Merry Christmas,
I plan to purchase my first jointer within the next month. I’ve already decided I want a 6″ jointer, based on the realities of my shop size, my budget, and the kind of projects I expect to be doing. Am looking for some guidance on which one to buy. I recall FWW just did a review on 8″ jointers, and am wondering if the same recommendations regarding makes mfg’s follow for a 6″ model.
Replies
Hi Bill - Posting a desired price range would help a bit. You're likely to find that the vast majority of brand name jointers will do a good job. Delta makes two, Grizzly several, Yorkcraft makes a good clone of the better Delta, Jet has a couple, GI, PM, Sunhill, Woodtek, Bridgewood, Ridgid and others should be fine.
They fall in a few price ranges. The differences will be mainly in the length of the beds, type of base, fence mechanisms, handwheels vs levers, switch type and location, and a few other minor features. Most are 1hp. The lower Delta is 3/4hp...any claiming 2hp are stating the "developed max HP" rating which essentially roughly double it's true nominal rating. The Yorkcraft and one of the Grizzly's offers a built in mobile base. Some will even offer more sophisticated cutterheads in the higher end range. Another consideration is the retail circumstances and warranty. Some are mail order only and some are available locally.
I've got a basic Grizzly G1182HW that I've been very happy with. If I wanted a machine available locally that offered a bit more than the Griz, I'd check out the GI with it's 55" beds for < $550 the last I knew.
Edited 12/25/2005 8:03 pm ET by scotty
Scotty,
thanks for the response. I'm thinking of a price range of around $500, but would be willing to go to $600 if there is a significant step up in quality at the higher price.
Here's a pic of the GI jointer. This machine has beds that are 9-10" longer than many, and the price is reasonable compared to the Jet, PM, and better Delta.
For around $600 plus shipping you could get the new Grizzly 8" jointer. I just bought it...it's sweet!
I'd make a heck of a deal on my Jet 6" jointer if you're in Texas...Don't want to ship it!lp
Am in Western Washington, but thanks anyway.
I'd also strongly suggest a 8". I got a 6" just months ago, and sure wish I'd gone for the 8. I didn't, just because I didn't have 220v. Well, now I have 220v and want a bigger jointer. I'm in Redmond WA -- if you want a Grizzly 1182 with handwheels, I'd make you a good deal. And you could check it out before buying... :)
I'm serious both ways -- you'll probably be happier with an 8", but if you want a like-new 6" with extra blades and a mobile base, contact me.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Bill, you answered my question as to locale before I asked (BTW: there's a place in your profile to show that info for the rest of us). If you're here in Western WA, you might find it worthwhile to travel to Auburn and check out the tool place just up the road from the Jet warehouse. Sorry I can't remember the name right now, they changed ownership and name a year or two ago, but that's where I got my Jet 6" jointer. They sell "scratch 'n dent" and other "specials" -- Jet, Powermatic mostly. Prices were great. The one I bought had been used at the woodworking show and didn't sell there, so ended up at this tool place. I paid $385 for it and it has worked flawlessly.
There were 3 or 4 other Jet jointers there, but they showed signs of heavy use and I wasn't interested. So you do need to be careful. If you call the Jet warehouse, they can probably give you the name of that store. The previous owners were great, sorry to see them go. When I needed a new motor for my table saw, he ordered one from the warehouse and sold it to me for $175 (instead of the $300 Jet wanted). Can't vouch for the (relatively) new owners.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Is that one of those places on West Valley Hwy? I think there is a Porter Cable place around there, too.
Yes, the place I'm referring to is on the West Valley Highway. It is west of the Jet warehouse. It used to be called RAM Tools. Didn't realize there was a PC place nearby -- probably a good thing, LOL!
From whence do you hail??forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
There used to be a Bosch place at the opposite end of the building that the Porter Cable store was in. Haven't been by there in a couple of years so don't know if it is still there. Just north of 15th st. N. on Weat Valley I believe.
So which model number is the new Grizzly 8"?
It is the brand new Go586 with the 75" long bed and four-knife cutterhead. I've not used it extensively yet...but I've got 300 b.f. of quartersawn White Oak to plane...ought to be a decent test of things.
Fit and finish was good. No rust anywhere...not even underneath the castings. Went together in a couple of hours....getting the cosmoline off was difficult..but that's a good thing.
They did fail to provide a nut for the fence hold-down nut...and it's an odd size...the best hardware store in Dallas didn't have it....a 1/2 w/14 pitch threads. It's out of stock at Grizzle....but I made do with another bolt...that's the only glitch so far....
Good luck!
lp
lp
LP,
Where in Texas? I know someone looking for a 6"? Please email (check my profile) with specifics.
Thanks,
Mike K
KesslerCraftsman,
I am interested in the Grizzly 8" jointer. I purchased a bandsaw from them about a year ago and am really interested in how easy it was for you to set up the jointer. I particularly ask the question because my shop is in my basement and getting it in there may be a problem but I do have a walkout basement. Do I need a couple of people to get it into my basement? Also, can you speak a little to the features that you really like about it. I am VERY interested...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
You might also take a look at the Rigid model at HD if there is one close buy I think they had one for about 350.00 I belive they reviewed this one and other 6" jointers in Fine Woodworking in the last two years.
Good luck.
Troy
Just dug out issue 160 - Winter 2002/2003. The Rigid was highly regarded considering its price.
I think you really ought to look at 8" jointers. They are availible for $100 to $150 more than 6" models. and they do not take up any more space. some have longer beds, but 10" is not enough to matter, even in a small shop. And that 10" makes a big difference in the effectiveness of the machine.
Mike
My Jet 6" has been a good one. Beds were dead on right out of the box. After 5 years it still is doing a good job with no bed adjustments yet needed.
Their knives are pretty soft though. Suggest getting some from Wisconsin Knife Works.
I much prefer bed adjustment wheels instead of adjustment levers.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
I'm with Mudman (well, not actually with him, I'm happily married). I was originally going to purchase a 6" jointer but found an 8" delta industrial on craigslist. I negotiated a price of $650.00. It was 3yrs old. It's a great machine. Though I couldn't spare it, I made room for it.
Bill
What ever you do get the lognest bed possible. I had a jet 6"
super machine but jointing 8ft boards was a pain in butt. My wife
bought me a delta 8" last year for X-Mas and joing 8ft boards is a
snap.
I have had a Ridgid 6" jointer for a few years now and it has been good to me,no problems in the way it works. Sears sells a crafstman that is the same. When I first got the machine I agreed with reviews that said the fence was difficult to use. After working with it , I like it. It is really easy to use its just a design that does not function like you might think at first glance. Read the manual. Good luck. AB
please help, what are you guys building that requires a 8" jointer or what would be built. I am building a murphy bed and am considering a 6" jointer to square the stock, I would use a thickness planer for the tops and bottoms and the jointer for the sides. that being said, what are you guys using the jointers for?
thanks
The width of the jointer limits the width of stock you can face joint. I buy enough stock that's more than 6" wide but would still fit on an 8" jointer, that I'd like to trade up. I also buy 10"+ boards, but don't want to spend that kind of money!
Another reason to consider a wider jointer is that their tables are typically longer, making it easier to true long boards. That's not as compelling for me personally, because I cut roughly to length before jointing; even a 47" table is realistically plenty for the stuff I'm planning to do.
Even with big boards, you can still put a 90° face with a smaller jointer. If you have a 12" 16/4 board, even a 6" jointer is fine to joint the edge true once you've trued the face by other means.
Jointers can help with jointing a wider board, but a board with cup or twist might require a jig or other care.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
I have the new general int. 6 inch it does a great job and is highly rated. but sometimes i wish i would have bought an 8 inch just in case i ever needed it. grizzly 8 inch is a good machine great price but i've herd of alot of complaints about the customer service and getting replacement parts.
I've heard of a lot of complaints about the [Grizzly] customer service and getting replacement parts
I rounded over some gib bolts setting up my Grizzly jointer. My fault, but they got a half dozen of 'em to me within a week, at no charge.
I also ordered the disposable knives by mistake. I felt how they listed them was misleading, so they refunded shipping both ways and got the right knives sent right away.
My jointer was also shipped less than 24 hours from when I ordered, and arrived about three days later. The shipping company they used charged only a $25 liftgate fee, as opposed to the $175 fee another company was going to hit me with for residential delivery of my table saw.
I don't dispute others' reports, but my own experience has been excellent.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
aight, but wouldnt it be more pratical to use a planer for boards wider than 8", I thought jointing was when you are going to put two boards together and you want them flush, are you putting two or more 10" wide boards together and what application is that for, seems odd to me cause I am kinda new at this. also, it seemed cheaper to me to get a mid range jointer and mid range planer than to buy one of the highrange wider jointers, I am also limiting myself to bench top tools as I have to roll out into the driveway to use them. Tight garage space, and no woodworking in the rain. lol. let me know, I really am curious about this. thanks.
It's rare you'll buy stock that's got even one face perfectly flat, but flat stock with parallel faces and perpendicular edges is very important in most woodworking and joinery.
The common machine-based process for prepping stock is: 1) Using a jointer, make one side perfectly flat. 2) Turn the stock on edge; referencing the jointed face of the stock against the jointer fence, create a straight perpendicular edge. 3) Run the board through the planer with the jointed side down, until you have two parallel faces. If the board's true but still too thick, continue passing it through the planer, flipping the board over each time to take from both sides evenly. 4) Rip the board on the table saw, referencing the edge produced in step 2 against your rip fence; this produces the final squared edge.
Step 1 is called face jointing, and its objective is to produce a perfectly flat surface without cup or twist.
Sometimes, a board is flat enough that you can effectively use a planer for step 1. But if a board has twist, you'll find that the planer bed will not straighten the board. There are jigs that can make the planer more effective at jointing. The all work by simulating a flat face on the bottom. The simplest is to attach your board to a perfectly flat substrate (use glue, whatever); as the workpiece passes through the planer, it cuts the top surface parallel with the bottom of the substrate.
Very few of us have jointers that can handle all our stock. For my current project I have a 14" board of figured purpleheart I need to prepare. I couldn't even afford a planer that big, let alone a jointer -- so I'll be breaking out the hand planes.
I hope some of this is at least a little help.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
Wow, I did not know that, so a planer will not necessarily square a board if the opposite side is not already square, so maybe I dont need a thickness planer afterall unless I want thiner stock? So with an 8" jointer I could flatten and square up to 16" of board width??? right if I do one side then rotate and do the other? Is this right? will it work this way, I would still need to find one that is a bench top style.
I'll pop in here while you're waiting for John's response: A planer makes one face parallel to the other. If the reference face (the one on the table as it goes through the planer) is twisted or cupped or whatever, the surface/face that gets cut (the top side) will acquire the exact same characteristics. Kinda like computers: "Garbage in, garbage out"
That's why you use a jointer to make one face flat, before putting the wood through the planer. Oh, and no, you wouldn't be able to use an 8" jointer to face-joint a 16" board. (Well, some people claim they can fudge a little, maybe a 10" board, but there's a question as to safety)forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Forestgirl is right, and I'm afraid there's a little more. It might seem as though you could do without the planer entirely, and just use the jointer. But here's the problem: Exactly as forestgirl says, a planer's function is to mill one side precisely parallel to the side of the stock opposite it. No flat "other" side, no flat "this" side. It works this way because the "other" side is held tightly against a flat reference surface (the planer's bed).
The jointer cannot perform this function because it works on one face at a time. (Well, that's not counting the edge jointing function, but let's not go there...) Imagine this: You have a board that is wildly out of square. In fact, it's trapezoidal in cross-section. Each face is 6" across, but the left edge is 1/2" thick, and the right edge is 1" thick. In addition, there's a small amount of twist: two opposite corners are 1/16" off a flat reference surface.
If you use all the tools as previously described, here's about what will happen. 1) Using the jointer, flatten one face. This will take about 1/16" off the thickness of the board. You stop jointing when you can put the board on your reference surface, and that face sits true and flush. 2) Referencing this jointed face against your jointer's fence, joint one edge true. The fastest will be the thin edge, so joint the 1/2" edge. You board will get a little narrower, but it'll be perpendicular to the previously jointed face. 3) With the planer, process the board with the jointed side down. 3/32" at a time (if you can take off that much), the 1" edge will be pared away. After 5 or 6 passes, you'll be about down to the 1/2" of the jointed edge, all across the board. From that point on, each pass simply reduces the thickness of the stock. 4) Rip on the TS.
Using a jointer alone fails, because step 3 won't work right. When you run the second face over the jointer, it'll get straight and flat... but it won't be parallel to the first face. Your stock will lose the twist, and be thinner, but it'll be something like 7/16" thick on one edge, and 15/16" on the other.
There are some excellent references on stock preparation out there. I'd definitely suggest you hunker down and do some reading before you commit your $$$ to a course that might not be satisfactory, or that will require more gear (and $$$) than you thought. Not sure where you live, but a day in someone's shop would probably do ya a world of good.
Good luck!My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
what should I read that would splain all that. I live in East Central Florida on the beach and would love to visit someone knowledgeable in these matters, I have no mentor in this area and am completely trying to self teaching or "home schooling". thanks
You and I are in the same boat, friend. I did some WW years ago, and just started building my shop last year.
My suggestion is to go to the library or bookstore, and just browse until you find books that make sense to you. And ask questions here when the books aren't cutting it.
Good luck and have fun!My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
The February issue of {Woodworkers Journal} has a review of 8" jointers. Most are 230 volt. The Grizzly cant be beat for an entry level Jointer according to their article. I suggest you pick up the February Issue and read this before you purchase your Jointer.
PS: In the past year I belive there was a review of 6" Jointers in Woodworkers Journal. I only subscribe to {WOOD, Woodworkers Journal & Popular Woodworking}. It had to be in one of those. I couldn't find the issue but Woodworkers has a review in about every issue.
I myself read about everything I can find on the product before I buy. Then I buy the best. I have found the best is the cheapest in the long run and is such a joy to use it makes woodworking the most fantastic hobby one can have.
Good luck
Edited 12/31/2005 7:35 am ET by The WoodChuck
Such a struggle. I think I can find a deal on a 6" jointer but am taking the adivce on an 8" jointer seriously.
If you go with a 6", check the Powermatic; although made by Jet its bed was the longest of the 6" that I looked at 3 years ago. I have had good service from mine. I think it was maybe $200 more than the other but had beds of an 8".
I don't know that Powermatic is made by Jet. To my knowledge the company was bought out by Jet but still runs as a separate company subsidiary to Jet.
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