jointers-the best bang for my buck

[Austin Dienner]

I am looking into buying a jointer. I am just a beginner and all i need is something to make a straight edge. I need something that works great, fairly cheap, and long lasting. Anybody with any ideas please let me know.

[Darl Bundren]

I own the Ridgid 6" jointer, and I think that the price on it is fair. You might be able to get some sort of discount or special financing from Home Depot. It works well. Good luck shopping.

[Jim Becker]

Nearly "any" jointer will give you a straight edge. Heck, you can do that with a router table and a split fence. Please don't forget that jointer are not just for edges. The other major important function is to make a board flat before you deal with the edge. That's the only way you'll have an edge that is both straight and truly perpendicular to the face of the board.

[robert micley]

i have a grizzly jointer-it works great.i have never seen the job a spiral cutterhead does.grizzly has an 8 inch spiral for 925.00.some new jointers like rikon have some sort of micro adjuct.i do not know what that means.i just use mine for jointing faces and edges.i have never used one for bevel angles or dadosmaybe some other folks can comment on the spiral cutterheads.

[Al Killian]

First off, what size projects will you be makeing? If you plane on makeing little boxes and stuff then a 4" or 6" will be plenty. If you plan on makeing larger peices including cabinets and stuf a small one will not last long befor you out grow it. So, depending on your needs depends on the size you should get. It is easeir to get one now instead of trying to sell it then buy bigger.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I am looking into buying a jointer. I am just a beginner and all i need is something to make a straight edge. I need something that works great, fairly cheap, and long lasting. Anybody with any ideas please let me know.

How about a Jack Plane? It's a good investment and you really do need one ( at least one) and it'll loin yas hows to dos it right.

[John Young]

Before I bought a jointer, I started out edge jointing on my router table. I had a benchdog fence that you could install two "jointer" bars behind the outfeed fence to offset it from the infeed fence. I got very good at setting it up for a very straight edge. I actually think it is easier on the router table with the board laying flat on the table. I used a 1/2" carbide endmill as a cutter. Much more cost effective than a shelix or helix cutterhead in a jointer with the same smooth results.

[glenn bradley]

"all i need is something to make a straight edge." If all you're worried about is edge jointing, save your money. A router table will do the job with off-set fences. Face jointing is another matter altogether and I made the mistake of going cheap. Now I will have a used small jointer and have to spend for a larger one.

[Dave Lehnert]

Go to www.grizzly.com they have any size jointer that would fit your budget. Just go with the biggest one you can afford. Jointers have come down in price over the last couple of years.

[David G Baker]

Austin,
Keep an eye on the TBN Classifieds, I see jointers for sale there on occasion. There are quite a few woodworkers that are upgrading to larger equipment. It may take you a while to find one in your area. You might want to buy locally because they are heavy, shipping would drive the price up.

[Tim Wagner]

Now you all talk about using the jointer to face plane. before in another thread, I was told that I need a Planner to Face plain, and then get a jointer after that. I am so confused:confused: And If your going to use it for face plaining, the I can't imagine anything less than 16" wide being of any use for both jobs.

[Roy Harding]

Now you all talk about using the jointer to face plane. before in another thread, I was told that I need a Planner to Face plain, and then get a jointer after that. I am so confused:confused: And If your going to use it for face plaining, the I can't imagine anything less than 16" wide being of any use for both jobs.

A jointer allows you to make one face FLAT, and one (or both, if you want) edge flat and SQUARE to the flat face. A planer allows you to make the second face parallel to the first flat face, and consequently also SQUARE to the jointed edge (and also, of course, in the process make the board the desired thickness).

I've read some articles which suggest you can use a planer to make the first face flat, but they involved some pretty nifty jigs - and results weren't guaranteed.

There was a discussion in another thread (I don't recall which one at the moment) regarding why using a planer to joint a face is not a good idea. I've never tried it.

When I attended cabinetmaking trade school, we were required to become proficient at preparing stock with hand planes. Same sequence - first make a face FLAT. Then make an edge FLAT and SQUARE to the FIRST face - then carry on with thickness, width, and length dimensioning - all the while keeping each surface flat and square to the adjoining ones. It was frustrating at first - but we all soon became quite good at it. I still sometimes grab a jack plane when I've got a small job to do.

At any rate - although I've been told that it is possible to use a planer to joint the first face (and even the edges), it is not what the machine was designed to do.

Regarding your observation that you'd need a 16" jointer to flatten the face of your lumber. You joint and plane your lumber before gluing up panels - for most hobbyists, a 6" jointer is usually fine - for a small professional shop, an 8" jointer is usually fine. (This has more to do with the length of the bed than the width of the knives.) Again - it depends upon what you'll be doing, as someone else has already pointed out.

Good luck to you - and above all have fun!!

[Al Killian]

A 16" jointer would be nice, But how often do you plan on haveing 16" boards to bring flat? Is used to flatten on face of a board befor running thru the planer.When the board is in its rough stage it will be twisted and or warped and need to be flattend so the planner can bring the opposite face parrell to the on that was made smooth on the jointer. Most boards are under 10" wide unless you are glueing them up. If they are glued up then you usally smooth them with a hand plan or a sander.

[Tim Wagner]

yea i just checked grizleys site and the 16" planers are like 4500. so we won't be going that route.

Thanks for bringing this into the light for me. I now understand. :)

[Cody Colston]

I wouldn't consider anything less than a 6" and preferably at least an 8" if you have the shop space. You can get a 6" in a benchtop or stand-alone model for $150 to ~ $350 respectively.

In an 8" jointer, the best bang-for-the-buck in my opinion is the Grizzly GO586.

[scott spencer]

A good used jointer will usually be your best bang for the buck. For a new one, any stationary unit from Grizzly, Jet, Yorkcraft, Ridgid, Craftsman, or Delta are safe bets. Many claim the 6" HF jointer works well for ~ $200 new.

[Richard Butler]

If you are looking for a good edge and are in a hurry, a router with a flush trim bit works great. Save your money and get an 8" jointer. Ever notice the number of 6" jointer for sale? There is a reason why.

[Dennis Kelly]

Congratulations on your search, it can be very fun to read and explore all your options...strenuous also. I was recently in your position. I'm also new to woodworking and decided to take the leap and upgrade my shop. The first item I bought was the Ridgid 6" jointer. I read every review out there and decided on the Ridgid and haven't regretted it. It's very solid, small, and relatively affordable ($400 at home depot). The use of a good jointer has also drastically improved the quality of my projects. Good luck!!

Deke Kelly

[James Carmichael]

As Scott mentioned, I have heard from folks on another forum that the 6" Harbor Freight jointer is pretty decent and often on sale for just over $200.

I have the Ridgid and like it, but like eveyone says, bigger is better when it comes to jointers.

[glenn bradley]

"A jointer allows you to make one face FLAT, and one (or both, if you want) edge flat and SQUARE to the flat face. A planer allows you to make the second face parallel to the first flat face, and consequently also SQUARE to the jointed edge (and also, of course, in the process make the board the desired thickness)."

What Roy said.

[Jim Becker]

A 16" jointer would be nice, But how often do you plan on haveing 16" boards to bring flat?

It's not always to accommodate a board that is 12"-16" wide...it's so you can do more things with it, such as run odd-shaped items through to flatten/straighten them, skew the workpiece to get a clean cut with difficult grain, etc. My J/P has a capacity of ~14" (350mm)...and I've used every bit of it many times. And yes, I've flattened nice 13" wide cherry on it, too.

That said, a 6" jointer is just fine for "just edges" and an 8" jointer will service many woodworkers just fine for both flattening and edge work.

[Don Bullock]

I am looking into buying a jointer. I am just a beginner and all i need is something to make a straight edge. I need something that works great, fairly cheap, and long lasting. Anybody with any ideas please let me know.

Austin, I'm going against the grain here (not always a good practice in wwing or on the forums), ;) but if you are just looking for a strait edge, I've been doing that on a table saw for many years. My old Craftsman TS with the stock fence and blade was all I had years ago to make my projects. For its time, it served me well. I even used it for straight edges for gluing. Right now, due to space and $$$ I plan on using my new saw for the same thing until I can afford an 8" jointer and have the space to put it.

[Andrew Williams]

Personally, I am sticking with handplanes and lunchbox planer as long as I need to. If I were to invest in a power jointer, it would have to be 10-12" to be worth the hassle of getting it into the shop. Besides, now that I no longer have a place to waterski, I need something to exercise my arms anyway.