Jointer Opinions wanted

[Chris M Cook]

I'm in the market for a jointer and am really struggling. I have a garage workshop so space is limited. I don't currently have 220V access so I am considering a few different 6" jointers. I am considering the Ridgid JP6010, the Grizzly GO814, GO814X, GO452Z as well as the Jet JJ-6HHDX and JJ-6CSDX. Obviously the price-point of the Ridgid is very appealing, but I also want a quality machine that is going to last, without having to take out a 2nd mortgage.
I've searched high and low in my area for a decent used one, but for what people are asking and considering the shape and age of what I'm finding, I think I would be better off buying new.
I'm not a huge fan of the straight knife models, but instead of replacing that with a helical head, I might be better off putting the helical head in my planer.
I would appreciate any thoughts, opinions, experiences. Thanks!

[Marc Fenneuff]

I’m a fan of old iron but you have to be willing to refurbish parts, deal with motor / power compatibility, etc. It also requires patience and luck. Buy new if you want to just start making chips.

I’m refurbishing a 1977 Delta/Rockwell 8” jointer right now and I’ll be in for about $900 before going to a shelix head. I’ll have worked on it part-time for 4-6 weeks before it’s ready to use. But I also could have just bought a belt, put new knives in and got to work.

[Thomas McCurnin]

A small 120v 6" Jointer may only have about 20" before the blade and another 18" or so after the blade. Setting Jointer knives, making the two sides co-planar, and practicing technique are all challenges. My jointer goes unused except for rough straightening projects. I use my lumber supplier or a Stanley No. 7.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have a little 6x36 Craftsman jointer that I got for $50 on Craigslist several years ago and it has been worth every penny. I use it to joint one surface (the face of the neck) flat on each banjo or guitar I build, and occasionally I use it when I'm making a small tabletop or the like and need to make a straight edge on some boards. Buying a new 6" jointer would be a bit more money than the machine would be worth for my uses, but yours may be different.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I'll add that I built a router table fence a couple years ago with a "jointing face" (another woodstore.net plan) that I have used a couple times. But this year I also started learning how to hone plane irons and use hand planes, like Tom mentioned above. There are several ways you can scratch this itch.

[Ben Helmich]

Get the longest bed that you can, unless you only make little stuff. If buying new, you might reconsider an 8”. FAS comes in 6-8” widths. It would be easier for me if it was an 8”. Mine is not very long. 40 something inches. It’s a jet 6”. I don’t like it much. But it was cheap and I’m blessed to be able to have a jointer at all.

[Chris M Cook]

I don't have access to 220V for an 8" planer. Most of the tables for the ones I'm looking at are between 55-57". An 8" would also pose a problem in terms of room.

[Andrew Hughes]

Woodworking as a hobby is expensive. There just no way around it.

[Chris M Cook]

Truth! My wife says I'm the president of the "Adopt a tool program: Giving tools a good home."

[Lisa Starr]

Are you sure you want a jointer? I've done without for 15 or more years and am just now awaiting delivery on a 12" model. It is time consuming, but the process of "jointing" with other tools is doable.
My method is:
1. Cut 1 edge straight with track saw or circular saw and straight edge.
2. Plane 1 face flat with planer sled.
3. Plane 2nd face.
4. Rip 2nd edge on Table Saw.

Not trying to discourage you from purchasing a jointer, but just letting you know you it is possible to do without when it makes sense.

[Scott Bernstein]

I had a Grizzly 6" 120V jointer with parallelogram tables and helical head. It worked as advertised...and as a new woodworker, I found that size machine approachable and not intimidating. The 6" was just fine for edge jointing, but I really wanted to face joint wider pieces than the machine could handle. So I quickly outgrew it. I would use various alternative techniques for face jointing wider pieces, such as router sled, planer sleds, hand planes, etc... All these worked, sort of, but took a lot of time and effort. And the result was OK but far from perfect. I eventually sold the Grizzly and upgraded to a very large Euro-style combo machine. For the amount of capacity in the machine (16") it takes up little shop space and works amazing. They are unfortunately mucho expensive, but still cheaper than separate machines. My advice is to first experiment with some of these other techniques, to see if they work for you. If you've tried hand planes and don't get satisfactory results, for example, then it might be worth it to get the 6" jointer. But I think you might invest in the small jointer and quickly find that the capacity is very limiting. Consider waiting a few more months to save for a larger machine (an 8") and upgrade your electrical situation to handle 220v. If you have enough room for a floor standing 6" jointer I bet you can fit an 8". Two more inches of capacity doesn't sound like much, but I think for most projects those extra two inches of capacity make all the difference.

[Alex Zeller]

It's a shame that so many brands feel the need to over power 8" jointers. My powermatic 8" with a Byrd head is only 2hp. I've yet to need more. When it comes to 6" you often see 1hp motors in them. That tells me that it would be possible to build an 8" with a 120v 1.75hp motor. Of the Grizzly's I would go with the G0452Z unless you like to set knives. My plan was to go with a straight knife model since it's rare that the jointer is the last step before hand sanding but ended up with a slightly used machine that came with the Byrd head and a mobile base.

I've never seen the Jet so I can't comment on the quick set knife system. I'm sure you've heard all the arguments for a helical head, it's quieter, it's easy to change carbide inserts, it also works better with hard to plane wood. If money is a little tight I think I would be looking at the JJ-6CSDX or the G0452Z. I would probably go with the Jet simply because of the longer tables.

For years I didn't have a jointer but once I got one I found that I had been finding ways around not having one were suddenly gone along with the extra time it would take me. My shop is small so I roll things around as needed. Often I will not roll my jointer near the large dust collector. Instead I'll use a small 1hp portable one. It seams to handle the jointer just fine and unless I'm dealing with a lot o wood the small bag doesn't fill up that fast.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

While it's not the popular position here, I contend that a 6" jointer is just fine for 99% of what most of us do. Think about it, making furniture? It's edge jointing, and the stock is rough cut to length before jointing so you don't need really long tables. Buy S3S lumber and let them do a really good job surface jointing with their super expensive machines, you just worry about sanding or hand planing.

The least used tool in my shop is a planer, and I've been doing this extensively for a long time. If I'm not processing rough lumber, I don't need a face jointer. The reason I don't process rough lumber is primarily the cost. I have a nice 16" jointer planer, but the time it takes to mill my own has never costed me less (even figuring no machine cost) than buying it processed S3S from my lumber supplier. They use a Weinig machine that does a superb job, far better than what my little Felder can do. I also have to handle less chips. I just focus on edge jointing accurately, and a 6" machine will do that fine. I personally have a little DJ-15 that has longer tables than most 6" machines. It's a nice little jointer and I recommend it. Don't waste your $ on a helical edge jointer, it's completely unnecessary.

[Myles Moran]

I'd agree with Lisa's assessment. Unless you're rough cutting a lot of pieces before milling, the majority of graded lumber will be between 6" and 8" wide. 6" is a usual minimum to make grade (or so I'm told, I'm not an expert on grading at all) and 8" and wider will generally have an upcharge in purchase price at the sawmill. That really sells the sweet spot of 8" jointers, and in the time I've had mine I've only bought one single board that was too wide (and I rough cut it to width before milling it). Most of the rest of what I have run through mine wouldn't fit on a 6", but I also could be working with very different material or a very different work flow than you have.

[Scott Bernstein]

As I hobby person, I tend to buy lumber far in advance of any project. Sometimes I'll pick up some wood that just looks good and not for any project in particular. I store it stickered in the basement until I use it, which may be days or years. Before I had a large jointer, I bought my wood pre-surfaced as Steve R described. I found that after a few weeks in storage the wood was no longer flat, and had to plane it and/or joint it anyway. This took time and sometimes required more loss of final thickness that I would have wanted. So...now I mill all my own lumber and buy only rough-cut stock. I do the milling just before I actually use it. This works out better for me.

I think Steve's workflow is much more efficient if you are a business, moving large amounts of lumber quickly, or if you are a hobbiest and purchase surfaced stock to be used promptly.