8" Jointer Options

[Gordon Stump]

3 words: Add to Cart

[Mike Kees]

Chris I was reading this thread and did make the mistake that you were comparing a 12'' and 8'' from Grizzly. If you would consider used your money would take you farther. The flip side to guys who claim they want new "for warranty"is 90% of the used machines I have bought already have all the problems dealt with. Or I get screaming deals because someone does not have the mechanical skill , or want to adjust and tune a machine so they sell it cheap. I will say that it is a lot harder to find used 8'' jointers. Good luck in your quest,Mike.

[Chris Kalnasy]

As to the point to go ahead and just get a 12" jointer, they'll be someone who says you'll never be satisfied with a 12" jointer so go ahead and get a 20" jointer.

It becomes like someone who wants a bench-top drill press and someone says go ahead and get a used Bridgeport milling machine.

It seems to me the OP expressed that he had room and the money for a new 8" Grizzly. I'm not second-guessing him as he seems to know what he wants, has done the research, and doesn't appear to want a used jointer for whatever reason.

The Grizzly is a good jointer, at less money than other brand names and has great reviews from those that own or know about Grizzly jointers.

Of course everyone has an opinion, but the only one with the money in the discussion is the OP.

To reply to this and some other posts on my thread in regards to a used unit. I have looked high and dry for a newerish Jointer in my area and continue to come up with nothing. I say newer because the likelihood that a newer unit will have an issue is lower than an older one. And parts would be much easier to come by than an older one. I almost landed a 12" newer grizzly for $2000, but it was a 12 hour round trip and once I agreed the owner backed out of the sale and decided to keep it. Also in regards to the 12", it would be great but I would not buy one new. It would have to be an amazing deal and I would make the space have to work around it.

I didnt intend to make a big fuss with this thread, just hoping to see if there was a reason to jump up to a Jet, PM, Laguna, etc over the grizzly. I saw one user really really liked his Jet unit.

[Chris Kalnasy]

Chris I was reading this thread and did make the mistake that you were comparing a 12'' and 8'' from Grizzly. If you would consider used your money would take you farther. The flip side to guys who claim they want new "for warranty"is 90% of the used machines I have bought already have all the problems dealt with. Or I get screaming deals because someone does not have the mechanical skill , or want to adjust and tune a machine so they sell it cheap. I will say that it is a lot harder to find used 8'' jointers. Good luck in your quest,Mike.

No worries Mike. As I just replied to another guy, I have also looked for a 12" jointer used and cannot find anything that is a screaming deal that I would force myself to make room for it. I will continue to do but it isn't looking good.

[Justin Rapp]

To reply to this and some other posts on my thread in regards to a used unit. I have looked high and dry for a newerish Jointer in my area and continue to come up with nothing. I say newer because the likelihood that a newer unit will have an issue is lower than an older one. And parts would be much easier to come by than an older one. I almost landed a 12" newer grizzly for $2000, but it was a 12 hour round trip and once I agreed the owner backed out of the sale and decided to keep it. Also in regards to the 12", it would be great but I would not buy one new. It would have to be an amazing deal and I would make the space have to work around it.

I didnt intend to make a big fuss with this thread, just hoping to see if there was a reason to jump up to a Jet, PM, Laguna, etc over the grizzly. I saw one user really really liked his Jet unit.

Chris,

I posted earlier today regarding Laguna and how amazing the unit is. While mine is the 6", the 8" is pretty much the same concept just bigger! You won't be disappointed in Laguna. I looked at PM and Jet in person, Grizzly and Laguna only online. I made the choice to go Laguna after seeing the fit/finish on a few of their bandsaws at a Woodcraft store. After using the machine for 2 years, the only thing i'd have done different is go 8". PM and Jet were also great machines and I would bet the Grizzly is also. I remember now why I dropped Grizzly from my list, the table was 10" shorther than the Laguna.

I know I am not helping you make your choice , but most people wouldn't really have much 'bad' to say about Jet, PM or Laguna. The true issue with Grizzly is they have a big mix of machines to try and meet various price points. Some of them may not be as good, however you are looking at one of the higher priced 8" models, which I would take a guess is going to be a better quality machine than the lower priced models. BTW - I have since purchased a Laguna band saw.

[Tim Cardinal]

Mat is right, I picked up an 8 in General jointer for $500..It runs smooth, I need to fix up the base but that's easy. Might even add a helical head for $600.
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Man, $2k for an 8” jointer. My $.02, if you have even a little mechanical ability, try to find a used jointer for less than half that. Jointers don’t have many things to go wrong.

And unless you have money to spend, a helical head in a jointer doesn’t make a lot of sense. That jointed board will be planed, so if you’re going to helical route the planer is much more important.

Where are you located?

But... shiny new toys can be fun, I get it. I prefer dirty old toys that I can fix it up and save money.

[Andrew Hughes]

I searched high and low for over a year to find a 12 inch jointer that would meet my expectations.
Out here on the west coast were flush with 6 and 8s.
Dont put a bryd or any carbide insert head in a jointer.

[Andrew More]

FWIW, I would not expect an 8" jointer for cheap to show up anytime soon on Craiglist in the Ohio/Indian/Kentucky area. I've looked for years and not seen anything, though lots of 4" and 6" jointers, mostly rusted out old craftman. Lucked into an old 8" HF warrior which I bought for $200. (Dude was in from out of town cleaning out his father's shop, and I was there for the bandsaw) I held it for a year or and was happy enough with it, though the fence was terrible. I also managed to chip the knives about 3 boards after carefully sharpening and setting the blades. After that I swore to buy a decent jointer with a helixal head, and could see putting the money into the old Warrior.

Put it on Craigslist for $500 and my inbox overflowed.

Very happy with the G0490x, worth every penny.

[Chapel Eastland]

Dont put a bryd or any carbide insert head in a jointer.

Care to elaborate on your statement?

[Andrew Hughes]

Sure
I didn’t like the feed pressure from the way inserts cut
Cleaning up the inserts after pitch from Douglas fir was a disaster
Edges were not glue ready and needed to hand planed.

Just so you know I do have a pm 15hh but the surface is no way as nice as my straight knife jointer.

[Andrew Hughes]

This is the real test for any jointer.
How long of a maple or white wood board can your machine joint.
Making a invisible joint in lite color wood is not easy.
This board is 10ft long and jointed back together right down the middle with M2 hss.
Any small gaps will be obvious to even the most Casual observer.

[Chapel Eastland]

Sure
I didn’t like the feed pressure from the way inserts cut
Cleaning up the inserts after pitch from Douglas fir was a disaster
Edges were not glue ready and needed to hand planed.

Just so you know I do have a pm 15hh but the surface is no way as nice as my straight knife jointer.

#1 is subjective. Different "feel" values for different people.

#2 Woods, particularly conifers, can lead to pitch deposits as sometimes occurs on bandsaw blades. But that's the cost of doing business depending on wood choices.

#3 Other people would disagree and have found helical cutters to be the equal, if not superior, to knives on leaving edges "glue ready."

Your test is valid for you, but may not apply to other's ways of working or their criteria for a successful jointer head.

Thanks for your reply as you have demonstrated a valid response from your perceptions.

[Allan Speers]

Man, $2k for an 8” jointer. My $.02, if you have even a little mechanical ability, try to find a used jointer for less than half that. Jointers don’t have many things to go wrong.

And unless you have money to spend, a helical head in a jointer doesn’t make a lot of sense. That jointed board will be planed, so if you’re going to helical route the planer is much more important.

I agree about the helical head, but with 2 caveats:

1: If you work a lot with highly figured wood...

2: If your DC system is marginal, a Shelix can help because the chips are much smaller & so easier to pull through the ducting.


Well, and 3: If you work a LOT, the Shelix will more than pay for itself at some point.

[Gary Petersen]

I bought the Grizzly G0858 about six months ago and love it. Assembly was minimal and manageable by myself. The tables were flat and true out of the crate. The tables and fence are both quite solid. The unit is movable, but quite heavy. The longer tables make it much easier to joint longer boards. The spiral cutter head does, in fact, reduce noise tremendously. I had a concern before buying the unit about being able to adjust the cut depth with just the lever, but that's not been an issue at all. It offers very good control. Delivery was quick, too. I had mine in my shop within ten days of placing the order. I highly recommend it.

[Tom Dixon]

My first jointer was an 8" Griz. I had it for about 4 years but I quickly realized in the first year that I really needed to go wider. The opportunity arrived when I moved from MN to TN a few years back. I sold most of my stationary tools since I knew it would be a while before I could set up a new shop. When I finally built my new shop 3 years later my first purchase was a Grizzly G0609X. I couldn't be happier with going wider and the 609 is a solid machine. I know it is half again more expensive than the G0858 but well worth the investment if you can swing it.