I'm diving into woodworking and have made a few projects like jewelry boxes and a split top bench. Now, I'm eager to tackle a coffee table, specifically the 'little Larry' design for a challenge. However, my small shop only has a 13" benchtop planer—no jointer! I'm considering a combo 2-in-1 jointer and planer, or I might try getting by with a Veritas jointer plane. It's definitely slower with the hand tool, but could I achieve decent results as a hobbyist without extensive practice? Space is tight since I share the garage with two cars. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
1 Answer
Hand planes are awesome, but you'll find that a powered jointer is way quicker! I started with a hand plane and was making shavings in just my first hour, but it took a lot more work to get boards truly flat. I'm all for hand tools since they're quiet and less messy, but sometimes I really wish I had a jointer.
Have you considered a benchtop 2-in-1? The one you're looking at seems like a rebranded model from Grizzly or Jet. Just keep in mind that benchtop jointers often have limitations with infeed lengths, which is partly why I was leaning towards a hand plane.