Jointer/planer combination vs separate
Eireannach
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I am looking to stock my new workshop that will be complete in June, and eventually I need to get a good jointer and planer. I was wondering your experience with the combination machines – I know Grizzly has one & their main warehouse is here in my town. Is it worth it to have to change them up or is it better to have 2 separate machines?
Replies
Having a jointer the same size as the planer is the big advantage. Change-overs are really quick and it will prompt you to think through the milling process better. Space saving is the other issue and blade changing is a one shot deal instead of two machines to change. Combo jointers typically have shorter tables so if you do really long stock it's a bit more of a learning process to do but not impossible by any means.
Everyone has their preference but once you learn one way it's harder to try another way. Folks with seperate machines have a harder time swithing to combo machines.
Consder getting a better head like an insert knife type or Tersa if it's an option or ypu can go with Esta knives for a regular head. Too many choices for a novice.
Rick L has given you a pretty good description of the advantages of the combo units. I have the combo unit and really like the plus of having the wide bed jointer. It means quite a bit fewer glue ups will be required.
In most furniture applications, wood is jointed after being sawn to rough dimensions. That is a good practice that usually allows getting significantly thicker pieces than trying to joint and plane full boards. You can buy 8 or 12 ft rough sawn boards, but you would almost never be jointing them that long, or even close.
Steve,
Which combo planer/jointer do you have? I've been looking very hard at the new Grizzly one that just came to market.
I have a Makita 2030 jointer/planer combination machine that I've owned for well over 20 years now. It's a 12 inch planer/6 inch jointer. Instead of sharing one cutter head, the jointer is off to the side of the planer. So the cutterhead shaft is well over 20 inches long. Separate knives though. And one big drawback; the outfeed table on the jointer is fixed, so it can't be raised or lowered...
It's been a good machine and has served me well. But that 12 inch jointer really would be handy on more than just a few occasions. And the optional insert head is also a nice feature.
The jointer on the Makita has the same length table as the Grizzly, and I've found a 59 inch length to be just fine for 90% of the work I do. I suppose one could always set up an extension on the infeed and outfeed tables if that were deemed necessary.
The only thing that gives me pause is the 45 inch depth of the Grizzly. That would really cramp the space in my small shop. Might be worth it though for the wider jointer gained..
Zolton If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I've got the Hammer A3-41 that's 16" wide. The length is virtually the same as the DJ-20 jointer that replaced it, plenty long enough. As far as depth, on mine a good junk of the depth comes from the behind the fence blade guard that I don't really feel the need of when the jointer/planer is next to a wall. I would have to be a contortionist to find a way to slip a hand behind the fence while the machine is running. You might see if the machines you are looking are configured the same way.
Also remember that on your Makita, if I'm remembering this right, you have to stand on one side for joining and on the other for planing. With my combo I only have to stand on one side so the machine can live closer to a wall.
Steve,
Thanks for the quick reply about the combination jointer/planers. Good point about maybe removing a blade guard that isn' t needed if the machine can stand against a wall. And it would have to in my shop. I'll explore this further with the Grizzly. One thing I don't like about their catalog and website is that they give very limited views of their machines.
The Makita I have does require one to stand on one side to use the jointer, but lumber being fed to the planer comes in the front. So, it can (and does) stand against the wall. I'll be interested to see what I could sell it for, as I bought it used for about $1,200 in the early 80's. It doesn't owe me anything, that's for sure..
Yours, ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
"I'll be interested to see what I could sell it for, as I bought it used for about $1,200 in the early 80's. It doesn't owe me anything, that's for sure.."I saw a very beat rusted up one in a local store where they sell off trade ins, consignments, surplus etc. It started out marked as $1500 Canadian and was down to less than a couple hundred. I forgot to mention it to a friend that has had his since the late 70's. Think he might want it for parts.I've had the Hitachi version for about 25 years or so and until I get a lot bigger shop will keep it. Even then might still hang on to it.
Steve,
Just for a little more detail on the Grizzly combination machine, it looks from the manual as though the one item that makes it such a deep footprint is the sliding shaft that is attached, in a Tee shape, to the fence.
If that shaft were shortened, say with a hacksaw, it looks as though it would fit into about 30 inches. The shaft piece could be kept nearby, with an inner stub on the end and a couple of setscrews, to reattach it for the purpose of moving the fence in or out.
Or, a hole could simply be drilled into the wall in order to accommodate the shaft's length..
I'm thinkin'..
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
I'd bet that if you shortened the shaft you couldn't move the fence toward the front of the table, and you definately want to be able to do that. That center mounted fence does give sturdiness.
I bought a jointer last year and considered the combo unit from grizzly. I have a Makita 12" benchtop planner I've had for years. Its so old its the 2012 that has the table elevate the stock instead of lowering the heads with disposable knives. I wanted a 12" jointer and said hey why not pony up the extra bucks and get the combo unit. I looked real hard at that option but in the end decided to go with just the 12" Grizzly parallelogram jointer for two reasons. First tables are shorter on the combo unit at 60" .vs. 83.5" and now that I've had it for a while I love that extra length. I can do that initial face on the whole board and see the best grain patterns .vs. in the past cutting the plank down to use the 6" jointer only to find after doing that first face that I cut right through the prettiest grain. Secondly, cuts per minute. The combo unit is 15.5k/min .vs. 19.8k on the stand alone. Obviously this is done because of 4 HSS blades .vs. 3 on the combo, but I wanted that. So, that combined with the fact that my makita is going strong, I went with the stand alone. I did forego the extra for the shelix head and may upgrade to that at some point, but its doing great now, so I'm a happy camper. I noticed Griz now has free shipping, timing is everything I guess. Anyway that's my two cents worth so to speak. Enjoy the new equipment no matter which way you go and if you do get the combo, do us a favor a post a review here. Share the experience so to speak. Take care.
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it.
And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
My preference is separate machines as I prefer long beds and I run both with standard HSS knives with no plans to change them out as they work fine.
Sarge..
I know Grizzly has one & their main warehouse is here in my town. Damn! Get in that pickup and go see what you you may be getting!
Elirennach,
I have the Hammer A3-31 which is a 12" combo joiner/planer. I am very pleased with this machine. It saves a huge amount of space. (It also performs beautifully. Short tables do not limit the size of boards that can worked) Two separate 12" machines would really take up too much space in my small shop.
Which Grizzly machine are you considering? They have 10" and a 12" combo machines. It does not appear that the 10" has quick-change knives. That would be a deal killer for me in such a machine.
The 12" has an indexable "spiral" head, which gives quick-change capability by rotating the inserts, but no quick-change head for straight knives if you prefer that configuration.
My suggestion is to check out the Hammer machines and Minimax, which are in the same price range, and about twice the price of the Grizzly 12", at least as a frame of reference, then look at the Grizzly to see if it compares.
Rich
Eireannach:
I'm all for having a separate machine for the job, in most cases. But, I do have a WOODMASTER Jointer/Planer/Molder combo that I purchased in 1985, through a magazine ad. It's capacity is 8 inches for all work and I rarely had use for anything larger (especially for glueing up tabletops, as I never exceed 6 inches to minimize warping). My machine has a 3 HP motor, 3 cutter blades for the planer joiner, and 1 inch cutter profiles for the molder (also uses standard Craftsman cutters, used on Sears' table saw molding heads- a bit cheaper than Woodmaster's). I've only replaced 2 bearings since the machine purchase and parts are STILL readily available for my heavy-duty workhorse. Customer service (woodmaster.com) has also been great from the company. Since the 1980's the firm has added many choices in their product line and pricing is still reasonable. Mine is well built ( I believe it's still made in the USA) with heavy-duty shafts and bearings and the motor can always be upgraded with a standard after-market choice from your local motor shop. (I did upgrade mine with a sealed motor to avoid the risk of sparks around sawdust)
Good luck with your choice! ----- Bob
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