Lookin for advice on a jointer

[Dan Mages]

My bench top Delta jointer just does not cut it. The free tool, a rebate, and the 5 year warranty makes the Delta 37-275X X5 6" jointer a pretty nice option. It is above my $500 price range, but the extras make it worth it. Are there any opinions on this jointer? Any other Jointers that I should look at in this price range?

Thanks

Dan

[Larry Crim]

In that price range I would have to vote for the Griz, I would have to say if you can spring the extra cash go for the 8".
Larry

[Charlie Plesums]

To be top grade, wood has to be at least 6 inches wide after planing, which means that none of your good wood works on a 6 inch jointer. :mad: I recommend at least 8 inches, even if you have to wait to get it.

On the other hand, I can make you a great deal on a 6 inch jointer :D (I expect to go to 16 inches in November)

[Jim Becker]

Dan, I think I'd spring for the Grizzly 0500 8" machine before the 6" Delta, even if you need to save an extra month or three. Early models of the Delta had a lot of quality issues (since straightened out) and I believe it also has the rack and pinion fence which while nice, requires you keep the tool out away from the wall. (Same issue as my Mini Max FS350 in that respect)

[Dan Mages]

The reason why I am not going to an 8" jointer is because my shop is my 1 car garage and my storage area is extremely tight. I'm still trying to figure out how I will get the 6 incher in. I know some of the grizzly 6 inchers are only 20" deep, and that may be another option.

Dan

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I sure do like my Grizzly 1182. Not sure how it compares to the Delta, but it's a great little jointer.

[Joe Meazle]

Dan,

Man I hear you on the tight space thing. My garage is just alitle bigger than one car. I just bumped up to a Delta Dj20 it is only 2 inches wider than my jet 6". I am still working on the rehab of the garage so we will see how it works out. I thought about the yorkcraft and griz jointers. Even thouhgt about cutting a hole in the wall and putting a peice of capped PVC as a port for the r&p fence. But then I got a good deal on the DJ20. good luck. If that hobbit hole is near Arkie Land I have a Jet 6" that needs a good home. Hold out for the 8 if you can.
Joe

[Aaron Heck]

I'd also recommend getting the 8" jointer, but if you absolutely can't, before spending $550 on the Delta with short beds, check out the General International for around $500 that has 55" beds. The Sunhill jointer also has a long bed, maybe around 52" IIRC. That's even cheaper then the GI. No reason to buy a Jet or Delta 6" jointer, IMHO. Unless you have to match colors with the rest of your tools or something....

[nic obie]

Dan,

I have the 4 knife Sunhill 8" jointer ($729) which is the same as the Grizzly 8" model. The total depth is 24", only 4" more than the Delta.

[Dan Mages]

I will check these out... Any other comments or suggestions?

Thanks.

Dan

[Carole Valentine]

I think you should definitely consider one with a long bed. My PM has a 66" bed and I really appreciate it when jointing long boards. I only wish I had save my pennies for another year and gotten an 8"

[Mike Circo]

Dan,
If space is tight, I'd advise against the Delta. The fence has a LONG rod which sticks out the backup preventing it from being place close to a wall. Also, the high mounted switch eliminates any chance of wheeling it under a bench.

I was presented with similar problems. An 8" jointer just was impractical in my basement shop with its narrow stairs. I looked at the Delta but decided against based on the above size issues plus some fit and finish issues.

For less money I got the Jet closed stand jointer. Very happy with it, and it is a good 8" narrower than the Delta. I have no regrets and haven't yet missed the extra 2" of a bigger jointer.

[Brian Triplett]

I know everyone on here is telling you 8", but I know how you feel on the 1 car garage issue and my still has to be able to handle parking the car in there. If you get the Delta jointer from Amazon you get a $25 discount plus the free shipping (not with grizzly ~$50) and a free mobil base (~$75) and you can do the math they come close in price. The Delta also has the taller fence. I was planning on getting the Sunhill with the longer beds but they had no idea when they were going to get some much less when they could get one to me. (April 2004) Now don't get me wrong, I would love to have 8" maybe enough a 10" on day but for now in my small garage/ shop the 6" Delta works GREAT. Just my 2 cents.

Have a good one

[scott spencer]

If the 8" is out of the question, I'll jump on the Griz bandwagon. Mine's been going strong for 3 years without a glitch. The Griz is made in the same plant as the Jet, Bridgewood, Sunhill and others.....maybe even the GI....all very good machines.

Yorkcraft makes a clone of the Delta 37-275x that's in the $350 range plus s/h. Be aware that if space is a concern, it has the same rack and pinion set up as the Delta which is a bit deeper than the others.

[Kent Cori]

I have a Griz 1182HW in my two car garage. Like you Dan, storage space was a major criteria. I would have loved an 8-inch unit but simply don't have the space available. The depth really wasn't much of a problem but the "wing spread" was. I do have it sitting on a Shop Fox mobile base so I can easily move it around.

I really like my Griz. I'd buy one again in a heartbeat. The only problem was installing about a gazillion itsy bitsy sheet metal screws to assemble the base. However, once it was done, it has served its purpose very well. If I were to buy an 8-incher, I'd again be looking at the Griz first.

[JayStPeter]

Dan,

If you want a 6" jointer, just wait around for someone here to upgrade to an 8" and take the used one off their hands. I also had limited space, so I opted for a used 6". I have since sold it for a Grizzly 8", which does take significantly more space. But, since it's a machine that every piece goes through, I don't have a problem with that ... space well allocated.

I personally don't see the long bed as being a necessity. Even my "low end" 1018 has plenty of bed length, as did my normal bed 6". I'm a believer in the "buy each tool once" philosophy. But, I feel like a jointer is a jointer. This is one place where you can go inexpensive and not get a clunker.

Jay

[Ron Schweitzer]

Dan,

I bought a Delta 37-196 about a year ago (same as 37-275X except 5 year warranty as near as I can tell), I paid less then $500 for it, I also got a mortising jig (34-183) from the purchase.

The imported bed, fence and cutter head were very well finished and accurately made, the domestic made cabinet and motor mount was sloppy and almost unacceptable.

Size, price and local dealer were a major factor in buying this model, I wish I could have accommodated and $ justified a DJ-20.

I aligned the pulleys after 1 hour of trial and errors, the mounting of the motor and pulley adjustment is a PITA.

I tried using stud castors but they just bent the cabinet, then I put a ¾” plywood base between the cabinet and castors, it didn’t deform the cabinet and it rolls just fine, it cost less then $15 to be mobile.

I have been very satisfied with the tool's performance after tuning the tables and knives. For everything I have tried so far on it has been a great machine except maybe the knives.

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I ran some questionable used wood through it, I had used a Little Wizard II metal detector to make sure I didn’t hit any iron in it but somehow (rocks or minerals from storage) I made a nick/ding in the knives. Now I use the Wizard, a scraper, a belt sander and then an air hose on all wood that I send through any of my tools.

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I bought a spare set of knives from Sears, they were the exact same size that my Delta used and they were less then ½ the price of Delta, has anybody tried the Sears knives? Were the OEM knives of lesser quality steel then replacement knives from Delta? Are the Delta replacement knives any better then the Sears knives?

Ron<o:p></o:p>

[Christine Tiede]

I was just wondering here...... if one jointer is a better deal than another, simply because it comes with a stand and has free shipping, (Ie the grizz vs Delta in an earlier post), it just might be worth your while to contact the other company. Tell them your dilemma, and then mention that you'd *really* prefer to have their jointer and ask them if they'd be able to include those extras also.

Just a thought,
Christine

[Gene Collison]

My bench top Delta jointer just does not cut it. The free tool, a rebate, and the 5 year warranty makes the Delta 37-275X X5 6" jointer a pretty nice option. It is above my $500 price range, but the extras make it worth it. Are there any opinions on this jointer? Any other Jointers that I should look at in this price range?

Thanks

Dan
_____________________

Dan,

If you decide to settle on a 6", don't overlook the Ridgid 6" at your local HD. Excellent product at an excellent price, one look just may convince you!!

Gene

[Dan Mages]

Does Grizzly have a network of authorized repair centers?

Dan

[James Carmichael]

_____________________

Dan,

If you decide to settle on a 6", don't overlook the Ridgid 6" at your local HD. Excellent product at an excellent price, one look just may convince you!!

Gene

Very true, same class as most of the 6" Delta/Jet jointers and about $100 cheaper, plus no shipping. Sales tax, yes, but that's far less than shipping on a 200# jointer. HD did have a rebate on Ridgid tools in the form of an HD gift card, I don't know if it's still going on, but I think would be $50 on the jointer.

[Charlie Plesums]

If you are only going to edge joint wood on the jointer, consider using a good blade on the table saw instead - I get an edge that is as good as a jointer with my Forrest blade, and can make the edge just as square. But if you are going to use the jointer to flatten the face of the board, that is where I have found my 6 inch jointer inadequate.

I have developed a huge respect for Grizzly, and was planning to upgrade to their 8 inch jointer until my plans switched to a larger combo machine.

If your "Hobit Hole" location is anywhere near Austin Texas, I can make you a great deal on the Ridgid 6 inch jointer. It works great except for the limited width - I second the recommendation that you consider Ridgid if you go with 6 inches. I will be selling mine to make room for the new combo unit.

[Dan Mages]

Here is where things stand:

Incentives:
Delta - free mobile base, router, brad nailer, or cordless drill. $100 mail in rebate with the purchase of $250 or more on another detla tool or accessory (A good opportunity for a drill press?)
Grizzly - None

Warranty:
Delta - 5 year
Grizzly - 1 Year

Repair centers:
Delta - Local shop 10 miles from home
Grizzly - ???

Weight:
Delta - 250
Grizzly - 450

Cost
Delta - $575
Grizzly - $695 + $78 shipping + 70 for a mobile base = $850. taxes??

It seems that the only advantage with the Grizzly 8" is the extra 2 inches. My local lumber supplier does surface their lumber on two sides, so the extra 2 inches are not that important.

Dan

[Steve Cox]

Dan when you buy lumber S2S (surfaced two sides) as your lumberyard carries, it is not jointed only planed. It is a constant thickness but it is not straightened. Every piece of solid stock for every project has to go over this machine. Unless you feel like using a #7 for everything this is one machine not scrimp on. I would highly reccomend that you go with an 8" not just for the extra width but also for the longer beds. There are lots of tools I would rather do without in a one car garage rather than compromise here. You need a bench, jointer, planer, table saw, band saw and drill press. Just about everything else is extra and those can fit into a one car garage shop.

[Gene Collison]

Cost
Delta - $575
Grizzly - $695 + $78 shipping + 70 for a mobile base = $850. taxes??

It seems that the only advantage with the Grizzly 8" is the extra 2 inches. My local lumber supplier does surface their lumber on two sides, so the extra 2 inches are not that important.

Dan[/QUOTE]

_____________________

Dan,

Ridgid JPO 610 vs. Delta X5 6"

1. Precise handwheel adjustments for Ridgid vs. non incremental lever adjustments on Delta. Get up close to the Delta and try the lever table adjustment to determine if you can take a very light cut and then do the same with the Ridgid.
2. Made in Taiwan vs. made in China for Delta, Ridgid has better castings, don't know of many people who would not choose a machine made in Taiwan vs. China.
3. 3 year warranty on Ridgid vs. 5 year on Delta, meaningless advantage to me. Hardly anything ever goes wrong with jointers anyway, very simple machine. If you don't like the Ridgid, pack it up and return to your local HD within a year or so.
4. Ridgid $349 plus $39.95 for an HTC 1000 roller base.
Delta X5 cost, $579 at my dealer, you -do- get a free gift sent by an independent company other than Delta and I understand from my dealer it is sent at the last day possible. No fun if you select the base, you will however get it in 6-8 weeks.

For me it was a slam dunk!

Gene

[Tom LaRussa]

Weight:
Delta - 250
Grizzly - 450

It seems that the only advantage with the Grizzly 8" is the extra 2 inches. My local lumber supplier does surface their lumber on two sides, so the extra 2 inches are not that important.

Dan,

I really don't think it's even worth comparing the two. That extra 200 lbs of metal in the Grizzly is not a boat anchor hidden in the base. It's the longer, wider bed -- 8" x 65" (vs 6" x 46" for the Delta), the beefier 1.5 HP motor, (vs 1 HP for the Delta), and the extra structure necessary to carry these larger components.

The better comparison is between the Grizzly and the cheapest Delta 8 incher, which costs about $1300 plus shipping etc.

JMHO,

Tom

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Gene...better think twice about returning anything to HD after the 'newly mandated' 30 day period goes by. They changed their tune very quickly in 2002. You now have to send the tools off to be repaired through them or an authorized service center. You can however run into a stroke of good luck once in awhile, but for the most part most employees follow that rule.

I didn't know anything Ridgid makes was made in Taiwan. It's all made by OWT now and their factories are mostly in China.

Not sure you can easily compare those two jointers since they aren't in the same price range, weight class or size class.

[Gene Collison]

Gene...better think twice about returning anything to HD after the 'newly mandated' 30 day period goes by. They changed their tune very quickly in 2002. You now have to send the tools off to be repaired through them or an authorized service center. You can however run into a stroke of good luck once in awhile, but for the most part most employees follow that rule.

I didn't know anything Ridgid makes was made in Taiwan. It's all made by OWT now and their factories are mostly in China.

Not sure you can easily compare those two jointers since they aren't in the same price range, weight class or size class.
__________________

Kelly, I didn't know they changed return policies. I know Lowes is 90 days on everything, I would think HD would be competitive in that area. However the jointers are clearly tagged "Made in Taiwan" The 6" sander is made in Germany, I think the Jigsaw is German too, other Ridgid tools can be and are from everywhere including China! The jointer even uses SAE fasteners, and not metric, I'm not sure if that is throughout but at least the ones used in assembly are. The Delta Jointer I am comparing is the 6" X5 at $579, I don't have the part number handy, but I just went through this excercise myself and ended up buying the Ridgid. They are both 6" x47" jointers @ 225 lbs. It is quite obviously IMO, the best buy out there in a 6" jointer.

Gene

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I sure hope you have good luck with the Ridgid. I had to swear off them after as many bad experiences as I've had with OWT's customer service over the years. I know HD's in Dallas have a 30 day return policy on tools other than Ridgid or Ryobi, not sure about them.

[Dan Mages]

Dan,

I really don't think it's even worth comparing the two. That extra 200 lbs of metal in the Grizzly is not a boat anchor hidden in the base. It's the longer, wider bed -- 8" x 65" (vs 6" x 46" for the Delta), the beefier 1.5 HP motor, (vs 1 HP for the Delta), and the extra structure necessary to carry these larger components.

The better comparison is between the Grizzly and the cheapest Delta 8 incher, which costs about $1300 plus shipping etc.

JMHO,

Tom
The big issue with the weight is mobility. It is much easier to push around a 250 pound jointer than a 450 pound jointer.

I am probably going to wait on the jointer until I have redone my Garage. I will then have a better idea on how much space I will have available to me.

Dan

[Gene Collison]

I sure hope you have good luck with the Ridgid. I had to swear off them after as many bad experiences as I've had with OWT's customer service over the years. I know HD's in Dallas have a 30 day return policy on tools other than Ridgid or Ryobi, not sure about them.
________________

I'm really not the slightest bit worried about it. The machine is as good as any out there and parts most likely interchangeable with other Taiwan jointers. Jointers are simple machines, a cutter head using anyones knives, two bearings and a motor. Not much to worry about or go out that I can't repair myself.

Gene

[JayStPeter]

Here is where things stand:
Weight:
Delta - 250
Grizzly - 450

Cost
Delta - $575
Grizzly - $695 + $78 shipping + 70 for a mobile base = $850. taxes??

It seems that the only advantage with the Grizzly 8" is the extra 2 inches. My local lumber supplier does surface their lumber on two sides, so the extra 2 inches are not that important.

Dan

Hmmmm, the way I see it, you should be comparing the Delta to the $325 + $58 shipping Grizzly.

The Grizzly you mentioned compares to the $1048 (at Amazon) Delta.

I have found that using rough wood from places that don't have surfacing equipment saves me more than $1.00/bf. Took some searching to find some local one-man sawmills that are cheaper. But, unless I need something exotic, they have some good stuff (subject to stock on hand of course) Most of the rough wood I buy is right around 8" wide. If my latest batch is any indication, I dont think It'll take long for me to save the difference in price between my old 6"er and new 8"er in reduced waste.
Even if I buy surfaced wood, I still sweeten it before use. Assembly goes so much smoother when your parts are straight and flat.

Jay