Comparing Jointers

[Matthew Carver]

I'm in the market for a jointer and considering two models. I'd really appreciate the advice of this community. I've been reading for a while so its time I post.

I'm weight my options between the Grizzly 6" bench top and the Cutech. Small shop obviously so no stand alone units. I've expereienced tear out with multiple grain directions on my Wen thickness planer I think because of its knife setup so I'm considering helical-ish options. I know the Cutech isn't a true, but it is a great price for a hybrid.

Thanks for your time

http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-Benchtop-Jointer-with-Spiral-Cutterhead/G0821


http://www.cutechtool.com/product-p/40180h-ct.htm

[Nick Decker]

Don't know the Grizzly, but I own the 6" Cutech with carbide cutters.

Pros:
- Nice smooth cut surface, but not tear-out free in figured wood. Better than straight blades, though.
- Very light weight and small.
- Excellent dust collection, once you overcome the non-standard size outlet.

Cons:
- Very light weight and small.
- Fence is finicky to adjust to square, and you'll be redoing that every time you move it. Very flimsy aluminum/plastic construction and next to useless for anything over about 3 feet long.

So, yes the size and weight are both good and bad. I bought it because it needed to be portable and stored on a shelf, but its lack of mass makes it kind of jokey. The motor seems strong, and if you need to joint pretty small material it can be made to work.

Would I buy it again? Probably not. If at all possible, I face joint with a planer sled and edge joint on the table saw.

[Nick Decker]

I just followed your link to the Grizzly version, looks just like the Cutech (and Rikon and a few others). My guess is that they all come from the same Asian factory with different paint jobs.

[Matthew Carver]

Thanks Nick.
I think the Grizzly looks like the same body, but it does have a true helical head. I use an 8" grizzly at a friend's shop and its a beast, but he has the industrial versions of everything. Good to know on the CUtech. What do you make of the 8" that I linked?

I'm looking at adding a dewalt portable table saw too. I'd be replacing my sh1tty craftsman. I like the fence on it from what I've read.

[Nick Decker]

You're welcome, Matt. I looked more closely at the specs for the Grizzly. They claim that it has a "true spiral cutterhead" but I think that's misleading. Their cutterhead has 18 cutter inserts, just like the Cutech. They are positioned around the head in a spiral pattern, so Grizzly calls it a spiral cutterhead. A true spiral cutterhead, like a Byrd or similar, has dozens of inserts (don't know the exact number but it's a lot more than 18) which are mounted so that they contact the wood at a slicing angle, rather than straight on. Very bad form by Grizzly, IMO.

If Grizzly dared show a picture of their cutterhead, I'm guessing we'd see that the resemblance to the Cutech is more than skin deep.

[Nick Decker]

Oh, the Cutech 8" jointer I can only guess at, but I doubt that the overall construction is different than the 6", just larger.

[Matthew Carver]

The difference I saw against the cutech was the angle of cut on the grizzly. I thought the angled cut would be better on figured wood vs the straight cut of the cutech. I've messed with sled only sparingly Do you have much luck with it?

What table saw and planer do you have?

[Nick Decker]

The cut you saw was from your friend's 8" Grizzly? If so, that's a completely different animal, with a true spiral head. And yes, the cutters would be angled on that one which would be better for figured wood.

The sled I use on my planer is very basic and works very well. Involves shims and hot glue, but it's easy to use. It's roughly fashioned after a You Tuber's sled, which I can probably find if you like.

My planer is a Cutech with carbide cutters, and I like their planer a lot better than their jointer. A much more solid machine. I'd definitely recommend it.

My table saw situation is one that might interest you, in that you might be following a similar path. My first saw was a Dewalt jobsite, and it did have a decent fence for a lightweight saw. The table, for me, was almost dangerously small, though. I went from that to a SawStop jobsite saw. Pretty much everything about that saw was better than the Dewalt. Larger, flatter table (though still aluminum), more accurate on bevel cuts, more power, just generally an easier saw to use. The safety feature was nice, but I really bought it more for the overall quality.

Finally, I decided it was time to make my car live outside the garage and got a SawStop cabinet saw (PCS). Just took delivery last week and couldn't be happier with it.

[Matthew Carver]

On the grizzly the photo on the site looked like an angled cut. Yes like my friends industrial grizzly. I don't think the saw stop is in my budget currenlty. I am strongly considering the dewalt job site. It seems like the overall best choice for compact saw

[Nick Decker]

OK, I see what you mean about the photo on the Grizzly site. I had only looked at the first overall photo of the whole jointer. The fence looks a little better than the Cutech, too. Haven't used it, so I dunno.

Still, the Grizzly manual lists a total of 18 cutters, while the photo shows one row of 7 cutters. Something doesn't make sense here.

Understand what you mean about the SawStop cost, and the Dewalt is a good saw for what it is, better than many of the other jobsites out there.

[Matthew Carver]

Maybe I just need a new wet stone for my plane and do the sled routine. I could sell my Wen knife planer and get the cutech. I just want to be smart with my limited budget and still make furniture. :P

I have these two. One I believe is a Jack plane and the larger is a No 8. Jointing plane
381265

[Nick Decker]

While I do have a couple of hand planes, my skills so far just aren't up to accurately squaring up an edge. I admire those who can do it.

If you need more info on a planer sled, search YouTube for "simple planer sled" by Matt Vanderlist. That's what mine is based on.

Good luck!