Replies

1. 
   Ricks503 | Jun 23, 2005 05:05pm | #1

   What is your price range?  Check out Grizzly they have some nice deals going on

   http://www.grizzly.com/products/items-list.cfm?key=450000&sort=price

    

   You do not have any info on where you are located in your profile (forest Girl would chide you severly for that - LOL).  If you are near a Grizzly store, you can pick up and they sometimes have good deals on discontinued or cosmetically blemished items.

   1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1

   
   

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   Edited 6/23/2005 10:09 am ET by Rick503

2. 
   generalkael | Jun 29, 2005 06:31pm | #2

   I agree the Grizzlys are nice. I would go with the 8" if you can afford it. You may not use all 8" all the time, but when you need it, you've got it.

   Some of the Grizzlys also have spirral cutter heads that I'm told are fantastic. Mine has the standard head and it works great.

   Scott

1. 
   CCarron | Jun 29, 2005 06:55pm | #3

   Thanks for the feedback. I've received very little of that concerning my query. I notice where  Woodcraft has the Powermatic 54a on sale the month of July... $50 off and Grizzly is having their annual tent sale the 16th of July. Haven't made up my mind yet which way to go. Would really like to have the indexable cutterhead and I see where Woodworkers supply has them for the Powermatic for $300 plus. But mainly I would like someone with experience  with various jointers to share that experience. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

1. 
   cadiddlehopper | Jul 06, 2005 07:16pm | #4

   peg ear:Why do you need indexable inserts? Ordinary knives give good service if you don't recycle used lumber or store it on the floor or ground before planing. You can sharpen them yourself with a shop-made jig and bench grinder. (Carbide knives are available which you may not be able to sharpen.) With a little experience, you can adjust them in the planer rather quickly. If you are using the jointer in a production line, indexable inserts make all the sense in the world. My choice was a Yorkcraft 8" because of the fence adjustment. I would have bought a Grizzly instead if price + shipping had been considerably less.RoRo

1. 
   CCarron | Jul 07, 2005 05:04am | #5

   I don't know that I do need indexable inserts. That was the purpose of my inquiry to begin with. I have absolutely no experience whatsoever with jointers. Now I'm beginning to get some feedback. Speaking of experience... I also have no experience in sharpening. I want something that is relatively easy to maintain and thought that the inserts would be the easiest way for me to go. Besides that I would rather have something that I can work with, not work on.....ie...sharpening etc...

   Again, thanks for your info.

1. 
   cadiddlehopper | Jul 08, 2005 05:53am | #6

   Peg Ear:What sort of woodworking tools do you now use & do you have a lot of experience using them? For ten years until last year I was managing with a Delta 6" benchtop jointer on a home built stand. I made furniture items with it. Occasionally I still use it. It cuts very smoothly due to high RPMs and can be adjusted to remove the tiniest amount of stock. The fence is not to be praised, but it worked.IMHO, it is imperative to learn how to sharpen all the tools you plan to use except bandsaw and circular saw blades. Woodworking with dull tools is both frustrating & unsatisfying. Sharp cutting edges should be treated with respect also which is why I mentioned salvaged wood & wood stored on the floor or ground. These may hide screws, nails, sand & gravel which dull any cutter. Glue in plywood does the same to steel saw blades & jointer blades. Many experts even warn against sanding wood before planing since abrasive particles may become imbedded from the abrasive paper.If money is no issue at all, the extra $400 or so for helical cutter may be worth it to avoid the worst part of maintaining a sharp tool. If I spent the money, I would treat the cutters with even more respect.RoRo

3. 
   ram | Jul 29, 2005 09:24pm | #7

   I waited until I felt I had enough set by to get the Powermatic 54A, because I wanted the long massive table and didn't see what I wanted in other 6" units. Pricey but no regrets. I badly nicked the blades early on with a knotty board, but knife setting was not nearly as difficult as I feared (I used dial indicators).

4. 
   sammy23032003 | Jul 31, 2005 11:01am | #8

   It sounds like the work you intend to do doesn't warrant the extra cost of the indexable cutters. If you were doing production runs or a larger run of exotic lumber, I'd say go for them. I have a 6" Powermatic ( Taiwan verson ) that I've been using for ten years with little to no problems, even after a move from coast to coast. An extra set of 6" knives is about $20 and they cost around $10 to be resharpened. Installation and alignment takes in the range of 30 minutes. I would really like to have the Oliver 10" jointer. I like to work with wider boards, so the 6" jointer is now undersized for the work I perform. I have to surface the first face with hand planes, which is fun, but time consuming. I would recommend buying as much machine as you can afford.