Which Powermatic Jointer...

[Charley Foley]

would you get.

I have been comparing and contrasting 8" jointers and have pretty much decided to get a Powermatic and am not sure it is worth it to spend the extra money for the 882 over the 60c.

I have been looking for a reasonable used 8" jointer but issues with shipping and the fact that I need to get some work done mean that I can't really wait much longer for the perfect opportunity.

Anyone out there with real experience that can tell me yes/ no the parallel jointer is better?

Thanks!

[Chris Kennedy]

I can't tell you which to get, but I thought I would point out that Woodcraft is have 10% off on Powermatic through next weekend (in case you have a WC in your neck of the woods).

Cheers,

Chris

[Charley Foley]

I know, that's one thing that's pushing me to do it. I also need to trim the kitchen and build new cabinets (cherry).

[Glen Butler]

I have the 882 and love it. For me, parallelogram is the way to go. This is because I do woodworking full time and run a lot of material. I adjust my infeed bed all the time depending on how crooked or ratty the board is and the bed adjusts in one second. Literally. The amount of time it takes you to read "Unlock. Move. Lock."

If you don't do woodworking full time maybe you don't need it and you can save yourself some money.

[Cary Falk]

I don't see the 60C on the Woodcraft website so my might have to get the 882. From what I have read most people don't see the parallagram tables as being worth the cost of the dovetail ways. The 882 looks like it has a larger table and fence though. I don't have experience with either of them.

[Lewis Cobb]

Hobby 882 owner here - I chose it mainly for the sheer weight of the unit and the length of the beds - it's a beast. I had a buddy's DJ 20 beside it as I was "storing" his jointer while he built a new house, and it's much more beefy than the Delta. The parallelogram feature is great but to tell the truth I hardly ever make adjustments to it. I have it set to somewhere around .020 - .040 cut.

Get a mobile base if you ever plan to move it - even by 1/4" :). I have not built mine yet and it's "planted" where it is now - too much hassle to get out the engine hoist and fuss with it.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Never used a ll-ogram. I can tell you that my 10+ year old 60B has been great - does everything i need.

[Paul McGaha]

Charles,

I am another Powermatic 882 owner. It is a great jointer. I would say it's strongest point would be the length of the tables. Infeed and Outfeed combined about 7 feet. Plenty of Power and Great Dust Collection also.

At some point I expect I will upgrade mine to a Byrd Head but it does prettty well with the straight steel knives.

Mine is about (4) years old and has been a pleasure to use.

Good luck with your decision.

PHM

[Charley Foley]

I am leaning toward the 882. I would like to think I won't ever buy another jointer again.

The few pieces I am likely to do bigger than that I can do by hand ( yeah, as in neanderthal techniques). I am trying to set myself up for an eventual retirement which will involve furniture making. I have a backlog of big projects coming up so I am going to get a new cabinet saw, jointer, and bandsaw :)

[Chip Lindley]

Go For the 882 Charles! Buy Once, Cry Once!

[John Ferandin]

I too have a PJ-882 and have had it since it was introduced a few years back. Fantastic jointer! It's heavy, around 700#, and either sits in one spot or PM makes a very nice mobile base for it. Since the front of the chassis is bowed making a base is not very realistic.
This last month I changed out the cutter head for a Shelix and wish I had done it earlier. It was worth every penny and was easy to do once I had someone press new bearings onto it. I also added extensions to it using Aigner mounting brackets and it is now almost 11 ft. long. Great for door stiles.

Spending money for this machine is money well spent.

Good luck.

[Charley Foley]

Nice pictures! I will have to hold off on the helical head initially though.

Ok, 882 it is.

Now I have to decide on a bandsaw. If I stay with a 14" i'll get the powermatic. I just don't know if I need a bigger throat size and if so then I guess I will have to look at the Grizzly 17". I really don't want to spend more than that, I still have a PM2000 to get;)

[Todd Hoppe]

I know you have decided upon a powermatic, but you may want to consider a Grizzly with a helical head, and save some cash. I LOVE mine.

[Lewis Cobb]

Nice pictures! I will have to hold off on the helical head initially though.

Ok, 882 it is.

Now I have to decide on a bandsaw. If I stay with a 14" i'll get the powermatic. I just don't know if I need a bigger throat size and if so then I guess I will have to look at the Grizzly 17". I really don't want to spend more than that, I still have a PM2000 to get;)

Charley -
Sounds like you are on the same path I was a couple of years back. I bought the 4 main machines for my workshop at the same time and they were all Powermatic - PM2000, 882 jointer, 15" planer and 14" bandsaw. For some strange reason, the money didn't matter at the time (the good old days) and I got the helical head versions of the jointer and the planer. I can't say enough good things about these helical heads - but as you say, you can add them later if cash is tight. I've found for my purposes, the 14" bandsaw is more than sufficient - depends on if you are doing a serious amount of resawing or not I guess. I seldom do.

I never did post up a gloat thread on my purchases - may have to do that soon :D

Good luck again,
Lewis

[Cary Falk]

Nice pictures! I will have to hold off on the helical head initially though.

Ok, 882 it is.

Now I have to decide on a bandsaw. If I stay with a 14" i'll get the powermatic. I just don't know if I need a bigger throat size and if so then I guess I will have to look at the Grizzly 17". I really don't want to spend more than that, I still have a PM2000 to get;)

I would definitely get theG0513x2 over the 14" PM. The fit and finish on mine was flawless. I have had it for a couple of years and have not had a problem with it.

[Van Huskey]

I also agree the 882, it is one of the best 8" jointers available. I would balance this with how long it would be before I could get the helical head, if you are thinking years then I would consider the Grizzly instead, as much as I love PM machines I love helical heads more.

[Charley Foley]

Hopefully I will be able to pick up the PJ882 today. The PM2000 is on the way! I need to clear some space and move things around.

I decided not to get a PM bandsaw after looking it over carefully. If money was no object I would certainly by the PM18000 but realistically that's too much for a home bandsaw :D.

I am seriously looking at the Rikon 16" and 18" saws. They look very nice. I am also looking for and old american made heavy bandsaw. A friend of mine has a beautiful old 18" saw from the 40's that he bought locally for $1500 and rehabbed. It runs like a champ.

[John Stan]

Charley,

In my experience, the Powermatic products and tech support are not the same that they used to be 25 years ago. You could almost get a 12 inch Grizzly with spiral head for the price of the Powermatic. Or you could get a Grizzly 8 inch with the Spiral head and save some serious cash. Both Powermatic and Grizzly are made in Taiwan and China by GeeTech and other companies. In my experience Grizzly stands behind their product better than PM. I have a Grizzly 17 inch Bandsaw (G0636X) and 8 inch Jointer that have been exceptional tools - right out of the box. I have passed all sorts of quilted and figured maple on my jointer with Grizzly's spiral head without any tearout. I actually like the finish left by the Grizzly head better than the finish left by the Byrd head a little better. Grizzly has very stringent quality control on their products - where in my experience PM has little to none. The price difference is you are buying direct from Grizzly vice paying for Woodcraft's profit. I have a PM 15HH planer that has been a huge disappointment and had a major manufacturing defect out of the gate. PM customer service did not take care of me. Go Grizzly and you will not be disappointed.

[Paul McGaha]

Charley,

Congratulations on the new tools. I'm sure you will be very happy with them and I think you made some great choices.

PHM