Jay Albrandt
04-26-2003, 12:29 PM
This thread started back in January on the Pond and was titled "New Jointer, But No Gloat". It was regarding a new Grizzly 8" jointer that I was having problems with and it generate some interest so I thought I would post the final resolution to the issue.
The History:
The jointer only took a little tweaking to get it dialed in and the test cuts were great! I quickly discovered, however, that when the fence was squared to the table, and then slid to another area of the table, it was no longer square. Come to find out, the "fence support" that bolts to the outfeed table and which holds the entire fence mechanism up was not square. Called Grizzly and after some explaining, they sent me a new piece. New piece arrives but is worse (out of square, with a little warp this time). During assembly of jointer to test the replacement piece, I set the whole fence on my cabinet saw and also discovered the "fence base" was not flat (it rocked). Called Grizzly, and it took some time to get "on the same page" of what was really the issue. They sent replacement parts again, but they were from and "old generation" jointer (different color and dimensions) an one of them wouldn't fit. Called Grizzly and had to go to head technician and customer service manager to get "on the same page".
It took Grizzly three trys to get a good fence support, and two trys for a flat fence base, but finally! Customer service is in a different location than where the parts are, and a parts person had to hand check the piece to make sure it was FLAT prior to shipping. Grizzly does not have the ability to machine anything in the US due to "costs" so you are at the mercy of the production lines overseas
The jointer is up and running perfectly with an "old generation" fence support and a new generation fence base.
Lessons learned:
1. Keep notes of who you talked to, what was said and on
what date
2. Talk to the same technician each time you call
Grizzly went to a lot of expense, time, and effort to make sure this customer was satisfied. I spoke to many that have this jointer and they had no problems with it, so I think my situation is relatively rare. So, if you are thinking about this jointer, it is a great value.
Thank you all for your support, and if you want more specific info, email me directly.
Jay Albrandt
The History:
The jointer only took a little tweaking to get it dialed in and the test cuts were great! I quickly discovered, however, that when the fence was squared to the table, and then slid to another area of the table, it was no longer square. Come to find out, the "fence support" that bolts to the outfeed table and which holds the entire fence mechanism up was not square. Called Grizzly and after some explaining, they sent me a new piece. New piece arrives but is worse (out of square, with a little warp this time). During assembly of jointer to test the replacement piece, I set the whole fence on my cabinet saw and also discovered the "fence base" was not flat (it rocked). Called Grizzly, and it took some time to get "on the same page" of what was really the issue. They sent replacement parts again, but they were from and "old generation" jointer (different color and dimensions) an one of them wouldn't fit. Called Grizzly and had to go to head technician and customer service manager to get "on the same page".
It took Grizzly three trys to get a good fence support, and two trys for a flat fence base, but finally! Customer service is in a different location than where the parts are, and a parts person had to hand check the piece to make sure it was FLAT prior to shipping. Grizzly does not have the ability to machine anything in the US due to "costs" so you are at the mercy of the production lines overseas
The jointer is up and running perfectly with an "old generation" fence support and a new generation fence base.
Lessons learned:
1. Keep notes of who you talked to, what was said and on
what date
2. Talk to the same technician each time you call
Grizzly went to a lot of expense, time, and effort to make sure this customer was satisfied. I spoke to many that have this jointer and they had no problems with it, so I think my situation is relatively rare. So, if you are thinking about this jointer, it is a great value.
Thank you all for your support, and if you want more specific info, email me directly.
Jay Albrandt