additional thoughts on jointer

[CC]

Ok, so I buy the cheaper Craftsman jointer I will be buying rough cut lumber and will want to face joint one side of it before planning Will there be much difference between the Craftsman and the Jet for doing this, Not counting the longer base of the Jet. I want what ever I buy to be able to do the job I want. I know you get what you pay for, but sometimes we buy more than we need too. At my age, 62, I am not going to be doing this as production, but something I want to enjoy and not get frustrated with either. That's happened with some more economic tools I've used. cc

[Phisherman]

I would prefer to buy a quality used jointer than a new cheap one for the same price. Long heavy iron in/out tables and solid fence are features to look for. Dust collection not so important for jointers. Check local newspapers and Craigslist.

[Leon]

Simply put the longer the beds are on a jointer, the longer the board you can straighten or flatten. Typically you can pretty and successfully mill a board in the 4'-5' length range with a 6"-8" jointer.

[Leon]

One more thought on this subject. IMHO standard length stock, 8' and longer is too long to easily successfully mill on a 6"-8" jointer. IMHO these sized jointers work better on "scrap" sized pieces of stock or stock that is cut to approximate shorter finish length prior to jointing. Personally I don't like to use the jointer in the middle of a project or after cutting stock to approximate required length. I want to prep all of my stock prior to cutting the wood to length.

[Larry Blanchard]

OTOH, if an otherwise nice board is bowed, cutting it into 2 or 3 parts before face jointing it saves a lot of wood :-).

[PDQ]

In issue 168 (Feb/Mar 2006) of WOOD there is a comparison of various 8" = jointers.

Why buy: 1. Face joint rough cut lumber in common widths for furniture or = cabinets. 2. Longer stock. Roughly 1.5 times length of bed about 9 ' = compared to 6' 3. Less motor strain. It may be too much if 1. You have a small shop. Usually about 6' long and up to 2' deep = plus another 6 to 7 feet of infeed and outfeed room. Makes for a wall = about 20 feet long. 2. Cost.

The upshot of all this is: 1. Wood Mag Best Buy is Powermatic 60B at $1,200. 2. Best cost effective buy is Grizzly G0586 at $655.

What I come out of this with is: 1. If you have the room and can afford it, buy the 8". 2. If cost is a factor, buy a used 8". 3. If you do not have the room, buy a 6"

P D Q

[Ed Edelenbos]

After reading some of the advice so far, think through what you are going to build and what the longest piece you will *normally* need to handle will be. For me, anything I'm going to *usually* make which will require jointing is going to be no more than about 6' long. My 6" jointer is all I've needed for a bunch of years. And, it's all I can see needing for a lot more. Don't gauge what you need on someone else's requirements. As someone else alluded to, sometimes we buy a lot more than what we need.

Ed

[Leon]

Absolutely correct!

[CC]

Thanks again everyone, I don't anticipate doing anything longer than 6' and don't have the room for an 8" jointer. Most of what I do will probably be in the shorter sizes, maybe once in a while something longer, but it may work out for that using roller stands. I think the smaller jointer will work for what I mostly will be doing. I have a new Craftsman hybrid saw with a 50" table that takes up a lot of room on a mobile base and this will have to have one too. I have a 1 1/2 car garage as my shop area so everything needs to be able to move around. CC

[John Grossbohlin]

I don't know Leon... I've got a Delta DJ-20 8" jointer and I've run 12' stock over it successfully... did a couple dozen pieces that long one day. Granted it takes muscle to keep proper pressure exerted on the stock as it passes over the knives, but it comes out straight if I do my part. Roller stands would probably help... and a stock feeder would be wonderful.

I should probably note that most of the time I'm working with stock 8' or less in length, particularly after bands awing pieces from rough cut stock. I frequently forgo the jointer and thickness planner and use hand planes on stock 2' and under.

I think there is some "rule" floating around out there about being able to joint boards twice the length of your tables or some such thing...

John

[John Grossbohlin]

The only thing I'd add to that is how wide is the stock you usually use? I've used a bunch of 8" wide white oak lately... it "just" fit on my 8" jointer for face jointing as the rough cut edges wandered a bit. I'd really like to have a 12" jointer. ;~)

John

...ever notice how from the side jointers resemble boats (sail boat hull, or perhaps a ship such as an aircraft carrier)? There is that unending quest for a bigger boat... I mean jointer. ;~)

[B A R R Y]

My DJ-20 does well with 8' stock, but longer than that is a pain.

It depends on what I'm building.

For critically visible furniture parts, I like to choose more carefully. Sometimes, I even bandsaw the stock diagonally to "straighten the grain." Even though I _can_ joint longer stock, I find precutting to rough length saves wood and makes for faster prep. This also allows working around grain reversals on the species that come from shorter trees.

For trim or hidden furniture parts, I'm with you all the way. If I need many long parts, I just buy 7/8" s4s, letting my favorite dealer use his huge machines. I'll then joint a face & edge, and finish with the drum sander.

Since I'm usually less concerned with a true _jointed_ board for trim, I'll usually smooth out the dealer's work with the planer and drum sander. That stock will never see my jointer.

I do my precutting with a 6" 18V cordless DeWalt circular saw and a crayon.

[Doug Winterburn]

You can face joint up to 9 or 10" wide stock on a 6" jointer. Remove the guard and joint a 6" wide flat part, kind of like a 6" wide shallow rabbet. Place the flattened 6" wide jointed part on a 6" wide piece of ply at least as long as your board and run it through your planer, flattening the other side. Now run the jointed side up through your planer and flatten/thickness the board.

[MikeWhy]

Thanks. I'll give that a try. I have some 8" and 11" stuff that I despaired of truing up properly.

[Ed Edelenbos]

I have had the difference between "want" and "need" explained more than once. Luckily one member of my household has intelligence. So far, my 6" planer hasn't kept me from doing something I wanted to do. I really want to get a 12" thickness planer. (Note word usage there... "want".)

Ed

[John Grossbohlin]

I'd heard of that process before and it has merit... particularly if there is a lot of face jointing to do. In my case, on the occasions I work with stock wider than 8" it's usually shorter pieces and small quantities and I use my hand planes. Still, I'd like a 12", or wider, jointer. ;~)

John

[Doug Winterburn]

Yup, me too. But one of those aircraft carriers would be about 2/3 out of my gar^H^H^Hshop door.

[CC]

Now that's good to know, I'll remember it thanks Doug CC

[Steve Turner]

Oh, just like that, huh? You'll just *remember* it. What a show off.

Now where did I put that damn PENCIL!? :-)

[Jack Stein]

You only have ONE pencil???

I have maybe a billion of them, everywhere, under every tool, every hunk of wood, everywhere...