Jet Jointer For Newbie?

[John Peterson]

Hey guys,

My local big box store is droping Jet for Delta and they have a new in box JJ-60s http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?Part=708455&cat=333154 for $369 from the $449 sale price. I was toying with the idea of a Grizzly, possible an 8" from what others have said that bought a 6" and went to an 8". This would be way down the road though. The Jet I could do tomorrow. This will be my first jointer if that helps any.

Even though I dont have a planer yet one is in the near future also. Space is not a concern either as I have a basment shop, aka Room with a Tablesaw. As far as projects, mainly small, then onto cabinets for bathrooms etc. I would really like to mill my own stock. Reason for the jointer and planer.

Any thoughts or concerns?

Should I just holdout?

[Mike Cutler]

John

I would personally wait if you could.

It really comes down to what you believe you will do with a jointer down the line. Having a 6" Jet jointer, I can say that for my needs it is too small and light. I've been looking at the used 12" and 16" jointer market.

[Denny Rice]

Most here would probably tell you the same the same. Buy as much tool as your budget allows...IMHO as far as jointers go, I would not purchase any less than a 8" jointer, I wish when I purchased my jointer I could of afforded more, but you will find the price of a jointer really starts to go up once you get past 8 inches. I purchased a Grizzly 8" jointer and really love it. Your post said something about Jet, I have a couple Jet stationary tools and they are a quality product, I have to beleive they make a quality jointer too. Another company to look at is Steel City, unlike Delta and Grizzly SC offers a 5 year warranty on all their machines, something hard to beat in the wooworking business, plus they make these really cool stationary tools like table saws and jointers with Granite tops (they never rust)!!!:)..Hope this helps

[Mike Heidrick]

I adtually owned both the Menards OS Jet jointer and their OS Jet Bandsaw. They are great tools. I sold my Jet jointer for $300 when I got rid of it and originally I had bought mine used as well (both came from Meards though). I know have a 12" jointer and could afford to wait for the right deal on it because I had the 6". I was not going to upgrade from a 6" to an 8" as I believed it was too little gain for the money. In the end for me everything worked out. Even if you bought the 6" today and sold it in a couple years for $200 it would not be a bad investment - especially if you go 12" down the road instead of 8".

Just one option you have.

Or skip all the headache and spend $500-$800 now for a used/newish 8" or a grand for a new one.

[Matt Day]

You'll outgrow that 6" quickly and want an 8". I had mine less than a year when I stared woodworking about 3-4 years ago.

But if you buy a 6' jointer for $369, you can most likely sell it for $300 if it's pretty new. That's only $70 to use it for a while, which is pretty much what happened to me.

[Greg Robbins]

I disagree with 8" crowd. I have a 6" jet and have had it for 10 years. Granted there are times when I wish I had a larger one, but I use my planer all the time to surface a face. With a sled and shims, you can get a very flat surface and I can surface boards 12" wide. Go for the 6" and also get a planer.

[Dave Sweeney]

On one of these boards recently, I can't remember which one it was, there was a poll asking people what sized jointer they owned. As all you ever seem to see is folks saying that 8" is the way to go I was surprised to see that, by far, 6" was the overall size of choice bo those that responded. Not sure what that proves but in my case anyways my 6" jointer more times than not is plenty wide enough for my needs. Of course, YRMV.

[Don Bullock]

John, last year I was in your position. I had used a 6" Jet jointer in a woodworking class and realizes how much I "needed" a jointer for my shop. I asked a lot of questions here and on other forums and read many posts. One post helped to make up my mind. Someone who had the 6" jointer I was considering offered to sell it to me so that he could buy an 8" jointer. He explained that the jointer was less than a year old and in great shape, but it was just too small. His woodworking needs seemed to parallel mine. After careful consideration, I bought a Grizzly G0490 and am very pleased with my choice. The first board I edged was a piece of wood that had been sitting in my shop for at least 10 years because I didn't know what to make out of it and both edges were rough. That board was too long to joint well on a 6" jointer as have several other boards I've purchased since I bought the jointer. Yes the 6" Jet jointer is a great machine. I feel that an 8" machine is much better.

[Gary Herrmann]

I had a 6" jointer for years and it was just fine, and only upgraded to an 8" with a shelix head when I got a great deal. A friend of mine is in the market for his first jointer and I'm steering him toward the same one you're looking at.

Wider is better, but it isn't really needed in most cases, IMHO.

[Scott Mann]

I have the same model you are looking at and it is a good machine. I would say pick it up as it's a good deal. The only con with the machine I have found is the length. It gets a little difficult to joint a board over 6' long (I believe the bed is 46" long). I would also consider replacing the V belt with a link belt (mine runs much smoother since installing the link belt).

On another note it seems the vast majority is steering you towards a 8", let me just say that IMHO this is a mistake. Save your money and get the 6'. Use the money you save to get a nice planer. You never know where woodworking is going to take you. What if you decide in a year or two you want to start Turning? Or Carving? Or making jewerly boxes? You won't need a jointer the size of an Aircraft Carrier. All I am saying is you don't have to blow your load on the best most expensive tool right out of the gate. Think about what type of work you want to do and make the purchase accordingly.

[David Tiell]

I recently upgraded from a Jet 6" to an 8" jointer. I love the bigger jointer. HOWEVER, that Jet 6" jointer served me VERY well for nearly 10 years, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anybody. Whether you save up instead and go bigger is your decision, but at that price, you can't go wrong with that jointer. It will definitely hold you over til you decide whether you want to upgrade or spend your money on other tools.

[Andy Casiello]

I recently bought my first jointer - a 6" Grizzly. I love it, and I'm glad I did it. I don't do face jointing. I do a lot of edge jointing because I make cabinets for guitar amplifiers and speaker cabinets using dovetail joints all around. I buy wood that is already face planed. I like to run the wood thought the jointer after cutting on the table saw. Then I use biscuits to edge join the wood.

I may outgrow this one after a while, but it will still have a lot of value, and I'm out there making sawdust today, rather than saving for tomorrow.

[glenn bradley]

Well, I always feel sorry for folks asking about a hot deal on a 6" machine. I got the same recommendations when I bought my 6". I knew about 2 months later that they were right; I should have waited.

I limped along for a few more months. I then made a planer sled and that held me off for about a year while I saved my pennies and built 220v into the shop re-wire project. I now have a G0490X and am very happy. as in bandsaws, bigger would be better but, 8" seems to meet 99% of most folks needs where my 6" was inadequate over half the time.

I'm not judging, I'm just saying. . .

[Lance Norris]

I have the Jet JJ6CS and it has never been too small for my needs. The only reason a 6" is too small is for face jointing and many people say that you need 8" capacity. This isnt necessarily true. You can face joint up to twice the width of your jointer if you also have a planer to finish up the boards. The terms of service prohibit me from posting a direct link to another forum, but the post is in Woodworkerszone dot com and the title is "Jointing wide boards" Here is a link to a thread I started a while back here at the creek.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=75494

Now... that being said, the reason most recommend an 8" jointer is because you can use wider stock for panel glue ups. If you have a 6" jointer, you are limited to 6" boards for a panel glue up. OK... is that a problem? Not in my opinion. So it takes an extra board to make the width you need. Some like to say that they like the extra width because they can run figured stock at an angle and get better cuts because of the shear angle of the knifes cutting at a slight angle. I have a Byrd Shelix head on my JJ6CS and that solves that argument for the 8" jointer. Remember, for a jointer to be completely effective it needs to be paired with a planer for making truly square and parallel boards. You mentioned that a planer is in your near future. I say buy the 6" jointer, save the money over the 8" jointer and use the savings for the planer. Good luck.

[John Peterson]

Holy Cow!! Thanks for all the replies. I guess the only reason why I was consider a 6" was because 1. the price and 2. I'll have an unlimited supply of 4/4 white oak, 48" in length. Also no having one really limits what I can do. Im thinking I should just go with my gut and other recomendations and hold out.

Like I said, I really dont NEED one now but it price is good and a new tool is always a good thing.

[Glenn Howard]

At the risk of violating any decency rules, woodworking is one of only two activities that I can think of for which the difference between 6" and 8" is huge!

[david kramer]

At the risk of violating any decency rules, woodworking is one of only two activities that I can think of for which the difference between 6" and 8" is huge!

This is a family board, do you really have to bring up golf http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon6.gif?

[Denny Rice]

Well, I always feel sorry for folks asking about a hot deal on a 6" machine. I got the same recommendations when I bought my 6". I knew about 2 months later that they were right; I should have waited.

I limped along for a few more months. I then made a planer sled and that held me off for about a year while I saved my pennies and built 220v into the shop re-wire project. I now have a G0490X and am very happy. as in bandsaws, bigger would be better but, 8" seems to meet 99% of most folks needs where my 6" was inadequate over half the time.

I'm not judging, I'm just saying. . .

I agree with Glenn...Again, you will not be sorry with atleast a 8" jointer.

[Jacob Mac]

I just made that decision, and I went with a 6" jointer, a planer, and I am getting some hand planes. This cost me less than a new 8" jointer. I did this for a few reason:

1. I need to acquire a lot of tools to do the projects I have in mind

2. hand planes and a few jigs let me work around any limitations a 6" jointer has

3. Before I make any real big purchases I want to get my feet wet and get a clear idea of the types of projects I want to do, and how I like to work.

4. Money is tight for me, and I want to get moving.

But ultimately there is not a right answer. This is a hobby, do whatever is going to make you happy and fits with your plans. And while I don't have any direct experience with Jet, don't overlook Grizzly. They make some nice tools at decent prices, and their customer service is very good. That might be one avenue for you to explore.

[Charlie Plesums]

I disagree with 8" crowd. I have a 6" jet and have had it for 10 years. Granted there are times when I wish I had a larger one, but I use my planer all the time to surface a face. With a sled and shims, you can get a very flat surface and I can surface boards 12" wide. Go for the 6" and also get a planer.

I am one of the 8 inch crowd. I had a 6 inch jointer, and found that high rated hardwood (FAS, S&B) had to finish to at least 6 inches wide to meet that specification or rating. Thus practically every rough board was 6 1/2 inches or larger. If your work allows you to cut wood smaller before jointing and planing, the 6 inch jointer will be fine, but I lusted for an 8 inch from the day I got my 6 inch. (I did upgrade... to a 16 inch, but that is another story).

If you are willing to use a sled and shims with a planer, you don't need a jointer. That is a good technique, although very time consuming.