Jointer recommendations - any G0858 fans?

[Alden Peterson]

I'm debating buying a jointer as while most of my projects have been small enough I can joint on my table saw, I've got some larger pieces now and am considering buying a jointer.

I'm currently looking at the G0858 as I have a helical cutterhead on my Dewalt planer and love it. By some miracle this jointer is even in stock right now, too.

Any thoughts or suggestions for alternative units to look at? It seems all in I'd be looking at close to $3k for this which seems like a lot. But then again this probably would last me the rest of my life.

[John Kananis]

That's a bit more than I paid for mine... regardless, I feel like it's a solid machine. No complaints really. Trying to be critical, they could have used a different mechanism to raise and lower the table but the lever works.

[Alden Peterson]

I think heavy machinery prices like jointers/etc have all gone bonkers as a result of covid supply chain issues. I should have bought one a few years ago when I was thinking about it. Alas!

[Jason Evans]

I bought one in February. I liked the fact that it has a true helical head and is already assembled. Well the tables were out of flat by .007 and .012. They sent new tables and the infeed was .004ish out but the outfeed was really really flat which was nice. Kind of annoying to have to take it apart, reassemble, then painstakingly align everything, but I guess I know the jointer better now. I’m getting very straight boards which is great. Like John said I wish the way you raise and lower the tables was different, getting the outfeed table dead on is tricky, it moves too much sometimes with a small amount of force. Also the fence rides on the table which marks it up. I put a piece of uhmw tape on it to hep with that. Overall I’m fairly happy with it, not as nice as I thought it would be, I kind of wish I had dropped more money and bought a very nice machine with better table adjustments.

[Bryan Hall]

I had that before I upgraded to a 12" and my G0858 was the best jointer I ever had. Flawless every time and perfect out of the box.

[Mitch schiffer]

I will probably be the minority here but I had the g0858 and I didn't like it. It seems underpowered to me. It is listed as a 3hp but seems to be weaker then the 2ho powermatic i had used prior to the grizzly. I ultimately sold it and went with a larger powermatic. For the 2 years I had that machine it was probably the biggest bottleneck in my shop. I did my research before purchasing and the reviews were almost all positive so it may have been a issue with my machine specifically.

[Alden Peterson]

Wow, such polarized experiences here :)

[Alden Peterson]

Maybe I'll get a Powermatic 60HH instead. Their parallelogram jointers are crazy but looks like the 60HH with mobile base is "only" about $3800?

I will say I like the aesthetics better on the Powermatic :)

[Jason Evans]

Maybe I'll get a Powermatic 60HH instead. Their parallelogram jointers are crazy but looks like the 60HH with mobile base is "only" about $3800?

I will say I like the aesthetics better on the Powermatic :)

A dovetail jointer for $3800? I would never go back to a dovetail jointer, but then again I’ve never had a powermatic dovetail. They may make good tools, that’s debatable, but I could never get over the mustard yellow color.

[Alden Peterson]

A dovetail jointer for $3800? I would never go back to a dovetail jointer, but then again I’ve never had a powermatic dovetail. They may make good tools, that’s debatable, but I could never get over the mustard yellow color.

I actually like the color :)

and yeah, everything jointer related seems insane pricing right now.

Maybe I'll just make a couple jigs and if those drive me nuts think about a jointer when they hopefully have come down in price.....

[Charles Coolidge]

I purchased a G0858 in Jan of this year, wow what junk! After I fixed all of its problems that were fixable (not all are) I dumped it at a loss on craiglist. I stepped up to a Powermatic PJ882HH, obviously that's in a totally different class.

[Alden Peterson]

maybe I'll just do a planer sled/table saw sled until I can justify that price :)

[Charles Coolidge]

maybe I'll just do a planer sled/table saw sled until I can justify that price :)

I did the planer sled/table saw sled thing as I was trying to avoid buying a jointer. That was fine until I got beyond about 4 foot in stock length then it became unwieldly and somewhat unsafe for a one man operation, and just a pain. Bit the bullet and purchased a jointer.

The PJ882HH is a BEAST. I researched 8" jointers quite extensively after taking the $$$ hit on the G0858 fiasco. I assumed jointers in this class/price would be pretty much the same design, made in the same Asia factories. Turns out not.

The PJ882HH shares features from the 12 inch jointer class. I found that many of the 8 inch jointers sprang from a common ancestor or two but the designs have since deviated from the original significantly over the years.

[Andrew Hughes]

Save some money and buy a planer with insert head. Setting knives isn’t that hard to learn and it’s better for a jointer since it’s hand fed.

[Alden Peterson]

Save some money and buy a planer with insert head. Setting knives isn’t that hard to learn and it’s better for a jointer since it’s hand fed.

I've got the dewalt 735 planer with helical cutterhead (and a table saw).

[Andrew Hughes]

Get rid of the 735 with the helical head and get a planer with at least a 3hp planer. They were never designed to run with a insert head. Eventually you going to have problems.
Sell it while it still works.

[Dave Sabo]

If you’re looking at $3 grand for an 8” jointer I’d suggest a Hammer combo machine.

Yes, it’s almost double the price , but it is a lifetime tool for the hobbyist. Your 735 isn’t - especially with a helical head installed. It’s 12” and they just don’t have the QC issues Grizzly has.

https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/shop/planer-thicknessers-planers-thicknessers-sc613746/planer-thicknesser-hammer-a3-31-sp979003

[Alex Zeller]

I have several pieces of Grizzly equipment. I was going to get a 8" Grizzly jointer (have no interest in a combo machine as I jump back and forth too often) but came across a like new Powermatic 882-HH for not much more. Grizzly tools are for the user who can turn a wrench if needed. Over all I've only bought one that was truly low quality (a Chinese made mortiser that I don't think they sell anymore). My lathe, band saw, oscillating spindle sander, and planer may have needed a little adjusting but produce excellent results.

For a jointer I wouldn't bother with one with an insert head unless you just don't want to set blades. I would also lean towards a parallelogram vs dovetail. They have a lot more adjustment to fine tune. Not as much of an issue on a new tool but down the road it'll make a difference.

[Charles Coolidge]

Insert head for figured wood, virtually zero tear out. Have you priced AAAA figured wood, can't really afford to ruin that stuff. Also insert head for the quiet peaceful milling vs the knife WHAAAAAAAAAAA at 100 decibels. lol

[Patrick Varley]

maybe I'll just do a planer sled/table saw sled until I can justify that price :)

For the stuff that gets unwieldy on the table saw, I use a tracksaw. For panel glue-ups on long pieces, I may actually prefer it to a jointer as I can then just use the "trick" of jointing them simultaneously and getting a perfect fit.

[Alex Zeller]

Maybe I'll get a Powermatic 60HH instead. Their parallelogram jointers are crazy but looks like the 60HH with mobile base is "only" about $3800?

I will say I like the aesthetics better on the Powermatic :)

Not sure where you are located but there's a Powermatic PJ882 with a mobile base and the head has been upgraded to a Byrd insert head in RI on Facebook market place. Price is kind of high (since I paid paid just over half that for the same jointer 2 years ago) but maybe there's room to negotiate.

[Bill Dufour]

What size is that Grizzly 6,8 ,12 or more?

[Bobby Robbinett]

Love my 8” Steelex which is I believe identical to the 0490. Most of these jointers are all the same across different brands. My next jointer will be either a 16” Cantek or a 20” SCM.

[Charles Coolidge]

Most of these jointers are all the same across different brands.

They are not, dig deeper into the details. I made the same assumption but instead found quite a number of differences. One area that is common is the fence. From what I can see the fence is cast from the exact same mold, even the ribbing is the same. The casting the fence attaches to, how it attaches, how the adjustment mechanics work varies a fair bit.

For the PM PJ882 one difference is where most all jointers use the handwheel (those that have one) to move the fence in/out via a rack and pinon the PJ882 uses that handwheel to adjust the angle of the fence which I found much more useful.

The PJ882 has gibs on the sides of the table against a ground surface like the larger 12", none of the other 8" have that.

The parallelogram components are massively large and rigid. The G0858 is kind of a joke in comparison. Bend over and look up under the tables. So wimpy you can move the tables out of parallel just by applying a bit too much pressure on the handle when raising the outfeed table up against the stop. The PJ882 is rock solid even the size of the stop bolt is ridiculously LARGE. LOL

When comparing the table handwheel adjustable parallelogram Grizzly 8" jointers to the PJ882, a more fair comparison, there are pro's and cons. They have the PJ882 beat with the handwheels. But look closely at the bearing block exploded views and photos of the cutter head bearing blocks and that area of the castings, the PJ882 has the advantage there.

On the PJ882HH I had to fix NOTHING, no factory defects. The only adjustment required was the table height stops. Everything else was adjusted at the factory to specs. I put the high dollar Mitutoyo indicators to work and attacked it with the 48" Starrett precision ground straight edge accurate to .0002 inch per foot. Man that thing was setup well, not one adjustment I'd even attempt to nudge it was that close to perfection.

Helical Cutterheads - I was stunned to find so much variance in the cutterheads. Even Grizzly's 8" jointers have two different designs. Both Grizzly styles had 36 inserts but the design of the cutterhead itself was quite different and the shoulders the inserts index to. (another reason to keep clear of the G0858 by the way) The PJ882HH cutterhead has 54 inserts x 6 rows. The Grizzly are 36 inserts x 4 rows. I think the Byrd was 40 inserts x 5 rows.

The PM PJ882 oval front looks pretty, but means other brand mobile bases really are not going to work well and fabricating one to match the oval front a pain. Let me tell you they are REALLY PROUD of the PM mobile base price wise. In the end I grit my teeth and purchased the PM mobile base. Expecting to cuss it and give it the stink eye as overpriced. But it actually works pretty well. That said I will be modifying the base with the Grizzly mono swivel foot operated caster. Points to Grizzly that thing is both massively beefy (it's used on their 20" planers) and just a great design. You can spin the machine 360 like a zero turn mower and when the foot operated caster is OFF it plants the machine down solid onto 2 leveling pads. Grizzly sells these mono swivels separately, I think it was only $60-$70 which for what you get is quite the bargain.

[Andrew Joiner]

maybe I'll just do a planer sled/table saw sled until I can justify that price :)
I use planer sleds and straight line rip jigs like this for long stock.
https://www.woodworkingtalk.com/attachments/f2/80064d1544737624t-door-build-2-xs-1-4-ply-100_2697.jpg
I bought a new Powermatic 6" jointer in 1970 and used it in my cabinet shop for 3 or 4 years. I was buying S2S stock, and ran the edges thru the jointer.

Then I found out it's more cost efficient and easier to buy lumber S3S. A good blade and a decent table saw set-up beats a jointer for me, especially on long stock edges. Oh and even a cheap rip blade won't ever chip out an edge like a knife can.

In my hobby shop now, I never found the need to go back to owning and maintaining a jointer.

Recently I got a deal on some beautiful rough planks. I ran it thru a lunch box planer on a sled and straight lined the edge on the table saw with a jig. Both methods work best if you have full support on in-feed and out-feed.

Even if I had a source for lots of cheap rough lumber, I would still flatten it with a planer and a sled. Every time I run a piece thru I smile cause it's power feed flattening. Holding down long heavy stock to a jointer table is hard work. I mostly mill 8' or shorter stock.

The only time I'd ever want a jointer is if I had a lot of short stock to joint and face.

[Alden Peterson]

Well I decided against getting a jointer now. Instead got a nice router table :cool:

[Alden Peterson]

I was ripping a bunch today on the table saw to clean up an edge using my jointer jig (after using a thickness planer to get the faces flat) and man, oh man, do I want a jointer.

That's the messiest thing I do nowadays as my jointing jig involves a sled I clamp the workpiece to, so I "joint" it in the air and it makes a giant mess since the piece is off the tablesaw surface in order for that to work.

But.... so much money.

[Alex Zeller]

Most of the hardwood places around her sell both rough and dressed lumber.

[Alden Peterson]

yeah, though I -- other than this part -- like milling lumber.

Maybe I'll just buy once, cry once, and get the PJ-882HH for $4500 (and another $300 for the base?).... that'd probably last me the rest of my life and so per year it's cheap (hopefully :eek:), right? :)

[Alex Zeller]

yeah, though I -- other than this part -- like milling lumber.

Maybe I'll just buy once, cry once, and get the PJ-882HH for $4500 (and another $300 for the base?).... that'd probably last me the rest of my life and so per year it's cheap (hopefully :eek:), right? :)

i got mine used before the price went crazy because I like milling lumber too. It's kind of like splitting wood. You have to pay attention to what you are doing so you get a chance to not think about much of anything else. But I often remind myself just how much the luxury of having a nice jointer and planer cost me vs just letting someone else do the simple work so I can focus on the building phase.

In the end being able to fix a board that's no longer flat is worth it.

[Pat Germain]

I have a Shop Fox 8" paralellogram jointer and I love it. (It's a Grizzly with a different label.) The only problem I've had is the "trolley" wheel broke so it's no longer mobile. (I just ordered a replacement from Amazon as the Grizzly factory part is out of stock.)

If you can afford a Powermatic jointer, cool. And if you can find a good deal on a used example, double cool. But I almost never see good, used woodworking machines for sale in my area. When I do see them, they are way overpriced.

I often wonder if there's some OCD involved with woodworking machines. Ok, the underside of one jointer is beefier than another. That makes it heavier, but does it really make it work better?

[Alden Peterson]

Yeah I rarely see used 8" machines in my area ever. Almost all are 6" (or 4") -- people must buy 6" and then want to upgrade :)

[Pat Germain]

Yeah I rarely see used 8" machines in my area ever. Almost all are 6" (or 4") -- people must buy 6" and then want to upgrade :)

I'm so glad I sought the advice of the good folks here on SMC before I bought my jointer. Everyone told me to save up for an 8". Sure enough, almost every time I went to flat plane, I had just enough jointer. With a 6", I would have been ripping a lot more. Although, it would be cool to have an "aircraft carrier" like David Marks.

[Warren Lake]

started with an 8 and would never have less. Hand picked material boards at 6.5 or so say on a table top will work nicely and are stable and if you can pick your material you can choose centered hearts joined on straght grain and one board flows to another nicely. I could make a living forever on 8" but not less.

Next was a 14" and while I dont build with wide boards the machine is levels above the 8" General and that alone make it a joy to work on.

[Robert London]

I had the straight knife version of this 8" and instantly regretted it. Had some issues with mine regarding the installation of a helical head that did not fit, and Grizzly ended up taking the machine back. Maybe my belt was loose, but the 3hp didn't seem like 3hp. It would bog down and stall right in the middle of a cut.

I went without a jointer for awhile after that, and ended up going with Grizzly's 12" V helical J/P combo. Always wanted the flexibility of having the extra width to go 9-12 inches. But 12" stand alone jointers are a big jump in price.

A bit of a compromise on a combo machine with the shorter 59" beds, but the extra width is worth it. And you get a 5hp motor that won't bog down in the middle of a cut.

[Warren Lake]

the combos I have are 3 HP and they never bog down.

[Pat Germain]

I'm surprised to hear about the Grizzly jointers bogging down. I've never had that issue. I seriously dogged it building my workbench. It has a hickory top and that stuff didn't phase my jointer. Maybe the machines from 12 years ago had a better motor, or something?

[Curt Harms]

I'm surprised to hear about the Grizzly jointers bogging down. I've never had that issue. I seriously dogged it building my workbench. It has a hickory top and that stuff didn't phase my jointer. Maybe the machines from 12 years ago had a better motor, or something?

It's going to vary with depth of cut as well as width. I tend to take light cuts and seldom have any tearout with straight knives. Extra time to make more passes is not a consideration for me. If I were a commercial shop where time is money I'd want to make as few passes as possible.

[John Kananis]

Idk what you guys are putting through your 0858's that's bogging the machine down. Mine eats anything I throw at it and no complaints at all on finish, etc.