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any advice on a 8" jointer purchase?

Started by hackberry jake, February 25, 2014, 06:52:14 PM

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hackberry jake

I have been selling off some of my less used woodworking equiptment to justify an 8" jointer purchase. Prices range from $900 to $2,200 for new 8" jointers. The 8" parrallelagram jointer from grizzly with the spiral head is around $1,400. It looks like quite the deal but I know most of grizzlys tools come from Taiwan. I really like my general international table saw but general 8" jointers are $2000 without the spiral head. Ill keep my eye open for a good older jointer on craigslist as well. Do you guys have any suggestions?
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

Larry

From what I've seen, the new ones are all pretty much the same bore and stroke.  The Delta DJ-20 is the best I've used but I'm not sure if they are still being made.  Used ones are either beat up or they want your first newborn in trade.  If one were to appear on craigslist at the right price, it would be in my shop in a instant.

I picked up a used Yorkcraft (the old Bridgeport company) for something like $450 a couple of years ago.  It was new condition and had extra blades.  It is the long bed version which I think is a near essential.  Dust collection is poor.  The cutter head speed is slow and will leave ridges if I'm feed too fast.  I could fix both of those problems if I was really interested.  Other than those problems it does what a jointer is supposed to do.

I seldom face joint but edge joint just about every board.  That probably plays into my opinion.
Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

hackberry jake

Quote from: Larry on February 25, 2014, 07:32:10 PM
  If one were to appear on craigslist at the right price, it would be in my shop in a instant.


So thats why I cant find any good deals on cl!
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

t f flippo

Jake,
I bought the 8" Grizzly long bed with the spiral cutter head about two years ago. For the money it's a great machine.
I think there were two 8" long beds (?).I got the longest.78"(?) It is heavy,strong and accurate,when adjusted correctly.
The spiral cutter head is a 'must have' in my opinion. I have several other pieces of Delta/Rockwell equip. and the Grizzly turns the work out just as well,just the machine is not as 'polished'as the Delta stuff. The depth gauge indicator
on the Grizzly is poor quality but it works. Delta used to be great for parts and service but not anymore. Grizzly has been very good on parts and customer service. I've even gotten some  Grizzly parts that were not available from Delta that worked on my Delta equip. For the money,I would not hesitate to buy it again.

tc

caveman

I have a four blade, 8" Grizzly and I have been pleased with it.  I have never used a spiral head cutter but when the knives are sharp on this one, it does a good job.  The only time I had a problem with a Grizzly machine was when a band saw I ordered arrived with a dented cabinet.  They sent me a new cabinet and told me to keep the other.  I like my Grizzly jointer as well or better than the Powermatic 50 and a lot better than the 8" Dayton.  Good luck with your search for a good jointer.
Caveman
Caveman

LeeB

I'll put my word in on the Grizzly also. I have been very happy with mine. Truth be told, they all pretty much come from Taiwan now anyway, just depends on the brand name specs as to the quality.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

hackberry jake

Quote from: LeeB on February 25, 2014, 10:31:48 PM
I'll put my word in on the Grizzly also. I have been very happy with mine. Truth be told, they all pretty much come from Taiwan now anyway, just depends on the brand name specs as to the quality.
Its sad really. I heard somewhere that there isnt a single table saw made in the U.S. anymore. I have a general international saw and thats about as close as american made as you can get (Canada). I dont know if thats true or not so dont take it to the bank.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

WDH

I love my Grizzly 8" jointer with the spiral head.  Does a perfect job, just perfect.  I have used it a lot.  In fact, I have used it a whack  :).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

mesquite buckeye

I have a Rockwell, which I think morphed into delta from probably ca 1970. The beds are fine, but the fence has a slight warp which should probably be remachined, but it works fine if I am careful.

One thing- in the jointer game, I don't think you ever regret getting one too big. Many times I have wished I had a 10 or 12 inch.

I have also had decent results with grizzly equipment, although I have had to do some light touch up grinding on some of them to get the best results. ;D
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

hackberry jake

Do you guys with 8" grizzlys have the model with dovetail ways or the parralellogram model?
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

LeeB

'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

WDH

Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

JohnM

Quote from: Larry on February 25, 2014, 07:32:10 PM
I seldom face joint but edge joint just about every board.  That probably plays into my opinion.
Larry (or anyone else :)), how do you flatten/square the face of your boards than?  Skim plane?  Or I've seen 'planer beds' (for lack of a better term) in Fine Woodworking (I think ???), a board with a bunch of screws in it to adjust the board you're planing.  I've only got a 6" jointer (with a bad outfeed but that's for another post) and would love to find a way to do wider boards.  (Hand plane...I know, I know... :-\)

Sorry to highjack the thread, Hack. :(  I've been eyeballin those grizzly jointers for the better part of a decade now myself. ;D
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

WDH

I flatten boards on the jointer before planing.  On boards that are wider than your jointer, you can take off the cutter guard and flatten the part of the board that will fit the jointer.  Then, attach a piece of plywood to the jointed face equal in width to the jointed face.  You now have a flat guide face to use in the planer.  With this method, you can get a couple of inches more than your jointer cutting width.  This is a method that I have read about, and I am going to try it too. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

LeeB

I had to read that twice for it to sink in. Sounds like a good idea. I wonder how much wider you can go? I suppose if you took off the guard and the fence, and then ran the middle of the board across you could go as wide as your planer will accept.
'98 LT40HDD/Lombardini, Case 580L, Cat D4C, JD 3032 tractor, JD 5410 tractor, Husky 346, 372 and 562XP's. Stihl MS180 and MS361, 1998 and 2006 3/4 Ton 5.9 Cummins 4x4's, 1989 Dodge D100 w/ 318, and a 1966 Chevy C60 w/ dump bed.

jueston


ely

I am lost on the post above, what are you guys referring to as the face of the board,... I have always used my joiner , a six inch, to true up the edge or edges of my dried saw milled boards, I then use my 15 inch planer to plane the two sides of my saw milled boards flat to the desired thickness. what am I missing?

Planman1954

The "face" is the wide area on the board that you are referring to as the "side." Generally, the ends are referred to as the "edge" and the flat area of the board is the "face." That's all!
Norwood Lumbermate 2000 / Solar Dry Kiln /1943 Ford 9n tractor

JohnM

Quote from: ely on February 26, 2014, 08:59:56 AM
I am lost on the post above, what are you guys referring to as the face of the board,... I have always used my joiner , a six inch, to true up the edge or edges of my dried saw milled boards, I then use my 15 inch planer to plane the two sides of my saw milled boards flat to the desired thickness. what am I missing?
Ely, this is the way I was taught to do it.  I find Marc's videos to be very good and pretty funny, corny at times but funny. :)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-ZZ0dhbJYY

If you don't have one face flat before putting it through the planer it won't come out flat and square to the edge.  Not sure we're all using the same terms so maybe some of this is getting lost in translation.  There are many here with far more experience than I that may be able to explain it better than me.
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

Red Good

There are a bunch for sale on craigslist around here , several 8" ones . Also some old cast iron ones that look a pile more sturdy than more modern stuff . Good luck .Red
Stihl 211C saw
Massey 135 deisel tractor with a front loader
Can Am 800 max quad
2001 Chev S10 pick me up
Home made log arch

Ianab

Quote from: Planman1954 on February 26, 2014, 09:35:44 AM
The "face" is the wide area on the board that you are referring to as the "side." Generally, the ends are referred to as the "edge" and the flat area of the board is the "face." That's all!

Depends how flat your board is to start with. If you have a nice straight well behaved piece of wood, and put it though the planer, you get a nice straight piece of wood out. No worries. No need to joint one face first.

But if you have a crazy grain piece that's dried like a banana. If you run that through the planer, banana in, banana out. . In that case you use the jointer to get one face nice and flat, THEN go to the planer and true up the 2nd side to match.

This is why you will often see the advice to saw unstable woods a 1/4" thicker. So you have some spare wood to joint / plane off later.

There are other ways of flattening a board, hand plane, planer sled, router bridge etc. You can still use those on oversize boards, or if you don't have a jointer, but a proper jointer is usually the fastest and most convenient.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

21incher

I am glad you started this topic as I am considering a 8" Grizzly jointer in the future. I was wondering if the Grizzly spiral cutter head Leaves a perfectly flat edge like a knife does or are there steps due to the tolerances of the individual cutters and their mounting. Also does anyone know if there are any differences in the cut quality between the Shelix and the Grizzly heads.
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

Larry

Years ago when Grizzly first came out with there spiral head my buddy bought a planer with the head.  My planer had the Byrd Shellix head.  We ran test boards through each machine.  No detectable difference.  The only question left was which insert lasted the longest.  That went to my Byrd head but not a big margin.  Since than I think Grizzly changed insert suppliers.

If I were buying new, based on performance, I would get which ever was cheapest.

On the face jointing issue I'll give an example of how I work.  Project for discussion will be cabinets.  When I look at the rough boards the ones that have dried flat will be my door panels, and drawer fronts.  If they didn't warp from green to dry there not going to warp during seasonal changes.  No need to face joint already flat boards. 

Next down is boards with cup.  I can run these through the planer cup up.  Take light cuts and most of the cup will plane out.  If I still too much cup I can rip for a narrow piece.  I'll use these boards about any place.  A lot will go to cabinet ends and possibly door rails/stiles. 

Next is the bowed boards.  It's hard to get bow out of a 8' or longer 4 quarter board on the jointer.  I'll use these boards for my face frame.  I can pull the bow out against the carcase during glue up so I don't face joint these either.

Last is twisted boards.  They are used for bracing that won't be seen.  Maybe I can use some for toe kicks.  And they really make good kindling.

One defect unique to band sawn lumber is wavy boards.  After shooting the sawyer (that hurts) I think the only way to get that defect is with a jointer.

Larry, making useful and beautiful things out of the most environmental friendly material on the planet.

We need to insure our customers understand the importance of our craft.

WDH

After shooting a couple of Sawyers, you won't have to worry about bad boards anymore because you will be in Prison  :).
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

hackberry jake

I think I am leaning towards getting the 8" grizzly with dovetail ways and straight knives for now and once the knives start getting dull I will upgrade to the spiral head. Its actually cheaper that route.
https://www.facebook.com/TripleTreeWoodworks

EZ Boardwalk Jr. With 20hp Honda, 25' of track, and homemade setworks. 32x18 sawshed. 24x40 insulated shop. 30hp kubota with fel. 1978 Massey ferguson 230.

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