I am going to buy a Jointer, but which one is up to you...

[Tim Morton]

I know its been "done to death", and I know what you all will say, but i need to think this through a little and it helps to do it outloud. I am going to buy a jointer with my annual christmas bonus money and I want to buy a little more jointer than i will need, but not more than i'll ever use. I don't think i need an 8" jointer for what I will use it for. besides, i don't know that I could even carry an 8" jointer down into my basement. I started out thinking I would get the 6" grizzly z series that is on sale for $325...then i started thinking about a longer bed...that brought me to the general 80-100L which is on sale for $529. Or is it a MUST to go for an 8" er and if so which one? I want to build a dining room table with this to jusitfy the purchase, and then it will get used on various projects after that. I REALLY think a 6" will be fine, especially if i get a longer bed. I'm not a hard core woood worker like you guys..but I also like to buy things once and be happy with it for a long time. Thanks for taking time to once again recommend a jointer purchase.

[John Weber]

Tim,

I think Powermatic has a sweet long bed 6" jointer, it may share castings with the General? I really like an 8", if you plan to face joint at all. I know guys have had luck with some of the cheaper imported 8" machines, and they are not that much more then the long bed General Intl you are looking at. My fav is the Delta DJ-20 8", but I'm also keen on the Oliver 10", and anything over 12". Getting it in your basement shouldn't be a problem, I would say 2/3 guys could handle it, or you could make a slide and likely handle it yourself.

Go for an 8", it's only money...

Take Care - John

[Jeremy Bracey]

I have a six inch jet and I like it. I got a great deal on it and it was the most I could afford, that said, were now spending your money so... I would go at least 8" and as long as possible.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

You'd be surprised how often a board will be 7" wide. I'd get the 8" and be done with it. The Grizzly 1018 (short bed, 3 knives) is a fine machine. I think the 'long bed' is essentially the same machine, but with extenders on the infeed and outfeed tables.

KC

[Mike Tempel]

I have the Powermatic 54A long bed 6" jointer and love it. Had I known then what I know now an 8" would have been in serious contention. Definitely get one with the long bed. An 8" will most likely be the last one you ever buy so if you can afford it go for an 8". As mentioned before a lot of wood will be over 6" wide so keep that in mind or you will be trimming to just under 6" like I have to so I can face joint it.

[sascha gast]

i used to have a jet 6" and it was a great machine, but i finally gave up on it's limits and got the oliver 10" jointer. what a great jointer. worth every penny.

sascha

[Tim Morton]

Thats what i thought you would all say...so NOONE thinks a 6" is ok for a home hobbiest huh?

[Frank Pellow]

Tim, I started off thinking that a 6" jointer would be good enough, but folks on this forum have convinced me that I need at buy (at least) an 8" jointer. I plan to buy one early in 2005 and it will probably be the Delta X5 DJ20.

[Mike Johnson - Chicago]

Tim,

I have a 6" Delta. Would it be nice to have an 8" (or better yet a 12"or 16") SURE WOULD!

But when you question "what is good enough for a hobbiest", it really comes down to your usage/workstyle.

Like I said, I'd love to have larger, but both shop space and my pocket book have kept me from it. Yet, having a 6" has not kept me from completing my projects!

In general, I find the number of boards over 6" to not be a problem. Table tops and door panels are about the only usage for big boards...for me. And I've found plenty of ways to deal with them.

I guess what I'm getting at is that what someone wants isn't always a need. And since you asked a group of "enthusiast", I'd be shocked if you get many that would reccomend a "starter" size...meaning as a lot of folks get more and more into their woodworking, they do upgrade to a larger size at some point.

Ask your self: "do I have the interest, time, space and money?" If they are all yes's, go for it (DJ20)! If you ahve any No's, then pick up a decent 6" and save the money for other things (wood, other tools, etc ).

Regards,
M.J.

P.S. The cry once rule has actually turned out true for me in most instances...meaning if money is the only "no" answer, find a way to get past it and you'll be happier in the long run.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Tim,
Think about this: It IS possible to "joint" and 8" board on a 6" machine, provided you have a thickness planer. Run the board onthe jointer, and using double sided tape, adhere a piece of MDF to the jointed side, so that it laps up to the extra 2" width of the board. Now, with teh MDF adhered side down, run it through the thickness planer to get the non-jointed side flat. Flip the board over, and work the previously jointed side to get the remaining 2" as flat as the 6" you jointed.

It really does work.

Maurice

[Frank Pellow]

Tim,
Think about this: It IS possible to "joint" and 8" board on a 6" machine, provided you have a thickness planer. Run the board onthe jointer, and using double sided tape, adhere a piece of MDF to the jointed side, so that it laps up to the extra 2" width of the board. Now, with teh MDF adhered side down, run it through the thickness planer to get that side flat. Flip the board over, and work the previously jointed side to get the remaining 2" as flat as the 6" you jointed.

It really does work.

Maurice

Thanks for the tip Maurice. I do plan to use 12" boards for several future projects and I was wondering how I to handle them on my (yet to be acquired) 8" jointer. I have saved this tip for future reference.

[Bob Hovde]

The question shouldn't be "Do you plan to GET boards wider than 6in?" but "Do you plan to USE boards wider than 6in?" When I had access to large jointers and planers, I left them as large as possible until fully prepared - and then ended up cutting most of them down to 3-4in widths, even when making up panels.

Bob

[Mark Singer]

I would get the Delta DJ 20 again, witout question....it has a long infeed table ...stays in perfect alignment without adjusting...Anything smaller is limited for furniture work. The levers are great. I don't know anyone that owns one that doesn't really like it. They hold their value very well.

[Jay Knoll]

Maurice is correct, you can joint wider boards on a 6" jointer -- what he neglected to mention is that you have to take off the blade guard to do it. So, if you're not bothered with this potential safety issue his method works.

Maurice --I'd be interested in your technique if you can do it without a guard on -- I don't know how and as the owner of a 6" jointer (but lusting after an 8" ) I'd love to know how you do it.

Jay

[Tom Sontag]

I consider myself a fairly serious enthusiast and just bought my first power jointer (maybe 5 years into this). For the early years, I simply made do with a hand plane and a planer - flatten one side enough to send it through the planer. I know lots of people get by with jointers smaller than their planer, but I for one never understood the logic.

I love my 13+" j/p and I know it is way more than you are thinking about. But since you confessed that you like to do things right the first time (and that is why you KNOW the answer here), get the 8" or none at all. Edge jointing by hand is a useful and easy skill - the real time saver of a power jointer is face jointing, and 6" just isn't good enough IMO.