Where is $1000 best spent?

[Joe Unni]

Hey all,

Things have changed quite a bit in the shop - a fair lull - which means the budget for my machines has changed. Instead of my original $2100 for jointer - planer - band saw (on top of 220 power installation budget), I eliminated the power and band saw for now and have settled on jointer and planer - all for $1000 (maybe $1100).

I've been looking at the Delta 13" and the Ridgid 6" jointer. Should I be splitting the money down the middle or should I spend a little more on one and less on the other?

I really need these machines for some up coming projects so I'm ready to pull the trigger.

Any insight you could provide would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
-joe

[Tim Morton]

I would grab the grizzly G1018 8" jointer on sale right now, and then maybe a Ridgid 13" planer or whatever 13" planer you can get the best deal on at amazon. If you want a 6" jointer i would still check out grizzly as I think a few of the 6" jointers are on sale too. Of course thats just my opnion.

[Dale Rodabaugh]

I really am a novice woodworker,I am sure there are many more people on this site with more experience than me.But heres my opinion.I have the 13 inch Delta planer,it does a decent job,but I keep getting snipe on the board ends.I would buy the best planer or joiner I could afford then start saving for the other one.I would like nothing better than to have a stationary 15 inch planer in my shop.In other words buy the best you can.Just my 2 cents worth. Dale :cool: :cool: :cool:

[Christian Aufreiter]

Hi Joe,

if you don't know what to go for I'd be glad to help. Simply send me the money, I'll certainly find "the right tool". ;) :rolleyes: :D

Sorry, couldn't resist :rolleyes: .

Christian

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Joe,

The advice to get the 8" grizzly jointer is a good one. I recently upgraded to a DJ20 and man, does it change the way that you work! My glue ups go SOOO much smoother now. The planer you get really makes little difference in my opinion. If you are looking at cheaper planers, they all do about the same thing. I have a 12" craftsman that I picked up for like $150. It does the job WONDERFULLY! With the DJ20 jointing boards, all the planer has to do is cut the other side...

Good luck in your search, I would spend more on the jointer than the planer. (In fact I did, about 7-8 times more :) )

[scott spencer]

I would grab the grizzly G1018 8" jointer on sale right now, and then maybe a Ridgid 13" planer or whatever 13" planer you can get the best deal on at amazon. If you want a 6" jointer i would still check out grizzly as I think a few of the 6" jointers are on sale too. Of course thats just my opnion. I agree with Tim's logic. If you can squeeze an 8" jointer into your shop, I know you can pick up a good planer and still be within budget. The move to an 8" jointer will make a far bigger difference than any other combo of 6" jointer and 13" planer will.

[John Miliunas]

Joe, this is a real tough one, because your circumstances are such that you're not going to have 220V available to you. That certainly restricts your choices, even if you were to get a kickin' planer or jointer first. I have a hunch you're going to end up buying each one twice when the time comes that you've "outgrown" either. For right now, I'd be tempted to say get just a good stationary planer, because you can actually do everything you need to do on it, but can't do everything on the jointer alone. Sadly, a planer like that would likely require 220V. So, for the sub-$1K, a 6" jointer and decent planer is indeed the way to go. I'd like to be able and upgrade my planer, but until such time comes, the Dewalt DW735 is pretty kick-butt. A 3-knife setup with dual speeds and "automatic" head lock, though I wouldn't completely depend on that! The caveat with this planer is, due to the 3 knives, replacement costs are steeper, as well. For a 6" jointer, I would go with one of the units offered at Wilke Machinery. Competitive pricing and they inspect machines before leaving their facility, plus their customer service is one of THE best. Just my $00.02.:) :cool:

[Silas Smith]

Joe, by all means, go with an eight inch joiner. Many of them can be run on either 110V or 220. I have the DJ-20 and I rewired it for 220V and I think it is my favorite machine in the shop. I also have the Delta 13" planer and the only difference in a portable vs. stationary is that you have to take more passes through the portable. Some would argue that they produce a better finish too. To me, this is an easy question. A good joiner makes a much bigger difference than a good planer. OF course I will still be upgrading my planer, but that stems more from an addiction than a need.

[Brad Knabel]

Not to jump on the bandwagon but I agree with the advice to get the Grizzly 8" jointer. I ended up getting a jet 6" jointer and Dewalt 12" DW733 planer when I first started out. I've never really felt limited by my planer but the smaller jointers not only limit you width-wise, but their shorter length makes it harder to get long stock perfect. I have a feeling that I'll be seeing a bigger jointer shortly - the only thing really holding me back is deciding whether to wait for something even bigger.

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure you'll be thrilled with whatever you get. This combination of tools really opens up the possibilites.

[Rob Russell]

Joe,

Is there any reason that you can't do the 240v power installation yourself for the cost of materials? If you're looking for a 240v receptacle, that could be done for $50 in materials. That figure assumes you have space in your main panel for a 240v breaker and this is all in your basement or garage, with easy access to running the wire for the new circuit.

Rob

[bill walton]

If you're married, buy something nice for her so you won't have to apologize or make lame excuses, like me, later when you go back to the $2000 budget:D

[Scott Loven]

Grizzly has a 8" jointer (http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G1018&) for $673 delivered. That gives you $427 for a plainer like the DW735R (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0008G342C/qid=1115993821/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8__i1_xgl60/102-8593072-6333737?v=glance&s=hi&n=507846)from amazon for $380 delivered. I think you would be very happy with both of these items for a long time.
Scott

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I think Scott has the best suggestion here! I love having the extra width of the 8 inch jointer to face joint boards. As I said previously face jointing boards has changed the way that I work wood. I didn't used to face joint boards, I just ran them through my planer. My glue ups were always a PAIN! Now that I am able to face joint the boards before planning they are much more square. Glue ups are a LOT better now.

Good luck in your search!

[Robert Tarr]

Joe,
I may be out of line here, but if you are up for a drive, keep an eye out in the classifieds on SMC. I will be posting a Wilke (Yorkcraft) 8" jointer very soon (probably today) that is almost brand new along with a 1.5HP Onieda Cyclone Component System and a 12" Delta lunch box planer. All of these can/are wired for 110V. We are moving and the wife gave the okay for a new MM 14 Jointer/Planer combo and the Onieda Dust Gorrilla (pictures and gloat are forthcoming... :D )

Take care,

Robert

P.S. Even if you are not interested in mine, take a serious look at an 8" jointer....seems like every stick of lumber I pick up from my lumber yard is at least 6 1/2"-7" wide.

[larry merlau]

well i agree with rob on the 220, its not that difficult and i am sure you have someone near by that could lend a hand. as for the jointer issue, get a 8" and johns advice to look at the wilkie store. is a good one, went there last year to check on a saw. didnt get it from them but the service and attention given me, from the store personal was excellent. and there eguipment is good quality. and they're not to far from you either. the jointer, does alot more in the construction process than most people think. the planer can be gotten on the net like others have said and the big stuff can be done elsewhere cheaper and sometimes better. i have gotten a larger stationary version, but for a reason of wear and tear vrs once in awhile. it will pay for it self in a short while. just a ol hicks thoughts

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I really am a novice woodworker,I am sure there are many more people on this site with more experience than me.But heres my opinion.I have the 13 inch Delta planer,it does a decent job,but I keep getting snipe on the board ends.I would buy the best planer or joiner I could afford then start saving for the other one.I would like nothing better than to have a stationary 15 inch planer in my shop.In other words buy the best you can.Just my 2 cents worth. Dale :cool: :cool: :cool:

Dale, I have the same planer and get hardly any snipe. But I used to. I found that by adjusting the tables takes care of the snipe. I have mine set so that the ends of the tables are slightly up. When mine were set flat I would get some snipe. Also you can make a simple wood table that covers both infeed and outfeed tables and that should fix it but I don't think you'll have to do that.

[Ron Taylor]

My only advice on jointers is that I wish I had an 8" :mad:

I NEED advice on my old jointer so I'll start a new thread...

Silas, there are actually three kinds of people.... those who can do math and those who can't.

[Jim W. White]

FYI - if you decide to significatly downscale. I have the 6" Ridged jointer and have been quite pleased with it (as far as 6" units go:rolleyes: )
From what I have read I would definately go with the new Dewalt 735 if I was in the market for a new lunchbox planer. I have a simple Delta 12 1/2" unit with the cutter head lock and it has served me well; but that new Dewalt sounds SWWEEEEET, especially for $380 from Amazon.

[JayStPeter]

I'll jump on the 8" bandwagon. I think the regular 1018 that's on sale can be rewired to 110V until you get a 220 circuit.

Jay

[Brad Knabel]

One small note on the DW735 from Amazon - if I'm reading the site correctly there's actually a $25.00 discount in addition to the free shipping. That drops it to $355.00 which really is a steal. I paid about that much for my DW733 several years ago...

[Scott Loven]

The link I posted was for a reconditioned unit, but still a great deal.
Scott

[John Cavanaugh]

Its funny I just went thru a very similar exercise myself.

I ended up with

- 6" Oasis closed stand jointer thru Toolmart for 299.
- DW735R thru Amazon for 379. (I also bought the tables & the chip ejector for an extra $90)

I got both for about 750 total.

If you were willing to extend your budget you could probably get the Oasis 8" jointer & 15" planer/molder for like 1400 total. That would be some nice high end units for your shop.

--
John Cavanaugh

[Joe Unni]

Thanks everybody!!

It seems to be the feeling that the money should be spent on a good jointer and go easy on the planer - for now. I was thinking on those lines, but just wasn't sure.

I wish I could really up my budget, but I can't. That means the power upgrade is out. You see, I use rental space for my shop and the upgrade must be completed using a licensed electrician - and the power needs are more than just a 220v drop.

I still need to think this through, but the information you all have provided will help me to make a better decision.

Thanks again,
-joe

[Dale Rodabaugh]

Alan,THX for the comeback on the Delta planer.I use a flat thru board on mine,and I still get a little snipe.Espesially on longer pieces.I will try readjusting the tables.

[Dino Makropoulos]

Hey all,

Things have changed quite a bit in the shop - a fair lull - which means the budget for my machines has changed. Instead of my original $2100 for jointer - planer - band saw (on top of 220 power installation budget), I eliminated the power and band saw for now and have settled on jointer and planer - all for $1000 (maybe $1100).

I've been looking at the Delta 13" and the Ridgid 6" jointer. Should I be splitting the money down the middle or should I spend a little more on one and less on the other?

I really need these machines for some up coming projects so I'm ready to pull the trigger.

Any insight you could provide would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
-joe

Hi Joe.
The SRK becomes a guided jointer.
With a hand held planer you can set the guide at the finish line and ..
Done. Take a look at the First portable guided jointer. And is free. ;)
dinoproducts_1647small.jpg
dinoproducts_1648small.jpg

I will demo the "EZ Smart" "guided Jointer" at the Swap meet.
You plane the white edge and you create the positioning line/Finish line.
Thr SRK is made with that in mind. A build in stop. Even if you try to make a mistake, is not EZ. You just saw another step of the Dead Wood Concept. :)

Where is my friend Joe? Another one for you.
PPGJ. Precision-Portable-Guided -Jointer. :rolleyes: