Parallelogram Jointers - Suck - Yes/NO ?

Question

Hey, I am ready to get rid of my old, vintage 80's, first years jointer. It's had been a goodin' Looking at the new Parallelogram table systems, Delta has one, Grizzley has one, a bunch of folks do. These seem inherenently more controllable and adjustable than the old dovetail gibs. Question is are they? Does anyone know the down side of these. They appear cheaper than the dovetail slides.

After about 6 years my Grizzley outfeed table warped. I guess the casting just finally aged. I took and had a machine shop mill it flat while on the base, that was the only way I could get it cut right anymore. I could never get it fixed adjusting the gibs. I am hoping a parallelogram type will be easier to compensate for age.

tom · Accepted Answer

Your Grizzly should be good for awhile now. Yours has aged. How muchdid it cost you to have it milled? Lazy Tom

Frank Boettcher · Answer

Yes. The upside is that the infeed table stays close to the cutterhead when adjusting more cut. It rotates around the cutterhead rather than sliding away from it. Additionally, the eccentric adjusters let you lock in a precise adjustment to coplaner without relying on machining and gibs. And the cutting adjustment is very quick.

However, you will only be able to improve coplaner if you have a warped casting, not eliminate the effect of the warp.

Not sure there is a downside.

Frank

Does anyone know the down side of these. They appear

Onorbit · Answer

Tom, I think it cost me like $75.00,but the guy kept it two weeks. It turned out ok, you could see where the mill got a little chatter going on the end of the outfeed table. I'm looking primarily to get a bigger one, the Parallelograms are in my price range.

Onorbit · Answer

You sold me Frank. I think I am going to give them a go. You wanta buy if it don't work out :-)

Frank Boettcher · Answer

Already have a DJ-15.  Like it very much.  But if you don't like itthere is usually a market for them, especially the DJ-15, and '20Frank

tom · Answer

Seems like a good price. I'm dealing with a semi-restored 8 inch Taiwanese and would like to do just that. And Frank almost sold me. Milled while on the base, huh? Was that the machine shops' or your decision, and why? Tom

Parallelogram Jointers - Suck - Yes/NO ?

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