I've been thinking about replacing my Northfield 12" jointer with one of similar size but with a helical cutterhead. Any suggestion on where to begin?
[OP]
Contributor
I've been thinking about replacing my Northfield 12" jointer with one of similar size but with a helical cutterhead. Any suggestion on where to begin?
Member
Why not just replace the cutterhead?
Originally Posted by Steve Mathews
Contributor
A lot of good machines were sold with inferior knives . They did that to make sure competitors could not under-sell them. Do you know
what kind of steel is in the machine now ? I would not go to helical without first buying a set of T-1 knives. The good steels leave a
slightly glossy surface , not striations and torn-out pits.
Last edited by Mel Fulks; 03-01-2023 at 11:55 AM.
[OP]
Contributor
A good suggestion but I've reached a point in my life that I'd rather enjoy woodworking in the shop as opposed to working on the machine. Besides the advantages that a helical cutterhead would offer I would like to see an improvement in dust collection.
Contributor
I have a 1953 Northfield 12 inch HD jointer and changing knives was a real pain. I considered switching to a helical cutter head, but the cost was prohibitive. I tried the Dispoz-a-Blade system and couldn't be happier. The quality of the planed surface is at least as good as with a newly sharpened set of conventional knives, if not slightly better. Changing blades is a snap. The cost for the system was also quite reasonable as is the cost for replacement knives.
[OP]
Contributor
I'll check into the T-1 knives. It might be at least an interim solution. I don't recall or know what blades are now installed.
[OP]
Contributor
I met someone with a SCMI 12" jointer and he complained about the fence not being rigid enough. Maybe this is one to avoid?
Contributor
I’ve heard only good reviews for Dispoz-a-Blade, I’m guessing they are made of GOOD steel. But don’t toss them when they’re
dull….make some kitchen knives for your wife !
Contributor
I’m a big fan of Dispoz-A-Blade and been using them for a lot of years. Don’t know the type of steel but it’s very good
Steve Jenkins, McKinney, TX. 469 742-9694
Always use the word "impossible" with extreme caution
Contributor
Not sure what your budget for this is, but I like my Hammer J/P. I have a combi machine, but there is the standalone J/P as well. The 'Silent Power' spiral cutters are very good. IMO, the dust collection to the Oneida DC is good, no real issues there. Good luck with the search.
Contributor
Does Northfield worry about being undersold by the cost of some knives? A 12" Northfield jointer sells for about $20k and, although the design is ancient, the quality of the machining is outstanding. A Shellix cutterhead for that jointer is only about $1650, which is a smaller fraction of the cost of most Shellix upgrades. The 12" Northfield jointer weighs as much as a small elephant so it might be easier to pay someone to install the Shellix (if you don't want to do it yourself) than forklift a replacement 12" jointer into your shop.
Contributor
The lower end Minimax series of the SCMI jointer/planer combo machines have the fences that flex because the fence is mounted at the end of the infeed table with no center support (well, the newer models have a bolt option in the middle that keeps the fence from flexing). These are the FS 30g / FS 30c / FS 41c (as well as most all the Felder jointers). The SCM FS 41e and any model above will have the traditional center mount point with the long geared shaft that sticks out the back. These fences are incredibly solid and stable. The Felder A951L and both Format4 jointers also have a center mount fence, but without the long geared shaft that sticks out.
Steve - I'm hearing that you are coming from a Northfield jointer. Based on the reading I have done, there are two things that are good about this jointer:
1. They don't make cast iron like they used to (old school Northfield has better cast iron than most of today's machinery).
2. Once you have the table alignment setup, it will stay that way pretty much forever (as far as I know).
Somebody may have mentioned jointer/planer combo machines. These are good machines if you are limited on space and also need a relatively wide low cost jointer solution. However, the problem that exists on ALL these jointer/planer combo machines is the tables staying in alignment over time. Some people are not as sensitive to this, but others can be. If you are coming from a Northfield jointer and invest in a jointer/planer combo, you may be disappointed when the alignment goes out after a year. If this is critical to you, then the recommendation is to go for one of the "jointer only" machines like SCM Nova or Class machines, the top end Felder jointers or something like a Powermatic. The Powermatic 12" model 1285, 3HP with helical head is $9k. The SCM and Felder jointers are going to be in the $15-20k+ range.
Last edited by Aaron Inami; 03-01-2023 at 2:43 PM.
Contributor
One more comment - about dust collection. On the Powermatic, dust collection may be cleaner than the Northfield, but it's really not all that great. Being an old school design, the Powermatic dust just falls down into a big vented leaky cabinet with the motor and electrical box (just like their table saws). It just has a dust port on the side so SOME of the dust is extracted. You will still end up with a pile of dust on the bottom that needs to be cleaned out every so often.
The SCM and Felder machines are typically engineered to have a dust hood mounted right underneath the cutter head. This hood feeds directly to the 120mm or 140mm dust port and pretty much sucks all the dust away.
Contributor
The only company offering T1 is Amana. They are getting their knives made in China I have 3 sets. The quality of the steel is very good. The T1 knives I replaced was from Germany. The grind on the back of the Germany made knives were much better then China’s.
One last point I’d like to make is I had to buy 5 sets to get 3 that were matched. Don’t let them slip a set with a thicker knife it will be several grams heavier.
The other knives I have are M2 from America national knives. The grind and quality is excellent.. The knives from America were sharp and ready for work. All weighed the same.
My jointer is also 12 inch 166bd Oliver.
Good Luck
Aj
Member
Steve,
Does the head in your Northfield have jack screws? I run a 16” Northfield and have found that changing the knives isn’t too bad. Jackscrews really make it easy to move the knives.
I’ve used two methods to measure knife settings; first I just used the stick method where you measure how much the stick moves when you roll the cutter head under it, now I use a dial indicator but the results are the same.
I totally understand that you don’t want to work on machines but I bet if you took one deep dive on changing knives you’d become proficient enough that it would no longer be a big deal.
Unless there’s something really wrong with your Northfield you’d have to spend a lot of dough replacing it with something better. I don’t even check my stock after edge jointing anymore, I know it’s gonna be dead 90°.
Is your jointer direct or belt drive?
I have no experience with the Dispoz-a-blade system but that sounds interesting.
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