Help needed - buying a jointer

[Dave Kennedy]

I'm buying a jointer and have done a lot of reading on the 'net plus searching on Craigslist and eBay for almost two months. I'm in the Atlanta area and used 8" jointers are clearly rare.

My question is if I have a budget of $1,000-$1,500, what should I buy new? I've looked very closely at the Grizzly (with spiral cutter) machines and also the Jet. I've glanced at Powermatic, but haven't read where their new machines are worth their premium pricing.

Room / space and power (I'm planning for 220V single phase) are not an issue.

Recommendations? Other possibilities I should consider?

Thanks!
Dave

[Mike Schuch]

Jointers are not very complex machines. It is pretty hard to screw up when designing a jointer. I spent 20 years using a 6" jointer that I purchased from harbor freight. My #1 complaint with my 6" HF jointer was that it did everything I needed it to do (And I used it a lot) so well that I could never justify upgrading. I don't think you could go much lower than purchasing a jointer from HF.

I now have my fathers 8" Jet jointer and I sold the old 6"HF jointer to a friend. My friend absolutely loves the HF 6". The single biggest difference I have noticed with the 8" jointer is the extra table length. It makes jointing long boards much easier and seemingly takes fewer passes. The second upgrade is a MUCH better fence. But on the old 6" HF I would set the fence at 90 and it would stay put. It did take a good bit more hassle to get it set perfectly at 90 but is was not that much of an issue. Third on the list of improvements with the 8" is the extra width. It has "Widened" the selection of boards I can buy a bit.... yes, pun intended... but the old 6" width didn't constrain my stock choices as much as would be expected.

So if it were me I would buy the Grizley spiral head and spend the money you save on something else.

[Danny Hamsley]

Definitely go with the 8" spiral head with the carbide inserts.

[Robert Engel]

I have the Grizzly 8" and recently upgraded to helical head.
My only issue (at least on my model) is keeping the fence square to the table.
Also, there is too much flex in the fence.

The newer models may not have these issues.

[Dave Kennedy]

I have the Grizzly 8" and recently upgraded to helical head.
My only issue (at least on my model) is keeping the fence square to the table.
Also, there is too much flex in the fence.

The newer models may not have these issues.

By flex in the fence, what do you mean? It's cast iron, so I doubt the fence itself bends. Does the locking mechanism of the fence not hold it in place sufficiently?

[Robert Parent]

My vote would be for one with a long bed...... As mentioned, not much to a jointer other than the bed needs to be flat and adjusted correctly.

I have a Powermatic, 6 inch, and have been very happy with it.


Robert

[Dave Kennedy]

My vote would be for one with a long bed...... As mentioned, not much to a jointer other than the bed needs to be flat and adjusted correctly.

I have a Powermatic, 6 inch, and have been very happy with it.


That's a big reason why I've decided to go with an 8", the longer (76") bed. The 6" models are in the 45" range.

I'm tempted to pick up a used 6" and save a few dollars, but I'm really bad about reselling stuff I get. There's an extra unisaw sitting in my garage that I got a great deal on. I cleaned it up nicely and could make a few hundred on it if I ever put it on Craigslist! It may just end up in the basement as a dedicated dado machine.

[Jebediah Eckert]

I bought a new Grizzly G0490X about six months ago and I am happy with it. I think it's hard to beat for the money. It's a tad under $1,500 shipped. Every now and then you can find a 10% coupon, others may know when they come out. Somebody on SMC was good enough to share one with me. I upgraded from a 6" Delta and it's a HUGE difference. I can't really comment on any fence flex or settings etc. I set mine up, coplanar beds, and square fence and it doesn't move. I don't use it for bevels or anything else like that. I flatten one face and joint an edge square to that face, that's it. It works perfect for that every time.

Research it on here, there is a ton of information on at machine.

Good luck

[glenn bradley]

There will be a lot of responses on this. Jointers seem to get folks fired up. Since you are looking in the 8" range I feel qualified to respond too ;-) As with bandsaws, for many of us, bigger is better when it comes to jointer but, I can only house an 8". I know I have responded similarly in the past but, IIRC my list of requirements got rendered down to something like this:

- indexed carbide head (I never watned to fool with knives again and I work with a lot of figured material prone to tearout).
- p-beds (I never wanted to deal with dovetail ways on a jointer again; ask anyone who has had to).
- long tables (good jointer results depend on stock control, the longer the built-in tables the less outboard support stands are required).
- tall fence (edge jointing larger stock is more confortable with good support).
- mobility (my jonter is in front of my lumber rack and I swing it out of the way about once a month to get at stock)

I have the Grizzly G0490X and still smile every time I use it. It showed up aligned so well I wasted some time trying to figure out what I was missing. I too had a fence that was enough out of plane that I had a replacement sent; quick and painless. I am on the second side of the four sided cutter inserts and just about ready to switch to side three. The additional cost of the spiral head was recovered in about 18 months based on my previous consumption/spending on knives/sharpenings. Since then its been gravy.

[Randy Red Bemont]

Get the Grizzly 8" G0490X and you will be a happy woodworker. It's a great jointer that is a work horse and it comes with its own mobile base.

Red

[Jon Nuckles]

Another vote for the G0490X with the spiral head. My fence was twisted on arrival, but Grizzly sent a new one when I sent them pictures. I had to align the tables, but that is easy on this model. Once set up, it does everything I could ask of it. I considered the Powermatic when it was on sale, but don't regret my choice at all. You know best what size you will need, but I wouldn't want to go smaller than 8" and often wish I had something bigger.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I just got done running a bunch of 8 foot long 6" wide cherry boards through my 6 1/8" Ridgid jointer.


Best advice I can give is get the longest bed your budget can stand.
If it's a 6" wide one, so be it. If it doesn't have a spiral head, so be it.

FWIW - I've never experienced anything even remotely close to the apprehension I felt running those long (very "tippy") boards through those spinning knives.
As soon as I complete this present project, I swear I will never edge joint another long board on a jointer again.
Every board I ran made me sure I was going to end up with my hand/fingers in those knives.

[George Bokros]

FWIW - I've never experienced anything even remotely close to the apprehension I felt running those long (very "tippy") boards through those spinning knives..

Rich, will you come over and run the 8 ft long maple I will be jointing and planing soon for the closet organizer?

Thanks

[Dave Kennedy]

I'm glad to hear the support for the G0490X; that's what I've been looking at very closely. My decision is narrowing down between it and the G0656X.

The differences are that the 490 has parallelegram in/out feed tables. The 656 doesn't, but has wheels for adjusting the table heights and moving the fence. The 490 table and fence movement mechanisms seem tougher to use and possibly less accurate than the 656. Is that true? Does it matter?

My reading is showing that a jointer is largely set and forget rather than needing frequent adjustments unless it gets out of square or plane.

I really appreciate the input! Good stuff!

[glenn bradley]

I had some trepidation about the lever adjustments for the beds too. Non-issue; you can make very delicate adjustments. I imagine if you do rabbets with your jointer the wheel controlled (or any control) for the fence carriage would come into play. I move my fence frequently for angled work, maximum width work, relocating edge jointing to make even out wear and tear on the cutterhead, etc. I do keep a Beall Tiltbox stuck on the machine (wow Amazon's current price is sky high!) but, if you do 90% of your work at 90 degrees I wouldn't mind walking across the shop for one :).

I am sure the 656 is also a good machine but, as I stated earlier; I am never going to shim and fiddle a dovetail-way jointer into coplaner again . . . . this is a personal peeve, you may never need to adjust your beds ;).

[Bill Space]

Hi,

I too have the G0490x jointer. I think it is great. Love the long tables and spiral cutter head. Big upgrade from my previous 6" Craftsman.

Do I wish I had a wider jointer? Yes! Do I absolutely need a wider jointer? Guess not....

I too thought the hand wheels for adjusting table height would be better, but the reality is that this is a non issue.

Would I give back the Grizzly and buy something else? NOPE!!!

The built in mobile base is a nice extra. I use it when needed as the jointer sits beside the roll out table of my table saw and gets in the way occasionally.

Bill

[Rich Engelhardt]

Rich, will you come over and run the 8 ft long maple I will be jointing and planing soon for the closet organizer?Only for a few of those cold Mooseheads :D :D :D!

Seriously though, I'm going to build a nice long sled for the table saw to straight line one edge of long boards.

[Jon Nuckles]

I was also concerned about swapping the wheels I was accustomed to using for table adjustment for the levers on the G0490X. Turned out to be a complete non-issue for me. The movement is smooth and easy to dial in. I don't know if I could adjust the amount I am taking off on a pass to the nearest 1/64th, but that is not really the goal on a jointer. Take big cuts to get the piece flat and a thin cut to produce a nice surface. That is easy on this machine. I don't cut rabbets on the jointer, where precision might be more important, so I can't speak to that.

I don't recommend Grizzly for every type of tool. I've used Grizzly machines that I was not happy with, but this one is a good one, as was an older (now discontinued) model Grizzly jointer I used prior to this. (And I should add that Grizzly customer service was good in dealing with the return on a problem tool I bought from them.)

[Mike Schuch]

Same here, I thought levers would be too course of adjustment and a big step down from the wheel adjustments. MY 8"Jet jointer has levers and they are just fine. I have never wished to go back to wheels.

[Allan Speers]

FWIW - I've never experienced anything even remotely close to the apprehension I felt running those long (very "tippy") boards through those spinning knives.


That's what track saws are for !

[Dave Kennedy]

[QUOTE=Mike Schuch;2470064]Same here, I thought levers would be too course of adjustment and a big step down from the wheel adjustments. MY 8"Jet jointer has levers and they are just fine. I have never wished to go back to wheels.[/QUOTE

Ok. I'm going to consider the concern about the levers closed! Glad to know it's not an issue. I watched (yet again, because I'm obsessing about this decision) the Grizzly comparison video where they show their three 8" jointers; they briefly move the infeed table and it looks easy enough.

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to buy the Grizzly G0490X. Key features:

1. The spiral cutter - From my reading, that's a clear improvement in the state of jointer technology. Quieter, cleaner cuts, ease of changing knives, and the ability to just change / rotate the ones that get nicked.

2. The parallelogram bed - Another improvement in jointer technology, though not as recent as the spiral cutter. This feature allows the beds, once aligned to be coplanar, to maintain that plane when adjusted. People, including in this thread, mentioned the hassle of shimming the traditional dove-tailed ways.

3. 8" bed - Apparently size does matter, both length and width. Stepping up to an 8" gets a wider (6" vs 8") and longer table (45" or 55" vs 76") plus a taller fence (4" vs 5"). In my use, I expect the extra length to help a lot.

4. Mobile base - I actually wonder if I'll use this much after getting the jointer set. I've taken over the entire basement and have plenty of room, so once I find the jointer's location it shouldn't move much. Of course, the shop layout, soundproofing, and dust collection are different topics altogether!

5. 3HP motor - The 6" jointers I looked at were typically 3/4 to 1HP. The 6" Grizzly was 1 1/2HP. The 8" G0490X is 3HP. I'm running new circuits, so 220V has plenty of advantages over 110V. I planned for 220V from the beginning, so the 3HP is great.

6. As many said it's not a complicated piece of equipment, but I hope the fit, finish, and precision of the one I get is perfect right out of the box. I do so hate the return and exchange process!

7. One last point for my decision - The reviews and comments about Grizzly quality and customer service were 90% good. That says to me that they'll work to make sure a customer is happy.

Now I'm waiting for it to go on sale or to come up with a discount coupon. If anyone has a lead or pointer to a coupon they're not going to use, please let me know. It's fun building out my shop and spending time in it after nearly twenty years of it sitting largely idle (I'm newly empty-nester), but every dollar I save can go to another toy, I mean tool.

Dave

P.S. Glenn Bradley - I reread your first comment. I think I just plagiarized you! Your points were awesome. Thanks!

[Anthony Whitesell]

I purchased the G0490, I wish I had gotten the X with the spiral head. Since there isn't an 8" wide cutting edge slapping the wood all at once, you will have a quieter machine and better use of the HP with the spiral head and carbide inserts.

IMHO, I think the G0490X is close to the best 8" jointer on the market. It must be, because the G0490 I have is awesome. The only way I can see to get a better machine is to get a 10 or 12 inch wide machine. :D

[Jim German]

I have a G0490X and while I would hardly say its anywhere close to the best jointer on the market, I am quite happy with mine. I think its a tremendously good value and I think you will be quite happy with it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

That's what track saws are for !Yep - but, sadly the stuff wasn't wide enough for the track :(

[Frank Drew]

c
2. The parallelogram bed - Another improvement in jointer technology, though not as recent as the spiral cutter. This feature allows the beds, once aligned to be coplanar, to maintain that plane when adjusted. People, including in this thread, mentioned the hassle of shimming the traditional dove-tailed ways.



Parallelogram bed might be better theoretically, but in practice I found that good quality dovetailed wedge-bed jointers rarely need adjustment. My last jointer was a 12" Fifties era Northfield that I bought in 1981 and ran for 25 years and the only fooling around I ever had to do was setting the knives accurately whenever I put in a new set.

[Phillip Gregory]

I'm buying a jointer and have done a lot of reading on the 'net plus searching on Craigslist and eBay for almost two months. I'm in the Atlanta area and used 8" jointers are clearly rare.

My question is if I have a budget of $1,000-$1,500, what should I buy new? I've looked very closely at the Grizzly (with spiral cutter) machines and also the Jet. I've glanced at Powermatic, but haven't read where their new machines are worth their premium pricing.

Room / space and power (I'm planning for 220V single phase) are not an issue.

Recommendations? Other possibilities I should consider?

Thanks!
Dave

I have the G0490X which cost me about $1400 (picked up at the showroom in Spfld, MO and paid sales tax rather than shipping). I would have gotten the regular G0490 but they were out, but they had a G0490X and since I drove all the way there, I left with the G0490X. It's a very nice jointer. However, it's a "99%" jointer. 99% of the time, it will work very well for you. The other 1% of the time, you will want to plane something just a little over 8" wide and wished you'd spent the extra money on the 12" G0609/G0609X series. However, it's about twice the price to go up from an 8" to a 12" jointer with the same kind of knives/head. The straight-knived G0490 costs $1000, while the straight-knived G0609 costs $2050. Ditto with the spiral-headed G0490X at $1325 vs. the $2725 G0609X. I suppose you will probably find something that is 12.something inches wide and then wish you got a 16" jointer (e.g. G9953/G9953ZX) for $4350/$6495. And then you just might find that one piece where you wish you got a two foot wide ton-and-a-half old arn jointer to face plane...

As far as straight knives vs. carbide insert heads, I have the carbide insert head in my G0490X jointer and regular straight steel blades in my G0453 planer. The biggest difference is mainly that the jointer inserts are carbide and last many times longer than straight steel knives in the planer. The cut quality is largely the same, the spiral carbide heads just dull a lot more slowly than the straight steel knives. I guess it all comes down to how much you are willing to pay to not have to sharpen and set knives. A few hundred bucks more for a spiral headed 8" jointer is a lot easier pill to swallow than the spiral headed 15" planer being more expensive than the bigger 20" planer with straight knives. Plus, you can switch to an insert head in the future and be out <$100 in having done that vs. going with the insert head in the first place. Straight-knived heads are apparently dirt cheap.

As far as Grizzly vs. the rest, the only other comparators I have are an old Delta and my Dad's Emerson-made Craftsman. The Delta was an 8" unit in school (so, old and abused). The Grizzly unit was heads and shoulders above those in both fit, finish, and accuracy. The four machines most often mentioned here that the company sells are the G0490 series planer, the G0690/G0691 and G1023 cabinet saws, the G0513/G0514 bandsaws, and the G0453/G0454 thickness planers. They make other units as well but those are the real standouts. I have one of each and they work very well for me. Would I prefer a giant old Northfield? Absolutely. But am I willing to pay 5-10x as much to get one? Nope, I couldn't afford to outfit a shop.

[Dave Cav]

Get the 8" Grizzly with an 8" helical insert head and the longest bed you can afford. I had one for a number of years and loved it; the only reason it went away was because I got a 12" Invicta, and the Grizzly sold in 12 hours on CL. The 12" takes care of that annoying 1% that's too wide for an 8" machine, and then some. I have also had two 8" Powermatics at school; I put insert heads in both of them and never looked back. I'm not crazy about lever adjusters, but they work ok. My Invicta has them, and the current PM at school.

If anyone ever finds one of the big 12" or bigger Invicta jointers, I highly recommend them.