Greenlighted for a new jointer

[Brent Grooms]

And now the headache begins... which one? what size... 8 or 12?

Common sense tells me that going with a 12in is just too big, at the same time... on paper... they aren't that much bigger than most 8in parallelogram models. The biggest problem with the 12in'ers is that they arent easily mobile and my garage/shop isnt big enough for a permanent placement.
Does anyone have any suggestions? At the moment I am leaning tward the G4090x simply so that I wont want to upgrade the head in a year or so.

[Mac Cambra]

I have an 8" and wish I had a 12". Probably would wish for a 16" if I had the 12". I have mine on a mobile base in a garage shop. The 8" can be moved without two much difficulty, however my 20 inch planer is real hard to move by myself, it's about twice the weight of my 8" jointer to put it into perspective. I am no shrinking violet either.

One thing I would strongly recommend is a helical cutter head like the Byrd Shelix. Very happy with the cut qulity and the low maintenance in particular.

[Michael Lutz]

If I were going to upgrade my jointer to a 12" I would seriously consider getting a combo unit such as the one made by Jet or Grizzly.

Mike

[Don Bullock]

If I were going to upgrade my jointer to a 12" I would seriously consider getting a combo unit such as the one made by Jet or Grizzly.

Mike

I agree with Mike, but I'm very happy with my G0490 and my DeWALT 735 planer.

[Justin Bukoski]

Brent, have you thought about a jointer/planer combo? you can get the 12" jointer, free up the space your current planer takes up and even sell the planer to offset the cost.

I've heard good things about the Griz J/P combo and I owned a Griz jointer in the past that I was very happy with. I can tell you though, when I had an 8" jointer I really wished I had a 12" but now that I have a 12" (part of a 5-1 combo machine) I rarely find the need for more than 12"

Let us know what you do!

[Mike Marcade]

I have the same setup as Don, but I don't quite have my G0490 running yet.

[Pat Germain]

Bibb Tool is once again offering free shipping on the Shop Fox W1741. It's an 8" for $886, which is a pretty good deal. I'm very happy with mine. It comes with built-in mobility.

http://www.bibbtool.com/shop-paralle...ase-p-746.html

It shows as currently out of stock, but if you call Bibb Tool, they can tell you when they're expecting their next shipment. They are very nice folks there.

Of course, if a 12" or a combo unit is in your budget, that's also a good way to go.

[Joe Mioux]

Dollar for Dollar, the j/p combo is hard to beat, especially the new Grizzly.

[Mike Marcade]

Bibb Tool is once again offering free shipping on the Shop Fox W1741. It's an 8" for $886, which is a pretty good deal. I'm very happy with mine. It comes with built-in mobility.

http://www.bibbtool.com/shop-paralle...ase-p-746.html

It shows as currently out of stock, but if you call Bibb Tool, they can tell you when they're expecting their next shipment. They are very nice folks there.

Of course, if a 12" or a combo unit is in your budget, that's also a good way to go.

I'm pretty sure the shop fox W1741 is the same unit as the Grizzly G0490. The G0490 is currently $869 with freight included.

[Paul Joynes]

You may be interested in Laguna Tools new Platinum Line of Combo machines.

http://www.lagunatools.com/platinumcombo.htm

The price point of the 10" looks very interesting.

Paul

[Justin Bukoski]

The only thing I would caution about 10" is that if you plan on doing any resawing with a bandsaw you can usually go to about 12" (with a good size saw or riser blocks). Having the extra two inches on the jointer really comes in handy if you ever do resaw a 12" width.

[John Bush]

Just got back from the Griz showroom in Bellingham(picked up a G0531 and a new compressor, actually the BS is too big and heavy to lay on its back in my trailer and I didn't want to drive 1 1/2 hrs on the freeway with 7+ ft. and 700+#s of iron standig up behind me. It will be delivered Wed.)
and had the chance to see the selection of jointers. I have the 0609X on order but almost bought the 8" 0593 because I didn't want to wait any longer. After fondling them I decided to stick with the 12"er. They all look like great machines but the 12" matches my planer and there have been too many times when I really needed the extra width. If you can swing it I would go with the 0609 or 0609X(spiral head ~~$400.00 difference). They had a couple of 10" jointers but the price wasn't that much lower.
A visit to the showroom is quite an experience, but can be a bit spendy!! Good luck shopping.

[Steve Gayle]

I have the Shop Fox 8" and just upgraded my head to the Bryd Spiral. Love it. Easy to set up and the people at Shop Fox were great to deal with. I just bought a 18" bandsaw from Steel City. It is much better than the Delta that I was looking at.

Hope this helps.

[Steve Gayle]

Try getting heavier casters. my 20"planer is not a issut to move or is my 14 x 40 lathe

[David Tiell]

I'm pretty sure the shop fox W1741 is the same unit as the Grizzly G0490. The G0490 is currently $869 with freight included.

But keep in mind the Shop Fox comes with an extra year of warranty (2 vs 1 for the Griz) for that additional $17.