[OP]
Contributor
I am outfitting a new shop and i wish to purchase a 12 " jointer . The only ones i can afford are Grizzly models. Does anyone out there own one of these ? What are your user opinions, are you satisfied? I've looked at combo machines but availability is very far out, and not sure i would like switching back and forth. Appreciate your input in advance ...thanks
Last edited by Jordan Lane; 10-08-2020 at 10:42 AM.
I am a happy G0490X owner. I'm sure a 12" owner will chime in, there are plenty of them. I believe all the 12" machines are parallelogram beds so no worries there. That was number one on my list as I never wanted to shim dovetail ways on a jointer again. Number two is an insert head; I was sick of swapping out knives as well. I'm not sure of the fundamental format differences between the 0834 and the 9860 machines but, the 9860 is a bit shy of a full 12" and has a smaller fence. A long tall fence was on eo fmy top three requirements when I went shopping. They are easily compared by clicking on the 'comparison' tab from the product page.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Member
I had a g0490 and replaced it with a 16" newman #60. The 0490 was ok. Certainly not great as it drifted out of adjustment more than I cared for. For the price I paid for the used newman (it was plug and play) I could just buy a new g0490.
Member
Good combo machines are a bargain compared to equivalent, separate planers and jointers. They share one motor, one starter, one carbide cutter head, and if needed, one mobile base. Most have one dust port.
For small shops, you can't beat the shop space efficiency either (the infeed/outfeed shop space is also shared).
But you do have to change over between jointing and planing. That takes less than a minute on my A3-41 (16").
I would stay away from the style of combo J/P machines sold by Grizzly. They use angled ways to adjust infeed/outfeed tables, that require them to be lifted separately for planing, after the jointer fence is removed (and stored somewhere else while you are planing). Most other brands use parallel eccentrics to adjust jointer table height, which allows the tables to remain parallel and lifted together, with the jointer fence still attached (it may need to move toward the middle or front of some machines, prior to lifting the tables).
Assuming you cross-cut, rip and dado on your table saw, to avoid changing setups, you have to plan your work accordingly. It is no different with a combo planer/jointer.
Don't get me wrong; if I had both the money and the shop space, I would prefer equivalent separates.
-- Andy - Arlington TX
Contributor
The problem with combo machines is you give up table space. Getting the extra width is nice and if you never use long boards then it doesn't matter but for others it does. A 12" combo machine (which would be about the same price range) would mean almost 15" of outfeed table you are giving up. If shop space means it has to happen then so be it. My friends who come over (with 6" jointers) who see my Powermatic 8" that's almost 7' long the aircraft carrier. But once they use it they immediately wish they could put one in their shop.
Moderator
That's true, Alex. But I think a lot of folks over-estimate the number of times that they need to process "long stock". Some folks do that automatically when their project can work well (or even better) by rough cutting down to shorter lengths. This is all a workflow thing. I use a J/P combo and other than occasionally skip surfacing something long to "seez whatz Iz gotz", I rarely have components to flatten and thickness that are over 60" or so.
To be fair, there absolutely folks with projects that often use longer material and they obviously should have equipment appropriate for the task.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
Better off with a used, quality machine.Originally Posted by Jordan Lane
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
Contributor
Wonder what a northfield costs
http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/jointers/heavy.htm
Contributor
From their online pricelist:
Last edited by Jim Becker; 10-08-2020 at 8:16 PM. Reason: fixed quote tagging
Contributor
Absolutely. When you drop down to a 12" combo machine you get roughly a 27" outfeed table. That's starting to get pretty small. However there's lots of people using a bench top jointer with smaller beds who have ways around their limitations. Like most in life, compromise is what we all have to do. Do I give up floor space or do I give up table length. I'm personally not a huge fan of the 4 post planers (even though I have one) and would probably buy something like the Hammer A3-41 to replace it and keep my jointer if my wish list for new equipment wasn't so long.
Moderator
I forget the actual bed length of my FS-350 (350mm/13.68" wide) J/P but it's reasonably generous. When I have that unusual situation that I have to do something "long", I rig up auxiliary support.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
Just saw this on market
https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/i...Anull%7D%22%7D
Contributor
It looks like Public Surplus site has stuff in PA and VA. Worth keeping an eye on if you aren't in a hurry. It's a good auction site.
Member
I think it really depends on what type of work you plan on doing and how flexible you want the machine to be. I had a Delta DJ-20 (8”) for years and liked it in general but felt like it was too small / short for some of the work that I found myself doing fairly often. When a nice, used Oliver 166 12” jointer came along locally for what turned out to be a fantastic price, I had to go for it and I’ve never looked back. I’m spoiled by the tables, but I could never be happy with a smaller / shorter machine with the variation of work that I do. I can’t imagine being satisfied with an outfeed table that was only 27” long.
Still waters run deep.
Contributor
I have had a 609x for about 13 years. Carbide inserts. No regrets.
MK
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