Switched from a hand plane to a powered jointer for flattening boards

For years I flattened every board by hand with a #5 plane. Took forever and my shoulder was always sore. About 8 months ago I picked up a used 6 inch jointer at an auction for $175. Now I can flatten a 6 foot board in under 2 minutes. The learning curve was just setting the knives right and feeding at the right speed. Anyone else make the switch and find it saved you time but miss the quiet of hand planing?

2 comments

2 Comments

veraj5312d ago

I mean, I get where you're coming from completely. I made the same move a few years back with a used 6 inch jointer, and the time savings is just unreal. There's no way I'd go back to a hand plane for the rough flattening on long boards. But yeah, that quiet rhythm of hand planing is something else. I miss it sometimes, especially on a nice Saturday morning in the shop with a cup of coffee. But my shoulder and my elbow don't miss it at all, so I'll take the machine.

reeseperez11d ago

It's funny how we trade aches for efficiency in everything we do...