6" or 8" jointer

[Dan Kopack]

Looking at Powermatic jointers. Prefer the helical head, but am undecided on 6 or 8 inch model. Any thoughts from the assembled group?

[Jay Jolliffe]

I had a 6" one & it worked OK for what I needed it for at the time. Sold that and got a 8" one kinda cheap. Glad I got it. I can flatten wider boards which makes matters easier if you have a board wider than 6". I wish I had a 12" one but I have to use what I have.

[Glenn de Souza]

If you can afford it, get the 8". I have heard of lots of people with 6" jointers that wish they had an 8", but not many (any) 8" jointer owners that wish they had gotten a 6". Also, generally speaking the 8 inch jointers will have a longer bed which is a plus also.

There are shops that use their jointer for nothing other than face frame stock, in which case a 6" will do just fine. Otherwise, get the 8"

[Dan Kopack]

Thanks for input

[Dan Kopack]

Good advice

[Ben Rivel]

Do you have a planer already?

[lowell holmes]

I am one of those that has a 6" and wishes he had an 8".

[Marc Burt]

I made nice furniture for a decade with just a 6" jointer. But I wished every time I was in the shop it was bigger. I finally got a 12" in October. If you can foot the bill I can imagine a downside to the 8" unless you're working in a closet.

[glenn bradley]

For me, face jointing, a 6" was often too narrow; an 8" only occasionally is.

[William C Rogers]

I had a 6" jointer first. It was really a get by until. I now have a 13" older MinMax and really like that. In addition to size, most larger jointers have bigger motors. My 6" was a 1hp and the MinMax is 3hp. Much better.

[Robert Engel]

My advice is do whatever you need to do to get a 12" jointer.

I have an 8 and wish I had a 16.

[Dale Murray]

I dont have either yet but will get an 8" in the coming months for all the reasons listed above.
Eight inch seems to be the sweet spot in regard to price and convenience.
Even if most of your projects don't use boards wider than 5.5" I'm willing to be the lumber purchased from the mill is greater than 6".

[Philip Rodriquez]

Many woodworkers start with a 6" jointer and eventually upgrade to something larger because 6" to 8" boards are very common. Do a quick search on Craigslist and you will discover that there are usually many 6" jointers and rarely anything larger. I have a 10" x 72" jointer and rarely need anything bigger... and when I do, I would need a 16" jointer to meet my needs so I usually face-joint what I can and then turn to a hand plane to complete the job. Works great.

[Ronald Mancini]

I have an 8" and have never wanted anything wider because most wider boards cup so much that you end up splitting them into two boards.

[Keith Hankins]

Get the biggest jointer you can afford. back when I was in the market, I could get either an 8" with shelix head or 12" with 4HSS knives. Decided to take that same advice from an old timer and got the 12" love it and made the right choice. I'ts nice to have the extra width, and if its a narrow board I can run at an angle if squirly grain to help out. I would do the same thing again! Save and get a 12"

Never ever heard said, "gee I got too much jointer"

[Dan Kopack]

Just sold it, was a jet combination planer/jointer. Did not like it, cheaply made, not accurate.

[Dan Kopack]

Thanks all for the comments.

[Frederick Skelly]

Get the wider one if you can afford it. But you can ceratinly make due with the 6". (I do.)

[Neil Gaskin]

12"

im only kind of joking. We bought an 8" last year and it's one tool I wish I'd have unsized. Ours is the powermatic 8" hh. It's a good machine and I'd recommend it for what that's worth.

[Ben Rivel]

Nice. Now with the money you made from that, throw in or save up a bit more and get something like a Hammer A3-31 combo machine!

[Kerry Wright]

Just like buying a TV, I've NEVER heard anyone say "Yup, I wish I'd bought the smaller one". ;)

[Mike Walsh]

I spent about 9 mos looking at new and used 6", 8" options - finally bought a new Powermatic 8" with helical head when they ran a sale around FEB. I've used the machine a lot over the summer and love it, the 8" was worth the extra money IMO

[Drew Pavlak]

Go as big as your budget can afford ... I have a 6" Jet that I will be selling soon... recently picked up a 12" General 780.. had to do some cleaning and new bearings, but when I am done this think will be a beast. Total investment when I am done will be $800 to $1000.... Larger older jointers can be had.. takes patience and a little mechanical ability to make sure that everything is in running order before buying.. but the pre-90's cast iron is superior to what you can get today... at least IMO.

I couldn't afford much.. but wanted a larger jointer as most of my stock is over 9" wide. The $3K to $4K price tags I couldn't afford.

Drew