Help deciding on a new jointer.....

[Ryan Sparreboom]

I am limited as to what I can get in Canada, and more specifically, in Edmonton. I don't want to pay for shipping from out of town.
My choices are:
The General International 80 100L-M1
http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=15241

The Delta X5
http://www.houseoftools.com/product.htm?pid=482903

The King KC-60FX
http://www.kingcanada.com/Products.htm?CD=113&ID=91

or the Craftex CT087
http://busybeetools.ca/cgi-bin/picture10?&NETID=0924140530081907567&NTITEM=CT087


I am leaning towards the General because of the longer table and handwheel adjustment for the infeed / outfeed tables (as apposed to the levers).
Please help me decide. I have never bought a jointer before and only used one several times so will have alot to learn.
Thanks in advance.

[Jim Becker]

Ryan, any of them will provide you good service, but I suggest you consider trying to up the purchase to an 8" machine if you can. Not only do you get the longer beds, but also the increased width for face jointing a board flat. 6" jointers are woefully inadequate for that very important function. It will cost you less now, even if you have to wait an extra month or three to save more money, than it will to "upgrade" later.

That said, GI imports nice machines and the longer table is an advantage. The King you show is virtually identical to the popular Jet 6" closed stand jointer I used to own. Good design.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Unfortunately I won't be able to afford an 8" machine, nor do I have room for one. And for the projects I usually do, a 6" will suffice.

To expand a bit more on what I'm looking for, I want to make sure I have enough power, good quality cutter head and knives (without upgrading for now), ease of adjustability for the infeed / outfeed tables, squareness of the fence to the table, and squareness of the cutter to the table.

So which one of those would be best for me?
Thanks

[Peter Quinn]

I agree with Mr. Becker regarding jointer width. My primary jointer is a used DJ-20 Delta' and it out performs my 6" in every manner. I'd really like to have a 10", 12" or even 16", but at this point its not in the budget. I have used several 12" parallelogram models professionally, and they are a big jump again from the 8" models in both performance and cost.

That said I own the 6" general you listed. It was my first jointer and I keep it for a few specialized things and as a back up. It gets limited use now but does perform a few critical functions for me. To cut the rabbit on door and window jambs to create an integral stop no machine I have performs better, and it earns its foot print in my shop for that task alone. Its also pretty good for fine tuning inset doors.

The 6" General is an accurate, well built machine that was easy to set up and adjust. My research at the time of purchase indicated it was the best machine in class for my needs at that price point. If a 6" model fits your situation I'd give the general serious consideration.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Well I went on my lunch break today and looked at the King and the Craftex. They're both out of the running. The Craftex seemed like it was not sturdy and now matter how hard the salesman or I tightened the fence it still wiggled. And the setup on the King just seemed very cheap, cheap plastic levers etc.

So it's down to the Delta X5 and the General. Anyone own these jointers that can give me some more advice before I decide? Thanks.

[Shawn Honeychurch]

The General International has a 2 year warranty.

The Delta X5 has a 5 year warranty, plus the X5 has a rack and pinion drive for the fence and I have read that adjustment is very easy because of this.

[Peter Quinn]

For a first machine I think either would serve you well. Having used both levers and hand wheels I vastly prefer levers myself. They are actually quite accurate and much easier to adjust then the wheels IMO. Of course the wheels aren't terrible, just not quite as friendly.

I haven't seen the fence on the delta X-5, but if its anything like the one on my DJ-20 it should be serviceable, not fantastic as jointer fences go, but solid and adjustable (some brands are so poorly made as to be comical).

The general fence has some quirks, and lots of set screws/knobs/stops etc. that have always puzzled me. But at its core it is a solid well engineered piece of machinery that is fairly painless to adjust and squares up nicely. Those long tables make things a bit easier if jointing longer stock is part of your plan.

As you stated you are buying locally I'd go see each one twice, or better yet compare them side by side if a vender has both. I compared the General to the powermatic long bed and the delta X-5 and wound up buying the General. Not sorry I did.

[Doug Shepard]

...So it's down to the Delta X5 and the General. Anyone own these jointers that can give me some more advice before I decide? Thanks.


...
I am leaning towards the General because of the longer table and handwheel adjustment for the infeed / outfeed tables (as apposed to the levers).
...


No experience with either but the handwheels would clinch the deal for me. I've only played with the lever types at WW shows but to me they seem fussier to adjust. 6" PM54 with wheels here.

[Jim Becker]

Honestly, I've had both the wheels (Jet) and the levers (Minimax J/P) in my shop and it really doesn't matter...I never change the setting from the approximately 1/32" cut it's set to. So I'd make that a non-factor in the decision.

[glenn bradley]

As everyone will tell you, buy an 8" at least. I didn't listen and so had to take the loss on my 6" when I sold it to get the 8" everyone told me to get. That being said, my 8" has levers. I thought I would hate them but, did not want dovetail ways and the p-bed model I decided on had levers. Now that I have them, I wonder what I was worried about. They are very smooth on the rare occasion that I alter the depth of cut; no worries.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Wow, thanks for all the input so far guys. It looks like with the different opinions on the table adjustment methods, I'm gonna go with Jim and consider it a non-issue, especially cause once set up it won't move often.
So the other considerations are the table length, General's is longer, but the Delta has a longer and taller fence. I also think I prefer the power switch placement on the Delta.
What other considerations am I missing?
I think I'll go monday and look at them again real well.

[Brian Groetsch]

If you are really considering the Delta X5, I think you may want to check out the Grizzly G0452. From what I can see, they are exactly the same machine other than the dual voltage motor. You can buy the Grizzly for half the price and then get the Dispose-a-Blade setup with a few sets of replacement blades for less than the Delta. On top of that, the Grizzly is a mobile unit.

[Peter Quadarella]

I have no experience with these jointers. However, I have been reading an awful lot of this forum in the last 6 months and the comments in this thread regarding the general good impressions of General vs. the lackluster thoughts on the modern Delta seem to be consistent with all the other threads I read about these manufacturers.

That's not to say that this particular model Delta isn't a star though. Just some more food for for thought.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

If you are really considering the Delta X5, I think you may want to check out the Grizzly G0452. From what I can see, they are exactly the same machine other than the dual voltage motor. You can buy the Grizzly for half the price and then get the Dispose-a-Blade setup with a few sets of replacement blades for less than the Delta. On top of that, the Grizzly is a mobile unit.

The problem is I can't get Grizzly tools locally in Canada. And to order and ship something as large as a jointer, I would end up paying far more than what either the X5 or the General costs me here. Not worth it!
I found a whole crapload of reviews on Amazon for the X5 and the majority of people who bought it, love it! Can't find nearly as many reviews for the General.

[Matt Meiser]

Buying a new Delta at full price would concern me. There have been numerous reports of Delta quality issues over the past couple years, and by most accounts, parts and service are poor. My own experience with obtaining parts from Black and Decker owned companies has been pretty poor--several weeks to get some missing planer parts, mis-packaged parts in a Biesemeyer fence (though they did get me replacements in a couple days), and a major botched order for a replacement Price-Pfister faucet. The local tool store that used to be a major Delta dealer and repair facility carries virtually none any more due to parts issues.

On the other hand, the only bad thing I can remember reading related to a General was really a dealer problem related to the way they re-crated a display model, and in the end General jumped in and took care of the guy, and then some.

[Tim Morton]

Any chance of scoring a Canadian made general on the used market? If not I think I would choose the GI over the delta based on the QC issues delta seems to be having lately. But like Jim said...either one will serve you fine!!!

[Eddie Darby]

I had a similar choice to make, and went with the General. It is more expensive, but it is better built as far as I can tell. I was very happy with the quality of the in-feed and out-feed surfaces plus I like the motor in it as well.

I don't have huge volumes of wood to plane, and most of the work I do is on the fine scale, so I like the infinite adjustably of the slower hand-wheels over the fast crank-it handles.

I also like how General widened the base on the jointer to give it a little bit more stability. It's a good solid little 6" jointer that will be hard to find a fault with it.

Since you don't have a lot of experience with a jointer here are some safety tips.

http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/editorsblog/content/binary/Adams%20Jointer%20rules.pdf

More tips:

http://home.usmo.com/%7Erfwoodworking/jointer.html

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/joinery/6-jointer-pointers/

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Any chance of scoring a Canadian made general on the used market? If not I think I would choose the GI over the delta based on the QC issues delta seems to be having lately. But like Jim said...either one will serve you fine!!!

Ha Ha!, not in my price range. I've been checking the local adds for about the past 3 months. One guy is selling an 8" General Canada jointer, 3 yrs old, for $2800. Ouch! I need to stick to the $700 range. Any other used jointers have been very far and few between.


Buying a new Delta at full price would concern me. There have been numerous reports of Delta quality issues over the past couple years, and by most accounts, parts and service are poor. My own experience with obtaining parts from Black and Decker owned companies has been pretty poor--several weeks to get some missing planer parts, mis-packaged parts in a Biesemeyer fence (though they did get me replacements in a couple days), and a major botched order for a replacement Price-Pfister faucet. The local tool store that used to be a major Delta dealer and repair facility carries virtually none any more due to parts issues.

On the other hand, the only bad thing I can remember reading related to a General was really a dealer problem related to the way they re-crated a display model, and in the end General jumped in and took care of the guy, and then some.

I have heard this sentiment before. But I've also read far more good reviews on the Delta then I can find on the General.
Has Delta fallen down in QC lately? A lot of those reviews seem to be from the 2003 to 2006 bracket. Has Delta changed much since then?

[Jim Becker]

If you are really considering the Delta X5, I think you may want to check out the Grizzly G0452.

As Ryan already responded. Grizzly is not available in Canada.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

I had a similar choice to make, and went with the General. It is more expensive, but it is better built as far as I can tell. I was very happy with the quality of the in-feed and out-feed surfaces plus I like the motor in it as well.

I don't have huge volumes of wood to plane, and most of the work I do is on the fine scale, so I like the infinite adjustably of the slower hand-wheels over the fast crank-it handles.

I also like how General widened the base on the jointer to give it a little bit more stability. It's a good solid little 6" jointer that will be hard to find a fault with it.

Since you don't have a lot of experience with a jointer here are some safety tips.

http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/editorsblog/content/binary/Adams%20Jointer%20rules.pdf

More tips:

http://home.usmo.com/%7Erfwoodworking/jointer.html

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/joinery/6-jointer-pointers/

Thanks Eddie. Those are great tips and will help me alot!
I think I may be leaning back towards the General again. I really like the idea of the longer bed, and handwheels over the levers.

[Matt Meiser]

I have heard this sentiment before. But I've also read far more good reviews on the Delta then I can find on the General.
Has Delta fallen down in QC lately? A lot of those reviews seem to be from the 2003 to 2006 bracket. Has Delta changed much since then?

That's the general sentiment I've heard/read. The change at my local dealer has been in the past two years.

[Scott Frost]

Out of curiosity - why an 8" versus a 6"? I just recently bought the Ridgid 6 1/8" jointer but haven't unpacked it yet.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Out of curiosity - why an 8" versus a 6"? I just recently bought the Ridgid 6 1/8" jointer but haven't unpacked it yet.

Huh? No, I'm buying a 6", can't afford an 8". But people have been recommending them because they've found the extra 2" capacity is useful for them. I don't think I'd need it. (famous last words???)
Oh, and I looked at the Ridgid jointer too (on the net) but it's also not avail in Canada. Ridgid tools are, just not the jointer for some reason.

[Ron Bontz]

Well just my two pennies worth. If it is between the 6" General and the 6" x5 I would go with the General because of the bed length. Wheel vs lever is no major concern to me.:)

[J. Z. Guest]

Ryan, I'd go with the General 6".

I agree than an 8" would be useful in some situations (more so for large projects) but there is also the extra expense, weight, and power requirements. (aren't 8-inchers always 220V?) A clean used 8-incher might be OK if the price is right and if you have 220 V available.

But the guys with 8" jointers make it sound like you will kick yourself for getting a 6" one. This is no always the case. It is much better to have a 6" jointer and occasionally wish for an 8" one than to go without a jointer for one reason or other. The longer beds will be useful on longer parts, but I don't miss the extra 2" in width. This means that sometimes I need to glue up more boards for a panel, or that I need to glue up boards to make a 6.125 - 8" panel. But I don't mind. I have a small shop, a small budget, small power availability and so the 6-1/8" Ridgid was the choice for me. It has allowed me to make some good quality stuff where I wouldn't have been able to before.

I like handwheels too. Like Jim, I leave mine on 1/32" usually. But sometimes, I like to joint to final width after ripping so there isn't so much sanding to do later. In those cases, I like to take 1/16" at a time. I can't imagine being able to make a precision depth adjustment with levers, but that's probably just because both jointers I've had have been handwheel models. (I also had the Jet 3/4 hp open stand jointer)

[Matt Meiser]

..because they've found the extra 2" capacity is useful for them. I don't think I'd need it. (famous last words???)

If you bought a 24" jointer, there would be times where you'd wish you bought a 26". I went from an 6" to an 8" and back to a 6" when I got rid of some equipment and the only thing I missed on the second 6" was that it was a really old one with really short beds. I just came across a third 6" that has beds about the length of the ones you are looking at and I think I'll be quite happy with it.

[Ryan Sparreboom]

Well I will definitely be buying the General 6" Jointer. As soon as House of tools gets it in, "maybe next week". AAARgghh, I hate having to wait for something you want to buy.
Anyway, yah a bigger jointer would always be nice, but price and space is a concern for me. I think I'll be very happy with this one. And it is bigger and nicer than my old man's jointer, which is always a good gloat.
I will post once I get it.