Is a Wood Jointer Necessary for Woodworking?
If you’re into DIY projects for your home, you may inevitably require a wood jointer at some point. But if you do a little digging online, you will find tons of forums with woodworkers giving answers about whether you require a jointer or not.
Some woodworkers say it’s a tool they can’t live without, while others swear by never needing one. So do you need a wood joint for woodworking? It depends. The full answer is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no, and we break down why below.
What Is a Wood Jointer
A wood jointer is used to flatten one face of a rough piece of wood and square up one of the edges. You can then combine the flat wood from edge to edge to form a larger wooden board.
The wood jointer serves as a pretty handy tool for rough lumber work, cutting short the time and effort required to flatten a wooden board; and let’s not forget the delicacy needed to do the task with your bare hands.
Do I Need a Jointer
Wondering when’s the right time for you to get a wood jointer? Here’s a little guide to help your purchase decision:
Are You a Beginner
If you’re new to the world of woodworking, we don’t recommend investing in a wood jointer right away. A wood jointer is a hard-to-use tool that requires you to invest many hours in order to use it effectively.
Plus, you can also opt to buy already-flattened wood from retail shops, completely eliminating the hassle of straightening them out yourself. Nevertheless, this wouldn’t fare out well in the long-term if you’re looking to cut down on your costs.
Type of Work
If you expect that your woodworking activities will have a lot of edges that need joining, such as for kitchen cabinets or projects requiring you to use a ton of rough lumber, then a jointer is the perfect tool for your arsenal. Otherwise, if your wood is already flattened from one side, you can make do with other tools like a planer to flatten out the rest of your board.
Wood Jointer vs. Planer
Some consider a planer and a jointer to be very similar and can be used as a substitute for each other. While this is true to some extent, both the tools have their distinct uses, and overlapping them isn’t always the ideal decision.
As discussed earlier, a jointer is most suitable to flatten out an uneven wood surface and remove any warps, twists or cupping in the board. On the other hand, a planer will also straighten out the wooden board but will do so by maintaining a uniform thickness.
Can We Substitute a Planer for a Wood Jointer
With that said, the catch is that a planer won’t be able to smoothen out a wooden piece unless one of its sides is already straightened using a jointer. And a jointer isn’t able to straighten out the end side of the wood while maintaining a uniform thickness.
So in the end, both the tools are used together; first, you straighten out a side of the wood using a wood jointer and next you finish off by straightening the other side uniformly with the help of a planer.
Our Final Thoughts
Choosing if a jointer is right for you depends on your budget, skill level and overall project needs. You can also pair up this tool with an electric planer and take your wood-cutting skills to the next level. Not only will these tools save you time, but will drastically improve your quality of work as well.