Reply by Loren

If you have the space separates are nice.

A big wide jointer is terrific on occasion but plenty of nice furniture has been made by people with only a 6” jointer, if that. In my part of the country the boards I can buy in many species aren’t commonly wider than 8” so I could get by with that sized jointer.

That said, I have a 16” combo and like it a lot but that has to do with the high quality of the machine in general more than a need for such a wide jointer. I do have an extension table for it (Hammer may offer one) that makes it hella long on the outfeed side.