Ridgid JP0610 jointer - initial review

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I recently purcahsed the Ridgid jointer @ HD, since it had been repeatedly marked down and a jointer is something I've been missing.

I tossed around the 6" or 8" issue, and when I looked at what I actually use for lumber, I decided the 6" should suit me for a while. I have a planer sled I can use if I ever need to handle a larger board. I really don't even have rooom for this one (but I'll make it work), so a larger one would have been more of a problem.

Besides - I have a brother that sold his identical jointer a while back and really regrets it, so I know if I want to upgrade he'll most likely buy this one off me .


Packaging: The jointer was fairly well packed in styrofoam - many parts in an upper foam section that easily lifted out; the bottom part had the CI body, the fence, and motor. Unfortunately, what looked to be a minor crush of the cardboard box on one end had similair minor crushing on the tops of the metal stand pieces. I found this after I had managed to get it down into the basement, and I almost just packed it all up again - almost. It was very little deformation, and I managed to hammer it back into shape with a rubber mallet. Not perfect, but more than good enough it turns out. I did a quick check of the other important parts, and there wasn't a scratch on anything else. The small parts (nuts, bolts, screws, etc) were all well organized in a blister pack - reminded me of the Sawstop approach. Sure beats the heck of the plastic bag of parts I've had to deal with from other manufacturers.

Assembly: The stand took a little extra persuading to line up the bolt holes, because of my hammer work, but once assembled it was as good as it had to be. Bolting the stand to the CI body (flipped upside down on some 4x4's) was easy, although one bolt had to be inserted from inside the dust chute - not easy, but not a terrible impediment. The motor was then attached - it's heavy, but manageable. I took some advice I read here and made sure the pullys were coplanar before fully tightening the stand/body bolts. Once flipped back over, the fence went on easily and the assorted knobs/screws were attached. I opted to tighten the belt after flipping it upright so that the weight of the motor tensioned the belt. The belt seemed OK, but I do think I'll be upgrading it soon (see vibration, below).

I used threaded (4") casters instead of the rubber feet that came with the unit, since I really need it to be mobile in my small shop. This was a mistake - the unit ended up being very tipsy, depending on which direction the casters were pointing. I took them off and replaced the rubber feet (for safety) and will be building a mobile base for it.

The infeed and outfeed tables appeard to be very well aligned, and were perfectly polished. No mars or burrs. I only have a 12" straight edge, but as best I could see, everything seemed to be very flat and aligned.

Initial run:
Much quieter than I expected. The wife will like that, since most of my work is done after the kids go to bed There was some vibration in the stand - could be the belt, although when I held the belt cover down, it seemed to go away. Could also be because I didn't do any leveling of the feet (casters) to get proper support. Ran some scraps through - first jointing the edge, then the face. The cutting was very smooth running, but I took too much off at first, so I had to dial it way back. This is my first time using a jointer, so I'm sure I'll have to learn. Edge looked amazing; the face came out great but with a tad bit of snipe on the trailing edge. I thought it was technique, so I tried a few times and it got a little better. I think the outfeed table is a tad too low, so that when the trailing edge of the piece leaves the infeed table it "drops" onto the cutter and makes a little snipe. It could also be that one of the kniives is set too high. I will check it out and adjust it tonight.

Overall - I think it's easily worth the price. It will definitely suit me for quite a while; it's quiet and smooth running (I am assuming the vibration issue will be easily fixed); and once I have it on a mobile base, it'll be a great usable addition to my shop. I'm sure I'll need to put a pre-separator on my DC so it doesn't fill so quickly, but that's just another thing I'll have to put on my 'list'

[Steve Peterson]

Thanks for the review.

I have the same unit and am impressed with the quality. I sometimes wish I had an 8" unit, but the Ridgid is a great unit for the price if you catch a sale.

I don't have any issues with snipe. I didn't need to do anything to align the blades or outfeed table. Maybe I just got lucky.

Steve

[Chris Brault]

John, congrats on your jointer. I had that jointer at one time also and can say mine didn't come dead on, by any means. So your right, you'll have to take a look at your outfeed height, knife height, etc. I just wanted to tell you I have a jet long bed 6", (54"i think) and I fiddled with that thing quite awhile before I got it honed in. I've got mine set to take very little, like a 32nd, and it has worked excellent for me. I had alot of people tell me i was making a big mistake buying a 6" jointer, and i dont regret it one bit. A guy wrote on here one night (about 6"), the only problem with a 6" is more pieces to glue up. He hit the nail on the head, in my opinion, because it doesn't bother me any. I know how i am, and if i had an 8",,,,,, i'd want a 12. I'm completely happy with my 6". Most, not all, of the clear material I work with is in the 4,5,6 range anyways-

[Neil Brooks]

Got one.

Love it.

Mine DID come dead on.

You also reminded me about that blister pack. The ENTIRE industry should adopt that method: all parts present. All parts separated. All parts labeled.

Just ran about 30bf of QSWO through it, and ... just smiled when I did

I have the 2HP HF DC. Between that, the Wynn cartridge filter, and a 30gal trash can with a Woodcraft cyclone lid, I do NOT get 100% chip extraction.

Small price to pay.

I also cobbed together a mobile tool base, for mine, in about 30 minutes. Functional, but ... MAN ... it is NOT pretty

Great unit for the price. Downside? Makes you less likely to upgrade

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I think I have one blade that is a touch higher than the others, so I'll reseat that one and give it a whirl.