User Opinions - Powermatic 54A, Grizzly G0500

[RonB]

I am down to the short threads on purchasing a new 6" to 8" Jointer. I have had the chance to crawl all over a G0500 and like what I see very much. However the Powermatic 54A is on sale at a local shop this weekend and I also looked at one pretty closely this week. While I had pretty much settled on the G0500, the Powermatic is a great looking machine and it's bed length is a real plus.

Prices I am looking at:

Grizzly G0500 with shipping - $853 Powermatic 54A with tax and discounts (avaliable locally) $709

I have seen good things about both, however G0500 reviews are still few and harder to find. Everyone seems to love their 54A.

I am an avid, semi-retied woodworker and expect this to be my last jointer purchase.

How 'bout comments from you users (good, bad, ugly appreciated)?

Thank You in Advance RonB

[RonB]

By the way - I do understand the bed width tradeoffs between 6" and 8". I am most concerned with value and durability.

[D. J. Dorn]

Can only speak about the Griz's little brother, the G1182Z. I like it very much and don't have any regrets at all - the table is flat and square to the support and it runs very smooth. While it may be a mistake to assume, I would say that the larger ones would be of at least the same quality with the larger capacity. At that level, I don't think you can make an error between the two you stated.

Don

[Bob]

Ron,

I don't know if it fits your circumstances, but the PM 54a is part of a promotion by WMHtoolgroup. You get $100 credit toward another large tool purchase or $50 toward accessories. Details are on

See the green tag sale.

I suspect you would be happy with either.

I know you would like the PM 54a. I have one. I view it as my dumbest power tool. I bolted it together out of the box, set the height of the outfeed table, and just started using it. That was 10 months ago. It just does its thing and does it well. I was influenced by my local dealer who has one in his own shop and said he was pleased with Powermatic came out with the model. He said he had sold a lot of 8" jointers to customers that were upgrading from a 6" just to get the added bed length. I really like buying stationary tools from local dealers, rather than mail order. I like the local service and consultation of a local dealer.

By the way, a decently long jointer is one of the most cumbersome tools in the shop. It demands long space to store and even more space to use it. I wish I could fold it up when I shut the shop down at night.

I might get an 8 or 10 inch jointer someday, right after I get my 5 hp table saw, 24" Bandsaw, and the 15" cast iron planer with helical blades.

Bob

[RonB]

Bob: Thanks, very useful input. The $709 price I show in the original message reflects the promotion and a dealers sale discount + tax.

Yeah - I know the big machine is going to be a space hog. I work from the

3rd stall of a 3 car garage and I spent about three days rearranging everything a week ago. Looks pretty good, so now I am going to clobber it all up with a big jointer (on wheels). Oh well, sometimes we just have to suffer. I am, however, looking at a real possibility of having a dedicated space within the next 1-2 years.

I had really settled on the G0500 for the wider table. I do have opportunity to get rough sawn hardwood from time to time and the extra 2" was appealing. When I look at the price and size difference thought + the obvious respect from the 54A users it evens things out. My son in law bought a G0500 this spring but has limited use on it. It is a great looking machine but buying from the front end of a production run isn't always good.

Thank you again

[TWS]

Ron, I have the G0500 and I love it. The four cutter heads are very smooth and it is relatively quiet. The fence is rock solid - I always check it for square after every adjustment, a habit I developed from my previous jointer, and it is always square. I have flattened 8 inch hard maple and cherry on the jointer and it had more than enough power to deal with the load. The infeed height adjustment has some backlash but I always overshoot to a larger thickness than I really want and then tweak it back to the final thickness so I don't consider this a big deal.

I have mine on a mobile base since I have to move it against the wall when it's not in use. I just made some four 22 inch wedges that I jam under the base (2 back to back on each side) after I move it into position so the jointer is rock solid when I use it.

TWS