Help Me Pick a Jointer!

[Brody Goodwine]

Well, the time has come that I just can't keep making projects "almost perfect" with slightly bowed lumber.

My biggest issue with this is that I am SEVERELY space limited. I'm working out of a 2 car garage (20x20) with little extra room and need to be able to keep the cars pulled in when projects are done. Space is truly the #1 issue in my case.

#2 is cost, since I'm a hobbyist first and foremost. Sub $1000 would be great, but I can go above that if it saves space or does a notably better job.

Size: I think 8"+ would be ideal. I could do 6" but worry it might limit me. Of course wider is great since I think the bed length would be a bigger space concern than the head.

Bed: This is tough for me. Given the space issues I may have to compromise here. I suspect I won't be jointing much over 4-5' long. What is the minimum bed that would allow that? Of course I'll need to add a mobile base.

Brand: It does not matter at all. I'm not a huge gold tool fan since that paint color seems to be very pricey.

Power: I can handle 220v in my garage if needed.

Cutter Style: Straight knives are fine for the volume I'll see and my price point may also not allow more spendy options.

[Myk Rian]

I restored a 1938 Wallace 8" last year. Sold my Griz G1018 8" long bed when it was done.
This jointer is 40" total length, and packs away in a nice small space. It's almost half the length of the Griz.
Granted, these are not easy to find, but if you do happen across one, give it some consideration.

237949

[Aaron Berk]

Ohh that Wallace sure is pretty.

How about a Delta DJ-20? I bought mine used with a mobile base for 700. I've seen em on the used market as low as $500.
I think anything under $801 for a dj-20 in good condition would be a fair price on a quality 8" jointer.

[Van Huskey]

What type of planer do you have? You sound like a perfect candidate for a jointer/planer combination.

[tom gepfrich]

I have the 8" Jet and love it. I paid around $600 used in VGC. It is a 220v powerhouse. It came with a mobile base that makes moving it around possible. It's long bed has allowed me to really true up some nasty lumber. I now prep stock in this order, one face and one edge. I plane the other face and rip the last edge on the saw. My finished lumber is now warp free and true. The 8" handles 95% of all the lumber I use. There are bargains out there and most of the brands are the same except for the paint. I would consider, Jet, PM, Grizzly, to be virtually identical.

[Carl Beckett]

I got by for years with a little ryobi variable speed bench top unit.

It was lightweight and stored easily. Cut great.

[John Cooper2]

Had a six inch Grizzly that I was happy to sell and found an simi vintage Powermatic 8' for under $600 that i love.

Look for older iron and you cannot go wrong.

[John TenEyck]

I agree with Van. From everything you said you would be a great candidate for a jointer/planer combo machine. I've had an Inca 10-1/4" one for more than 25 years and it is an incredible machine for it's size and mass. You can sometimes find them on the used equipment market, including here, for well less than $1K. There are others, but for size vs. capability the Inca is very hard to beat.

John

[Jim Eller]

May I suggest one with a helical head.

[Cary Falk]

One of the things I liked about the 8" over the 6" was the longer tables. At teh sub $1000 mark you are probably looking at a used DJ-20 or a new Shop Fox/Grizzly.

[johnny means]

My advice would be to not be so concerned with the table length. Unless you'll be milling up 12 ft beams all that table length stuff is overblown. Just look at most Euro machines, they don't seem to think smaller jointers need to be long bed machines.I would be more concerned with width, and ease of adjustment and set-up. Of course, you want to look at quality

[Brody Goodwine]

I currently have a dewalt dw735, which I like. I do agree those combo machines are rather tempting. The 10" Jet is very tempting but the reviews are mixed. I can't tell if the issues are fixable with a little work or if I should just run. I thought maybe I could even mount my miter saw under it and then just have a TS/router combo and planet/jointer/miter saw combo.

[Seth Poorman]

I restored a 1938 Wallace 8" last year. Sold my Griz G1018 8" long bed when it was done.
This jointer is 40" total length, and packs away in a nice small space. It's almost half the length of the Griz.
Granted, these are not easy to find, but if you do happen across one, give it some consideration.

237949
Wow Nice ! If I was Brody this is what I would be looking for...

[Van Huskey]

I currently have a dewalt dw735, which I like. I do agree those combo machines are rather tempting. The 10" Jet is very tempting but the reviews are mixed. I can't tell if the issues are fixable with a little work or if I should just run. I thought maybe I could even mount my miter saw under it and then just have a TS/router combo and planet/jointer/miter saw combo.

I would not suggest the 10" Jet, the 12" definately but it is above your budget, Grizzly makes a 10" that is decent for your budget (plus selling the 735).

[John TenEyck]

Johnny is right that bed length is not very important. The tables on my Inca are less than 40" total yet I regularly joint 8 foot pieces on it without issue. Width is huge, length not so much.

John

[Gary Herrmann]

Can you still get the PM 6" jointer for under 1k? That was my first jointer and I really liked it. Not sure if you can find a helical head below 1k, but I think the PM comes with quick set knives now.

[glenn bradley]

I've started to reply to this several times and my post seemed negative so I didn't submit. I guess that defeats the idea of asking questions if you only get answers you like :confused:. I can only say . . . and I speak from the pain and suffering of not listening to the folks on this forum back when I made my decision . . . if you compromise on the jointer you really need, just say hello to your temporary jointer. It will be leaving you soon after you discover you really should have bought "XYZ". It is more expensive to buy twice no matter how much you get for your "first" jointer. I don't mean to sound negative but, my mistake should help someone else keep from doing it again.

The "first" jointer mistake seems to be something that gets repeated way too often. This does not mean that a short 6" jointer isn't the "right" jointer for you. Just try to be sure that it is or . . there will be yet another 6" jointer in the classifieds shortly. I mean this with the best of intentions even thought it sounds grouchy ;-)

[Aaron Berk]

I've started to reply to this several times and my post seemed negative so I didn't submit. I guess that defeats the idea of asking questions if you only get answers you like :confused:. I can only say . . . and I speak from the pain and suffering of not listening to the folks on this forum back when I made my decision . . . if you compromise on the jointer you really need, just say hello to your temporary jointer. It will be leaving you soon after you discover you really should have bought "XYZ". It is more expensive to buy twice no matter how much you get for your "first" jointer. I don't mean to sound negative but, my mistake should help someone else keep from doing it again.

The "first" jointer mistake seems to be something that gets repeated way too often. This does not mean that a short 6" jointer isn't the "right" jointer for you. Just try to be sure that it is or . . there will be yet another 6" jointer in the classifieds shortly. I mean this with the best of intentions even thought it sounds grouchy ;-)

I think your on the right track Glenn.
And I was going to tell the guy who claims the long beds are over rated that I'm not buying it.

I got my DJ-20 not for the 8 inch knives, but for the whole package. The longer beds was a MAJOR player in my decision. My old 6" jointer only had a 46" bed. I rarely maxed out the width on the 6, but frequently ran out of length to support longer stock.

If you've got the budget, buy it right the 1st time.

[Michael W. Clark]

I agree that width is more important than bed length, but bed length sure is nice. Glenn is spot-on as well. If you can get an 8", do it. If you can go old arn and get a 16", even better, but would probably be difficult to mobilize for your current setup. If you don't mind a little mechanic work, old iron is pretty nice when well tuned and working properly. Not too much has changed on jointers over the years, so there is not a lot of new technology to buy. I would either go used Delta/Rockwell, PM, Oliver, etc. or go Grizzly new.

I had a benchtop 6", hated it from day one, kept it too long, finally sold it for $100. I hated jointing because I hated using the jointer. I now have an older Rockwell 6" floor model (37-220 I think). The noise is greatly reduced and the longer bed is a night and day improvement over the benchtop. I bought the 6" due to space limitations, and it was only $180. About $20 to rewire, and a little TLC, runs great.

[Rod Sheridan]

It's really tough to beat a combination jointer/planer for a home shop, they are worth spending more than you planned on purchasing.

I replaced a General 8" jointer and General planer with a Hammer A3-31, couldn't be happier.

I wouldn't sacrifice bed lenth for width, and with mine I have two 16" bed extensions that aren't needed for up to 6 foot pieces, after that I find convenient to use the extensions, however they aren't required as I've jointed 90 inch pieces with excellent results.

As Glenn Bradley stated, make sure you don't buy your second last jointer, unless you do plan to replace it later as part of a strategy.

Regards, Rod.

[John Henry Newman]

I concur. I bought a 6" Grizzly Jointer with a Byrd cutterhead and I am now looking to move to an 8". Even though space was a concern for me, I'll make room for a larger jointer somehow.

[Paul McGaha]

Brody,

To me, this is a really important purchase. Because the jointer (and the planer) are one of the most important tools in the shop. Get used on every project. I think you're wise to get at least an 8" jointer so maybe you can avoid the eventual upgrade from a 6" to an 8" jointer like a lot of us have done (me too).

I think a jointer/planer is a good idea as they do take up less floor space. If it were me the first one I'd look at would be the Hammer A3-31 (thanks to Rod). That video of theirs is very compelling.

http://www.felder-group.com/fg-en/video/hammer-a3-31.html

As far as costs go the most bang for the buck seems to be Grizzly if buying new. Picking up a good used jointer or planer is easy enough to do around here but I hear not everywhere.

It sounds to me though that floor space is your biggest problem. I really dont know how you're going to have much (any) room for tools with 2 cars in the garage. Just basing this off my 2 car garage, which will really only hold 1 full size car. I'm lucky in that my wife is ok with the cars outside so I can have the whole garage for my shop. Still, a little under 400 square feet.

Good luck with it.

PHM

[David Hostetler]

To be honest, I am going to go very much against the grain here and tell you. If you are that limited by floor space, you REALLY ought to give some SERIOUS consideration to bench top machines. I own a Sunhill SM-150B 6-1/8" bench top jointer, which is for all intents and purposes the same as the Craftsman bench top cast iron table model. However the Craftsman has a nicer cast iron fence instead of aluminum..

The current Porter Cable bench top jointer seems pretty cheaply done to me, but if you can get an older Delta, or find a Sunhill / Craftsman / Geetech bench top jointer, you will end up with a nice jointer with very little space used....

I have my jointer, planer, bench grinder, and sander all stacked up on a "tool stacker" system where they are mounted on mount boards, and just rest on shelf standards / brackets up the wall. 3' wide x 1.5' deep space used. No big deal. Just drag it down, clamp the mount board to the bench, hook up power and dust collection and get to work...

[Greg Portland]

Well, the time has come that I just can't keep making projects "almost perfect" with slightly bowed lumber.

Space is truly the #1 issue in my case.

My biggest issue with this is that I am SEVERELY space limited.STOP and consider changing your method of work. When you push wood through a tool, you will require 2X the length of wood + tool size for clearance. If you push the tool through the wood, you will only need 1x. These tools also are smaller and take up less storage. Give this some thought... a lot of folks run out and buy a table saw, jointer, planer, etc. and then they have no room to work in their small garage. As a hobbyist, slower methods can save you space with equivalent results.

[John Piwaron]

This is easy. Get the Delta DJ-20. I've had mine for about 15 years. It's a great machine. It's got an 8" long knife and a 42" long infeed table. The outfeed is 32" long. I keep mine on a roller base since my shop is small and I sometimes need to move things when the parts get long. I'm completely happy with mine.