Looking at a 3/4 HP Jet Jointer (Future Helix Upgrade Question)

[Chris Fiore]

I'm looking at a used Blue Jet JJ-6CSX Jointer. This is the older model which used a 3/4HP motor instead of the 1HP motor. Eventually I would want to upgrade the cutter head to the Byrd Helix. Does anyone have any feedback on if the 1/4 less HP will cause it to bog down? Should I look at alternatives?

[Matt Day]

Personally I don’t think a helical head is worth the money in a jointer. It’s going to get planed anyway so spend the money there.

I’d just get the 6” jointer and save up for a bigger jointer in the future.

-Unless you have another bigger jointer and this is just an edge jointer.

[Chris Fiore]

The helical cutter isn't necessarily just about cut quality. I've grown to hate changing jointer knives with a passion on the crappy Craftsman jointer I currently have. The indexed inserts on the Helix head seem like they would be worth it just two avoid that headache.

[John Lanciani]

I'd rather have an 8" jointer with straight knives than an underpowered 6" jointer with an insert head any day of the week.

[Jim Becker]

Unless you're doing something like rabbiting and taking a "big bite", the horsepower of that machine shouldn't be an issue...I never take more than about 1/64" in a pass. That's kinda my permanent setting.

That said, I'd personally not put money into a replacement head for a 6" jointer. A quick change knife system, I might entertain, however.

[Andrew Seemann]

I've got a white Jet 6" jointer with a 3/4 hp motor, and I have never had an issue with lack of power. I take light passes when I face joint, and rarely take more than 1/8" for edge jointing. I also don't use it for rabbeting. So far, I haven't found any need for a helical head. Any surface off the jointer gets run through the planer or sawn, so I don't need finish quality cuts. The knives aren't that hard to set, so no issue for me there either.

The 6" Jet certainly works well for what it is designed to do. I will upgrade it to an 8" someday, because the extra length and width would be very helpful for what I use it for. I'll still go with straight knives though, as I'm not convinced the extra money is worth it for me specifically.

Note, if the crappy Craftsman jointer you are referring to is the old 1960s - 1980s style with the non adjustable outfeed table, I definitely understand why you hate changing knives. I had one and it was miserable. The knives on that Jet are much easier to deal with. You just need to set them the same, rather than matching the outfeed table height, since the outfeed table is adjustable (as the good lord intended it to be).

[Andrew Hughes]

Chris might have trouble with the head not inline with the outfeed table. Then you’ll be stuck shimming it will not be fun trying to decide do I raise this side up or lower this side.
I also had a craftsman jointer with a fixed outfeed. This was before the internet was born so I had a excuse. There’s no reason own one today.
My current jointer with knives outshines my planer with a bryd head. But I didn’t get here without practice and patience.

Good Luck

[Bill Dufour]

Location? Modern jointers have spring loaded knives and can be adjusted with a included gauge block pretty easy. By modern I mean 1970's onward. At least in North America. I do not know about Spain, but it was probably held back by the government until 1975 or later.
Bil lD

[Chris Fiore]

It was indeed a Craftsman with the wedge cutter head. It causes the blade position to shift as you tighten the wedge, this may have just left a bad taste in my mouth. So it seems like this could be a decent buy keeping the blades. Eventually I may want to upgrade to an 8" but this should last for a while.

[Jim Becker]

Sticking with the knives on this one since they are a different animal than that older Craftsman sounds like a cost-effective way to deal with your current need. And yea...you can upgrade to a larger jointer or a J/P combo later when it makes sense for your work.

[Curt Harms]

I'd just buy it and use it for a while, see what if anything is limiting for your uses. I started out with a 6" Bridgewood jointer and it worked fine until I discovered sources of rough sawn hardwoods locally. 9" - 11" boards were pretty easy to come by and pretty cheap. They were also difficult/impossible to face joint on a 6" jointer. I had already upgraded the benchtop planer and decided to get what I needed - 12" planer and 12" jointer aka a combo machine rather than upgrading piecemeal. I'm pretty sure it was cheaper in the end.

[lowell holmes]

I also have a 6" Jet jointer. I like it and it does what I need it to do. I'm not running a sawmill, but I can straighten a lot of bow and also concavity with it.