6 inch Jointer regrets?

[Curt Harms]

If money isn't a big issue but and space plus a really nice jointer is...

Sell your planer and buy this (below link)...

If you do, you might be the first to post a tool gloat on this as it just came out recently.

http://www.tools-plus.com/jet-708475...term=JET708475

Dewey

I and at least one other person on this board have the Jet J/P. I went through this process recently. 8" is better than 6" but sure as shootin' 8" wouldn't be wide enough either. 12" jointers ain't cheap unless you can bang into old iron and have the means to get a heavy jointer where it needs to go. I have a basement shop and a half-ton plus jointer wasn't going down the steps into it. When the Jet jointer/planer became available, the price, size and design rang my chimes.I'm happy with my choice but it ain't all that cheap.

HTH

Curt

[Peter Quinn]

I have an 8" DJ-20 and a 6" general long bed. The 6" does a good job and is very accurate, but it is difficult to explain how much more industrial the 8" weight class is. The 8" is not merely 2" wider, it is hundreds of pounds heavier, the motor draws double the amps, and the beds are longer and far more rugged. Every 8" I have examined is a big jump up from the best 6" I have seen.

I can and have accomplished many things with the 6", so I kept it for special setups, but the 8" is my primary weapon now and I wish I had a 16".

I have also used 12" industrial parallelogram jointers at work and they are a step up from my 8", but not as big a step as the 6" to 8" jump. If you can swing it I'd start at 8", if you can not 6" long bed is not a bad way to go.

[Roger Lance]

Doug...I have a Delta DJ-15 which is the baby brother of the DJ-20 and is a 6" jointer with a relatively long bed of about 56". I bought it maybe 16 - 18 years ago mostly because that was the jointer that Norm Abram was using for an extended period and if it was good enough for Norm it was good enough. Of course Norm moved up to the 8" DJ-20 sometime after and has keep it to this day. I can honestly tell you that I've really not regreted the 6" that much as I've found ways to use a planer to flatten a board up to the width of the planer. But for straightening an edge, the jointer is the tool and the longer the beds the better. Would an 8" be preferable...yes...no question. Except that people with 8"s are talking about getting a 12"...and some people with a 12" are talking about getting something even bigger...etc...etc. I would suggest that you buy a used jointer of the very best reputation...with a long bed...if you have them near you in 6" size so be it. Then I would suggest that you use it and develop your skills on it and gain insight into what you really need or don't need. And if you want to move up...no big deal...sell what you bought to the next guy and move on...if you buy right, you can sell right and there really doesn't have to be much financial loss involved. Life will go on.

[Doug Donnell]

I thank everyone for your insights and advice, most everything is what I expected. Bigger is better, get it if you can.
If I planned to buy new, I think the preponderance of the advice would suggest saving longer and getting an 8". Given that there is a reasonably robust market of pre-owned 6"ers, I may be able to "buy in low" and test my needs with a machine I have limited investment in and could recoup most of my investment in upon a future upgrade. This would not be possible on a new purchase.
Regarding my needs, that is an open issue. My hobby seems to be more my shop than actual wood working (to date). Mostly I am making jigs, building toys for the 3 YO twin boys, cabinets for the shop, home projects, etc. My next big project will be upper and lower cabinets in our walk in pantry, not much risk as its behind closed doors and will be replacing industrial metal shelving.
I haven't really settled on a particular style of woodworking, so I don't know if an 8" or greater is going to be a need or not. I must admit to leaning toward a used 6", shopped patiently, that I can learn on and get out of for most of my investment. I would be far more reluctant to consider this strategy if buying new...
I thank everyone for your comments, please feel free to add more.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I own a couple of 6" Grizzly's, but I don't let that stop me from jointing boards up to 9" wide. First, you have to have the end of knives lined with the rabbeting ledge. You have to replace the stock guard with one that attaches to the fence. Mine is just an "L" made from plywood. On the in feed table, lined up with the rabbeting ledge, I stick down a piece of 1/4" MDF, of hardboard. Lower the in feed table to compensate for MDF / hard board. Joint board till face is flat. This will leave you an area that isn't jointed. Take piece to planer, place a sled of 1/4" MDF, or hard board under area of face that is jointed. Run through planer till second face is parallel to first. Turn piece over, remove sled and run that face through planer. It is harder to explain / visualize than to do.

[J. Z. Guest]

This is a pretty frequent question here. Seems to me it was asked just last week. (did you search on it?)

The folks who've upgraded to larger jointers were unhappy with 6" ones, and those of us with 6" ones are generally happy with them. Wider boards are more apt to cup and twist anyhow...

I like my 6-1/8" Ridgid jointer. It's just big enough to face joint a 6" wide board.

[glenn bradley]

I am among those that wish I had something larger than a 6" and also among those that don't really think that an 8" would give me "that much" more than the 6". If I can ever afford to upgrade, I will go with a 12". I have found that better than 80-85% of the stock I end up working with is 8-10" wide thus the 8' would give me practically nothing.

George

Good point George. Doug, here is a perfect example of that whole "depends what you do" syndrome. A 12" would be great for George, an 8" will work for me (although I would like a 12", hmmmm) and maybe a 6" is fine for someone else. Consider the board widths you usually work with and try to judge from there.

I tend to have the same opinion on Jointers that I do on band saws; the biggest you can stand just before it gets ridiculous ;-)

[Carl Fox]

IMHO 8" is the 'sweet spot' for jointers. It's big enough to do 99.9% of what I plan on doing. They are big, heavy and stable. Yet, they can be moved without major difficultly. If I need to joint a wide board I can either rip it or have a shop do it.

That being said. If I ever get our dream house and my dream workshop I would love to have a massive ancient aircraft carrier. In addition to my 8". YMMV.

[Nancy Laird]

My question to those of you who have or had a 6 inch jointer, do you regret the width? Doug Donnell

Simple answer: no. We do not face-joint our lumber and a 6" jointer is really more than we need -

[Alan Lilly]

For me ... the 8" inch jointer is the sweet spot for those using rough sawn lumber. My 6" jointer worked fine, but I prefer the longer bed and 8" capabilities of the 8" jointer.

The most important thing is to get moving forward... the shop is always undergoing evolution.

[Chris Allen]

I am(was) in the same boat as you. My first jointer, and I couldn't decide between 6" and 8". Normally, I try to buy once, avoid buyers remorse, and avoid upgrades. But given the size and price difference between the 6" and 8", I decided to test the waters with 6". I found a used 6" Jet on craigslist a week ago, and brought it home for $225. I figured at that price, I don't have much to lose. If worse comes to worse, I sell it and upgrade.

[Narayan Nayar]

I'm not of the belief that anyone contemplating a 6" jointer should really start out with an 8" jointer (which is what most woodworking forums would lead one to believe). A 6" jointer is better than a 0" jointer and for many, many people, completely adequate. As Alan Lilly says, the important thing is to have a jointer or some other means to flatten faces and square edges. And you can always upgrade.

Best thing--you can take advantage of the fact that people always upgrade by getting a great used 6" jointer. I just sold my like-new condition 6" long bed Powermatic to some lucky guy in the SF Bay Area and as Chris Allen testifies, these deals are not uncommon.

I'd advise you not to fall into the trap of thinking bigger is always better. You can always get bigger later, but don't underestimate how far you can go with high-quality smaller tools. Some people never outgrow them and produce absolutely stellar professional work.

[Luis Oliveira]

Things to consider.
I currently have a 6" jointer(ridgid).
- Space in your shop - I have to say don't worry so much about space as long as you have space to store it, you can always move it temporarily to a side of your shop and "get the space"
- Can you really afford an 8" if yes go for it, if not wait longer.
- AC do you have 220-240 if yes again go for it, if not wait until you have the money to install 220
-Size of your projects, I think if you are always do projects that are less than 48" long, then 6" is good enough. In my case I build a few cabinets Entertaiment center that were 98x112 and 6" jointer was very frustating and almost un-usable.
- Power do you use hard woods mostly if so 6" jointers are usually 1hp which is OK but you will struggle to joint those boards, and for the price of a 1.5 hp you can by a 8" jointer.
good luck

[Rod Sheridan]

I purchased a 6 inch jointer and have now replaced it with a Hammer A3 31 jointer/planer.

The 12 inch jointer/planer is compact, precise, and well made. It fits well in my townhouse basement shop...Rod.

[JayStPeter]

I don't regret having bought a 6" jointer. What I do regret is having spent too much on a 6" jointer. I should've gone as cheap as possible so I had little investment when I bought the 8". As it was, I mistakenly thought I'd be fine with a 6" and bought old iron and spent considerable time and money replacing parts and upgrading the motor/switch etc.
I only used it for a couple years, then got an 8" and couldn't recover as much of the cash as I could've if I had just gotten it working well. I recommend as inexpensive a used 6" jointer as you can get. Don't bother with the long bed versions or anything else. Just be concerned about getting your money back out of it when you upgrade. If you decide that you're happy with a 6" (doubtful), you can still sell the other one and buy a nicer model later.
IMO, jointers are one place where inexpensive models are pretty darn good. I'm usually for getting the best you can, but in the case of both 6 and 8" jointers the inexpensive ones are darn good. I've used other 8" jointers that cost 3x what my old Grizzly cost. While there are things that are nice about them, I never desire any feature/improvement other than additional width.

Jay