Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | May 05, 2009 01:06am | #1

   I don't know how much info would transfer to the 10" version, but Tom Hintz did a review of the 12" version on his website <click>. 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
1. 
   Cincinnati | May 05, 2009 04:13am | #2

   The 12 inch is 500+ pounds. This 10" is 90 pounds . It just doesn't look very hefty for a 10" wide cut. My portable planer weighs 93 poundsGreg

   <!---->•••••••

   Exo 35:30-35<!---->

2. 
   gdblake | May 05, 2009 05:38am | #3

   Here is a link to Jet's website with product specs on this Jet 10" jointer/planer.  In looking at the information on the site, the fence is aluminum and looks to have a rather thin adjustment mechanism.  The drive gears as shown in the pictures are plastic.  The machine is marketed toward the small home shop.  The site says this is a new product.  It would be nice to hear from someone that owns one to find out how well they like it.  I have the Jet Proshop hybrid tablesaw and the Jet 1236 lathe.  Both are well made machines that I don't have any real complaints with.  However, I have learned that brand name isn't a guarantee.  All of the tool companies seem to have winners and losers product wise.

   gdblake

   http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?Part=707410&cat=2560693

1. 
   habilis | May 05, 2009 06:12am | #4

   That's the problem; finding people that have used it. Almost impossible to see products others rave about, let alone touch. Test drives only seem possible buying used off Craig's list.Aluminum fence may be ok, if braced well. Couldn't tell about gears being plastic. If so, most probably unacceptable.
   Price is so low for a 10" jointer I get more skeptical than excited. Why are jointers so much more expensive than planers?

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 05, 2009 05:44pm | #5

   Pete.. if you are going to get really serious with this hobby, I would skip this machine and save for something a bit more substantial. I'm not saying it won't work.. simply that if you do get serious it will be one less thing you have to sell at a loss to replace with something more costly. Why not sock the initial investment of this away and save the agony of the loss that many of have en-counted over the years in our progression.

   Plastic drive gears.. weighs under 100 pounds... that should tell you all you really need to know about it so you can move on in your search. A spade is a spade I'm afraid regardless of how it is disquised.

   Good luck with whatever you do...

   Sarge..

   Edited 5/5/2009 10:45 am ET by SARGEgrinder47

1. 
   habilis | May 05, 2009 06:01pm | #6

   Yeah, kinda figured it was heading that way. Everybody says not to get a 6". Price starts to double after that. What constitutes a decent machine that will last and not be a source of frustration?

1. 
   forestgirl | May 05, 2009 07:32pm | #7

   Habilis, used jointers often show up on Craig's List, at least in my area (Seattle).  With the construction industry slow-down, prices are good.  so that''s one place to look.

   Another thing....while it's true that an 8" or larger jointer is ideal, a 6" jointer isn't a "toy" and does the job just fine for thousands of woodworkers.  What kinds of projects do you expect to build?

    forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

2. 
   habilis | May 05, 2009 08:12pm | #8

   Tables, cabinets, chairs, architectural woodwork. Been looking at Craig's list for months in D.C., Md., Va; haven't seen much.

3. 
   forestgirl | May 05, 2009 09:24pm | #9

   That's a drag that you're not seeing 'em on CL.  I've wondered recently if most of the tools had already been sold off, when all those businesses folded last year.

   Have you looked at the Grizzly jointers?  Plenty of owners out there to get feedback from, and prices are quite good.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

4. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 05, 2009 09:27pm | #10

   I would argue not to buy this 10" into the night. I wouldn't argue about you buying a 6" new or used at all. I used one for 31 years before getting an 8". And yes.. the larger the better but... that doesn't mean you can produce with a 6"..  it simply means you narrow down the size of stock you can run. Most lumber yard stock is from 5 1/2" to 8" so.. with a double pass I could get 12" and take the ridge off with a few passes from a hand scraper or one pass from a low angle smoother.

   So... don't be discouraged about a 6" if you can't afford a 8". The same people that tell you go bigger told me to go to 12". I can't afford 12" so that ends the conversation quickly. And BTW.. if you were to get a 6"... definitely start a thread as how to double pass as the guard has to come off for that operation. I will show people how but... I won't tell you how unless I am there to be sure you follow instructions to a Tee.

   Also.. Sunhill makes a 6" with 55" table.. I had one with wheels and sold it after 6 years solid use. It is still churning away up the street. And.. as FG metioned the 8" Grizzly is an excellent jointer.

   Sarge..

   Edited 5/5/2009 2:30 pm ET by SARGEgrinder47

5. 
   habilis | May 05, 2009 11:06pm | #11

   Thanks to you and FG. Now can we narrow down the priorities? 6" vs. 8", parallelogram base?, spiral cutters, etc. Which are the most important?
   I know it will have to be on wheels due to space constraints. Let's say I'm roughly looking at the $500 -$1,000 range. The temptation is for another $100 I get X. Price has to stop somewhere. What will I kick myself for not getting vs. it would be nice.
   Let's say I've figured out what to get and save my $ and get a jointer. Then I need a thicknesser/planer. Is one of those Dewalt lunchbox deals for $450 sufficient?
   Is $1,000 - $1,500 a realistic range to get solid basic equipment?
   Thanks,
   Pete

6. 
   GW52 | May 05, 2009 11:21pm | #12

   Pete,

   If you are looking for a planner look at the Dewalt 735. It has throwaway blades that are a snap to change and does a real nice job for the price. I have had mine for 4 years and love it.

   Greg

7. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | May 05, 2009 11:59pm | #13

   The 8" Griz 0586 is around $800 shipped... the 0593 with spiral is $1039 I believe.. They have another one with built in mobile for a few hundred more. Figure another $100 for a base if the jointer does not have built on. You should really go the the Grizzly web-site and just look at them. Then shop local at say Woodcraft to see what they have to get an idea if you can get it cheaper shipped or local. Remember sales tax local. Or if you are around Seattle.. St. Louus or PA.. you could pick up at the showroom.

   You make the decision on straight knives or spiral. I have used straight knives for 38 years and have no intentions of changing. I have used dove-tailed way jointers that long as opposed to parallegram. Not a lot of difference except if a bed goes out of line which is not likely outside of a commercial setting.

   As far as planers.. the lunch-boxes are fine. DW is good but Makita is also and cheaper. Watch the total price of DW as I think you have to buy the extensions separately. This gives you somewhere to start so go do your homework to decide how you want to go within your budget.

   Sarge..

8. 
   forestgirl | May 06, 2009 06:19am | #14

   The DeWalt 735 (2-speed, 3 knives) would be my choice if I were using quite a bit of figured lumber.  Otherwise, if funding was tight, I'd follow Sarge's advice and get the Makita.  My planer is the 12.5" Delta, but it might not stand up to the heavy use it sounds like you're headed toward. 

   Lots of plans out there for mobile bases, some of them quite clever.  For heavy machinery, I'd follow John White's advice on the type of wheels to use.  If that link doesn't work (it's in the paid-subscription section of FWW.com), you'll find the article in Issue #190.

   Here's the link to one simple mobile base design.  There's another really cool one I've seen, but not finding the link right at the moment.

   http://www.stephensawyer.com/content/Woodworking/MobileBase.htmforestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

9. 
   habilis | May 06, 2009 08:04am | #15

   Forest Girl,
   I like the base jigs. The advise you and Sarge have given is quite helpful. For now I'm working on my hand planing skills and keeping an eye on Craig's list.Thanks again to both of you.Pete

10. 
    forestgirl | May 06, 2009 08:43am | #16

    Best of luck, Pete!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

11. 
    habilis | May 06, 2009 10:15am | #17

    I'm Irish. That's how I survive.

3. 
   BruceS | May 06, 2009 04:10pm | #18

   In my opinion the new jet line is targeted for the "small hobby shop"  and to compete with the big box stores.  They are OK for what they are,  but nothing I would have in my shop.  Like a Yugo it will get you there but not like a BMW would.

   Work Safe,  Count to 10 when your done for the day !!

   Bruce S. 

    

4. 
   Lataxe | May 06, 2009 08:25pm | #19

   H,

   As Sarge mentions,that machine at Amazon is a flimsy thang.  The first "real" planer/thicknesser by Jet available in Blighty is this one:

   http://www.axminster.co.uk/pricing/INC/cid/TUQ6KTL652KUY0JFO5XLP1Z0LRGGDWFU/product-Jet-JPT-260-Planer-Thicknesser-603785.htm

   At £999 its a little more expensive than very similar spec machines from other European manufacturers.  (My 10" 3HP Scheppach costs around £800 for example). I suspect the 10" Jet would be about $1000 in the US, as we always pay over the odds for such things in Blighty or "Rip-Off Britain" as we ruefully call it.

   I can't find this 10" Jet machine at the US Jet site, which seems to have that paper-mache one then a 12" capacity proper one at about $2000; nothing in between.

   There are loads of 10" machines of good build-quality, power and specification available in Europe, for between £500 - £1000 ($750 - $1500).  Cheaper ones tend to be made in the Far East and the more expensive in Germany, Italy or another European country with an engineering/manufacturing tradition.

   Such 10" machines are ideal for most hobby woodworkers as they are only 2" less in capacity than the 12-inchers, which machines might also have 1/2HP more power but usually cost twice as much as a 10".

   Such 10" machines of good quality but relatively low price seem absent from the US market, for reasons I've never understood.

   Lataxe