When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
I can't comment on recent Grizzly or Powermatic machines, but in general I'd recommend getting as much machine (size, quality, etc.) as your budget and floor space will accommodate. Within reason.
Certainly check out the used market if possible.
Have you tried a high-angle jack, or a scraper plane? The latter (with a sharp blade of course) should deal with just about anything and not give tear-out. For cleaning glue-ups, I recommend the LV scraper plane with the A2 blade. You can then also get a toothed blade for it, which is great for veneer prep and also for pre-planing really tough grain. I just wish they'd offer a scraping blade in their new PM-V11 metal, as glue-ups really dull an edge. Maybe the V11 is too prone to chipping, I dunno.
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LV also makes an insert you can use to convert any Stanley-type plane. not nearly as good, but for occasional use it's probably fine:
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/pag...=1,310&p=32635
- If you can find a dirt cheap #6 on Ebay, with no blade or chipbreaker, then add one of these for an low-cost and very workable solution. - But buy an extra blade, and get very good at sharpening & burnishing.
Last edited by Allan Speers; 06-15-2015 at 4:04 PM.
I have an older Grizzly G0490X jointer made prior to the improvements on the current model (closed chute, serpentine belts). I later purchased a Grizzly G0453Z planer. Both have been trouble-free workhorses so my opinion is tainted.
Back in the day Powermatic was the "gold standard"; Delta used to be synonymous with high quality as well. For current equipment I can find as many rants or praises for any of the various paint colors including the European names.
I have Delta, Jet, Saw Stop, Grizzly and others in my shop so I am quite color blind. I go for the best bang for the buck and in the jointer, planer (and arguably bandsaw) arena Grizzly is the top dog right now IMHO.
This paradigm will probably shift again as time and change march inexorably forward. Look to owners comments and reviews. I particularly weight owner reviews from owners who have multiple brands in current use.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
When the sales rep tells you the Powermatic is better than the Grizzly ask why .. If you go helical, the PM uses a Byrd head. The Grizzly may use a Taiwanese helical head. The cutters however are probably both made by Tigra in Germany .. I had a General 20" Helical head planer, I actually changed to 30 degree angled indexible cutters .. If your really curious, take a look at the schematics for both machines and compare. See for your self the difference in design.
Alan - I was just saying I could not have multi-board glue ups and shove them through a wide planer, because the the materials I typically use. 90+% of my glue joints require only a card scraper to get right with the Lord of Glue Joints.
I got the LV scraper plane; I got other toys that can handle the reversing grain also
When I started woodworking, I didn't know squat. I have progressed in 30 years - now I do know squat.
Well there you go !
I have a Sawstop PCS, a Delta DJ-20 jointer (with Byrd head), a King 15" thickness planer (with Byrd head), a Craftex dust collector and a King single drum sander in my shop.
Aside from the Sawstop which is a beautiful saw and bought for the safety feature, the other tools were bought used. I did not pay attention to the brand as the machines are, in my mind at least, the same as their more expensive or cheaper cousins of another brand.
Case in point, my KC-385FX is part for part the same machine as my friend's General 30-125CE and also the Craftex (Basically Grizzly for Canada) CX15 which is on display at the local Busy Bee store (OK, the switches and hand wheels are different).
If I lived in the US and was buying new tools all over again I would either buy all Grizzly or really increase my budget and look at the Euro machines (SCM, Mini Max, Felder, Hammer). The Grizzly value proposition is hard to resist.
I hope I used the right term for that type of multi-ribbed belt. The older machines with standard v-belts made a loud bang via belt-slap during startup and sometimes a rattle during wind-down. This made the machine sound like a rattle-trap and generated quite a bit of (seemingly endless) discussion on the boards. The fix was to change to a link belt and elevate the belt cover to allow more clearance. Very simple but, why should the consumer have to do this, right? The design fix was a change of belt/pulleys which is stated to remove the 'problem'.
Last edited by glenn bradley; 06-16-2015 at 8:24 AM.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler