Hello,
Help please!!!!!!!!! I was just looking over the specs on 2 8″ King Industrial jointers. Not sure if anyone here is familiar with King Canada.
I just discovered that the KC 80 has a much larger cutterhead compared to the KC 203C. 2 1/2 (KC 203C) vs 3 3/8 (KC 80).
I like the features on the KC 203C .. rack and pinion fence/ front wheel adjustment the KC 80 comes with levers. The length of the infeed and outfeed are about the same. The KC 80 is only 3″ longer. $380 price difference between the 2. The KC 203C costs $949.00 and comes with a bonus package valued at $100. comes with a knife adjustment kit and a replacement knife set. both machines are 2 HP. 220v
Should the size of the cutterheaad matter that much???? How smooth a surface do you want if you’re going to be putting the wood through a planer after jointing?
Any advice would be welcomed. I might have to phone the local toolshop and see if they can cancel my order and order the KC 80 FX instead. The order was placed this morning so I guess it’s not too late.
Wanda
Replies
Tough choice! Cheapskate that I am, I would choose the 203. If a smooth cut is your criterion, the rotational speed of the head & the number of knives is probably more important than diameter. Calculate the number of cuts per minute. The higher the better. If durability under severe use matters, the 80 probably has the edge. My jointer has the R&P fence. I like that a lot. Infeed table is lever adjusted. I'd rather have a wheel.
Just my opinion. Hope it helps & LOL!
Cadiddlehopper
I would think that the lower angle of attack from the larger diameter cutter head would significantly improve the quality of the surface, less tearout.Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
Indeed, that is a factor. The number of knives & rotational speed as well as sharp knives are probably more significant. Removing less wood with each cut seems more important to me. Simply making a lighter cut demonstrates that as a principle. My Delta benchtop cut smoother surfaces than my Yorkcraft despite its very small diameter cutter. The value of a larger cutter diameter seems offset by several factors: Cost, free accessories, fence design, & table drive type, not to mention that the order is already in place. The buyer must decide.Cadid
Hi,
Here's what one person on the Canadian Woodworking forum who owns a KC 80 FX had to say about the King 8" jointer..... hmmmm Now if you were in my shoes what machine would you buy? Tough tough decision....
The 80 FX is twice the machine. It's main feature and the reason that I bought it is the adj. system. The levers move it like glass and there is no binding or dovetail ways to get dirty or out of alignment. The parralellogram system never needs adj. and if it does it's just a matter of turning some bolts. The large cutterhead is a plus and this machine is a pleasure to work on. It is an exact copy of the DJ 20 that goes around $1600-1800 depending on where you buy it. I wouldn't trade mine for anything except a larger model of the same. Anyone that has bought one in the last couple of years will swear by them.
wanda
My Yorkcraft may well be a DJ20 in disguise. It does use dovetail ways rather than a parallelogram mechanism. It does have R&P fence adjustment (Does the 80 FX?) but only 1.5 hp. You really should do the math to arrive at cuts per minute if smoothness is very important. (You know how, don't you?) As I said before, my old benchtop cut more smoothly. I now run stock thru my planer after jointing since it does better than my jointer. BTW, a past post told a minor horror story about adjusting a jointer with a paralleogram mechanism. It ended a success, but not without pain.You have to make the decision on the machine. You don't seem to be afraid to drop the cash. Maybe you would just feel better knowing that you bought something more expensive & undoubtedly better in some ways. A lot of people are like that. I suppose that is OK. I've never had enough money to test the hypothesis, but I would like to do it.Cadiddlehopper
Hi,
KC 203C 8" jointer .... Cutterhead speed 5000rpm
KC 80 FX 8" jointer.... cutterhead speed 5500rpm So that's around 16,500 cpm
I'd choose the KC 203C if 500rpm isn't that much of a big deal.
Wanda
You would not likely notice a difference as long as both have 3 knives in the head. If either has 2 or 4 knives, THAT is a considerable difference.Cadiddlehopper
Hi,
In 14 days the KC 203C 8" jointer will be arriving. Now since we're on the subject of large power tools. What features should I be looking for when purchasing a bandsaw? 14" or 17"?
I know some come with rack and pinion height adjustment systems, adjustable upper/lower ball bearing guided blade guide system. Is that better than the guide blocks? I think most come with Quick release blade change levers. Max depth of cut on most 14" bandsaws is 6"/ max. blade width 3/4. 14 vs 17...Are the 17 inch bandsaws are better than 14" bandsaws for occassional resawing?. Plus the GI I was looking at had a 2HP (prewired/220v) motor. max width of cut.... 16 1/4". At approx. 2X the cost.
The bandsaw I had in mind was the King 14" bandsaw. ($650.00) might be able to get it for cheaper. Talbe is 14X 14" a little smaller than the delta 14". (45 degree rt tilt 10 left tilt for bevelling.) Not sure whether that model had the 9 spoke precision balanced wheel like on the delta. I think I'd go with the King over the delta.
Wanda
I hope you enjoy the jointer.My power tool which pleases me the most is a Delta 28-276 bandsaw from Lowe's. It has blade tension release lever. I added height kit before using it. I didn't even have to adjust blade tracking for that! Later added 1.5-hp motor. I haven't mastered resawing, but I don't want to do it very frequently. "Occasionally" sounds good! It is hard, slow, dirty work. Another thing: Material removed by the blade kerf can make book matched panels that don't match very well. Yet another thing: I think my blade tension was not optimum. From all I have read about resawing, it is critical. I resawed 6' hardwood with the 3/4-hp motor & thin kerf blade. I doubt the need for 2 hp, but I could be very wrong on that.I use the original blade guides. Being a hobbyist, I haven't justified the high price of retrofitting with ball bearings. Tried fiberglas ones. They wore a bit fast. If a machine came equipped with them at a small price increase, ball bearings might be a good investment.I had a Jet 12". I thought it was good. The Delta is an order of magnitude better, IMHO. If you feel the need for lots of HP & choose Delta, you might be wise to buy a model with closed base. The open base does not accommodate large motors well. I looked at Grizzlies in person. They lacked a solid look & feel. As for superiority of a 17-inch for occasional resawing, I don't see why. Resawing does not require a deep throat. Blades wider than 3/4" tend to make wide kerfs also.BTW, I try to use tools that aren't real heavyweights. My shop is on the 2nd floor to which they had to be hoisted by me. That is one reason I do not have an 18-incher at a bargain price that I once encountered. Having no familiarity with King or GI, I wouldn't attempt to compare them. I do feel comfortable with my Delta except that dust collection from it is not very good. LOL!!Cadiddlehopper
Are you saying that you get better results with a bench-top jointer than a floor model? Could you expand on your comments?John
If better means smoother, yes. The rotational speed of the cutter head is high enough (speed is variable) that the knives make more cuts per lineal inch at a normal feed rate than that of the larger jointer. Try it yourself. Of course, material can be removed much faster with the larger unit. With a light cut & very slow feed rate the 8-incher does a good job. Usually, I don't bother to do that. Light final cuts on the thickness planer take care of the ripples that a jointer might leave. Then there is scarping & sanding, too.Cadid
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