I feel the same way about the people on this forum. It’s refreshing to be able to communicate with like minded people. Not only like minded, but more than willing to share knowledge and experience.
I’m a third generation woodworker, and though I never met my Grandfather, I am lucky to have been taught by my Dad. He’s 89 now and has a hard time getting around but I still talk with him about just about everything I build and he still has plenty to teach me.
We were discussing the possibility of me selling my old dinosaur of a jointer and replacing it with a new 16” combination machine and he was blown away by the
cost. I paid under $1000 for the old one. It was old when I bought it 20 years ago, but it came with a big mortiser and table saw. I removed the saw as it was a
hazard. My Dad and I have run miles of wood over that old beast and built a bunch of doors and furniture with the mortiser, but I think it’s time to upgrade. It’s a pig to set up properly and even though it can handle 10” boards, I constantly find myself trying to joint bigger boards. I’ve been looking for several days and I have settled on a machine that I would like to have. There’s a lot to look at out there. Some not bad, some crap, and a few good ones. You have to pay more for a good one. I found two good ones. One costs $6000 and the other, made in Europe, costs more than $8000. These are both 16” machines. I could go for a 12” and spend less but I could use the big one and it doesn’t take up much more space.
It’s a lot of money but I have had my fill of crappy machines. They don’t save you any money in the end,
Dave.