Do I need a 16" planer?

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Yeah, I know that's a dumb question to ask of you ne'er-do-well (said with love!) enablers. 

But hear me out:

I have a Powermatic 100 with a Byrd head that serves me great.  I love it.  3ph, 3hp motor eats 12" wide red oak all day. 

I have a 12" wide jointer that I won't upgrade to 16" unless one falls into my lap...like the 12" did.  Eventually I'll add a Byrd head to it, too.

I have a small shop, 24x24.  

Here's the deal:  A buddy has offered to give me a 1950-something Powermatic E16 planer.  16" wide.  In good running shape.  He is primarily a turner, and has a 100 that he loves and is his primary planer when he needs one.  He just needs the space the E16 eats up.  

All I have to do is drive from Southern Maryland to Ohio in May to grab it. 

A Byrd head for it is somewhere around $1600.  I wouldn't consider using it until I can make that upgrade, which likely wouldn't happen until I could sell the 100.  And that might take some time, as I'd want $1000 for it to help cover the cost. 

The E16, like my 100, would be on casters, of course.  When clean of wood chips and scrap, the floor of my shop is smooth, so pushing it around should be feasible. 

I do plan on adding a 16/32 drum sander at some point in the next year.  Would love a big edge sander, too.  Space will become really tight at that point.  Those would, of course, be on casters, too.

With a jointer that is "only" 12" wide, what benefit is there of having a 16" planer?

Having said all that I am trying to move in a different direction in my shop:  Building and selling dining tables.  Milling 8" wide lumber and gluing it up to 16" might make the bigger planer useful; I'm getting better at using a #5 to flatten one side by hand should I go that route. 

What does the brain trust here say?  Yes, I love the old arn and eventually hope to build a big shop full of it, but if you were in my shoes, do you think it would be a good idea now?

[fredhargis]

I don't know what to suggest, but bear in mind the footprint of the E16 is quite a bit more than the one you have. It may just take up more room than you want to part with. Good luck with the decision!

[jcredding]

I went from a 12" to 16" and have found the extra helpful in a number of situations. I don't work with boards wider than 12" generally, but when it comes to running through a glue up or multiple boards at a time, I've found it very useful. As noted by Fred - the footprint is significantly larger, so make sure it's a good use of floorspace for how you envision using it.

[Lumber Yard®]

I had a 15" 4-post planer for years and it did 90% of what I needed. With a wide drum sander(22/44) accompanying it for workarounds, I could handle pretty much everything. With that, years ago I upgraded to a 20" 4-post planer and it's just nice to have it when you need it.

Small shop or not, unless I was ONLY doing very small projects, I would probably find the limits of a 12" planer unacceptable and I would be looking to upgrade.

[jteneyck]

Dining tabletops are typically 42" wide.  With a 12" planer you have 3 seams to deal with.  With a 16" planer you will have 2.  Is one less seam worth the space it will eat up? 

I'd be looking to find a commercial shop with a good wide belt sander to flatten tabletops for me if I wanted to make a lot of them.  

John

[skeeterk]

I would say yes. I have a 20" planner and always run boards at an angle to reduce snipe.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

The closest shop that offers that service is nearly two hours away.  I looked into it.

[Willyou]

How soon do you plan to expand your shop?
Do you like "old arn" enough to have it whether you need it or not?
Are you a collector or user?
Your buddy is giving it to you for the cost of picking it up. Would he feel bad if you got it and sold it to pay for something you really need?
Will you look back and regret it if you don't take it?

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

How soon do you plan to expand your shop?
Do you like "old arn" enough to have it whether you need it or not?
Are you a collector or user?
Your buddy is giving it to you for the cost of picking it up. Would he feel bad if you got it and sold it to pay for something you really need?
Will you look back and regret it if you don't take it?

Two years, at best. 

Being old arn is just a plus.  Right now it's the additional width that intrigues me.   I'm a user.  I generally do the minimum required to rehab back to working order. 

If I get it and find it doesn't serve me as I had hoped I would sell it and give him the proceeds. 

I don't think I would regret not getting it; because 160's and 180's are rather plentiful in my region, and if I get to the point where I *need* one it means I'm selling enough tables to justify buying one.

[iclark]

What happens if you replace BOTH the 12" planer and the 12" joiner with the 16" planer and a 16" wide carrier board to do jointing in the planer?

That way, you never need to do the Byrd-head upgrade for the jointer and you may break even on the floor space.