Help Me Pick a Jointer!

[Gary Herrmann]

Can you still get the PM 6" jointer for under 1k? That was my first jointer and I really liked it. Not sure if you can find a helical head below 1k, but I think the PM comes with quick set knives now.

[glenn bradley]

I've started to reply to this several times and my post seemed negative so I didn't submit. I guess that defeats the idea of asking questions if you only get answers you like . I can only say . . . and I speak from the pain and suffering of not listening to the folks on this forum back when I made my decision . . . if you compromise on the jointer you really need, just say hello to your temporary jointer. It will be leaving you soon after you discover you really should have bought "XYZ". It is more expensive to buy twice no matter how much you get for your "first" jointer. I don't mean to sound negative but, my mistake should help someone else keep from doing it again.

The "first" jointer mistake seems to be something that gets repeated way too often. This does not mean that a short 6" jointer isn't the "right" jointer for you. Just try to be sure that it is or . . there will be yet another 6" jointer in the classifieds shortly. I mean this with the best of intentions even thought it sounds grouchy ;-)

[Aaron Berk]

I've started to reply to this several times and my post seemed negative so I didn't submit. I guess that defeats the idea of asking questions if you only get answers you like . I can only say . . . and I speak from the pain and suffering of not listening to the folks on this forum back when I made my decision . . . if you compromise on the jointer you really need, just say hello to your temporary jointer. It will be leaving you soon after you discover you really should have bought "XYZ". It is more expensive to buy twice no matter how much you get for your "first" jointer. I don't mean to sound negative but, my mistake should help someone else keep from doing it again.

The "first" jointer mistake seems to be something that gets repeated way too often. This does not mean that a short 6" jointer isn't the "right" jointer for you. Just try to be sure that it is or . . there will be yet another 6" jointer in the classifieds shortly. I mean this with the best of intentions even thought it sounds grouchy ;-)

I think your on the right track Glenn.
And I was going to tell the guy who claims the long beds are over rated that I'm not buying it.

I got my DJ-20 not for the 8 inch knives, but for the whole package. The longer beds was a MAJOR player in my decision. My old 6" jointer only had a 46" bed. I rarely maxed out the width on the 6, but frequently ran out of length to support longer stock.

If you've got the budget, buy it right the 1st time.

[Michael W. Clark]

I agree that width is more important than bed length, but bed length sure is nice. Glenn is spot-on as well. If you can get an 8", do it. If you can go old arn and get a 16", even better, but would probably be difficult to mobilize for your current setup. If you don't mind a little mechanic work, old iron is pretty nice when well tuned and working properly. Not too much has changed on jointers over the years, so there is not a lot of new technology to buy. I would either go used Delta/Rockwell, PM, Oliver, etc. or go Grizzly new.

I had a benchtop 6", hated it from day one, kept it too long, finally sold it for $100. I hated jointing because I hated using the jointer. I now have an older Rockwell 6" floor model (37-220 I think). The noise is greatly reduced and the longer bed is a night and day improvement over the benchtop. I bought the 6" due to space limitations, and it was only $180. About $20 to rewire, and a little TLC, runs great.

[Rod Sheridan]

It's really tough to beat a combination jointer/planer for a home shop, they are worth spending more than you planned on purchasing.

I replaced a General 8" jointer and General planer with a Hammer A3-31, couldn't be happier.

I wouldn't sacrifice bed lenth for width, and with mine I have two 16" bed extensions that aren't needed for up to 6 foot pieces, after that I find convenient to use the extensions, however they aren't required as I've jointed 90 inch pieces with excellent results.

As Glenn Bradley stated, make sure you don't buy your second last jointer, unless you do plan to replace it later as part of a strategy.

Regards, Rod.

[John Henry Newman]

I concur. I bought a 6" Grizzly Jointer with a Byrd cutterhead and I am now looking to move to an 8". Even though space was a concern for me, I'll make room for a larger jointer somehow.

[Paul McGaha]

Brody,

To me, this is a really important purchase. Because the jointer (and the planer) are one of the most important tools in the shop. Get used on every project. I think you're wise to get at least an 8" jointer so maybe you can avoid the eventual upgrade from a 6" to an 8" jointer like a lot of us have done (me too).

I think a jointer/planer is a good idea as they do take up less floor space. If it were me the first one I'd look at would be the Hammer A3-31 (thanks to Rod). That video of theirs is very compelling.

http://www.felder-group.com/fg-en/vi...mer-a3-31.html

As far as costs go the most bang for the buck seems to be Grizzly if buying new. Picking up a good used jointer or planer is easy enough to do around here but I hear not everywhere.

It sounds to me though that floor space is your biggest problem. I really dont know how you're going to have much (any) room for tools with 2 cars in the garage. Just basing this off my 2 car garage, which will really only hold 1 full size car. I'm lucky in that my wife is ok with the cars outside so I can have the whole garage for my shop. Still, a little under 400 square feet.

Good luck with it.

PHM

[David Hostetler]

To be honest, I am going to go very much against the grain here and tell you. If you are that limited by floor space, you REALLY ought to give some SERIOUS consideration to bench top machines. I own a Sunhill SM-150B 6-1/8" bench top jointer, which is for all intents and purposes the same as the Craftsman bench top cast iron table model. However the Craftsman has a nicer cast iron fence instead of aluminum..

The current Porter Cable bench top jointer seems pretty cheaply done to me, but if you can get an older Delta, or find a Sunhill / Craftsman / Geetech bench top jointer, you will end up with a nice jointer with very little space used....

I have my jointer, planer, bench grinder, and sander all stacked up on a "tool stacker" system where they are mounted on mount boards, and just rest on shelf standards / brackets up the wall. 3' wide x 1.5' deep space used. No big deal. Just drag it down, clamp the mount board to the bench, hook up power and dust collection and get to work...

[Greg Portland]

Well, the time has come that I just can't keep making projects "almost perfect" with slightly bowed lumber.

Space is truly the #1 issue in my case.

My biggest issue with this is that I am SEVERELY space limited.

STOP and consider changing your method of work. When you push wood through a tool, you will require 2X the length of wood + tool size for clearance. If you push the tool through the wood, you will only need 1x. These tools also are smaller and take up less storage. Give this some thought... a lot of folks run out and buy a table saw, jointer, planer, etc. and then they have no room to work in their small garage. As a hobbyist, slower methods can save you space with equivalent results.

[John Piwaron]

This is easy. Get the Delta DJ-20. I've had mine for about 15 years. It's a great machine. It's got an 8" long knife and a 42" long infeed table. The outfeed is 32" long. I keep mine on a roller base since my shop is small and I sometimes need to move things when the parts get long. I'm completely happy with mine.