Grizzly Jointer Opinions Please!!

[Shawn Walker]

I know this has been discussed before, (I looked), but please bear with me. I want to ask again.
I am upgrading from my 6in. jointer to an 8in. I think the one I want is the Grizzly G0490.
Any opinions would be appreciated, (Good or Bad)
Also any opinions on the spiral cutterhead?
Thanks. :D

[Dave Tinley]

Shawn-
I have the 8 inch Grizzly and have been very happy with it. I though there was a problem with it, because I started getting a bow in my edge jointing, but I was shown a method for accuratly setting the knives and all is good now.
As for the spiral head, IMHO its not worth it in the jointer. I say this because I have the Byrd shelix head in my 18 inch planer. It does a great job, and changing the blade inserts is easy. BUT, these heads do leave tiny ridges, I was told by the factory man at Byrd that this is a normal situation.
So that is my reasoning for not having one in the jointer. If I was going to do anything different I would look at the disposa-blade system.
Right now I have two sets of knives and swap them out regularly.

HTH
Dave

[Mark Rios]

I've got to respectfully disagree with Dave a little. I have the 8" G0593 which is the G0586 with Grizzly's spiral cutterhead. This cutterhead doesn't leave any ridges that I can find, even under close scrutiny. I was edge jointing strips of scrap wood (see my cutting board pics http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=88994 ) for a week or so along with face and edge jointing other material for cabinets and so forth for the past year or so and I haven't had any ridges that I have seen. Material has been glue-up ready immediately after jointing, even when jointing across (perpendicular to) the face grain.

I've not used a real "Byrd" head but after using my Grizzly spiral I won't go back to a knife blade jointer. I understand that the Byrd is a little different than other spiral heads. Perhaps any ridges that it leaves is unique to the Byrd. Or, perhaps the ridges are something that is specific to a planer but not the jointer. However, I have no ridges from my G0593. I love it. To me, it was WELL worth the money. Other folks mileage may vary. ;)

My ONLY regret is that my jointer isn't larger. :D

[Shawn Walker]

Mark; What made you choose the G0593, and not the G0490X ?

[Brent Grooms]

well I bought the 0490 and added the byrd head (didnt want to wait for a back order on the 0490x) I love the jointer. As for the 'ridges or lines' left by them.... I have milled a bunch of stock since I took delivery and got the machine set up last december and I have seen no evidence of them. maybe I feed my stock slow enough that it doesnt happen but I havent seen it.

I have a dw735 and any ridges left by a byrd head would be hard pressed to be worse than what the dewalt leaves behind every now and then. All it takes is quick work for the ROS and they are gone. Something that I do on just about every project.

[Don Bullock]

Shawn,
The G0490 is my very first jointer. Other than picking up the jointer and putting it on top of the stand, I have no complaints. ;) It was easy for someone like me to set up and use. Since I haven't run a whole lot through it yet, I can't comment on its longevity.

[Dave Tinley]

Mark-
That is very good information. When I got my Byrd head several years ago it was for a Bridgewood planer. It appears that Grizzly has a better version, or the technology has vastly improved.
I do have a double drum sander that is set up with 150 and 180 grit sandpaper,so after running the boards thru the planer I pass them thru the sander. Really cuts down on the hand sanding ;)

Thanks for the info.

[Craig Kershaw]

I bought the 490 about 10 months ago. The grizzly customer service people were very good with questions that I had, I had never owned a jointer before and never assembled one. I bought a 42 inch straight edge and as far as I can tell every thing was dead on, tables level, etc. Very minor dip in the infeed table ( or at least close enough for my tolerances).

The real proof is how it works. I just finished using the 490 jointer and a used Delta planer to put together a tiger maple bar top, made up of 3 boards about 10 feet long. After I edge jointed the boards I put my straight edge on them, they were FLAT. The glue up went very well, no gaps or spaces anywhere between the boards.

A last note, about 4 months after I bought the machine I went to a woodworkers show and saw the comparable Delta machine. Other than the significantly higher price the only difference I noted was the color of the paint.

[Greg Cole]

I've had a G0586 for a few years now. Good solid machine. Take the knife setting jig & chuck it. Get a dial indicator with a ball tip and set the knives that way.
I ran mine pretty much out of the box after a couple of crude checks on it when it was delivered. There wasn't anything really wrong with it from the factory, but it wasn't just "right" either. This winter I spent a few hours over a few days really dialing it in & it's dead on now.
A helical carbide cutter is on the list of things to buy as soon as I use the spare baldes I bought with the machine. In 3 years I've only had the knives sharpened once I think & still have the extra blades in the tool box.
I've seen some photos from those complaining about the ridges left by certain spiral cutters. Moot point for me, they do much better on figured lumber (which I use a fair bit of) and all surfaces off a jointer see another step or 3 in the process before they are deemed finished and ready to assemble ad or apply finish. Personally, all the faces of my jointed stock see a #4 smoothing plane & maybe a scraper. Edges usually are checked for perfection & tweaked with a #5 when needed. Sanding is the devils work and I can't STAND IT & refuse sand it. My last project I sanded had about 2 full days of sanding... NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER again will I waste a weekend with a numb rest and listening to a shop vac scream.
No complaints about the tool other than the standard "I'd like a 12 incher". :rolleyes: Or even 16"..... seriously I'd look at a 12" with close eye today were I shopping for a jointer.
The new breed of J/P machines there's some more options presenting themselves versus upgrading just one tool. And the matched sizes or tool slaving is a nice thing with a J/P machine too.
Cheers.
Greg

[Mark Rios]

Mark; What made you choose the G0593, and not the G0490X ?



I don't remember exactly but I would have bought it if it was available with the spiral head when I was making the purchase. So, either it wasn't available at all or it wasn't yet available with the spiral head when I was looking. Between the two the 490X now looks like the better deal. Bigger motor, spiral head and $20 less. :D

[Dave Cav]

Put me down as another satisfied G0593 user. I picked mine up a few weeks and it works great out of the box. I love the cutter head; I have done a fair amount of edge joining and a little face joining and don't see any ridges or marks I would attribute to the cutterhead. As soon as I can afford to I'm going to install one in my 15" planer.

I got the G0593 instead of the G0490X because my jointer uses handwheels and the other uses adjustment levers, and I hate the adjustment levers.

Dave C

[John Keeton]

Put me down as a very satisfied 0490 owner. I really have never had a desire for a spiral head, although there seems to be a real satisfaction level among owners. My 0490 does a very clean job, and the only "complaint" is the belt which I keep saying I am going to change. That issue has been covered in other threads - and I still have note of the Master Carr part # when I get rowntuit! That would remove the very slight vibration, and the start up/shut down noise as I understand it.

[John Hedges]

I own a 490 and wish I had bought something else. I think it is worth the money, but I have noted several things which make me wish I had paid more for maybe a PM or General. The first set of pulleys were not machined well and caused considerable vibration, even with a link belt installed. To Grizzly's credit they sent out a new set which were a little better, but still caused more vibration that I would like to see. The stand is also lighter gauge steel than the comparable Delta and PM machines I have compared it to, and while I have no doubts that it will adequately support the jointer, it does show buckling at the seems, which I would rather not have. This is also the second stand and the first did the same thing. I had to replace the first because the struts were bent in shipping (this happened with many of the first units and was corrected by bracing the motor during shipping.) Lastly the fence assembly on my unit took a lot of shimming to get everything seated correctly, which I was not expecting. As I said before I think the unit is worth the $, but personally I would have preferred to have spent a little more and gotten something without these problems. I have since bought other brands when upgrading my other equipment that cost a bit more than Grizzly in some cases and have been much more satisfied.

[Wade Lippman]

I own a 490 and wish I had bought something else. I think it is worth the money, but I have noted several things which make me wish I had paid more for maybe a PM or General. The first set of pulleys were not machined well and caused considerable vibration, even with a link belt installed. To Grizzly's credit they sent out a new set which were a little better, but still caused more vibration that I would like to see. The stand is also lighter gauge steel than the comparable Delta and PM machines I have compared it to, and while I have no doubts that it will adequately support the jointer, it does show buckling at the seems, which I would rather not have. This is also the second stand and the first did the same thing. I had to replace the first because the struts were bent in shipping (this happened with many of the first units and was corrected by bracing the motor during shipping.) Lastly the fence assembly on my unit took a lot of shimming to get everything seated correctly, which I was not expecting. As I said before I think the unit is worth the $, but personally I would have preferred to have spent a little more and gotten something without these problems. I have since bought other brands when upgrading my other equipment that cost a bit more than Grizzly in some cases and have been much more satisfied.

My 490X doesn't vibrate, the fence didn't need to be shimmed, and I am sure several people could sit on it without the base buckling.
Either I was lucky or you are really hard on machines.

[John Hedges]

My 490X doesn't vibrate, the fence didn't need to be shimmed, and I am sure several people could sit on it without the base buckling.
Either I was lucky or you are really hard on machines.

Perhaps you got lucky or I got unlucky, but as I said it is my second base and second set of pulleys. Also I am also a very light user, as I am a hobbiest and not a pro making a few pieces of furniture a year. Either way, just answering the OP's question to give him input from all experiences.

[Shawn Walker]

Thanks Guys!... I appreciate all the feedback.
I went down to Grizzly's Bellingham showroom today, and spent some time checking out the machines. I couldn't really find anything I didn't like about the GO490. Of course I didn't see it run.
The stand seemed stable, but I had read similar complaints before. Maybe they addressed the issue.
The sales guy was trash talking the parallelogram beds. I hadn't heard any complaints about them before, but if anybody has had any issues I would like to hear them.

I took my six inch GI jointer back to the store I bought it from, and they bought it back from me for a store credit. (GOOD RIDDANCE) The credit is going toward the new General 650 when they get them in.
I'm not in a hurry though because I'm doing a bunch of work to the shop over the next couple of weeks including painting so the new toys can come in after that. :D

[glenn bradley]

I have a G0490X and strongly recommend going with the spiral head and the 3HP this model comes with. The scallops were a point of distress for me in my research. I had heard opinions on ridges/scallops from "they're terrible, I can't stand it!" to "what are you talking about?"

The only way I have been able to get scallops is to feed the material across the cutter head quite fast. This occurs with knives as well in my experience. This doesn't mean you won't have issues; many members report the problem and many don't . . . I'm a don't.

The machine arrived in perfect shape, the tables are scary-flat right out of the crate. I had a blemish on my fence and Griz replaced it quickly. I did the dust chute fix and added a link belt right off the bat so I never got to experience the belt slap. I am very, very happy with this jointer.

The "no knife adjustment: deal is a dream. The p-beds rock; I love the tight opening at the cutterhead regardless of depth. Quiet too. Long beds, high fence, rolls around easily, blah, blah, blah . . . .

[Wade Lippman]

I did the dust chute fix and added a link belt right off the bat so I never got to experience the belt slap.

I give up, what is the dust chute fix? Mine seems okay.

I don't care for the belt slap, but it doesn't seem to affect operations.

[John Hedges]

I give up, what is the dust chute fix? Mine seems okay.


The top of the dust chute in the cabinet is open reducing the flow of air from the cutterhead. If you close off the top of the chute with some plywood it greatly improved dust collection.

[Gary McKown]

John - same-same chute with the 490's baby brother, the 604X. Did you screw/glue the plywood in place, use tape or magnets, or what?

[John Hedges]

Been over 2 years now. To be honest I don't remember how I attached it. I will try to look tonight when I get home from work and let you know.

[Dave Cav]

Shawn, if you ever get down to the Everett area and would like to run some wood through my jointer or planer, let me know; PM me.

Dave Cav

[Scott Vigder]

My G0490 is two years old. I had the same pulley problem and Grizz fixed it pronto. When the original belt finally gave up after nearly 7k board feet of maple, walnut, white oak and cherry, I replaced it with a link belt.

I have no issues with the jointer. The beds have stayed perfectly parallel. I believe I paid $750 and definitely got my money's worth.