12 inch Jointer advice

[Mike Hoyt]

Hi everyone, Im in the early process of upgrading my 8 inch jointer to a 12 inch unit. I would want to stick with a carbide insert head in whatever unit I choose. I currently have the Grizzly 490x and have been overall very happy with it. I could stick with Grizzly and get one of their 12 inch jointers but im wondering if anyone has any thoughts or experience with the Cantek J127LH machines. I have an industrial supply house in my area that will deliver for about 5300 but are these worth the roughly 1800 more than one of the green machine offerings? Any advice would be appreciated, Im sure there are other brands in this price range I should consider so what would you do???

Thanks,
Mike

[Martin Siebert]

Well, for $5300 I think I would probably add another $1000 to it and get a Powermatic. May not necessarily perform any better, but they definitely have the edge when it comes to resale value. That said, I am in the same boat and I am looking hard at the new 12" Grizzly. It has what looks like a little different helical head than the typical Byrd style. Which by the way, the big Powermatic does not have!!
The new Grizzlies appear to have a lot more angle and spiral on the way the inserts are made onto the cutter head. Looks like to me it might be a pretty good improvement because the inserts will cut with more "shear" due to the increased angle.
I don't know, I'd really like to try one or at least see it in action....all my equipment is Powermatic. I like Powermatic stuff and I have had very good luck with it. It is hard for me to get away from something that works and keeps it's value. On the other hand, if the Grizzly has a better newer design for half the money.....I have to think about that too. I am between a rock and a hard place on this very issue right now. Have the money, want to pull the trigger, but just not sure which way to go.

[Mike Hoyt]

The new Grizzly is intriguing, I like that they increased to 5hp as I sometimes think the 3hp on my 8 inch is a bit weak and I really was concerned about having the same sized motor in a jointer with 4 more inches of width. Im certainly not brand loyal as I have a mix of colors in my shop. Is there something special about the Powermatic for another $1000?

[Martin Wasner]

Find a used quality machine. I paid $2k for my SAC FS305


Of the three mentioned, I'd get a Cantek over griz or yellow griz.

[Martin Siebert]

..........Is there something special about the Powermatic for another $1000?

I thought I said it in the post...To me, yeah...it means two things, good customer service and the fact that you don't have to give it away if you want/need to sell it. It is crazy, I agree, but around these parts people will pay a few hundred less for a used one than it cost to get one brand new. Not saying Powermatic is T.H.E. machine, a board that is flat straight and square cant be made any better. The people that dislike or find reasons why Powermatic is no good usually cant afford one. You can believe those same people wouldn't turn down one that was a gift!!!


Find a used quality machine.......

"Simple, all ya gotta do....."

Yeah, that would be nice. I've been looking for about 4 months now. Big jointers just don't seem to come up for sale very often. I've found some old ones which are probably better construction, but they are all 3 phase and I don't have/want that. FS305...wasn't that a "yellow griz" at one time???

[Mike Kees]

Actually Martin, SAC is true industrial Italian made stuff. I had a friend that owned a Cantek 12'' jointer his had straight knives. Excellent machine,they are built to a higher level of quality than any other machine I have seen from Taiwan. I was going to buy it from him but the price was 3500 ,then I found a 16'' Paoloni for 2400 ,was a real tough decision.:D I to would say look used,the machine I ended up with would cost me at least 8500 new.

[David Kumm]

Cantek makes decent stuff for what it is. I'd consider it a step up from PM as they cater to the industrial market. A vfd is easy to deal with so really a non issue. 12" is kind of an orphan size as those wanting a large jointer usually prefer 16" but resale probably isn't your concern. I would always want to inspect a larger jointer with straightedges and feeler gauges. I have no faith that new jointers have flat tables without verifying.

PM did rebadge of SAC jointers years ago. They were a step up for them. SAC made some great machines. Dave

[John P Clark]

I paid $1000 for my Powermatic fs 305 - which is the same machine as the SAC, just brought in by powermatic in 1979, added a Byrd head for $1,100 and it has run great for the last 5 years, and is still worth more than I have in it

[Martin Wasner]

IFS305...wasn't that a "yellow griz" at one time???

Nope. Made by SAC.

Powermatic Houdaille(sp) rebadged and sold them for a bit though.

[Keith Hankins]

I have a good bit of griz, and a lot of powermatic. I've had the 12 griz jointer for about 12 years now and no complaints. At the time, for the budget, I could get either 8" with shelix head or 12" with HSS knives. I ran the numbers and found that i could buy the head seperately and upgrade later for the same diff as buying it with it in. So, I decided to go as big as i could afford. Don't regret at all Still have not upgraded to the shelix head. Would be nice to have but i've done ok without.

Just to show you what i've had from griz, I've also have the 17" HD BS that is older than that and still going fine. I had the 10" 1023slx had that for 10 years before selling used to upgrade to a 5hp sawstop ICS. I was not dissatisfied at all but wanted bigger. I also have a powermatic large 2800b drill press, and 209hh 20" planer and happy with all.

Can't speak to that other brand you want to consider, but I guess long winded way of saying griz would be fine. Powermaitc would be fine and dandy but that gold paint comes at a premium and I'm just not sure the extra fit/finish is worth the delta but that's for you to decide.

That's a fine budget though! Good luck and cheers!

[ChrisA Edwards]

You could get a Hammer A3-31 12"Jointer/Planer for that kind of money.

[Jim Andrew]

I have the Grizzly G0609 with a Byrd cutterhead, would have liked a 16", but did not want to go the extra cost. You never see a huge jointer used in north central Kansas, so I bought new. Not worried about resale, will be my kids problem. Have been using this jointer for quite a few years, cleaned the cutters a few times, had to tighten a setscrew on the pulley once, and re-adjust the outfeed table once or twice, but have used it a lot, as all my lumber is rough sawn, and I enjoy building things. Build bedroom furniture for grandkids, and great nephews and nieces. Just finishing up 2- 5 drawer chests for a guy at the coop.

[Matt Day]

So you want plug and play, and you’re against buying used is that right?

What about this?
https://maine.craigslist.org/tls/d/eddington-mini-max-fs35-jointer-planer/6831226627.html

[Mike Hoyt]

Thanks for all the opinions, Im not brand loyal at all so everything is on the table. I do want some type of insert head. Im not opposed to a used machine for the right price. Matt I did see that Mini Max unit on CL and have been researching them a bit. I had been looking for a single function machine primarily but I guess it takes up about the same space. Does anyone have any thoughts or info on the cutter head on the Mini Max FS35 S?? it appears to be a straight knifed head and my experience with them has been less than stellar as far as setting up.

[David Kumm]

Setting knives on a jointer is no big deal with a couple of Oneway or Brian's dial indicator bases. Spiral needs more effort to push through and a jointer is never a finished surface anyway so I'd spend the money elsewhere. Knife setting takes me about 30 minutes on the jointer. Flat tables that stay co planar, a large well balanced head, and a stout fence that stays square are more important. If you need a planer too then a JP makes sense. If not, get a jointer. Putting hinges on cast iron tables adds complexity that is not needed and adds risk to the purchase. Dave

[Darcy Warner]

I set straight knives with a small board and two pencil marks. So simple, no gauges, no fussing, no money.

[Martin Wasner]

I set straight knives with a small board and two pencil marks. So simple, no gauges, no fussing, no money.

Same, but a piece of aluminum.

[Julie Moriarty]

Mike, if you can hold off until the big woodworking shows you'll find many manufacturers cut their prices substantially during the time of the event. I got about $1K off a 12" Hammer JP during the Atlanta show.

[Tom M King]

Same, but a piece of aluminum.

I use a strip of Boxwood. Takes about 20 seconds per knife. I wouldn't mind having one of the Byrd heads, but the time it would take to change the cutters would really be irritating.

[Mike Hoyt]

Im not in a terrible hurry no, Ive been dealing with a 8" jointer for a while now and just want to do the upgrade right. I dont need to have the biggest or best but needs to be a functional tool that I dont need to fiddle with all the time. I never thought I would need more than my current jointer but I get a fair amount of material that is a bit over 8 inches and I glue up lots of parts for a particular item that are 8 1/2 inches wide and I could speed up the process of both glue up itself and cleanup after by just giving it a quick swipe over the jointer. I have byrd heads on both my jointer and planer and while it is a bit tedious to change they really dont need attention very often.

[Martin Wasner]

Here's how it works.

You have a 6", you want a 8"
You have a 8", you want a 12"
You have a 12", you want a 16"
You have......

[Andrew Hughes]

All this talk about jointers lately has got me looking for another.
Im triggered :(

[mreza Salav]

I think you will find 12" is not big enough too soon.
That minimax linked above seem to be a newer version of what I have and it seem to have Tersa head. I would take Tersa head over carbide insert for sure.
It gives a very good finish and blades change in literally 2 minutes (and no setup required). I paid a lot less though for mine.

[Darcy Warner]

Here's how it works.

You have a 6", you want a 8"
You have a 8", you want a 12"
You have a 12", you want a 16"
You have......

A 30" and want a 36"

I will set up an 8", 16" and my 30" in my new shop, like to find a facer for myself as well.

[Dave Cav]

Here's how it works.

You have a 6", you want a 8"
You have a 8", you want a 12"
You have a 12", you want a 16"
You have......

I had an 8" Grizzly helical head for several years and was generally happy with it but mostly did edge jointing. Then a 12" Delta/Invicta fell into my lap. It originally had Dispoz-a-Blade knives, which never really worked very well for me. I was able to to sell the Dispoz-a-Blade knives and stock head and replace it with a Byrd, and later added a power feeder. The times I have needed anything bigger are just about nil, and if I DO need to go wider I can use my planer with a sled. I think for a small shop that does a lot of solid wood, a 12" is the sweet spot. If you're mostly doing cabinets and face frames, then a 6 or 8" will probably be fine, and if you're doing big architectural pieces, then you'll want the biggest jointer you can find. That's how I got my 12"; the shop did mostly large commercial architectural projects and had 24 and 30" jointers and didn't need the little 12" any more.

[Jeff Heath]

Here's how it works.

You have a 6", you want a 8"
You have a 8", you want a 12"
You have a 12", you want a 16"
You have......

Yep. The absolute truth, and keep right on going. My 16" jointer isn't even close to being able to handle these......and I have a shed full of them off the sawmill.

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[Julie Moriarty]

Yep. The absolute truth, and keep right on going. My 16" jointer isn't even close to being able to handle these......and I have a shed full of them off the sawmill.

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This is where a router sled comes in.

[Matt Day]

This is where a router sled comes in.

Agreed, especially for those of us who are hobbiests and either have to move machines to park in the shop or bring them to the basement.

[Monte Milanuk]

This is where a router sled comes in.

...or a #8 ;)

[Martin Wasner]

Or a cnc


Extra characters

[Darcy Warner]

Facer.

Extra things.

[Martin Wasner]

Facer.

Extra things.

I've really got no use for one. Probably why I wouldn't buy anything over a 16" jointer either. The rare instance I need it, just flatten one face on the router and either flip it, or plane it, or wack it through the widebelt.

[Darcy Warner]

I could probably get by with an 18" facer, but I have problems knowing mine isn't the biggest. lol

[Jeff Heath]

This is where a router sled comes in.

Nah......this is where this comes in, at least for me. Router sleds are too slow, too noisy, and they make a mess everywhere.

My (former) 24" Yates American, that I restored back in 2011. Never should have sold it....

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