Tom Ruflin
11-27-2007, 6:01 PM
I ordered a G0490 jointer and Byrd Shelix cutter head on 10/30/07. The jointer shipped on 10/31/07 via New Penn Freight (per my request).
I got a call from New Penn on 11/1/07 that they had a delivery, this call came before the e-mail notification from Grizzly that the jointer had shipped. Fortunately I mentioned that I ordered liftgate service from Grizzly as New Penn said it was not noted on the bill, they called Grizzly to clear it up. I took delivery on 11/2/07 and the driver helped put it all in my garage. The box the base came in was damaged so the driver helped open it up to look for any damage before he would note that there was damage on the bill, there was a couple of very minor dents so I accepted the delivery. Over the weekend I got the base and jointer top into the basement using a dolly and block and tackle to first pull the jointer top into the house and then lower it into the basement. I used the same block and tackle, tied to the I-beam in the basement to lift the jointer top onto the base. It all went very smoothly. The Byrd cutterhead was on backorder so I continued to setup the jointer so I could use it. I found the tables to be pretty flat (I only have a 24 inch straight edge to check with) as well as the fence. The tables were not parallel to each other and would need adjustment, which I would do after the Byrd head was installed.
The Byrd head was shipped on 11/3/07 and I received it on 11/5/07 via UPS. No problem until I opened the package and found the wrong cutter head inside, it was for a generic 8” jointer and there is a different one specifically for the G0490. Called Customer Service and setup a return with UPS to pick it up at my house. UPS picked it up on 11/9/07 and it arrived at Grizzly on 11/12/07. Grizzly would not send the correct cutterhead until they received the incorrect one first adding to the delay. At this point I would have paid for another one and have them credit me for the incorrect one when they got it back, not an option as they did not want to send the wrong cutterhead again. I also contacted tech support and asked if I needed new bearings for the Byrd cutterhead and they recommended that I get them as the bearings in the original cutter head could get damaged when trying to get them off. I called CS back and asked if they could include a set of bearings (tech support gave me the part numbers), they said no as the item was already shipped. After a lengthy discussion about how the wrong item was shipped and the correct item had not shipped yet it was determined that the bearings could be included in the authorized return/replacement order. The correct cutterhead was shipped and received on 11/16/07 with no bearings and it looked like it was used. Another call to CS and they created a complaint and said I would be contacted in 1 to 2 business days (another weekend lost). CS contacts me and asks me to send pictures of the cutterhead. I send the pictures and wait for a response. In the mean time I receive the bearings and am charged shipping for them, I ask CS via e-mail why I am charged shipping since the bearings were suppose to be included with the cutterhead. On 11/21/07 CS calls at 7:30pm and asks if I’m going to keep the cutterhead, I said yes as by this time I am totally fed-up with the whole situation.
I install the cutterhead, put on a link belt to reduce the vibration (the original belt had a fat spot in it). I also had a difficult time adjusting the belt tension and had the belt slap that people hear at SMC talked about. After some thought I used a board under the jointer and some clamps to pull the motor down to tension the belt (see pictures). I also made sure the motor was parrellel to the the top and the pulleys were aligned. This eliminated the belt slap at startup and stopping. I aligned the tables which took about an hour and then made some test cuts. A little more tweeking and it works great. I also added some plywood to the open part of the dust chute to help the dust/chip collection (see pics)
Overall I like the jointer, a link belt should be standard, new bearings should be included or at least recommended with a Byrd cutterhead option and Grizzly customer service gets a low rating for slow response/resolution and lack of understanding. Thanks for listening to my rant.
Ordered on 10/30/07, up and running with all options ordered 11/22/07, I could have had this all done by 11/3/07 if the order was correctly shipped.
Thanks for listening to my rant.
I got a call from New Penn on 11/1/07 that they had a delivery, this call came before the e-mail notification from Grizzly that the jointer had shipped. Fortunately I mentioned that I ordered liftgate service from Grizzly as New Penn said it was not noted on the bill, they called Grizzly to clear it up. I took delivery on 11/2/07 and the driver helped put it all in my garage. The box the base came in was damaged so the driver helped open it up to look for any damage before he would note that there was damage on the bill, there was a couple of very minor dents so I accepted the delivery. Over the weekend I got the base and jointer top into the basement using a dolly and block and tackle to first pull the jointer top into the house and then lower it into the basement. I used the same block and tackle, tied to the I-beam in the basement to lift the jointer top onto the base. It all went very smoothly. The Byrd cutterhead was on backorder so I continued to setup the jointer so I could use it. I found the tables to be pretty flat (I only have a 24 inch straight edge to check with) as well as the fence. The tables were not parallel to each other and would need adjustment, which I would do after the Byrd head was installed.
The Byrd head was shipped on 11/3/07 and I received it on 11/5/07 via UPS. No problem until I opened the package and found the wrong cutter head inside, it was for a generic 8” jointer and there is a different one specifically for the G0490. Called Customer Service and setup a return with UPS to pick it up at my house. UPS picked it up on 11/9/07 and it arrived at Grizzly on 11/12/07. Grizzly would not send the correct cutterhead until they received the incorrect one first adding to the delay. At this point I would have paid for another one and have them credit me for the incorrect one when they got it back, not an option as they did not want to send the wrong cutterhead again. I also contacted tech support and asked if I needed new bearings for the Byrd cutterhead and they recommended that I get them as the bearings in the original cutter head could get damaged when trying to get them off. I called CS back and asked if they could include a set of bearings (tech support gave me the part numbers), they said no as the item was already shipped. After a lengthy discussion about how the wrong item was shipped and the correct item had not shipped yet it was determined that the bearings could be included in the authorized return/replacement order. The correct cutterhead was shipped and received on 11/16/07 with no bearings and it looked like it was used. Another call to CS and they created a complaint and said I would be contacted in 1 to 2 business days (another weekend lost). CS contacts me and asks me to send pictures of the cutterhead. I send the pictures and wait for a response. In the mean time I receive the bearings and am charged shipping for them, I ask CS via e-mail why I am charged shipping since the bearings were suppose to be included with the cutterhead. On 11/21/07 CS calls at 7:30pm and asks if I’m going to keep the cutterhead, I said yes as by this time I am totally fed-up with the whole situation.
I install the cutterhead, put on a link belt to reduce the vibration (the original belt had a fat spot in it). I also had a difficult time adjusting the belt tension and had the belt slap that people hear at SMC talked about. After some thought I used a board under the jointer and some clamps to pull the motor down to tension the belt (see pictures). I also made sure the motor was parrellel to the the top and the pulleys were aligned. This eliminated the belt slap at startup and stopping. I aligned the tables which took about an hour and then made some test cuts. A little more tweeking and it works great. I also added some plywood to the open part of the dust chute to help the dust/chip collection (see pics)
Overall I like the jointer, a link belt should be standard, new bearings should be included or at least recommended with a Byrd cutterhead option and Grizzly customer service gets a low rating for slow response/resolution and lack of understanding. Thanks for listening to my rant.
Ordered on 10/30/07, up and running with all options ordered 11/22/07, I could have had this all done by 11/3/07 if the order was correctly shipped.
Thanks for listening to my rant.