What is the Best Jointer Planer Combo in 2020?
The best jointer planer combo is one that meets your specific needs and requirements and so will differ from person to person depending on what jobs they will be using it for. For example, a novice DIYer will need to use a different jointer planer from a more experienced professional tradesman.
In this review below we will look at a selection of the best jointer jointer planer combos that are currently available on the market for purchase. For each of these we will take a look at the different features that it has, the pros, and the cons too. Finally, we will make a final recommendation as to which of these we think is the best of them all. We will also answer some FAQs about these too.
Planer Jointer Combos: Our Top Picks
Table of Contents
#1 Grizzly G0634XP Spiral-Polar Bear Series jointer / Planer
NOTABLE FEATURES
- Affordable to most individuals
- 22 feet per minute planer feeder
- 4 inch dust port
The Grizzly G0634XP Spiral-Polar Bear Series jointer / Planer Combo is a high grade power tool that can be used in both home and professional / commercial workshops. Despite of this fact, it is still relatively well priced and affordable to most individuals. Because of its quality and durability, it is likely that it will last a very long time before you experience any issues with it or before anything needs replacing.
It has 12 inch blades that it has are so wide that they are able to cut through the widest of boards, which makes it a highly versatile power tool. Converting the jointer planer into a planer planer is something that is easy to do, as all you need to do is raise the out feed table table and then flip over the dust collector. It is powered by a 5 horse power motor and this runs off of 220 volts. This means that for those workshops that do not have outlets at this amount of volts, you will have to run a line.
The Grizzly G0634XP Spiral-Polar Bear Series jointer / Planer Combo is capable of, in both jointer planer and planer mode, cutting at a depth of 1/8 inch. The automatic planer combos feeder operates at fast top speed of 22 feet each minute, whilst still being able to produce cuts that are smooth an even. The aluminium fence that it has for the jointer planer helps to keep the work piece that you have super steady.
A highly versatile power tool, the fence can be easily adjusted between 0 degree and 45 degrees, which enables you to place a chamfer around the edge of wooden board or miter it in order to make a corner. Thanks to the fact that it has transmission that is powered by a V belt, it operates very smoothly and because it has a 4 inch dust port, it quickly sucks up any dust and debris that is created.
PROS
- Affordable to most individuals
- 22 feet per minute planer feeder
- 4 inch dust port
CONS
- Heavy construction
#2 JET 708476 Model JJP-12HH 12-Inch jointer / Planer Combo
NOTABLE FEATURES
- Produces smooth finishes
- Replaceable cutter heads
- Long fence
With helical cutter head on it, the JET 708476 Model JJP-12HH 12-Inch jointer / Planer Combo is an expensive and heavy power tool that produces a high quality and smoother finish to all of the cuts that it makes. These also work to make the power tool much quitter when it is in operation, are much easier to adjust, and easy to swap between.
Thanks to the unique design of the knives of the cutter head, they have inserts that are made from carbide and are completely replaceable. This helps to improve their longevity, as they can be quickly and easily switched or adjusted. The fence on the power tool is longer than average, the planer planer bed is 12 inches, and the table table has a parallelogram adjustment.
Because of the many helpful features that the JET 708476 Model JJP-12HH 12-Inch jointer / Planer Combos has, it can be used even by novice DIYers for a range of different applications, including cutting tiles at 90 degrees. With it coming with a 5 year warranty, you do not have to worry about any problems occurring with it, as they will be totally covered by this.
PROS
- Produces smooth finishes
- Replaceable cutter heads
- Long fence
CONS
- Expensive price tag
- Heavy construction
#3 Jet JJP-12 8BT 8" Jointer / Planer Combo
NOTABLE FEATURES
- Comes with a 3 year warranty
- Compact and lightweight
- Ergonomic design
A great option for the money, the Jet JJP-12 8BT 8″ Jointer / Planer Combo is highly compact and lightweight, thus making it portable. This means that you can take it with you wherever it is needed. It is the perfect option for use in a residential workshop by a novice DIYer, as well as by professional tradesmen on a construction site.
Because it runs off 115 volts AC, it can either be powered by a mains plug in your home or by a commercial generator when on site. It has a 13 amp motor that provides it with enough power for the 8 inch wide cutting blade that it uses. It has 2 knives on the cutter head that when at full speed move at 9,000 RPM.
At this speed, the finish of the cut is very smooth, particularly when it is coupled with a slower feed rate. This is because the scallops that the cuts make are much smaller. The ergonomic design of the Jet JJP-12 8BT 8″ Jointer / Planer Combo means that it both comfortable and easy to use. It has knobs that are oversized for a better level of control.
Its in feed table has been machined a cast, whereas the less important out feed table table is made from sheet metal, which works to reduce the overall weight of the power tool. Similarly, the aluminum fence too is made from machines and cast aluminium and can be adjusted at angles ranging between 0 and 45 degrees.
PROS
- Comes with a 3 year warranty
- Compact and lightweight
- Ergonomic design
CONS
- Lacks power
#4 Rikon 25-010 jointer / Planer Combo
NOTABLE FEATURES
- Smooth and clean finish
- Helical cutter head
- 23 ft. / minute feed rate
Perfect for any home workshop, the Rikon 25-010 jointer / Planer Combo is highly affordable and boasts a cutter head that has rows of 4 carbide inserts. These work to produce a smooth and clean finish to every cut that it makes, regardless of the material. It is powered by a 3 horsepower, 220 volt motor that is capable of making the cutting blade spin at 3,400 RPM.
Despite this level of power, it is not enough for some individuals given the fact that it has a helical cutter head. The jointer planer has a bed has a width of 12.5 inches and the planer combos a bed width of 12 inches. This lets you comfortably work with large pieces of wood. However, because the aluminum fence that it has is not the best quality, it does make the task of working with, for example, a piece of lumber, somewhat challenging.
The Rikon 25-010 jointer / Planer Combo has a quick feed rate, at 23 ft. per minute, in comparison with other similar power tools currently available on the market. This allows you to cut through pieces of wood much faster, this enabling you to get DIY jobs done much quicker. It has 3 out feed rollers that are each covered in rubber in order to keep the piece that you are working on unmarred and stable as it is being fed through.
This works to prevent any little sniping from occurring. However, the table table does not stay correctly calibrated and so requires constant adjustment in order to get it properly aligned. Because it comes with a full 5 year warranty, should you experience any significant issues with the power tool then it is completely covered against these during that time period.
PROS
- Smooth and clean finish
- Helical cutter head
- 23 ft. / minute feed rate
CONS
- Poor quality fence
- Needs constant recalibration
FAQs – A Buyer’s Guide
Below we attempt to provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about planers and jointers, including what you should be looking for when deciding on which one to purchase. With this information, you should be fully armed with everything that you need to know in order to make a sound purchasing decision.
What is better a planer or jointer?
By using a planer you are able to make a thick board of wood much thinner. However, for this to work, the board must have at least one side that is flat. Put the piece of wood flat down with the smooth side on the bed and then feeding it through in order for the not smooth side to be cut off and the board made thinner.
A jointer jointer planer is different from this in that it is essentially a motorized version of a hand plane that has been placed upside down. This is because it does the same job as that tool but requires you to move the piece of wood across the jointer rather than moving it across the wood. By using a jointer planer, you will get a smooth and flat service of the wood. It is, therefore, often used to correct warping or a bow on a specific side of a board of wood.
Depending on your own personal skill level of using hand tools, along with your energy levels you can determine which of these power tools would be best suited to you. If you have the skill to be able to flatten out a wooden board with just a hand plane, then a planer is the better choice for you. However, if you are talented with a hand plane and have lot of energy, then you can do what both a planer planer and jointer planer do with the expensive price tag.
How does a jointer planer combo work?
This combo power tool is, as the name suggests, a combo between a wood planer planer and a wood jointer jointer planer in a single machine. It performs each of the functions that the two separate power tools perform. It is quick and easy to switch between the two and obviously takes up much less space in a workshop.
Do I need a jointer and a planer?
In order to get the most out of rough pieces of wood, you need both a jointer and a planer. A jointer planer will make one side of the wood square and flat, whilst a planer will make the other side straight and flat inline with the other side. What is most important out of these two power tools is the planer.
This is because you will be able to do and accomplish more with it than you would with a jointer. Whilst a jointer is good at making one side of a piece of wood square and flat, that is pretty much all that it is able to do. Unlike how you can with a planer, you are unable with a jointer to easily reduce the thickness of a piece of wood.
It is for this main reason that we think that a planer is much more useful on its own than a jointer jointer is. There are also a number of other smaller and less significant ways in which a planer is better but the above reason is the main one why we think a jointer is not as practical as a planer planer.
What should I look for when buying a jointer?
Essentially a jointer works to make a piece of wood straight so that you are able to fit it together with another piece without any issues. However, when deciding on a jointer planer to buy there are a number of features that you must first consider so that you end up purchasing a power tool that is right for you and will work to do what you want it to do.
The first one of these is whether you go for a bench top, open stand, or closed stand design. For the vast majority of people, a closed stand design is the most practical, as they work to keep any debris and dust that is generated out of the motor and thus increasing the life span of the power tool. Similarly, a closed stand jointer has a better level of performance over the other design types.
The next thing to consider after this is the cutting depth and the bed width. The latter of these two has a considerable impact on the overall price of the power tool, with a jointer with a narrower bed being much cheaper than one with a wider bed. For most individuals, a bed of between 6 inch and 8 inch is more than wide enough. When it comes to the cutting depth of the jointer planer, you ideally want a range of anywhere from ½ inch to ¾ inch.
Other important features that you should consider when deciding on which jointer to buy include the fence that it has and if or what adjustable positive stops it has, the horse power of the motor, if it has a dust collection port, what online reviews it has received, who it was manufactured by, and the length of the warranty that it comes with.
Best Jointer Planer Combo Of Them All
Grizzly G0634XP Spiral-Polar Bear Series jointer / Planer Combo
Having looked at each of the above jointer planer combo that made it into the list of Our Top Picks, we came to the final decision that the Grizzly G0634XP Spiral-Polar Bear Series jointer / Planer Combo is the best planer jointer combo of them all even despite the fact that it has a heavy construction meaning that it is difficult to move it around or readjust it within your workshop.
What we really like about this power tool and the reason we think it is the best one from the above list of Our Top Picks is that it comes with an affordable price tag, the planer planer feeder has quick rate of 22 feet per minute, and comes with a 4 inch dust port meaning that you can keep your work space clean and clear from dust and debris.
