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Thread: Combo Machine Question

  1. #1
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    Combo Machine Question

    I'm thinking of getting a combo machine (Planer/Jointer) and have been following the threads about it. My price range puts me with the Grizzly GO634XP 12" Planer/Jointer W/Sprial cutter head. Right now I have a 13" Delta benchtop planer and an old 6" Jet Jointer. Will I notice a night and day difference with the combo machine vs. what I have now? Thanks for any input, Sean

  2. #2
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    What differences you are talking about? I don't think there are night and day differences in any aspect (I have a combo J/P) but if you can be a bit more specific you may get more specific answers.

  3. #3
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    In a word, yes. I replaced a Grizzly 6" jointer and 13" Ridgid planer with the Jet 12" combo with spiral head (JJP-12HH), and it's been awesome. Having a 12" jointer is really nice, and the spiral head is even better. I have never regretted the purchase.

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    Quote Originally Posted by mreza Salav View Post
    What differences you are talking about? I don't think there are night and day differences in any aspect (I have a combo J/P) but if you can be a bit more specific you may get more specific answers.
    One difference I know for sure will be using up less space, that's a positive. Will it cut cleaner than blades? Is it easier to adjust and keep adjusted? Mine are ok for what they are but an upgrade would be nice. Does the size help with planing/jointing boards?

  5. #5
    I think you will notice a major difference. I have a Baileigh JP-1250, which is very similar to the Grizzly. Having a 12 inch jointer is great and with the spiral cutter head it does a very good job. One of the big differences, with the spiral head, is the noise reduction. You wont believe how quiet it is compared to your lunchbox planner. I have been very happy with mine and the time required for changing over is not a big deal to me. It takes a little more planning to keep the change overs to a minimum, you want to do all the jointing you can and then change the machine to planning mode. You get used to it quickly enough and I have limited space so the space saving was a big factor in going to a combo machine.
    Earl

  6. #6
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    I replaced a Delta 13 planer and a 6in powermatic jointer with a 12in hammer j/p with a carbide head. Big improvements are:
    (some of these are assuming you get the carbide head)

    1) carbide head j/p are quiet. The 13in delta screams bloody murder.
    2) 12 in jointer is huge. 6in jointer is very limiting in what you can face joint.
    3) being able to joint and plane the same size board.
    4) carbide heads last a long long time, so no knife adjustment or replacement.
    5) j/p are very space efficient, not much more than 6in jointer.
    6) cut quality of carbide heads are really good, especially on figured wood.

    The downside is having to switch between jointer and planer mode. Takes about a minute on my machine.
    Last edited by Mark Carlson; 09-05-2014 at 5:44 PM.

  7. #7
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    I had a 13" Delta lunch box planer and 6" Delta jointer and upgraded to that Grizzly. From a type of machine perspective definitely a huge improvement especially from jointer size increase and quiter planer (hated that Delta lunchbox for noise alone). However, the Grizzly, while a decent machine, is made for a price point. I ended up upgrading to a Minimax combo that is in another league in terms of quality. So, if you have other Grizzly machines and know what you may get yourself into (i.e., needing to work on your machine, I did multiple times) then with that set of expectations you may like it. If not go for a euro machine, Hammer, Minimax, Felder, etc...

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bas Pluim View Post
    In a word, yes. I replaced a Grizzly 6" jointer and 13" Ridgid planer with the Jet 12" combo with spiral head (JJP-12HH), and it's been awesome. Having a 12" jointer is really nice, and the spiral head is even better. I have never regretted the purchase.
    +1 I love having a 12" jointer/planer (Jet) and the spiral head definitely makes it quieter, not to mention making blade changing easier and cheaper. I went with the Jet based on reviews on changeover time--it takes me less than a minute to switch between jointing and planing, including disconnecting/connecting the dust collector hose.

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    2 questions. Does the 3hp Jet vs. 5 hp Grizzly make much difference? How are spiral cutter heads on figured woods? Thanks, Sean

  10. #10
    I also have questions. What is the price of the Hammer? Have heard of their silent power helical cutterhead, supposed to run with less hp than the others. What does MM have for a helical cutterhead, and how much does it run?

  11. #11
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    Spiral heads shine on figured woods and give a finish more comparable to high end industrial straight knife machines. As to HP requirements. it is somewhat dependent on the spiral design. Most require more power than a straight knife but not all designs require the same so some knowledge from the manufacturer would help. As to the jointer planer combo, keep in mind that the table changeover is the weak point of the machine. some people use them with no problems, some have problems getting the tables to return to the same spot. The better the machine, the less of an issue, but even the high end machines can be finicky. Do your homework and read some forum info ( Felder and Minimax ). Even if you don't buy their machines, the knowledge is useful. Dave

  12. #12
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    Thanks all for the info. I'll look into the forums as mentioned also. Thank you, Sean

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sean Troy View Post
    2 questions. Does the 3hp Jet vs. 5 hp Grizzly make much difference? How are spiral cutter heads on figured woods? Thanks, Sean
    I can't comment on the Grizz, but the Jet has plenty of poo for my needs (up to 1/16" removal on ~11" hard maple). As for figured wood, I can get more tear out with a well-tuned plane if I'm not careful than with the helical head.

  14. #14
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    I have a minimax FS-350 J/P (had a 6" jointer and a lunchbox planer). The extra width of the jointer (and planer) is a significant plus to me.
    The change over is not bad but it is there. Also, I have added a digital readout so that in case you need an extra board of the same thickness you can get it after you have changed over to jointer mode. The space saving is a plus. The quality of cut from a lunch box planer can be better especiallly if you are taking a little bit (very light pass) vs with a stationary you need to take a minimum in each pass. Mine has TERSA knives (quick change) which again is a big plus. I can't compare it to segmented knife systems of others.

  15. #15
    Yes - you will notice a huge difference.

    Other people here have written about noise and space - but there's another difference that may be equally important to you: precision. I looked closely at a bunch of 10" combos and found that the Hammer (in the below absurdly too expensive classes) was easily the best engineered and easiest to use. The grizzly G0690 came in second - it's harder to change over and by default uses knives, but it's half the price- at least in Canada- and very close in accuracy so, for low volume users, by far the better deal.

    "Precision" may be a bit of a misnomer - what I mean is first that a cut of X depth is of X depth rather than just close to it (and, similarly, that right angles
    are right angles) and second that a setting made today will still be right tomorrow. With the hammer I rather got the impression you could drop it off a truck and have it keep right on working - and the grizzly too, although that would have to be low boy but that's not true of others I looked at, so make sure you don't get a nice cast iron top with beer can grade aluminum veniers and plastic bushings underneath.

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