Is a jointer useless without a planer?

[Admiral]

I appreciate all the input, I also sorta realized question why my jointer has blade depth between 1/8-1/2....I feel if you try to shave off more then 1/8 at one time it will just jam....It jammed and over heated trying to do 1/4 shave on the jointer. I feel its nearly impossible if I tried jointing face or edge with the depth at more then 1/4... If I put the depth to 1/2, as soon as the wood touched the blade, I feel it'd stop and jam.

I have mine set at about 3/32nds ever since I bought it.  More passes, but better surface.

[DaveParkis]

You might also check and see if there is a woodworking club near you. Yearly dues are usually not very much and besides getting access to the machines you'll also get access to a lot of help.