inches or less. I would defy anyone to tell me something you can do with a jointer that can't be done with a good router and a couple of shop made jigs. I also would recommend waiting on a jointer until you can afford one with helical carbide head. The advantages are too numerous to mention here.
A good bandsaw that is good for redrawing. Skip the jointer. It's possible to do great work without owning a jointer. I've been woodworking for a long time and have never owned one.
A bandsaw and a thickness planer are the two most completely indispensable tools.
Bandsaw for me too.
You can do most things you would do with a jointer using the planer and a sled AND you can also buy timber ready planed and flat. You CAN'T buy timber cut to odd shapes though and the quality of cut on a band saw is way better than with a jig saw. You can also save a lot of time at the planer by re-sawing on the band saw too.
I have both, but try to avoid using my jointer because it is boring and can be avoided. If it's less than 4 inches thick and less than 1.2m long, it goes on the table saw. Wherever possible I try to work in a way that does not require the jointer at all.
I would go with the jointer if it were me just for jointing edges and getting one side parallel before running it through the thickness planer ,it will save you a lot of headaches then of course a bandsaw after that cheers.
Bandsaw hands down in my opinion. As others have mentioned, you can accomplish the two main tasks a jointer performs with your table saw and planer. It is not nearly as convenient as having a jointer obviously, but the bandsaw might be the single most versatile machine you can own. I own a 12” jointer and wish it was 16”. Get a good bandsaw capable of re-sawing now, and save up for a larger jointer that runs on 220 and you will not regret it.
I'm with @johnpendery, go with the bandsaw first and save towards a 220v jointer.. or even better a jointer/planer combo machine. I bought a 12" because of space issues, and also wish it was a 16.
It definitely depends on what kind of and how much work you do. For me the answer is a jointer. While there are ways around it, I can't imagine regularly processing reasonably large amounts of stock into straight and square material in a timely manner without one. A jigsaw can do most of the things a bandsaw can do. I'm not saying it's as good, but it can be managed. You can resaw up to about 6 inches on the table saw and for wider stock you can start it on the table saw and rip the center with a handsaw or simply rip into narrower boards and resaw each individually. I'm sure you will end up with both eventually. :)
So many issues to consider. But lets start with practical. How much space do you have and do you have the electrical capacity for an 8 inch jointer. It is great to have it all but reason does play a part. Learning to make do with what you have is part of the learning process.
I have been designing and building furniture as a hobby and now as much as I want after retirement. I have yet to own a jointer. I can flatten most boards I need manually and use my planer for the rest. I could not live without my band saw.
Its not the amount of square footage in the shop or number of machines you have that makes a good woodworker. Its the talent and dedication in the woodworker that matters.
Sorry, on my previous post I forgot to say I have been at this for almost 30 years.
Same here, 4349. I started about 40 years ago, and the only jointers were 6 inches and smaller. Only the Rockefellers had 8 inch or larger jointers. So, how do you flatten the face of a wider board? Not on a 6 inch jointer. Common advice back then was rip a wide piece down, joint it, then glue it back together. Screw that.
It easy to flatten one face by hand and thickness plane the other. Alternate. Especially if you are picky about what stock you buy. If a board has a lot of twist, I won't touch it. Even if you get it flat, it will misbehave in a finished project.
I resaw a lot, for everything from drawer sides and bottoms to Shaker boxes. My bandsaw has paid for itself in lumber saveings.
I have both but my jointer is only 6 inches. Sure you can flatten by hand... But I just had to flatten some drawer fronts by hand... And man it sucked. You can joint faces on a planer with a sled but it's a pain and it's not as reliably flat like a jointer.
I love having a bandsaw... I wouldn't want to throw it out for a better jointer. But if it was one or the other...? Yea I'm going for the jointer. Unless you're planning on buying a super quality bandsaw you'll likely want to upgrade. You can live with an 8 inch jointer for life in many cases. Buy the 8 inch and get an old Delta 14" for a pittance for now. Great reliable bandsaw that won't break the bank that you'll be happy with until you're ready to go big.
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