Comparing finish quality G0834 vs G0634XP

[Brian Hale]

Hay Folks

The time has come to upgrade from my 6" jointer to a 12" and looking at whats available i came across the Grizzly G0634XP jointer/planer combo. Comparing it to the 12" jointer i see the combo machine has 32 inserts in the cutter head versus 96 in the jointer.

Is there a noticeable difference in the quality of the finish it leaves on the board?

I have a 15" Bridgewood planer so i'd only use the combo machine in jointer mode. The price difference is what attracts me to the combo, the table length isn't a concern.

Thanks
Brian :)

[Jim Becker]

My guess, based on the numbers, is that the dedicated jointer is going to provide a finer finish while face jointing/flattening than the combo will, given the specifications you mention.

[Brian Hale]

That's where my mind is going also Jim. Since both machines have similar RPM's for the cutterhead It may be just a matter of feeding the wood slower to improve finish.

[Andy D Jones]

There are many other difference between these machines.

The combo table is over 20" shorter than the jointer's.

The combo's adjustments for table alignment are not nearly as convenient as the jointer's parallelogram mechanism. By its nature, the combo is more likely to suffer alignment issues, compared to the jointer, even if you rarely change it over to planer mode.

The combo does not provide a rabetting ledge.

The combo head is ~20% smaller in diameter (lower cutter speed for similar RPM)

Not that shipping weight = quality, but the jointer weighs 1278 lbs, vs 704 for the combo. The jointer has a lot more mass to keep things aligned, suppress vibration, etc.

If you have room for the dedicated jointer, and don't plan to use the combo's planer, I would much rather have the dedicated jointer with longer beds and better performance.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Brian Hale]

Thanks Andy

I've looked closely at these and agree on most of what you pointed out, with the possible exception of alignment issues which i haven't come across in my research.
The nearly 500lb weight difference is actually a plus for me as my shop, which is 30' x 40' not counting the loft, is on the second floor of my garage. Because the garage was built to house my camper it's rather tall and i have to pull the machine up 21 steps from the driveway.
My current jointer has a 45" table, 14" shorter than the combo machine.
I've never used my jointer for rabetting, normally i use handplanes for that, occasionally the tablesaw.

Not trying to be snarky, I really do appreciate your input and should have addressed these point in my original post.

Brian :)

[Andy D Jones]

Brian,

Ouch!!! Any chance there is room to put in a hoist/lift?

The less you convert that type of combo machine to planing and back, the less chance you would have any problems with alignment.

Sounds like you've considered the details, and are well armed to make the best decision for your situation.

-- Andy - Arlington TX