8 in. jointer reviews?

[Casey]

Hi, any resources for opinions on 8" jointers? I'm interested in Bridgewood and Powermatic right now. TIA, Casey

[TWS]

I have the Grizzly G0500 and I really like it. It has plenty of power, is solidly build, and with 75 inch table length and 4 cutter heads (22,000 CPM) I don't think you can beat it's $795 price. Grizzly delivered to my door in less than a week.

I've done 8 inch wide curly cherry and hard maple with very nice results.

TWS

[DJ Delorie]

The G0543 is also a great value. Smooth running, quiet, HYOOGE table, clean cuts. Picked it up at the depot (big trucks can't get up my driveway), took four of us to carry it into the basement.

[Jeremy]

I've been eyeing that jointer. Do you think that the spiral carbide cutterhead is worth the extra $400?

Seems to me like it would be as on nearly every other powertool carbide teeth/bits have taken over.

[DJ Delorie]

Yes. Mostly because of the smoothness of the cutting process. On wide pieces, instead of a really fast bang-bang-bang you get more of a whoosh. Plus, sharpening a jointer knife is either (1) expensive or (2) time consuming (sometimes both). Rotating or replacing a carbide cutter is much faster.

Your best bet is to find someone in your area who has a spiral cutter (on any jointer) and try it out.

[BlueEnamel]

General makes a quality 8" as well. They make a very nice 12" if you have the cash/space.... The biggest difference, besides the extra 4" is the extra length of the bed. Definitely helps when milling 8' boards.

You can still establish a reference face on boards over 8" on an 8" jointer. The technique is called "surfing." You have to be a bit careful, but it can be done.

-- Blue