Novice woodworkers, looking for Jointer advice and opionions 8 or 10" Benchtop

[David Feldbaum]

Hi everyone.

Just signed up on this forum where I think I can ask and receive some helpful information. So I am sure everyone has their own opinions and there are quite a few members, so I will try and keep this short.



Getting more into woodworking and its time for a jointer. I have very limited space in my basement and I mean limited. I have decided to go with a bench top for my first jointer. My main goal is to do 8" helical in the garage but that requires 220v and at this time I cant do that. So I have been eyeing the Rikon 8" benchtop for a while now. I like that it comes with a 5 year warranty but it is pricier then other ones on the market with the same width cutting. I then came across Wahuda and they now make a 10" jointer. So really my question is, the 10" complete overkill and would I have major issues trying such wide lumber on a benchtop unit, as opposed to the 8" for more control? Now the 10" is more expensive then the Rikon 8" but less of a warranty. Would love to hear peoples opinions which direction I should go in.

[Joe Jensen]

I am not familiar with those machines. I will offer that for me bed length is more important than width. I built a lot with an 8" wide 60" long PM60 jointer. I did upgrade 10 years ago to a 12" wide SCM but I did to get longer beds. The new one is over 6 ft. If I upgrade ever again it would be to get a longer bed still. That said, I generally don't use super wide wood. I do now have the ability to joint, plane, and resaw 12" material.

[Micah Puscheck]

I'm curious how you could have a 10" cutter with 120V power. Regardless of how long the beds are, you're still theoretically cutting up to 10" of material. Maybe it's a max 1/128" depth of cut

[David Feldbaum]

Thanks for the responses.
You are right. 120v seems sluggish for such a wide use machine. My main problem is just the room. I have to tuck all my machines into corners and pull one out at a time. Just bought the Laguna F1 which arrived today and that will take up most of the room. If I can get a real long bed jointer into my garage then I am all set, but then I have to deal with my electrical issues. Sounds like since I am that much of a novice to try out the 8" machine and see how far i get.

[Bob Riefer]

I am not familiar with those machines. I will offer that for me bed length is more important than width. I built a lot with an 8" wide 60" long PM60 jointer.

+1

I first had a benchtop delta... very difficult to work boards over a couple feet. I made it work, but it was not very enjoyable in my opinion.

Then I had a 6" Ridgid that was maybe 4 feet long end to end... Much better and I built a lot with that, but again it was sometimes difficult even when boards got into the 3-4 foot range (and progressively more trouble as board grew). Plus, 6" width really does limit face jointing significantly compared to even 8".

Presently I have an 8" Delta DJ-20... if I recall, the end to end length is 72 inches, and good results are much easier to obtain reliably. Once in awhile, I'll carefully setup infeed and outfeed support rollers if I'm working on something really long or heavy, but it's rare that this is needed. I do not anticipate upgrading from this machine until the kids go to college and the wife and I move to another property with bigger shop.


If space is a big restriction, there are other ways to joint and plane for the time being. Using a sled with your table saw to joint an edge. A sled to carry boards through your planer. Hand tools of course, but more sweat involved. Etc. Personally, if it was my situation, and I knew I would be graduating to bigger space soon enough, I would hold off on buying a benchtop jointer.

[David Feldbaum]

Thanks Bob. As much as I would love to say lets move the jointer into the garage for more space, realistically I don't have a time frame which means it could be many years down the road. I am in the process of making a sled for my 13" planer so maybe I can go that route, but even then I would have to get some in and out feed rollers to help assist. I know the bench top can go like 51" fence. I was fortunate enough to buy up some awesome wood from a lady who is shutting down her shop, so I was a kid in a candy store buying a lot of rough boards for cherry and oak, but it sure needs to be squared up. From the sound of it 10" is a total waste due to the under sized motor and bench tops all around not good, but I think I have to learn and practice on something and make smaller items first. I dont mind spending 500$ knowing it will only get me so far without buying the deal deal with a 72" or longer fence.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I wouldn't get something new if I intended to upgrade later, as it will be tough to get your money back. If you're willing to be patient and can refurbish something pre-owned, there are used jointers all over CL.

No worries if you'd rather plug in and get to work instead. Time is a precious resource, too.

[Bob Riefer]

Before you buy.. since you have a new table saw already... lookup "table saw edge jointing" and watch a couple of videos. I think you may decide to save the $500 and try these methods for a few weeks/months/years. Worst case scenario, you can buy the benchtop jointer as a second step.

If you're already going down the path of a sled with your planer for facing a board, the edges are the easier task in my opinion.



For planing long items (sled or no sled) you'll need support or a helper. But many projects really don't need tons of long boards, so there will be many instances where you can more easily handle.


All in, it's your money and shop, so spend as you see fit. But consider if you can wait just a little on the benchtop jointer and learn a bit about your workflow first. The money will be spendable later still

[David Feldbaum]

All very helpful tips. Thanks again. I think in my head, I process a long 5 foot rough slab and say ok i need to square it up, but I assume that when your picking lumber for a project to cut it down then jointer/plane or is it the opposite. I took a class on live edge few weeks ago, and basically when it comes to woodworking its mainly trial and error and tons of mistakes made until you learn the right way. But wood is expensive so I would like to try and ask people first.

[Lisa Starr]

If you have a Table Saw and a Planer, just consider forgoing the jointer until you're ready for it in your garage. I made things for 15-20 years without benefit of a jointer. With some jigs, you can accomplish both edge and face jointing via other methods. It might not be as quick, but you can get very good results.

[David Feldbaum]

So I will attempt to make a cheap planer sled this weekend once I get the table saw dialed in. Then fix some small boards I am making coasters with. I still feel like I need a jointer for some of my larger board feet. Hope for the best.

[Brian Deakin]

Tips to consider if you do purchase a jointer

Research the internet /YouTube and read articles to identify how to use the jointer correctly and safely

Never joint a piece of wood you suspect may have a nail or other fixing

[Tom Bender]

Hi David
Space is valuable, don't squander it. My shop is 250 square feet and nothing needs wheels. Like Lisa has done, I work without a jointer. I have 3 planer sleds in different lengths. Even the 8' sled works ok without extended feed tables. It takes practice but I am the feed tables, and rarely get any snipe with my lunchbox machine.

In general, cut to rough length first unless that is less than 16" or so.

Tom

[Curt Harms]

I recommend to anyone space limited to consider a Jointer/Planer combo. I have a 12" Jet JJP-12 that fits in a space 2' X 5'. That gets me a 12" jointer and 12" planer powered by an induction motor. The jointer beds are 55" which I have found to be adequate. Even that size may be too much for David but something to consider.

[Dave VanDewerker]

Like you I am very limited on space and power. I lived without a jointer for a long time and never really felt the need to have one. I bought the 6" Wahuda a while back and like it (probably should have bought the 8"), but for what it is it works well. I very rarely work with long stack as most of my project are small so the short bed works OK. I don't think I would buy the 10" as I doubt it will have enough power, it uses the same motor as both the 6" and 8" models. I seriously look at the Jet JJP-12, but I could just not justify the cost and the hassle/cost to get the power.