Tools you DON'T need: Jointer vs Planer vs Drum sander 

Instruction not clear, ended up buying a jigsaw.

Wonderfully explained. Thank you.

Learned something new about drum sanders!

i dont have space for any of those tools as my workshop is only my spare bedroom. i however find i can do the same things with a router and a track saw. by making a sled for the router to level it and cutting it square with the track saw

THE LOOSE SHIRT CONTROVERSY: There's a clip in this video where the jointer is being operated with a loose shirt tail. This is dangerous. The shop assistant was reprimanded for it and the footage was re-shot because safety is a top priority in my shop and on this channel. Somehow that one clip slipped past editing. It is not a practice I condone. But everyone makes mistakes. So please cut the kid a break.

I love how you jump straight into the content, instead of spending minutes talking about sponsors, smashing the subscribe button, Patreon, or whatever's been going on in your life since your last video. It's so refreshing that I subscribed even though I'm not really planning on doing any woodworking any time soon.

The first 2 minutes of this video perfectly describes my experience woodworking so far

This guy deserves more than a like and a cold one, he realy take time and effort to go into true details so everyone could understand it clear as water. He is one of my favorites woodworking channels👍

I've just started shopping around for these tools, so it is great to get a breakdown of how and when to use them. I have fairly limited room in my shop, so it looks like a benchtop thickness planer and a bit of creativity to get those perfect boards. Thanks for your excellent videos!

I have nothing to say really, but I appreciate your content, and wish to help with the yt-algorithms.

Add close captions if you can. That way people can watch your vids with their phone on silent, while their kids are making them watch Paw Patrol

you have a great talent for explaining things succinctly without any fluff. thank you for the great content, Stumpy

Thanks for making this video. I started out in woodworking just a couple of years ago, and this video would have saved me lots of worries back then. Luckily, I found a wonderful deal from a local fellow woodworker who had just upgraded his own planer and jointer and was selling the ones he had been using for about $400 together. I locked up my shop and jumped in the truck. When I got there we talked about the projects we were working on, some of the projects we were proud of and exchanged some compliments on pictures of our builds. I told him I was still working primarily with pine and was venturing into harder woods by cleaning up pallet boards. He asked me, "what could you have learned from working in pine?" My reply was simply, "The importance of a very sharp chisel and how to sharpen it." We laughed and he asked if I had my chisels with me and I did. He said that if my chisels were sharper than his, he'd give me a hundred dollars off the sale price. His chisels were not dull, but mine cut through the end grain of a pine board without crushing fibers and left a near glass clear surface. Anyway, I made a new friend and got a $300 jointer/planer combo that has helped me advance my ability to make projects faster. I am reminded of that story every time I use them to mill boards for a project.

Watching this just made me realize how much I want a jointer...

Happy with my DeWalt planer; I made an easily adjustable sled that does a fair job at jointing. Wish I had a real jointer but I can't quite justify the expense (nor the space) for one, and the combination machines didn't seem all that good, and they are not very portable. Weirdly, the DeWalt 735 planer that everyone on YT seems to have is very hard to find in Europe. They sell the 733 model here (which I have). In the US, the situation seems to be reversed. By the way, the Dutch word for planer is "vandiktebank", which means "thicknessing bench" and it reflects its actual purpose. (oh, the "van" part at the start of the word definitely sounds as odd to Dutch people as it may to English speakers). Often our names for tools are weird, like the word for spoke shave: "spookschaaf". Yes, we just took the English word and wrote it in a Dutch way, the word literally means "ghost shave". This makes it hard to find stuff in stores sometimes, if I only know the English word for a tool and not the Dutch one. Sorry, but I'm rambling...

I really wish I could give 13 thumbs up, weekend warriors need more videos like this!

Thank you for this video. I am exactly your target audience for this type of material. Please continue to add content on this level to your catalog.

Such a clear explanation. Not a wasted word, yet you got everything that was needed in. Brilliant.

for weekend warriors, a benchtop jointer is fairly reasonably priced. it won't handle large stock at all, but properly tuned it will handle a lot of the stock a typical hobbyist will be using. I think I got my planer and jointer (both benchtop models) for less than $300.

WOW...Thank You! I'm a union carpenter in the film industry. Most of my 30 years in construction were spent doing home improvements, framing, and finish carpentery. Hardwood shop work is still new to me. I REALLY thank you for this video. There's Always more to learn.

Also worth mentioning that board edges can be straightened using a guide board on a table saw. We used to do this in cabinet shops with especially long boards. Run the board next to a straight board of the same length with the concave side towards the guide board and saw fence. The guide board will need a block at the back end to eliminate slippage.

As a budding machinist that knows nothing about the art of woodworking, metal is all I know. Thanks to your channel, I've learned a whole lot in just a few days. I love your content, man!

I stumbled over your channel last week, and I love your videos. I think you are a master communicator - you explain things very clearly (when most others are confusing and off target). Thank you so much - you’ve helped me tons in my (very novice) woodworking journey!!!

Ok, what would be a reasonable price for buying a thickness planer and a jointer? I'm a weekend woodworker.

You just explained my whole woodwork history to a “T”.

I got super lucky buying my jointer. The store had it on sale 50% off and it happened to be during a week when the in store sale on all items was a % off depending on the price at checkout. So I was able to get another 10% off that price. Picked up a 6" jointer for $225.

Thank you for the advice. I have been contemplating purchasing these items but due to limited space I would only be able to get one. You have helped me narrow my choices down.

Hmm, after much consideration and reflection on my finances, I have decided that my projects are not going to be straight lol

The person running the board through the Jointer at 4:58 needs to tuck that shirt in to take it off....

You're the man! NO ONE explains it all better than you! Thank you for every video! 🙏🏼😎🛠

I bought a combination planer/thicknesser machine as my first toe to dip in this water several years ago, and it has been really great but it was a big learning curve to use, and using the planer (jointer for my US friends) is a bit intimidating when you start out, particularly if the machine doesn't have an "auto-return" style blade guard.

Spot on advice! I started with a drum sander, wish I had invested in a thicknesser first.. Now have all three machines and the scope of timbers I can now use has expanded immensly. Some real gems can be found rough sawn for half the price of pre dressed timber.

Sometimes I’m reluctant to sit through the whole video but you have a great but serious sense of humor you make worth my while. Thanks for shedding light on the drum sander I’m getting one.

I really enjoy watching your videos. I’m pleased to say that finally after nearly two years as a hobbyist, I actually knew most of this. But I like to watch anyway, in case I missed something. You are one of a very select few RU-vid people I actually respect. Your videos are always concise and no nonsense. Thanks again for helping me get to where I am today.

A jointer, planer and a drum sander walk into a bar...

Good info but it is not just about money. It is also about space. I am retired and work in my shop more than just on the weekends but I only have 208 sf of space and it isn't ideally shaped (8x26). Would love to have a jointer but it will never happen. Jigs and such may be a bit cumbersome but they do work.

Just wanted to say thanks for making such quality videos for free. You answer questions I don't think of to ask, and your delivery and editing is so easy to digest. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your expertise to us novices.

Pleeeease remember that if money is the thing holding you back, you can get fantastic results from about $150 invested in hand tools. A jack plane and a hardened tooth contractor saw can take you so far. It just takes the time investment to learn how to use a hand plane and how to saw reasonably straight and square. But if you can’t saw, you can just fix your mistakes with a hand plane.

You just perfectly describe the last 2 years of my life. Nice job.

Not only do I not have money for all 3 but I don't have the space. I have shed not a garage, which I sharr with the squirrels and no useable space in the basement. I use most of my neighbors large tools and workshop/barn. I am thinking of making crosscut sleds for his table saw to use it and get myself a planer. Maybe I'll keep it at his place too....

Thank you for that explanation Stumpy! I am setting up my new woodshop and trying to make this exact decision. Your explanation was very straight forward and helpful!

A planer a jointer and a drum sander walk into a bar. Oh never mind

Knowledgeable and concise, thank you.

Stumpy, you're the best at explaining the reasons for using and purchasing tools and equipment

I have a 20" planer (spiral cutter head) and a 12" jointer (spiral cutterhead). A 24" planer and a 16" jointer would be better. Still, I am quite happy with my planer&jointer and use them for pretty much every project I do. I also have a drum sander but don't use it all that much. I am using the festtool sander+dust extractor for the finish sanding most of the time. If you do a good job with the jointer&planer, the sanding isn't bad, especially with the festtool. Happy woodworking to everybody.

Great presentation and thanks for your time. Although I've got all those tools I usually jump from the jointer to the band saw if the stock isn't over 8" and then the drum sander. But I'm old and never been formally trained in the proper techniques of wood working. I just grew up on a farm where if you needed something you figured out how to make it yourself. The golden rule in my family was "If you didn't make it, you don't really own it". So now I'm a new subscriber. Even at 76 I have a few things to learn to better my work.

I heard the planer described as a machine that makes one side of the board parallel with the other. Including the warps.

I'm commenting because I appreciate both the info and the Wings coozy.

What's a jolnter planer or what's different. You need to show different machines at start and state differences in 30 seconds

Your videos are so helpful, thanks very much!

Great video, I have a table saw and just bought a planer. I've been looking at benchtop jointers but don't know as much about them yet. A jointed or a spindle sander will be my next purchase.

It's not so hard to get a board "flat enough" with a hand plane to have success in the planer.

Thank you for the quality information. It's great to see good honest knowledge being passed on to the next generation. Some people have so much pride that they won't teach. Keep up the good work! I am thinking of purchasing your book. I am new to this, but I love the work I've done.

This is an 8 minute conversation someone should have had with me when I was 12. This is why so many entry level machines bounce around the used market all the time. Awesome idea for a video, and it was well explained. Thank you!

Totally agree with the whole thing - that's something I don't often say. The one additional thing for the sander is being able to sand raised panels and other glueups quickly without minor "divots" in the corners from being overly aggressive with the random orbit. I know: proper joinery and good alignment avoids most of this, but it makes final finishing quick work. Thank you for another good, well-reasoned video.

I can’t stop being amazed by the quality of your presentations. I wish presidential speeches were at this level.

Clearest explanation I’ve ever heard or read. Thanks.

Very good video. Unfortunately, whenever you see someone say do I need this tool or that tool, if you are at all serious, you'll find you need both. I might add that if you are doing rough wood and making panels, you really need a bandsaw to resaw into thinner stock that can then be glued to make a wide panel (also good for thinner drawer sides).

Great video. I can't understand why you don't have far more subscribers. Your videos are consistently high quality, to-the-point, and full of useful information. Keep it up!

I really can't begin to express how much I love your videos!! Everything is so methodically laid out and clearly stated. Thanks to you and the people you work with to make this content! My dad was a general contractor and tho he taught me the basics he didn't get into the details of why things were used. I feel like I'm learning everything all over again and it's fantastic!

Wow. I never understood the difference in these machines. I'm 5 minutes you educated me. Thanks!

Great video! As others have said, this is exactly how I feel right now. Extra points for the Red Wings coozie 👍

Good information. I’ve appreciated your videos over time because of the useful content. Especially found the angle grinder warning helpful. Was thinking of looking into a cutting blade for mine but abandoned that idea after watching.

I've been thinking about an end grain cutting board for my first proper woodworking project and was considering a planar for it. I had no idea that they explode like that. Great video, very informative!

JOINTER NEEDED TO GLUE UP BOARDS , LIKE TABLE TOP ???? THX

Stumpy Nubs: "if you tried feeding an end grain board through a thickness planer and had it explode on you, you know how sketchy it can be" me: ::laughs in Lie-Nielsen No 7:: On a more serious note - thank you for the advice and the continuous stream of knowledge - I'm learning A LOT from you

I think you should be Dr. Stumpy Nubs - A Master Woodworking Professor. Please, keep up the inspiring work!!!!

Heyhey, it says Joiner in the title, I think you mean Jointer? :)

I finally got my first planer after 2 years of garage sale hunting. Hoping to get a jointer this weekend

This is a beautifully simple explanation, thank you.

I just have a blue hawk table saw and a drill.... shit

My Hammer A3 Jointer-planer combination in one machine: best purchase I've made in a long time.

You can also buy a combination Jointer-Planer machine that does both. Given you probably want them both eventually I'd save up for one of these, personally, while challenging myself to prepare stock by hand and learn more about the timber I'm handling; then you'll appreciate the machine all the more once I have it, and be capable of recognising when something's wrong with the process. Anyway, they don't seem to cost much more than a dedicated Jointer and you don't have that awkward situation of a narrow Jointer even though your 'planer' is plenty wide despite costing you less. So at the very least plan your budget to get them matching so you're not throwing good money after bad. In Australia we actually use the term 'thicknesser' for what Americans call a 'planer'. As far as I'm concerned both the thicknesser and jointer are planers, simply with different purposes and configuration to achieve these ends. Much as a Jointer plane has a long sole to flatten boards the Jointer-planer has longer wings and flattens, then much as a Jack or a Scrub plane is shorter and takes thicker shavings the thicknesser is shorter and removes more material. Personally I disagree that a Thicknesser is the first purchase. I'd rather own a bandsaw for resawing extra material(which gives you an extra plank or veneer for free!) and if you're trying to remove a small amount you could actually just put that side through the Jointer anyway; given old timey woodworkers only made two perpendicular reference faces I'm not sure why people are so obsessed with parallelism over perpendicularity these days. Or maybe they just want more chips for their garden, in which case I guess a Thicknesser is doubling as a mulcher and I applaud their ingenuity and thrift.

You just explained my whole woodwork history to a “T”.

This guy is fantastic. All of his videos are so well done, and informative. How can anyone not like this guy?

Yes a video on how to use the planer to flatten boards would be great! Thank you for another great video.

wait wait wait,.. they wrap boards in plastic over there? I'm blinking my eyes out over here

The other challenge is also having enough room in your shop for them.

I like the clear and concise, and easy to understand delivery of the information. Thank you

Stumpy Nubs giving it to me straight. Now, just convince my wife I need these things.

I've watched a LOT of videos on this subject. This was by far the best.

Stumpy, I agree with what you are saying about thickness planers not getting a true flat surface, but for the majority of guys watching these videos, including myself, you can get flat enough stock flipping your stock back and forth in a thickness planer. I don't use rollers on I feed just for the fact it has openings where a cupped board can move to when exiting planer. Same with squaring a board on the table saw without jointing first. Take small passes a few times on the saw u til you get to desired width. It won't be completely true, but always closer than I expect. Keep up the great content!

There's got to be a joke in there somewhere. A jointer, a planner and a drum sander walk into a bar........

Another excellent lesson. You are a natural teacher and a Pro of the highest caliber!

I was aiming to get a thickness planer first but I ended up finding a small craftsman jointer for $20 last week so I couldn't pass that up!

Excellent video, Stumpy Nubs. I agree with what you say but would suggest that there are other alternatives as well. I was a professional woodworker in my early life (teens and 20s). I made the decision to change my career path(s) after college. But I also wanted to continue working with wood. I never had a planer, jointer, or drum sander of my own. In my first actual woodworking job, I had at my disposal all three. The drum sander would have filled a small bedroom. It had 3 drums and the wood came out "flat" but always had chatter marks on it. These, we sanded out by hand. In fact, every piece of furniture would be sanded by hand. No equipment could sand the work the way we could by hand. It's time consuming but what comes out after 8 plus hours of sanding (dining table), cannot achieve the finish any other way. Over the years, I have found ways to straighten, plane, sand, and finish wood without a table saw, router, sander, planer, jointer, etc. That said, I did begin to learn to use these tools but I never bought these 3. Living in the south and the midwest, there are so many ways to borrow this equipment by taking classes in woodworking at high schools, colleges, technical schools, etc. Today you can add community centers and woodworking clubs. But the parts of woodworking that I love the most are using the simplest tools available, and I love to sand. I don't see how a woodworker can not love to hand sand.

Couldn't agree more about having a thickness planer. A thickness planer was one of my first power tool purchases, right behind a table saw. But, as a weekend woodworker, I just can't bring myself to buy a jointer--not when I already have a few good hand planes.

I've always just used a router table to flatten the edges of my boards. I use a 2-1/4" surfacing bit, but I've heard people say they use a forstner bit with good results. It might just be a rougher finish than a surfacing bit. Either way, a router table it easily the most versatile tool in anyone's shop. I can plane a 400mm (~16") board in no time.

This should be lesson 101 for most newbies. Understand your tools and materials before starting your first project. Lessons learned in industrial arts programs in the MA public school system start similarly and the rewards lasts a lifetime

Thanks for the info !! 👍🏼 I've always wondered y I c woodworks use a jointer just on 1 side and then bring the work to a table saw ??? 🤔 It all makes since now 😁. Thanks again for sharing

Stumpy, would you stop reading my mind!!! I've been struggling to decide if I need a bench planer or a jointer recently. I spend a lot of time searching Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, etc. for second hand tools. I will be looking for a planer now!

Thanks, this was very well presented!

If you are ready to upgrade to a higher end jointer and planer, but you are waffling over whether to bite the bullet and shell out $8-10k for both or have to abide by your "financial advisor's" recommendations to get only one, don't forget about combo jointer/planers. For only ~1/3 more than a single unit, you can get both. Maybe not the best choice for a pro shop like James', where they are moving a lot of wood from jointer to planer all day, but they are especially nice if you are in a crowded garage shop like I am. I do want to start milling more rough lumber that I can get from some good local sources, so I just upgraded from my trusty DeWalt 735 + Shelix cutterhead to a Hammer A3 31 with the Silent Power cutterhead (not affiliated/sponsored). Space-wise, it takes up the same width, and is only one foot longer than the 735. Yes, you do have to convert from one to the other, but that's less than 60 secs. This baby rocks my shop. I could have spent $3500-$4500 for one tool, but got this combo for $5500 delivered. (Unbelievably quiet, too; only 80dB on and 85dB cutting 12" wide Walnut!). I put up some vids on my IG channel, @craftyguyinthewoods if you'd like to see.

In Australia we call "Planers", "Thicknessers" or "Thickness Planers". It avoids confusion.

Fantastic video on the topic. I am a pretty strict hand tool woodworker, but I was killing myself milling all the stock I needed for big projects. I finally invested in a DeWalt 730 and it has saved tons of time and energy allowing me to spend more time messing up dovetails and such. I totally agree that a thickness planer should be the first purchase. Once you become efficient with flattening one face of a board, a jointer feels more like a luxury than a need.

Thank you... Recently I have been fortunate to find your videos to answer a few questions on my planer. As a long time machinist and wood worker from the film industry, I still find others perspectives and skills truly valuable.

Being an old fart, my Junior High school had a shop class, where we learned a little about everything, including woodworking. In High School there was an actual woodworking class, where we learned what is being discussed here. This was in a town of only 30K population. I don't believe there are a lot of woodworking shops in High Schools anymore, which is kinda sad. I built a drum sander years ago, and it works fine, but rarely use it. I consider the jointer to be more important to buy first, but it's a matter of opinion. Your videos are very well done, concise, and informative Sir.

America's Test Kitchen tested different woods and grain orientation and end grain was the least durable and worst on the knife out of all types.

Am I the only one who appreciates hand planing and natural imperfections of wood?

You can square a board on a planer. I do it all the time. The trick is to plane one side more than the other to relieve the pressure of the bow. Then take shallow passes after that. This does require you to plane a board up right but if you build a guide, that will prevent the board from tipping during the planing process.