Timber Dressing

[Graham Long]

Hi All,
Some years ago I was given a few trees (Black wattle, Dead Finish and Emu Apple) I had them cut into various thickness slabs and then stored them. I'm now thinking about dressing them into usable pieces.
Whats the best tools for doing this?
I was thinking of buying a Planer Jointer.
Any suggestions
Cheers
Graham

[woodrat]

Hi Chuckie, Personally I have always liked separate machines...I have an old 8 inch General 240v jointer and a Scheppach 10inch planer. Technically the Scheppach is a planer jointer as it does both but the pressed steel tables and the aluminium fence leave a lot to be desired. I bought the General on eBay and it is much better at the jointing as it has cast tables and is very accurate.
Ebay is a good place to look for old machines as they often go fairly cheaply . Another place is the Market Place in the UBeaut Woodworking Forum.

John

[Graham Long]

Hi John,
Thanks for that. I've been watching Ebay and have seen a few Jointers go through.
Are there any brands to steer clear of?
Cheers
Graham

[woodrat]

Hi Graham, I cant think of any to steer clear of at the moment....of course all brands can produce a lemon like car manufacturers so its good to get to run a second hand machine first if you have the opportunity. That goes for new too. I bought a Jet 14 inch bandsaw but just ordering it in....It had a lot more vibration from new that I would have liked.... so much the better then if you do get a test drive.
There is an almost new Jet on the WWF at the moment that is heavily reduced but I dont know your location in relation to it....Its hard if a good bargain is 1/2 a continent away...

John