Finally going to purchase my first Jointer and I could not be more confused. I have read and read about jointers and still having a hard time deciding. I have a small woodshop and love to spend time in it. I am to the point where a jointer would be helpful. I am only spending about $1000 – $1200 on one so 6 inch seems to be affordable. The 3 I have narrowed it down to are:
Jet 6inch 708466DXK
Grizzly G0814X
Powermatic 1791279DXK 54A
Any advice would be appreciated
Replies
I had the Grizz, bought used for $500 and loved it. It was my first jointer and served to teach me that I needed a wider one. I sold it in a year and got all of my money back. I jumped straight to a 12" helical jointer planer combo and if I had the space would have gone larger.
In truth, the 6" was great for jointing edges for glueups and not much more. If you can find a used one you will be happier on the other side. You can't go wrong with the helical head.
Sounds good. Have been watching sites for used ones. Maybe will wait until one comes up.
Please gift your workshop with a helical head jointer since your budget allows it. I always neglected the jointer in my shop, I first had a cheap one, then an old General short bed with steel knives and then went to a Grizzly parralelogram helical head and could't be more satisfied. It allows you to work with cross grain woods, take tiny cuts to make the surface almost perfect and you dont need to sharpen and adjust knives anymore, I have been running 4 years on one side of the carbides and running teak , Ipe and logs and have yet to need to turn the 4 sides carbides.
I would recommend either buying a used 6" or spending a little more for a 8" with a spiral/helical head. You can find lots of good used 6" jointers on craigslist. The good thing about that is you will get a chance to see if a 6" is adequate and if you decide you want to upgrade to an 8", you will probably be able to resell the used jointer for about the same as you paid for it.
I don't think you can go wrong with any of those choices. You may find yourself wanting a larger jointer, however, depending on the work you do. I'm mostly building small items like boxes, so I get by with my 6" jointer. When I start working on larger projects, I have a get creative.
I haven't owned one in 40 years, so don't see a need for one.
Folks tout the need to flatten one face of a board, but unless your Join her is as wide as your planer, that's not possible. Almost all of my stock is over 6 or 8 inches. It's easier to skip the jointer, and save the money and space.
I too have the Grizzly jointer and I'm very happy with it. I can flatten and edge joint up to 10 ft with good, but not great results. I occasionally use a large hand plane to flatten and straighten long stock. I do run into problems with the width frequently. When I purchased it, I did not have 220V in the garage at our rental house, so larger was not really an option. I did build all the cabinets, room doors, stairs, built ins, etc. in our new house with it. It is a capable machine. All that being said, I am considering a 12" like MJ for the same reasons.
I can't comment on the other machines, but the Grizzly is easy to adjust, stays at its setting, leaves a nice surface, and is appropriately powered. I have problems with the dust shoot occasionally clogging and I have replaced the switch once.
The helical head is really non-negotiable on a jointer or planer.
I have a delta 1950s 8 inch jointer which I purchased for a 1000 and then later I put a helical cutter head in it and could not be happier so if I were you I would buy a used 8” and then maybe upgrade it later or leave it as is if your budget does not allow. Cheers
An 8" Grizzly knife jointer is in your budget. IMO the extra 2" will make a big difference.
A helical head is well worth the extra expense. I think I've rotated the cutters on mine twice in 3 years. I would have had at least 6 sets of knives resharpened in that time.
I agree with RobertEJr. I have a grizzly 8" helical head jointer and am very pleased with the results I get. Save a few more bucks to get something that will be way more useful than a 6 inch jointer. You are almost there. Take a look at this Grizzly model. Grizzly G0856 - 8" x 72" Jointer with Helical Cutterhead & Mobile Base
Let me add to the helical head voices. Carbide inserts have been used in professional machining since at least the '70s (when I was a machinist). Especially in the helical configuration, they are just better all around: better finish on harder woods, less tear out, very little wear, etc. I've sharpened my last jointer or planer knife.
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