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Jim C Martin
04-09-2015, 10:25 PM
Hello All:
I'm sure most of you who look at this forum have seen Matthias Wandel's shop built 12" jointer (http://woodgears.ca/jointer/homemade.html). If you haven't seen it I highly recommend watching the youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL1FD84DE508B0AC55&v=Mdgg_M07VhI).
I have been thinking about wider jointers lately. So far I have talked myself out of buying one but that doesn't stop me thinking about it. So I've been looking at the Matthias's web page and videos. I would NOT want to build one out of a small screaming planer. Also, the idea of plywood + sheet steel jointer tables doesn't set well with me.
But recently I noticed you can buy a 12" Byrd jointer cutterhead for <$700 (http://grizzly.com/products/12-Shelix-Cutterhead/H9291). You can also go up to 15" planer head for even less (http://grizzly.com/products/15-Shelix-Cutterhead/H7768). Then I got to searching various posts to see how other people had built jointers and I came across a discussion on this very forum about using granite for the tables. So I called a local granite countertop shop and they told me that they throw 12" remnants in the dumpster. They said I was welcome to come pick up some pieces. And yes I should be able to find a couple that were 12-14" wide by 48" long. Free!
A shop built jointer with flat granite tables and a Byrd cutterhead sounds a lot more attractive to me that the Matthias builds. I'm imagining that I could adapt his plans to be slightly beefier. All that would remain would be the frame (I still have a stash of maple!), bearing pillow blocks, and a motor. Maybe some 8020 would come in handy. Should be doable for less than $1000. In my case I could recoup that by selling my DJ20.
Any comments or advice welcom.
Cheers,
Jim

Jamie Buxton
04-09-2015, 11:17 PM
This may be a little difficult to believe, but granite countertop material can bend. I've watched a countertop guy flex a slab by a good sixteenth of an inch. That doesn't sound like much, but it would be major on a jointer table.

This is not to say that 3/4" granite is a bad surface for a jointer. I'm just saying you have to support it properly -- and maybe have provision in the support system to adjust the granite so it is flat.

Jim C Martin
04-09-2015, 11:46 PM
Yes, I agree. I didn't mention it in the original post but I have two good sized pieces of granite here at the house. One is dead flat as far as I can measure it. The other is about two sheets of paper (0.008") out of flat across 24". When/if I go looking for remnants, I'll take a straight edge. And I'll build in some way to true the table. I'm imagining fixing some cabinet leveling bolts to the bottom with epoxy and then using tension or compression in those to true the surface. Hope that makes sense.
Cheers,
Jim


This may be a little difficult to believe, but granite countertop material can bend.

Chuck Hart
04-10-2015, 2:21 AM
There are a number of machines out there with granite tables. I think the idea is not only feasible but a very good approach to solving some of the costly alternatives (buying one). I think you can support the granite with the table design and include a method for raising and lowering the tables. The mechanism that Mathias used is crude and could easily improved. The cutter head and drive mechanism is not that complicated.. Safety would be a major issue. What kind of motor do you think you would use? Weight and stability of the machine would also be big issues. How do plan on adjusting for the obvious top heavy structure? I sure would like to follow this discussion and a build if it happens.

Chuck

Phil Thien
04-10-2015, 9:14 AM
This may be a little difficult to believe, but granite countertop material can bend. I've watched a countertop guy flex a slab by a good sixteenth of an inch. That doesn't sound like much, but it would be major on a jointer table.

This is not to say that 3/4" granite is a bad surface for a jointer. I'm just saying you have to support it properly -- and maybe have provision in the support system to adjust the granite so it is flat.

Are you sure that it wasn't some synthetic that looks like granite?

What you're describing is VERY difficult to believe.

george wilson
04-10-2015, 9:39 AM
I don't know if the guys are working from plans or not,but the jointers seem very clever. However,as an experienced machinist,I REALLY am apprehensive about using plywood instead of proper pillow blocks to support the ends of the cutter head. If that thing came loose doing several thousand RPM,it would permanently maim the operator. It would not take much running and vibration to compress the fibers in the wooden holes,making those bearings loose in them. Any lost hunks of flesh would be gone forever. He might well bleed to death before he could get medical help. Only takes about 5 minutes if a big artery is cut. His "bolts"(just screws,really,made of hardware grade very soft steel) are VERY THIN too,that hold the "pillow blocks" down. Not a very good idea in order to save a few bucks.

I seriously doubt that trying to screw the 3 MM steel sheets down would result in a flat table. I'd rather glue those down with a proper adhesive. A screw or 3 in the middle will pooch up the steel around them,more than keep them flat.

With a few improvements like I mentioned,the jointer seems quite nice. But,I have to say that an amateur with who knows how much experience,trying to make machines for the first time is not the best,safest thing.

Jamie Buxton
04-10-2015, 10:42 AM
Are you sure that it wasn't some synthetic that looks like granite?

What you're describing is VERY difficult to believe.

Yes, I'm sure it was granite. The piece I watched him bend was the bottom of the U in a U-shaped kitchen counter. The counter was made from three pieces of granite. He started by putting all three pieces in place, sitting on blobs of polyester. He adjusted the joints to flush by driving drywall screws up through the sub-top. He adjusted one joint, and at that point the other joint was non-flush at one end by more than a sixteenth. Then he adjusted the second joint until that one was flush. The first joint didn't move while he adjusted the second one. He was twisting the granite slab.

Jim C Martin
04-10-2015, 12:09 PM
Thanks Chuck! My thought was to generally use the same parallelogram approach but with larger rods (drill rod perhaps) and bronze bushings. Maybe make those connecting links out of steel or aluminum, or perhaps 6/4 maple.
For a motor I was thinking to pick up a 3hp 3450rpm motor.
What are your thoughts on how would you improve it?
Cheers,
Jim


There are a number of machines out there with granite tables. I think the idea is not only feasible but a very good approach to solving some of the costly alternatives (buying one). I think you can support the granite with the table design and include a method for raising and lowering the tables. The mechanism that Mathias used is crude and could easily improved. The cutter head and drive mechanism is not that complicated.. Safety would be a major issue. What kind of motor do you think you would use? Weight and stability of the machine would also be big issues. How do plan on adjusting for the obvious top heavy structure? I sure would like to follow this discussion and a build if it happens.

Chuck

Jim C Martin
04-10-2015, 12:13 PM
I totally agree about the plywood pillow blocks. I would not use those under any conditions. Commercial pillow blocks for me!
Also agree about the table design. Hence the granite table approach.
Cheers,
Jim


I REALLY am apprehensive about using plywood instead of proper pillow blocks
snip
I seriously doubt that trying to screw the 3 MM steel sheets down would result in a flat table.

Jim C Martin
04-10-2015, 12:18 PM
I was able to flex my piece of Sunset Red granite enough to eliminate the 0.008" concavity across the 2ft I could measure with my straight edge. The granite is 18" wide and 7/8" thick. I didn't try to flex it more than that but probably could have.
Cheers,
Jim


Yes, I'm sure it was granite.

george wilson
04-10-2015, 1:30 PM
But,is granite as flexible as plywood?

Phil Thien
04-10-2015, 1:57 PM
I don't know if the guys are working from plans or not,but the jointers seem very clever. However,as an experienced machinist,I REALLY am apprehensive about using plywood instead of proper pillow blocks to support the ends of the cutter head. If that thing came loose doing several thousand RPM,it would permanently maim the operator. It would not take much running and vibration to compress the fibers in the wooden holes,making those bearings loose in them. Any lost hunks of flesh would be gone forever. He might well bleed to death before he could get medical help. Only takes about 5 minutes if a big artery is cut. His "bolts"(just screws,really,made of hardware grade very soft steel) are VERY THIN too,that hold the "pillow blocks" down. Not a very good idea in order to save a few bucks.

I've wrestled with the same concern. Some sort of reinforcement could be added at the top of the sides of the jointer to make any possible failure less devastating, I would think.

Pillow blocks would be better.



I seriously doubt that trying to screw the 3 MM steel sheets down would result in a flat table. I'd rather glue those down with a proper adhesive. A screw or 3 in the middle will pooch up the steel around them,more than keep them flat.

My Ryobi (Japanese) 6" jointer has stainless screwed to the outfeed table (a bunch of screws, maybe eight). I think later versions used fewer screws (I've seen as few as four, I think, on the same model). So possibly they didn't like the trouble of getting the stainless outfeed "cap" flat for the same reasons you note. Mine IS very flat, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a PITA sometime and somewhere back in Japan.

OTOH, I'd be a little concerned about the possibility of adhesive failing when pushing stock into the head. Any concerns there?


With a few improvements like I mentioned,the jointer seems quite nice. But,I have to say that an amateur with who knows how much experience,trying to make machines for the first time is not the best,safest thing.

I had previously thought of building one, and had sourced a Grizzly 12" wide jointer head complete with four knives. The thing is a beast, maybe 3" in D. So the first thing that occurred to me was I'd need to use pillow blocks. And I had already decided to use something more suitable than plywood for tables.

BUT, I've come to the conclusion that I don't need a 12" jointer. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a 6" jointer was sufficient. Every time I've used wider boards for glue-ups, I've sort of regretted it as the cups that occur happen in the middle of wider boards. I'm not sure my skill level will ever get to the point where people will look at my work and say "if only he had used wider boards."

Jim C Martin
04-10-2015, 3:58 PM
Of course not. Even better, it would not be subject to variations with humidity.
Cheers,
Jim


But,is granite as flexible as plywood?

Rollie Kelly
04-10-2015, 4:32 PM
And just think, you could brag that you got a brand new "Martin" 12" jointer for a $1000.00. :rolleyes:

Rollie

Jamie Buxton
04-10-2015, 10:31 PM
But,is granite as flexible as plywood?

No, a sheet of 3/4" plywood is way more flexible than a sheet of 3/4" granite. But if the 3/4" plywood is the top layer of a torsion box that's several inches tall, the torsion box can be less flexible than the 3/4" granite.

Greg Woloshyn
04-11-2015, 6:59 PM
I currently have this jointer by Matthias over half way done. It was becoming close to completion, but I couldn't get flat tables out of the birch plywood. I even tried making a miniature torsion box but it still didn't come out flat enough for jointer beds. It's been a fun project, but it's time to move on as I just bought a new 8" Grizzly. I am however considering building his bandsaw next.

If anyone needs the Delta planer motor and cutterhead, let me know.

Jim C Martin
04-12-2015, 10:46 AM
Oh man, this is really sobering. It looks so easy on the videos....
Sorry it didn't go well.
Jim

Jim C Martin
04-12-2015, 10:48 AM
Brilliant! Should I go with the http://www.martin-usa.com/wp-content/themes/martin/images/martin_logo.png logo or should I come up with something original?
Man, I like the way that looks.

John T Barker
06-11-2015, 2:56 PM
I see this thread is a bit old but I thought I would post this source for anyone looking this over. Was this mentioned?
http://woodgears.ca/
This site has a number of jointer builds.
Did anyone try steel cross braces to try to keep the plywood level?

Bill White
06-12-2015, 2:13 PM
I'll bet that the granite that was "bent" was not 3cm. That thickness is the only size I ever suggested as countertop material for both structural rigidity and durability. There are some fabricators selling the thinner stuff to meet a price point. It would never be in my home.
Just my thoughts.
Bill

Kent Adams
06-13-2015, 6:46 AM
I see this thread is a bit old but I thought I would post this source for anyone looking this over. Was this mentioned?
http://woodgears.ca/
This site has a number of jointer builds.
Did anyone try steel cross braces to try to keep the plywood level?

I believe this is the exact site they are talking about.

Judson Green
06-13-2015, 1:35 PM
I currently have this jointer by Matthias over half way done. It was becoming close to completion, but I couldn't get flat tables out of the birch plywood. I even tried making a miniature torsion box but it still didn't come out flat enough for jointer beds. It's been a fun project, but it's time to move on as I just bought a new 8" Grizzly. I am however considering building his bandsaw next.

If anyone needs the Delta planer motor and cutterhead, let me know.

Regarding the tables what about using just good old maple lumber, maybe quarter sawn, that way it could be flattened with hand planes and reflattened as necessary.

Just spit balling.

I too was intrigued by that jointer build, other than the noise it would be perfect for a small apartment workshop. But hand planes take up far less room and are down right stealthy compared to a powered joiner.

george wilson
06-17-2015, 9:38 AM
Don't forget,you will have to bevel the ends of the granite underneath them,to clear the cutter head. That could probably be done with an angle grinder.

Those machines sold with granite tables were probably ground to flatter specs than counter top granite. They don't use granite surface plates for counter top stuff!

Chris Barrett
07-03-2015, 4:09 PM
I'd love to see someone take this to completion :) You can buy precision granite, as anyone who's worked in a machine shop can tell you. I have no idea how much two slabs would be for a 12" jointer. http://www.precisiongraniteusa.com/Products.aspx for example.

Robert Whitman, MD
07-05-2015, 9:40 AM
Not quite slabs:

https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/3c22z6/jointer_progress_infeed_and_outfeed_tables/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/3c22z6/jointer_progress_infeed_and_outfeed_tables/)

Phil Thien
07-05-2015, 9:52 AM
Not quite slabs:

https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/3c22z6/jointer_progress_infeed_and_outfeed_tables/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/3c22z6/jointer_progress_infeed_and_outfeed_tables/)

Thanks for the link, it will be fun to watch that one come to completion. I like the way an induction motor was used and it still fit within the same cavity.

Looks like he sources a planer head from eBay and got a matching much larger pulley for his induction motor.

I'd still use real (not plywood) pillow blocks if I was going to do this. I think it would result in not only a safer result, but much simpler, too.

Gerry Grzadzinski
07-05-2015, 10:30 AM
I keep thinking about doing this as well.
My thoughts are to buy the bearing mounts from a 12" grizzly, which cost about $20, and have some side panels machined from steel to hold the bearing mounts.

For the tables, I'm thinking baltic birch torsion boxes, with 12 gauge stainless sheets on top, and a thinner gauge on the bottom. Attach the stainless with epoxy and screws. I'm thinking drill and countersink the stainless, and then epoxy it on in my vacuum press with no screws. Once the epoxy sets, then add the screws. This should help to prevent the screws from creating high and low spots.
The table on my vacuum press is a torsion box that's been cnc machined flat, so it's a pretty flat surface. I can also cnc the jointer tables flat before adhering the stainless.

Or, I could just go back to my original plan, and buy a G490 with a shelix head. But for less money, a 12" shelix head jointer sure is tempting.

Robert Whitman, MD
07-06-2015, 2:11 PM
Thanks for the link, it will be fun to watch that one come to completion. I like the way an induction motor was used and it still fit within the same cavity.

Looks like he sources a planer head from eBay and got a matching much larger pulley for his induction motor.

I'd still use real (not plywood) pillow blocks if I was going to do this. I think it would result in not only a safer result, but much simpler, too.

The motor wouldn't fit in the cavity with the stock plans. This one is about 3.5 inches taller and an inch wider. The cutterhead pulley is from an alternator and the motor pulley is from a power steering pump.

Robert Whitman, MD
07-22-2015, 10:13 PM
Pictures:
http://imgur.com/a/FXLVz

Walk Around video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQjrI7xtMJA

Robert Whitman, MD
07-22-2015, 10:14 PM
Cutting Demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2VrI-FDpy4

Gerry Grzadzinski
12-05-2015, 3:54 PM
I'm in the parts gathering stage, and getting ready to embark on this project.

I purchased the plans from Matthias, but am only using them as a reference, and designing it from the ground up.

Here are the basic specs:

13" Shelix head from a Delta 22-580
2HP motor
36" infeed and outfeed tables

Current plan for the tables is 3 layers of 1/2" baltic birch, laminate in my vacuum press with epoxy, and sealed with 2 coats of epoxy. Top and bottom will be 12 gauge steel bonded and screwed to the baltic birch. I'm hoping the balanced construction should keep it flat. I'm adding an extra link to the parallelogram mechanism to provide extra support, and have added an extra pair of supports to the outfeed table.

The bearing mounts will be cut from 1" aluminum on my CNC router. They will be mounted to 1/2" steel plates, which will be screwed and bonded to the frame. The frame members will be 1-3/4" thick LVL's.

Here's a preliminary pic of the design, which I'm doing in Fusion 360.
I'll start a thread when I start construction, hopefully in a few weeks.


326503

Jamie Buxton
12-05-2015, 10:18 PM
..
Current plan for the tables is 3 layers of 1/2" baltic birch, laminate in my vacuum press with epoxy, and sealed with 2 coats of epoxy. Top and bottom will be 12 gauge steel bonded and screwed to the baltic birch. .

I'm pretty sure you'll want to flatten the Baltic birch core before you put the steel on it. Plywood isn't as flat as I expect a jointer table to be. You might consider adding a layer of solid lumber on both faces of the plywood core. The added layer might be 3/32" of resawn something or other. The point of it is that you can mill it completely flat, but if you try that on Baltic birch, you may go through the face veneer.

Gerry Grzadzinski
12-06-2015, 8:33 AM
Do you mean "flat" flat, or consistent thickness?
My vacuum press is a frame press with a torsion box table that's been CNC machined flat. So I'm assuming it will be pretty flat, if presses top face down.
But I can see where it might be off a few thousandths.

I had planned on cnc milling the bottom, but after I do that, I'll flip it and take .01" off the top as well to get two flat face that are parallel. Face veneers on batic birch are usually at least .04" thick, so it shouldn't be an issue to flatten both sides without going through the faces. Even if it did, I don't think it would matter with 3 layers of ply and 1/8" metal skins top and bottom.

My biggest concern is the flatness of the steel. There's not a lot that I'll be able to do with it if it's not. It looks like only about 10 of these have been built, and I haven't read any issues about the steel, so I'm hoping it's OK. If not, then I may explore the granite option. I'm hoping that I don't need to.

Jamie Buxton
12-06-2015, 11:15 AM
Do you mean "flat" flat, or consistent thickness?
My vacuum press is a frame press with a torsion box table that's been CNC machined flat. So I'm assuming it will be pretty flat, if presses top face down.
But I can see where it might be off a few thousandths.

I had planned on cnc milling the bottom, but after I do that, I'll flip it and take .01" off the top as well to get two flat face that are parallel. Face veneers on batic birch are usually at least .04" thick, so it shouldn't be an issue to flatten both sides without going through the faces. Even if it did, I don't think it would matter with 3 layers of ply and 1/8" metal skins top and bottom.

My biggest concern is the flatness of the steel. There's not a lot that I'll be able to do with it if it's not. It looks like only about 10 of these have been built, and I haven't read any issues about the steel, so I'm hoping it's OK. If not, then I may explore the granite option. I'm hoping that I don't need to.

Yeah, I mean flat, not consistent thickness. But with a CNC mill, you can make it flat.

If you have CNC access, couldn't you use it to take out any variations in the steel after you've epoxied it to the plywood core?

Gerry Grzadzinski
12-06-2015, 11:31 AM
I have access to an industrial router, but it's not suitable for flattening a steel table. It would really need to be ground flat on a grinder.
Grinding large flat surfaces requires coolant (I think) which would not agree with the wood core. It also wouldn't be cheap.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqsrFuuhqk8

Jamie Buxton
12-06-2015, 6:27 PM
I have access to an industrial router, but it's not suitable for flattening a steel table. It would really need to be ground flat on a grinder.
Grinding large flat surfaces requires coolant (I think) which would not agree with the wood core. ..

You were worrying about whether the 12 gauge steel is going to be a uniform thickness. So I was thinking you'd only need enough CNCing to fix that -- maybe a few thousandths here or there? That's a smaller job than the job in your linked video.
A slightly different approach would be to use aluminum cladding instead of steel. You can cut aluminum with carbide wood bits. So the few thousandths of flattening really could be done on a CNC woodworking router system. Of course, steel would be more wear-resistant, but maybe that's not a big issue.

Art Mann
12-18-2015, 10:10 AM
The variance in the thickness of the steel is utterly irrelevant in comparison to the variance you are going to get trying to build a precision machine out of plywood. Even high end commercial jointers will have a few thousandths of variance over the whole table. This isn't steel we are machining. It is wood, for heaven sake.

Gerry Grzadzinski
12-18-2015, 10:45 AM
To clarify, I wasn't talking about the thickness of the steel, but rather how flat it actually is, as I don't know if it will be possible to straighten a warped or curved piece of steel.

Jamie Buxton
12-18-2015, 3:48 PM
To clarify, I wasn't talking about the thickness of the steel, but rather how flat it actually is, as I don't know if it will be possible to straighten a warped or curved piece of steel.

So maybe you should use thin steel. In your design, it is really a wear layer, and doesn't have to be thick. So you laminate up the plywood core, mill both faces flat and parallel, and then epoxy steel veneer to both faces. Maybe the steel is only thirty thou thick or the like. It is thin enough that the vacuum press can take out any non-flatness as it presses the steel to the core.

Art Mann
12-18-2015, 6:15 PM
The machines I have read about all use a thin sheet metal lamination. The metal is thin enough to conform to the plywood.

Marc Burt
03-28-2016, 10:52 PM
Just wondering if anyone has made progress on one of these lately.

Kevin Jenness
04-08-2016, 10:57 PM
I cease to be amazed by the ingenuity expended on this subject. It is not that hard to find a decent used 12" jointer engineered by actual engineers to flatten and straighten wood for a couple thousand Ameros. There are good reasons why jointers have been built for many years of cast iron rather than countertop scraps or plywood and sheet steel. What is the point?

Art Mann
04-09-2016, 12:47 AM
I think the real appeal of such a project is to accept the challenge and achieve such a difficult technical task. I don't think it is really about money. Considering the time spent, it would probably pay less per hour than most folks would be willing to work for.

Gerry Grzadzinski
04-09-2016, 8:14 AM
What is the point?

I don't have $2800 for a 12" Grizzly, but I can afford the 13" jointer with Shelix head that I'm building for $700.

While it seems like a majority of the members here have bottomless pockets and tens of thousands of dollars in machinery, there are a lot of woodworkers who don't.

Art Mann
04-09-2016, 12:21 PM
I think it would be very optimistic to assume the project would be designed and complete and all the required calibrations done in less than about 80 hours. That is 80 hours I could spend doing paying work. Couple that with all the premium grade plywood, structural hardwood, sheet metal, fasteners and other materials you will need and the price starts to look more like the price of a jointer/planer combination machine like I have. In order for this to be a positive financial endeavor, you are going to have to assume a low value for your time and accept the obvious limitations of a machine made out of plywood and salvaged lunchbox planer parts.

glenn bradley
04-09-2016, 12:58 PM
I cease to be amazed by the ingenuity expended on this subject. It is not that hard to find a decent used 12" jointer engineered by actual engineers to flatten and straighten wood for a couple thousand Ameros. There are good reasons why jointers have been built for many years of cast iron rather than countertop scraps or plywood and sheet steel. What is the point?

I think some people just enjoy tinkering. Its a hobby and as such should be fun for them. I would regret all the time I could have spent making something but, I know people who have been "getting ready" to make something for 40 years. That's the part of the hobby they like and more power too them.

P.s. I hear some people actually like working on cars too . . . now that's sick.

Gerry Grzadzinski
04-09-2016, 1:33 PM
Its a hobby and as such should be fun for them.

Right. If you need to get paid for your hobbies, then you should buy your tools.

Some people's hobbies are building tools.....

Kevin Jenness
04-09-2016, 5:09 PM
I get the appeal of building tools and saving money, but only if the result is a machine that will safely and accurately do what a conventionally made jointer does. Jointers are simple machines but demand a level of precision that seems unrealistic to me given the materials under discussion. Just my $.002.

Robert Whitman, MD
04-10-2016, 11:41 PM
I get the appeal of building tools and saving money, but only if the result is a machine that will safely and accurately do what a conventionally made jointer does. Jointers are simple machines but demand a level of precision that seems unrealistic to me given the materials under discussion. Just my $.002.

There are enough of these machines out in the wild to have proved the concept.

I needed a machine that could joint 10"+ wide boards that I could move into and out of a basement in the event of hurricane flooding and was relatively cheap. I built my homemade CNC (that I used to build the jointer) with the same restrictions in mind. I have significantly less than 80 hours into the build, as I cnc'd the vast majority of it and only made slight changes to the plans. I nested all the parts I needed and left the machine to do its thing. I think I have around $450 into this build, but am not using a cutter head as nice as Gerry's (though I'm pleasantly surprised by it nonetheless). If you don't count machining time that I wasn't there for, I maybe have 5-10 hours into assembling the machine, including making the marble tops and tuning it. Figure another 2 hours for making the toolpaths and setting up the jobs.

All in all, I'm quite happy with it close to a year later. If I were to move and have the room and funds for a nice new shop, a new jointer wouldn't be at the top of the list.

Gerry Grzadzinski
04-11-2016, 7:22 PM
I have significantly less than 80 hours into the build, as I cnc'd the vast majority of it and only made slight changes to the plans.


I, on the other hand, probably have more than 80 hours invested. Although I started with the same plans, I made significant changes, and modeled the majority of the machine in Fusion 360. I might have 20 hours of CAD work, but I was learning the software as I went.
I probably have over 10 hours painting all the various parts. And still need to spend another 5-10 hours to finish and set it up.

335546 335547 335548

Robert Whitman, MD
04-11-2016, 10:58 PM
That looks amazing Gerry!

I still have to take mine apart and paint it.
I'm also getting inspired to start learning fusion 360. How do you like it?

Gerry Grzadzinski
04-12-2016, 8:02 AM
Thanks. I wanted to make it a little more "finished" looking than most of the others I've seen, in addition to making it larger and more solid than the standard version.

After using AutoCAD daily for 20 years, it takes a while to get used to the Fusion way. But I like it. I bought in early and locked in to the $300/year price for life. I don't see it being free forever.
I still haven't really played with the CAM portion yet, as I do most of my CAM work in AutoCAD with a macro I wrote.

John TenEyck
04-12-2016, 3:33 PM
Something like this comes up every now and then. Probably nearly 100 years old and will last another hundred. It was designed and built by people who did it for a living. It's age is a testament to their competence. I like saving money, and I like a good challenge, but for me the risk/reward ratio is completely out of whack to consider building a jointer. I had an Inca for 25+ years. Bought it used and sold it for not too much less than I paid for it. Traded up to a used MiniMax FS35 for less than half the price of a new one. Used machines aren't expensive. The person who bought it new took the big hit on depreciation.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/tls/5533808926.html

John

Chris Padilla
04-12-2016, 8:31 PM
P.s. I hear some people actually like working on cars too . . . now that's sick.

I got over that after about 12 years. Heck, I now take my vehicles to someone else to wash them!

Awesome work, Gerry!

Frederick Skelly
04-13-2016, 6:19 AM
Great stuff Gerry!