Best Jointer for a Small Shop

[Tim Allaire]

I have an 8" benchtop Jet and have come to the conclusion that most longer boards are too long for this jointer. My plan is to get a 6" longer (infeed outfeed jointer). I have a spot for my jet under a bench. Suggestions for a 6" for a small shop jointer?

[Michael Schwartz]

I have a Powermatic #60 8" jointer I bought used for about 1/2 the cost of a new one, due to the fact its 30 years old I think its probably better then the current version as well.

If you buy a new machine look for something with a helical carbide cutter head, since its much cheaper than upgrading at a later date.

I would take a look at what grizzly has to offer, there machines aren't perfect but you can't go wrong with them, and for the most part there equipment and support are very good.

[Prashun Patel]

I have the Ridgid 6". It's a great value.
I have mine to the left of my tablesaw. It's just short enough to not interfere with long x-cuts on the tsaw.

[Stephen Edwards]

I'm 100% satisfied with this one, which I've had for 18 months or so:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-Parallelogram-Jointer/G0604X

The beds are 55 1/2" long. The same jointer, I think, with the spiral cutter head is:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-Parallelogram-Jointer/G0604X

I bought mine from Grizzly's ebay store, at a significant discount, sold as having a paint blemish on it. I had to search long and hard to ever find the paint blemish.

I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

Good luck with your decision!

[Jeff Sudmeier]

i have a delta dj20 in my one car garage. jointers really don't take up much space, so don't discount a lrger machine. Good luck!

[Tim Allaire]

I think I am going to go with the ridgid, mainly due to cost, and it seems like a good machine (or at least I have heard anybody bad mouth it yet). Thanks

TIm

[Prashun Patel]

One piece of advice on that jointer: wait until HD has their semi-annual Tool Event. You can likely get it for a good $75 less than the normal price.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Another idea is to get a roller stand or better yet, the ridgid flip top outfeed support.

I used this when jointing 8' boards on my Delta 6" deluxe jointer.

[glenn bradley]

Chris brings up a good point. Very good material support devices would be much less than a new jointer so unless there is something else about the Jet that isn't cutting it, I would try that first. The worst that can happen is that you end up with a couple good roller stands that you will use anyway. Then you can get a new jointer if you must.

[Yitah Wu]

+1 for the Ridgid

[Josiah Bartlett]

Here's a deal that's hard to beat.

http://www.grizzly.com/outlet/6-Jointer/T20835

[Dave Lehnert]

I just received the new Grizzly Christmas catalog and they have the SteelX brand 6" jointer on clearance for $239. I have no experience but if money is tight it may be worth some research.

http://www.grizzly.com/outlet/6-Jointer/T20835

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/pics/jpeg288/t/t20835.jpg

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I have the Ridgid. I think it's a solid value. You can get a helix cutter for it if you want, but it costs more than the jointer.

[Jeremy Yorke]

If you can afford to wait for Ridgid I believe HD will be clearing them soon. I know some part of the country HD already did. might be worth waiting a bit.

[Clint Schlosser]

The ridgid 6" can be had on craigslist usually be people upgrading to higher capacity/quality. I purchased a helical cutter head and I am satisfied. Just check the movement since they can bend and produce un reliable results.

[Tim Allaire]

Got a powermatic 54a for 750 at my local store. A good value? Or is it worth getting the jet hex instead?

[Matt Day]

I'm not sure, but HD might have a price protection policy where if the price goes down within a certain time frame you get the difference back.

[Tom Adger]

I have had my Ridgid 6" for a year. Very good machine, no complaints. I bought it on Ebay for $215. It had only been used 2-3 times, and was like new. I had to do a little driving to pick it up, but it was worth it. Deals like this are out there. By the way, I use esnipe for my bidding to get the best price I can, and to avoid missing on bidding which can happen if you wait until the last minute, and forget to bid.

[Brian Walter]

I just received the new Grizzly Christmas catalog and they have the SteelX brand 6" jointer on clearance for $239. I have no experience but if money is tight it may be worth some research.

http://www.grizzly.com/outlet/6-Jointer/T20835

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/pics/jpeg288/t/t20835.jpg

I bought this jointer last spring for $239 and it works just fine for what I do. I put it on a mobile bass which adds a little cost, but everything seems to work just fine. The fence adjustment isn't as well designed as I might have liked, but I hardly every change it anyway. Otherwise, it's only downfall is that it's a 6" not an 8".

Brian Walter