How Jointer, planner work at Steel City
motocrossboy
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
Hey there
I’m new in this Fine Woodworking forums. I’m from Quebec (canada) and now I found this new company Steel City Tool Works. I’m actually lookinf for a jointer 8″ and a planner 15″ or 20″ (not fixed yet). Anyone know if those tool works good? What’s you opinions about those tools. Thanks
Sylvain
Replies
Bonjour Sylvain,
Ca va? I live in Calgary and have owned the 8" Steel City jointer for almost 6 months. It has worked perfectly, and has never given me any trouble. Finished boards are smooth with no tearout.
The jointer is well built and the price is reasonable; however, the five year warranty was a great motivator in helping me to buy this machine. The local Steel City rep, Grant McPhee, was excellent and has provided great customer service.
Bob
Merci Bob :-)
Hpê to have more comments about those tools.
It is easy to adjust (blade and guide), the motor is strong enough for hard wood?
Sylvain
Sylvain,
My decision to purchase was influenced by SARGE too! He had the SC jointer and spoke very highly off it. In an email he elaborated more about his experience with the jointer and by the end of his email I had decided to buy the SC machine.
I looked at four machines which were available in Canada, and in Calgary, before deciding which 8" jointer to buy. The machines were the General International for $1899, the SC for $1300 and the King Industrial for $999. The Busy Bee jointer for $850 just seemed to be a little rough in the fit & finishing for my liking so it was dropped off the short list. I was going to buy a jointer once and I wanted to make the "right" decision!
The General International was a good jointer and had a lifetime warranty - but it was also $600 more than the SC - so that extra 50% cost over the SC ruled out the General. The King looked like a decent machine and it could be serviced locally in Calgary but I could not find anyone to ask about their experience with it so I passed. The SC jointer had received good reviews several times on various WWing sites and SARGE spoke highly of his jointer.
The local SC dealer had just opened his doors, and he was very good to help answer all of my questions and provide me with a warm & comfortable feeling that my future needs regarding service would be met!! Actually the machine I bought had several slight shipping scratches that saved me $150 off the list price and that made the deal even sweeter! My machine had been received by the dealer, was already assembled so that saved me some time - it just meant I had to transport it 10 km to my home with extra special care! In the past I have always hand planed all of my lumber but as my work picked up I had to automate - so yes Sylvain, this is my first jointer.
Now as for the jointer and how I use it - here is my story. Once I got the machine home, I put my Starrett long steel straight edge(24") and my Veritas 38" aluminum on the jointer beds and fence - the whole machine was absolutely dead straight and the fence was perfectly square to the tables. I had some trouble wiring the machine up - my own fault for failing to read the instructions correctly. The location of the wiring connection is tucked underneath the bottom base cabinet in a rather awkward position - but you only have to connect this wire once!
Once the machine was ready to operate, it handled the first 8' X 10" hard maple 8/4 board without any issues. The taller and longer than normal fence is nice because it gives a good registration surface for the taller and heavier boards to be supported against. The first board over the jointer was perfect as I expected it would be.
In my shop, all I work with is hardwoods, mainly hard maple, cherry, purple heart and walnut. In 6 months I have run 2500 linear feet over the jointer. The machine provides a clean, smooth surface, which has completely satisfied my expectations. I have noticed a little tearout on some really wild figured maple boards, but hell even with my high degree hand plane, heavy smoother, these boards gave me a challenge!
The blades are good quality and I have just got my first nick after 2500' of jointing. There is something that you should be aware of Sylvain - I was told there are actually 2 types of replacement blades for this machine. One set of jointer blades is the standard set without the quick change capability feature and the more expensive set is the blades with the quick change capability - I have no clue what the difference is except for the price!!!! This seemed strange to me, and the price differential for the quick change blades was significant! I bought an extra set of quick change blades when I bought the jointer, so I experimented with switching blades. The process was easy and did not require any registration jigs at all! The blade change over took me about 15 minutes.
So after 6 months of using the machine, I would give it a B+ after all, no machine is perfect!! While I have no complaints about this machine, I have never owned a jointer before so maybe it is not perfect. The longer bed surface requires that I wax the tables before putting lumber over the jointer, because without the wax, the friction really gives me a workout.
Quality of the machine is good and solid, everything is straight and square as it should be and adjustment of bed heights and fence using the wheels was precise! Price was reasonable and when combined with the $100 current rebate - I believe it is a good machine for the price. The 5 year warranty is better than everyone else except for General and General International based on my reviews. Blade replacement is easy and fast IF you buy the quick change blades. I think your dealer is important, so be sure they are reliable too.
Bon Chance and abientot!
Bob
Hello,A few months ago I was in the market for an 8" jointer. It had come down to 2. The Grizzly and the SC. I wanted a spiral head cutter and the only one with that option at the time was Grizzly. I would have gone to the SC except for that. When I spoke to the SC rep he said that they will be offering that as an option sometime in the fall. I suggest you give it serious though because spiral cutters are so much better than blades.Good luck and do let us know what you end up with.Cheers,Peter
Good Day Peter,
If I could get the Grizzly machine shipped north of the 49th, I would have seriously considered that machine too - but shipping north of the border has some proved impossible for Grizzly based on family ties.
I have watched the threads regarding the spiral and helix cutters with great interest. My new blades in the SC should last me another 6 months and then I will see if SC has an upgrade or I might look at Bryd and their Shelix cutter head.
Thanks for the tip on SC and the possible new cutter head this fall.
Bob
I feel for you, being a Canuck. I have a great advantage however because I live about 10 miles north of the border and can have stuffed shipped to an address in the local US border town. Take it across the border, pay any duty (usually very low) and the standard GST/PST.And the real nice thing (I am not trying to gloat here I assure you) is that Grizzly is in Bellingham..about 20 miles south of the border.It Piss*s me off that we cannot simply pay the same price, taking into consideration the $ exchange and simply have the items shipped here.Cheers,Peter
Good Morning Peter,
Rumor has it that Busy Bee (BB) is owned/managed by a relative of the same family that owns Grizzly; hence, Grizzly stays out of Canada. I think that decision is reasonable and I would do the same for my family affiliations too!
On the surface this relationship might explain why Grizzly will not ship north of the 49th. What I don't understand is WHY the product line for BB line of tools is SO DIFFERENT than the Grizzly lineup. I printed of sections of the Grizzly online catalogue and headed over to compare to the machines at Busy Bee (BB). I could find nothing that compared directly in the 5 machines I was interested in. What is the answer? It seemed if there is any direct relationship between Grizzly and BB then there are only 2 possibilities:
1) Canada via BB gets all the old designs and castings after Grizzly has moved on to new designs; therefore, that might explain the poorer quality similar to what people complained about Grizzly fit and finish 5+ years ago
2) Canadians are so starved for cheaper ($) woodworking machinery that they will buy anything with a motor and some cast iron weight to it :):):)
I don't have lots of money to throw around, but when it comes to buying machinery Peter, I will save up a little bit more over time and buy something that hopefully will last me for 10-20 years and unfortunately BB does not give me that feeling of quality on their bigger heavier woodworking machinery items.
I really did contemplate renting a truck and heading down to Bellingham, which is a 12 hour drive. If I bought the 4-5 machines I was interested in then the trip made perfect sense! With the USD and CDN at par, it is a logical step except for two things:
1) Warranty work is a large issue because my understanding there would be no warranty for Canadian customers unless we went back over the border
2) I do try to always support my local dealers! While they are not always cheaper, the prices are starting to drop, maybe a little slower than I would prefer but there is the issue of existing supply contracts negotiated last year and the inventory on hand bought at higher dollar values. Small merchants cannot compete if they are trying to hedge their success on the dollar exchange. I think Lee Valley took the right step by reducing their prices marginally on most woodworking tools like handplanes etc. to convince me that they acknowledge the situation and are attempting to rectify it.
When an 8" Grizzly jointer can sell for $595 USD, which I imagine = $595 CDN dollars and my local dealers are selling similar knock offs such as King Industrial ($999) and Delta ($1200) I am shocked at the disparity in the pricing. I can readily accept 10-20% but any more than that and I get frustrated, especially when dealers do not even try to address why and tell me "that's just the way it is"!
Yes, I bought the SC 8" jointer and I would do it again in a heart beat, because I believe in paying for a quality product with a local service center and a good warranty. The price in the US for SC should reflect similar pricing in Canada when adjusted for freight and duty, which I believe is 6%. If this is not in line, then I think SC would have a hard time convincing me the smaller Canadian market matters to them.
Rant over for a Sunday morning - the latte has kicked in and I am human again!
I still want to get over to Bellingham on my next business trip to Vancouver and see the tool Mecca that everyone speaks off with great reverence and joy. Who knows I might even be driving a truck when I show up there just in case I find a machine that needs a home north of the 49th.
In some regards Peter, thank God that Grizzly does not ship north of the 49th, because with their pricing and the dollars at par - well my puny shop might explode with new machinery!
Say hello to Linden and Naslund from me the next time you run into them at Starbucks.
All the best and don't buy everything at Bellingham, save some for me!
Bob in Calgary
Email me if you come down this way. I would join you in a wee trip to Bellingham.Cheers,Peter
Sounds like a road trip! :)
Bob
Bob,
Fellow Calgarian here... I got a chance to look at Steel City last year at the wood show. I was very impressed, and with the high value of the Canadian dollar we've got to see some prices shifting soon. Steel city will be our Gizzly soon, lucky Canadians.
May I ask who the dealer in town is? Their new table saw offering looks great, and I'll be in the market soon.
Buster
Morning Buster,
The new SC dealer in Calgary is FELDER ... They are located near the intersection of Deerfoot and Blackfoot Trail, right behind the Flying J truck stop. The sales rep is Grant McPhee; he is very helpful, knowledgeable and low pressure on the sales side. I would have no hesitation buying more machinery from Grant in the future. Sorry but I don't have his card handy, it will be a new listing at directory services.
I expect with the dollars at par, some time in the next few months we can expect to see prices in Canada for SC to almost come on par with the US pricing, understanding that shipping is a factor too.
I am also waiting to see the new SC table saw lineup come the new year and if everything goes well, I will hopefully get a new saw too.
Best Regards Buster
Bob in Calgary
I got a chance to look at Steel City .. If they had a riving knife I buy in a second!Maby I just liked the Gold lookin' tops!
Edited 10/1/2007 3:32 pm by WillGeorge
I got a chance to look at Steel City .. If they had a riving knife I buy in a second!
Didn't you hear? The SC table saws have a riving knife. I think the fact was a little overshadowed by the optional material they used for the table (granite), iron will be available too.
I think they are out in the new year...
The SC table saws have a riving knife...I looked at the Steel City saw at my local Woodcraft store. It appeared to have a 'splitter' like on my current saw. I also looked at the Steel City Web pages and I do not remember seeing 'splitter' mentioned.Maybe I should go back for a second look. With the gas prices here in Chicago (highest in the nation for some reason) it is a expensive trip for me!
Morning Will...
I'll save ya a trip. The new TS from SC will have a riving knife when they arrive on the scene after the first of the year. Until then the current models have a splitter. The riving knife will appear on select models only and riving knives on other models will come latter.
So.. you're eyes didn't decieve you! :>)
Regards...
Sarge..
Sarge! Thanks ... I believe MOST of your post and thought I went nuts!
Hiya, Sarge. That's the news I've been waiting for! I've been living the good capitalist life, picking up tools for below market, with a big sales push coming in another couple/so weeks, all to finance a new saw. So, the new hybrid will have a riving knife?? How close to the first of the year might they be arriving?? Truth be told, I was hoping for pre-Christmas, but will wait to get the right saw.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Do you think we could get a discount if we bought 2 SawStops in Seattle? The Canadian dollar being at par, I am seriously tempted to get one later this fall. With all the goodies of course ;-)Cheers,Peter
I was originally going to hold out until I could get a SawStop, but unless Santa drops about $1300 in my stocking, I'll have to settle for a hybrid of some sort. We'll see. Or, I suppose, I might get uninhibited enough to take my Jet saw apart and fix the blade height lock myself. Blech!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Morning Jamie...
When Steel City (Scott Box) arrived to install the granite fence on my jointer, the latest word was around the first of the year. That may have changed (?)and I will check as some internal changes have been made over the last few months.
The office in Murfreesboro, Tn. has been consolidated with the the new corporate office just outside Pittsburgh, so I will leave Scott Box a message on his cell phone to call for any update. He has been quite busy with travel setting up distributors and the corporate move.
Get back to you hopefully by the week-end as I am anchored personally with my work and a deck addition. Should culminate a summer of work on the house this or next week-end and will be in better position to keep up on a daily basis... And get started on the new bed and BR suite on the First Ladies "you better do or else" list.. ha.. ha... ha..ha..ha..
Edit... I got a call from Scott Box just a few minutes after I called his cell phone. They are desperately shooting to have the Granite and cast iron riving knife addition on the floor by late December. If all goes smoothly in distribution... that is the current plan!
Regards...
Sarge..
Edited 10/3/2007 11:36 am ET by SARGEgrinder47
"They are desperately shooting to have the Granite and cast iron riving knife addition on the floor by late December. If all goes smoothly in distribution... that is the current plan!" Hurrah!! I'll keep my fingers crossed! Thanks, Sarge!!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
It was annouced at the AWFS (???) in Las Vegas. The news was really overshadowed by the granite tops, but to me the nig news was the riving knife. As far as I know they'll be the first sub $2000 10" table saw with a riving knife (with the exception of those jobsite models) readily available in the US and Canada.
Bonjour Sylvain...
I first purchased the Steel City Bandsaw... Excellent! I then purchased the 8" jointer.. Excellent! I will soon replace my 15" Drill Press with the Steel City 17" with 6" quill travel.. Excellent!
By the way.. my SC 8" has a granite fence that is as flat.. dead flat!
A bientot...
Sarge..
Hi Sarge,
Just wondering how that granite is working out after having it for awhile? I would absolutely love to retrofit one to my 8" Grizzly jointer ( unless yours is in two pieces ) :)
Paul
Morning Colebear...
I've run about 3000 linear feet through at this point consisting mainly of pecan (hickory).. oak and maple. A lot more will be coming up in a few weeks as I have spent the majority of time since May painting the outside.. inside and adding on to my rear deck. But fall signals cooler weather here in Atlanta and I build from October through May.
The granite is still dead flat which was expected. It has been bumped into many times with the corner of heavy stock as I move a lot of long stock in and out of my shop single handed. I have to swing the stock sometimes to get it up on my lumber rack in the rear shop where my jointer sits waiting to be rolled up to the cut and sawdust area in the front shop.
I really think it would take a deliberate, extremely hard impact with something very concentrated in weight as a ball peen, etc. to even chip it. I can't even imagine at this point something short of that even doing anything but rebounding off as it has done many times with the accidentally bumps.
So... there you have it. It just sits there on the machine waiting for the call as it probably will for decades to come. And BTW.. the fence is an exact replica of the original except for it being granite. When Scott Box showed up with it and we installed, we just took off the old and put on the new. About a 10 minute operation which is about a simple and straight forward as the machine itself. I admire simplicity which is a great fit for my simple mind. :>)
Regards...
Sarge..
Thanks for the update, Sarge. This is a very interesting development in woodworking machinery.
Paul
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