Hi, I’m new to this forum. I am going to purchase a 8″ jointer in the near future and would like some feedback on which brand and model to get. I would have to travel over an hour to get to the closest machine dealer and if I recall correctly they only carry Inca and some other European models.
Thank in advance.
Luthierdan
Replies
Delta DJ-20.
Luthierdan,
Well...you are probably going to get several suggestions on this one. I personally have the Grizzly G0500 8" X 75". I love it. 4 knife cutterhead leaves an unbelieveable surface and for $795 plus shipping I truly believe that there is not a better buy on the market.
Terry
http://www.terryhatfield.com
Amen brother! Grizzley! I'm so happy with mine that I bought a ton of other tools from them..
Go to Grizzley .com and check them out.. they will have it shipped to your door!
Luthierdan
Agree with Terry H on this one. For the money, best buy on the market is the new Griz 8" with the longer tables.
sarge..jt
I have to agree with Terry & Sarge on the Grizzly,Just bought one myself, if you would like to read a good review on it check out the following site...
http://sawsndust.com/
ToolDoc
Powermatic 54A (6" Longbed) owner here. I was just commenting on this forum that for similar $ I could of gotten the Grizzly 8". I have never used one, but they have gotten rave reviews here. Good Luck!
John
Edited 7/23/2003 11:34:16 PM ET by JMartinsky
I am becoming an older machinery buff, and might suggest you check the used market. The old 12" I got, my first (and so far only) vintage tool I would compare with any new 12". Rock solid, still dead flat and co-planer after 80 years, etc., all without a shim. Probably about 1500 lbs. No mobile base for this guy. Good quality older machines aren't necessarily inexpensive, but are far less expensive than the newer ones of equal quality. I'm so in love with the old beast that I am getting ready to pull the trigger on a specially made helical carbide insert cutterhead for mine.
Alan
"No mobile base for this guy." I'd suggest a Ford F250, LOL!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
> ....I'd suggest a Ford F250, LOL!
No self respecting Skagit Co. burnt out hippy would be caught dead riding in let alone driving a half ton pickup! (hehehe)
...........
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Half-ton? HALF-TON? That's a 3/4-Ton, buddie, and the one I used to haul horses with was beefed up to 1+ ton, I regularly filled the bed with 2000-2300 pounds of hay or alfalfa cubes. Weren't nothin that baby wouldn't haul!!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Too-shay, Jamie (grin)
But I'll take my '88 F350 dually with the new Jasper 460 any day!! (hehehe) Pulled out of the gravel pit with 5/8- crushed spilling over the siderails with no visible or audible signs of complaint.
Topic relavence .... getting that 1500lb machine onto the bed of either one!
Harbor Freight sells some very reasobably priced 3ton chain falls! I loaded all my power equipment, including the 1000lb Powermatic 2442 lathe onto my car trailer by myself with a chain fall and a home made hoist.
Very high pucker factor when that lathe was hanging a few feet off the ground and I was backing a 14' flat bed trailer under it without any help! (grin)
...........
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Jamie & Dennis: I got you 2 Beat , Have a slightly older Chevy 10 ton Dump truck for serious haulin.. and lifting NO Problem gots a Case Loader & backhoe & a AC crawler Loader I can move mountains..soo there..hehe...
ToolDoc
Doc -
I suspect you wouldn't be interested in trading that Allis Chalmers loader for a '74 land cruiser, would you?
I didn't think so.
Anyone keeping a lookout for the topic police? -hehehe-
...........
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Dennis,
Yeah, those TP can be brutal. Got busted by them once and had to go to the ACLU for help!
Regards,
Mack
Dennis: Trade my Allis Chalmers HD 12 for a Land Cruser ~ Naw!! I need it to work a shale bank,doing a tad bit of road improvements with it right now..
But I know where you can pick up a slightly used AC HD21 Dozer fairly cheap..<G>
ToolDoc
Jamie,
That was my original idea, but my wife wouldn't loan me her pickup when I told her I wanted to move permanently to to the basement. Oh well.
Alan
I totaly agree with you, here's one of the loves of my life.
Cost? I traded a Chiwanese 6"er even for it. :^}
Nice piece. What brand? I can't see it too well. Mine is a 3 legger also, which promotes stability. And, I have the handwheel in the same place. Mine has a surety guard, which I don't care for but won't change, and for space reasons I removed the rabbet ledge. Is you’re a Surety also? I was wondering if yours might be an older Northfield, given the cross section of the table as shown in the photo.
Mine is an American Woodworking Machinery brand, Rochester NY. It has to be 1925 or earlier, as it was that yeat that Am. merged with Yates and became Yates American. Unless it was built after 1922, I have learned, it was built with babbitts, which I would avoid. Like yours, mine was converted to belt drive single phase, as all of the old ones, I am told, were direct motor drive 3 phase. Mine has bearings in pillow blocks, large and open, which run in an oil cup bath. I think you could run it 24/7 without heat, but I don't, of course. The bearings are an off the shelf size, and when I had it delivered by the dealer, I spec'd new bearings. $100, he charged for the parts, and I think that was probably the actual price.
Alan
Yep, it's an American,circa 1922-25(bearings, non-Yates), made in Rochester by Clements, Surty guard, 4 knife head. Also, the outfeed table has the tilt adjustment feature. I'm not so sure about it being direct drive though. I have some promotional copy for it, and there are some shown with a remote motor. They were available in widths up to 30". I recently bid on a 16'er on Ebay, it went cheap, but needed a bunch of work, and was a babbitt machine. Someone got it for $250. I figured I could have swapped missing parts from mine.
Where do I look for used equipment? I know that several people have suggested the Grizzly machine. I have owned two grizzly products, a contractor saw which I got rid of soon after purchasing it and one of their edge sanders. I'm kind of gun shy about buying anything else from them. I still have the edge sander but I had to do quite a bit of setup and modification before it was working the way I needed it to. Just recently the motor has started making noise and I suspect I'll be replacing/repairing it soon. I just don't have that many hours on the machine. The price of the Grizzly is attractive but I'd rather spend what I have to and get the machine that does the job. If I can't afford it yet I'll stick with the hand plane rather than getting something I'm not happy with.
Luthierdan
That depends on where you live. Your profile is blank on that. Where are you? There are dealers around. The paper. Industrial auctions, esp where there was a wood shop as a maint. shop for a factory. Production machines, such as a furn. factory, got heavy and rugged use. I have heard that the sawmill guys are tough on tools. A cabinet shop going out of business. Look in your phone book for industrial liquidators, and get on thier mailing/email list. Ask others, esp those in the trade, if you have a friend in that business.
Alan
Dan, I'll still encourage you to look at the Grizzly. I've lost count of the number of people who've posted (here and in other forums) who own and use, sometimes heavily, thier 8" jointer, and it's a proven winner. The Grizzly cabinet saw has the same rep, so there are certainly some machines they make that have proven themselves.
Take a look at the posts from Sarge and ToolDoc -- these are savvy guys, and I don't think you could slip a shabby machine by them as long as they're alive and breathing!
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 7/25/2003 12:46:47 PM ET by forestgirl
FG,
I totally agree. The Grizzly higher end stuff is really ggod, but the lower end is sometimes not so good. I had the 1022 contractor saw and I was not very happy with it, but I now have the 1023S and I love it. I have had 2 different Grizzly jointers and both of them were excellent. I only replaced the original 6" when the new G055 8 X75 was introduced. I still feel that the G0500 is the best buy in jointers.
TerryRegistered Shopaholic
Terry
The Griz G0500 is a nice piece of work. IMO also, the best buy on the market given the price an 4 cutter-heads, 75" table, etc. I don't have it or the 1023 TS, but they are beginning to show up in the Atlanta area. I have had the pleasure of using both.
Is the machining as precise as say Felder or Altendorfh (sp). Nope, but very good quality over-all and well worth the bucks. I have always told Forest Girl that all companies have their "hits an misses". Grizzly has extracted their tail from their posterior in the last several years an upgraded features an quality. They have (so far) still kept the price in the range that the middle income preson can justify an afford.
As with Delta, PM, Jet an other major players; not every machine they manufacture is a "crown jewel". I would not buy their morticer an a few others at this point. But they have focused on what the WW population buys first. TS, jointers an have recently taken on upgrades in their BS's. The G0555 14" will do everything that a higher priced 14" BS will do an they threw in tension release, roller guides an fence for $375 plus truck freight. This catchs the attention of the week-end WW who does not run a 50 hour week with machines constantly running. The price is right an the quality is definitely within acceptable tolerances.
I think they would be wise to add a 4th distribution showroom in or around the Atlanta area. They don't attend all the shows here, either. I feel they're missing the boat in that respect, as they are leaving a large SE market un-tapped virtually. Some buy sight unseen, but the saavy consumer will make the comparison "up close an personal" or take the word of someone they trust! (Are you listening out there Mr. Grizzly?)
Anyhoooo, have a great week-end...
sarge..jt
Sarge,
I totally agree. Grizzly need more stores. I am lucky enough to live only a couple of hours from Springfield, so I rarely have anything shipped. I just go there and pick it up. If more people actually had a chance to touch before they buy, that could certainly advance their sales.
Terry
http://www.terryhatfield.com
Registered Shopaholic
Edited 7/27/2003 12:19:46 AM ET by Terry H
Jamie: You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink.. of all people here you should know that the best..<G>...
PS.. Me & Sarge think your Quite Savvy too..hehe...
ToolDoc
FG
Saavy huh.... This is quite a compliment from someone that owned an operated a F250. I would have tried to talk you into the Chevy, you know "like a rock". ha..ha..
Don't forget to polish that sapphire with green jewelers rouge between customers today. That's one place glossier is better. < G >
sarge..jt
"I am becoming an older machinery buff. . ."
So am I, but not because I'm using older machines.
LOL...me too...good one!!!
TerryRegistered Shopaholic
I guess it would be accurate to say that I am as well. I didn't write it that way out cleverness, unfortunately.
Alan
I have and like the Bridgewood 8" from Wilke Machinery. They have provided excellent service over the past 4 years that I have been buying from them. The machine is excellent.
In some cases, which brand you buy may not make a lot of difference. The old Ford or Chevy question. But people still feel strong either way.
Alan - planesaw
HI Luthierdan, check out the delta DJ-20 its a great machine, Ive had mine for years with no problems, its built to last. and you wont need a truck to mount it for mobility. good luck in your search.
mark
hI,
Does any one have any opinions on AMT (or C?) 6" jointers? I might be purchasing a used one soon. Thanks.
Luthierdan, I think which route you take depends on how you want to go about buying the jointer. If you want to be able to call someone up and have it delivered the Grizzly looks to be a good choice. The problem I see with new jointers is cast iron can easily change shape within a year or more after it is cast. Before I got my big jointer I was thinking of buying new. I contacted the owner of a small machinery company in the Los Angeles area and he told me he had to send every one of his jointers he had back to Asia because the tables had warped. With this in mind be sure to find what the flateness tolerance and length of guarantee is if you buy new.
I wound up buying an old S.A. Woods 12" jointer form a woodworking company in Portland that was going out of business for $1400. It has the kind of tables that sit on four ramps which makes easy to adjust in any direction by moving the bottom ramp. The infeed table was within .003" and the outfeed table was within .001" and I knew it was going to stay that way. It was a babbitt bearing now converted to large diameter 4 blade cutterhead made by Crescent. With off the shelf pillow block bearings you can easily replace them.
Below is an attempt of my first picture post of my jointer when I bought it.
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