8" jointer

[Leo Graywacz]

Hi George,

Not sure where you are located, butI did see a 16" on craigslist for I think $400. It was in CT, I do remember it was too big for my shop, and it was $400. Plus I am in Boston.

Boy I could use that. I have the Delta DJ 20, an 8" and it works really nice (now). I really need a 12", but I could live with a 16"

[David Kumm]

Don't rule out a 12". There are good used bargains out there. Five years ago the 12" seemed like a hot size but not so much now so there are choices. It is a nice upgrade for an extra 4" of floor space. Dave

[Gene Waara]

I started with a '50's era CM that was my dad's. I made due with it for years but started looking for an 8" a couple of years ago. You are correct, good affordable ones are few and far between. My patience paid off, however, and I bought a very lightly used and well maintained 8" Grizzly for a very fair price. If you don't have an immediate need, keep looking and a good 8" will turn up. I am strictly a hobbyist and while a Byrd head would be nice I simply cannot justify the cost. A sharp straight blade works well for me. Good luck.

[Kevin Guarnotta]

Well Andy, I did as you suggested. The Reliant was only 20 minutes from my house. I picked it up yesterday, and hope to clean it up a bit, and put it on a mobile stand this week, and add a dust collection chute. I think the money & time was a small enough investment, and I should be able to recoup a good bit of it when I sell it. The 490X sounds like a great machine, but I think I can hold off on that for a bit, and meanwhile learn what I like and don't like about a jointer-by actually using one.

Mort how do you run 12" stock through a 6" jointer? I've seen one method whereby you can run a 12" board through a 6" jointer, then take that edge, put it on a flat board through a 12" planer, and then you effectively joint a 12" piece of lumber. Just wondering how you do it?

[Al Currano]

I just purchased an 8" Delta DJ-20 that is about 9 years old for $700 that was lightly used and in almost perfect condition. The current DJ-20 is almost identical and sells for around $2000 new. You can probably get an older one for even less if you take your time and are patient. I'm replacing my trusty old Powermatic Model 50 6" jointer, which I purchased new about 40 years ago. That is going to my son who is upgrading from a cheapo junk 6" jointer he doesn't even want to use anymore it is so bad. I love the PM, but to me 8" is the sweet spot for the work I want to do, and so I finally decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to 8". Would've like to stay with PM, but I couldn't find a good used one to fit my budget. Used PM 60B's and 60C's are selling for $1000 and up around here - so I went with the Delta, which looks to be a nice machine and has gotten good reviews from others on this forum. I especially like the long (76") table of the DJ-20. Should have upgraded to 8" years ago, and I recommend you consider going with an 8" from the outset, unless the budget is really tight, in which case you can start with a good 6" and upgrade later. Of course Grizzly and others have good 8" machines as well.

The width of the jointer doesn't have to match the width of the lumber you are using. I may have a 10" or wider rough board I will be using in a project, but chances are good that none of the pieces I end up with after machining will be that wide. Most will be ripped down to narrower widths, in some cases to be glued up again into wider panels, alternating the grain to minimize across-the grain warpage of the panel. Unless you have quartersawn lumber it is generally not advisable to use a board that wide asis in the finished piece because of the high probability of serious warpage over time.

Therefore given that you will usually be ripping the wider boards before using them in the finished product, you won't want to joint them before ripping them. Otherwise you may lose significant wood thickness and spend a lot more time and effort jointing to get the face flat, as the cupping and wind will be much greater (in absolute terms) over a wider board than over a narrower piece ripped from the same board. Of course if the rough board is almost perfectly flat to begin with that may not be an issue, but in my experience that is almost never the case.

[Jeff Duncan]

OK I'm late to the party since you already bought...but I'll throw out a couple thoughts anyway.

First off you 'can' joint boards wider than the jointer....I just wouldn't recommend it. It requires removing the guard and being comfortable with operating the machine. As a new user I just don't think it's a great idea....just my opinion though so.....?

Second I think the insert heads are nice, but certainly not necessary and probably just a bit over sold. I also think the cost savings are overstated. Someone using the jointer several times over a weekend is probably not going to need to sharpen the knives for several years. Unless you hit something in the wood that shouldn't be there, or work with a lot of hard exotics, your knives should last quite a while. For reference I use my 16" jointer daily on mostly domestic hardwoods and can go over a year between sharpening the knives. My 8" jointer sees far less use and I'm on the same set of knives I bought the machine with several years ago. Not to say if you have the expendable income that it's not a nice little upgrade, just that it's far from a necessity.

So now you have a machine, and the best way to learn about it is to use it. Make sure everything is in correct alignment and then run some boards over it. Over time you'll learn what you like and dislike about it and you'll be much better able to choose your next machine should you ever get to the point you want to upgrade. And if you do decide to upgrade the best advice I can give is to be patient. Most of my shop is used equipment and the best deals are the ones that come along when your not actively looking.....something to do with Murphy

good luck,
JeffD