Contributor
Combo machines are great for space saving and for jointer width. My Jet combo gets me a 12" jointer & 12" belt driven planer in a space 2' X 5'. The entry price may be a bit steep for Jacob though and 240 volts are required in most cases. Jointer width beyond 6" is for face jointing. There are ways to face joint stock wider than 6" on a 6" jointer but doing so frequently is gonna get tiresome. Doing so once in a great while because you mostly use sheet goods might be worth the $ savings.
Member
The only tool purchase I have regretted is buying a 6" jointer vs. an 8". I have a Powermatic 6" with the extended tables, it's a superb jointer and works well, but I really wish I had bought the 8" model. If I was buying now, I would buy a combination machine with a 12" jointer and planer.
[OP]
Member
Thank you for all the feed back. I discussed with my wife last night and we are in agreement to save up for an 8". I will watch craigslist with the Grizzly as a fall back. I already have a planer.
In the mean time how would you joint a board? Hand plane? or a jig for the table saw?
Thank you!
Contributor
If you're just jointing the edge of a board to get it straight, you could do that with a hand plane, a table saw, or a router table.
If you're flattening the (wide) face of a board before running it through your planer, you could use a hand plane or a sled for your planer.
I'm a big fan of power tools, but even a cheap hand plane can do a very good job, even without much effort or experience. If I had to give up one power tool in my shop, I'd probably volunteer to give up my jointer - I could hand plane stock to "close enough", then run it through the planer to clean it up.
[OP]
Member
What do you think of a jig like this?
http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-t...a-jointer.aspx
Moderator
I worked fine with a 6" jointer for several years. People make a big deal about having an 8" one, but I found that I am rarely working with solid stock greater than 6" that required face jointing. The only time I am using wider stock is when I'm making table tops. For that it is not crtitical that the face be jointed; I often just plane each side and true it up after gluing. Now, YOUR mileage may vary on that, if you are making a lot of blanket chests with wide boards that require the boards to be true flat for joinery purposes.
My point is, you are wise to wait. You can edge joint with a router or tablesaw jig. For many projects you can face joint with your planer and a planer sled that prevents the piece from flexing while going through. You can build a plunge router jig and sled to do the same thing.
It's good to work a while with the tools you have to determine what you like to make before you commit to certain tools.
You may also look into jointer/planer combination machines. If you can get used to the minor inconvenience of switch over (meaning get one that makes this as painless as possible) then you can save a lot of space. Further, by upgrading to a superior cutter head, you can get twice the benefit for the price of one. For hobbyists, the decreased longevity of the blades because of dual purpose isn't as much an issue as it is for pros.
Member
"I do NOT have 220V in the garage at the moment. Is this a must for a 8"?"
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I have 220 volt machines but my 8" Powermatic jointer is not one of them. Never had a power problem. I normally take light cuts which may be a factor.
When new to woodworking, I faced the same choice of 6" or 8" and asked a professional furniture maker about the issue. Answer: Definitely get the 8".
Member
Everyone I have asked who owns a 6" jointer said they wished they saved a bit more and bought an 8".
Boy we love to talk about jointers, don't we? I'll just add that I belonged to SMC and was told by everyone NOT to settle for a 6" based on the fact that I was making tables, dressers, hutches and so forth. But nooooooo . . . I was smarter than that . . . I could make it work . . . I sold my 6" jointer about a month after I got it, at a loss, built a planer sled and saved my pennies. I still smile every time I turn my 8" jointer on ;-)Originally Posted by Chip Clark
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Contributor
I have a 1.5 hp Baldor in my 8" Bridgewood and it runs great on 120v, never had a problem with it.
Contributor
Glenn,
You are the only person ever to do that!
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Guest
It's been on there for a while. He had it listed for $5500 at first. My lust has been a bit overwhelming on that. I have a Powergrizzlymatic 54A that would go whipping down the road if I had the free cash available to pick up that Northfield.
Contributor
Yeah, that will work and many folks like them. IMO, they are just too slow to fool with, and they get huge if you need to flatten long stock. Where do you store the thing? And then you are still faced with how to joint the edges straight.
Can you live w/o a jointer? Sure. You can live w/o any power tools. But woodworking for me is a lot more enjoyable because of the ones I have. The jointer and planer take the what is for me drudgery out of stock prep, and give me four square lumber quickly and reliably.
John
Member
The 8's have it.
240V is no big deal - at least, not a deal breaker that would prevent purchasing the machine.
If you don't have enough slots in your panel, use a couple split breakers and this will open up 2 slots.
It shouldn't be more than a couple hundred dollar job by an electrician. You're gonna need it anyway for that 3HP cabinet saw you know you want
Member
All of those jointers should be really nice starter jointers. They all seem on the pricey too... but it has been a while since I have done any jointer shopping.
I spent 25 years with my $149 Horbor Freight 6" jointer and it did every thing I needed it to do... quite well too. I now have my fathers 8" jointer and love it. I find the extra length of the table on the 8" jointer MUCH more useful than the extra width. I have appreciated the extra 2" width a couple times but not that often.
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