What size jointer do you have?

[ken masoumi]

I know this question often comes up to whether to buy a 6" jointer or go bigger( 8") ?most members who have already upgraded to 8" jointers will chime in and recommend not to waste money on a 6" jointer .
I wonder how many of us 6" jointer owners are out there that are quite happy with the size and have no intention of upgrading but shy away from recommending this size knowing or assuming most members will disagree and think 6" is way too small .

[John Lanciani]

First one in, none of the above. You may want to add a line or two to the survey, I know I'm not the only creeker with a 16" jointer and I believe that there are a few even bigger swimming around here.

[Phil Thien]

I had an 8-5/8" Inca jointer, and sold it. Huge mistake.

I now have a 6" benchtop Ryobi with universal motor. It actually isn't terrible. This is from when Ryobi stuff was made in Japan. In fact, the design is pretty impressive.

I have purchased a 12" jointer head (still not here) and I plan on trying to make a 12" jointer. I expect it to be a miserable failure! It has been over a couple of weeks and the jointer head is still stuck in transit. Of course, Mercury is entering retrograde, so...

Right now I use a planer sled for boards wider than 6" that I don't want to rip/joint/plane/glue.

When a single, wide board isn't critical, I rip boards in half on a table saw straight rip jig, then joint them.

If someone has the wherewithal to get an 8" (instead of 6") I'd encourage them to do so.

Using the planer sled isn't the end of the world, and I get great results, but it is SLOW going.

Or get one of those big 10" or 12" jointer/planer combination machines, those look awesome, too.

[Steve Schoene]

Me too. I have a 16" jointer (actually a jointer/planer combo). It replaced an 8".

[Phil Thien]

16" jointers everywhere. Wow.

[Keith Hankins]

I had a horrible 6" jointer from delta that i gave to my brother. I could have had the 8" with spiral cutterhead or the 12" parallel beds for with 4 HSS knives. I went the bigger is better and don't regret it. Cut's fine, and there has been so many times when that extra 4" came in handy. Don't miss having the spiral. For the money only thing I'd do different is go get a big old american made battleship of a jointer for less rather than the griz, but it has served me well

[Robert Boyd]

American 24" jointer.

As always bigger is better.

[Tai Fu]

I have a 12" jointer of unknown make. Looks old and the whole thing is cast iron. Weights a ton too. Has parallel beds. Blade seems to tear out wild grains easily so I'm not sure if this means I have to upgrade to spiral. The only trouble is I can't figure out how to sharpen such a long blade. I have taken the blade to a grinder and while it's not precise, it works well.

[Erik Loza]

16" jointers everywhere. Wow.

If my business is any indicator, there definitely should be a "16-inch" choice....

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, I upgraded about 5 years ago to a 12" jointer/plane combo from an 8 inch jointer/14 inch planer.

16" combination machines are also seen in hobby shops...........Rod.

[David Hawxhurst]

sold my 12" combo in favor of a larger 16" combo.

[Phil Thien]

If my business is any indicator, there definitely should be a "16-inch" choice....

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

This thread should be renamed "Jointers - YOLO" ("You Only Live Once" for the acronym challenged).

[Alden Miller]

I have a 10" jointer, not listed as an option to select.

-Alden

[Loren Woirhaye]

I have a 10" INCA right now and it suits the work I do these days. I've owned 4", 6" 8" and a 12" J/P combo. I could work with a 6" machine with not much trouble. I prefer an iron planer with a 220v motor however. I'd rather blow a spare five grand on a wide belt sander than huge jointer or combo.

[Curtis Horswill]

I also have a 16" jointer, it is a Knapp 16" Jointer/Planer combo.