Ideal jointer size?

[KingwoodFan1989]

I've had a 6 inch Grizzly jointer for almost 9 years now, and while it works well (other than the blade guard spring being broken), it's kind of a pain to be restricted to lumber that is less than 6" wide. I know there are planer sleds you can build for shorter boards and even some combination techniques between the jointer and planer to flatten boards wider than a certain size jointer would normally allow, but it's just simpler, quicker and nicer to be able to use each of these tools normally.

Right now I'm definitely not in the market to upgrade my jointer (I still need to get a new ROS next week when I get paid
), but it's nice to be able to have a prospective idea of what would work best for me. It seems that most boards used for building furniture that I've seen at lumberyards, home centers, etc. are between 6 and 10 inches wide (making them out of the range of a 6" jointer's width), with a minority of them being narrower or wider. Other than slabs or maybe something REALLY exceptional looking, I don't think I'll ever use solid wood wider than about 10" without ripping it down. It just doesn't seem as stable and grain/color matching isn't too difficult, especially if you get all the pieces for a part from the same long board.

With this in mind, what would be the best size jointer for me to get when I could? I really like Grizzly's reasonable prices, overall well-reviewed products, and great customer service, so that would be the company I'd most likely pick from. They have a few different 8" models as well as some 12" models (including one combo machine with an equal sized planer). I'd probably go with something with a spiral cutterhead, which I think comes standard on the 12" combo and is an option on the other 12" ones and both the G0656 and G0490 8" models (the latter having parallelogram beds....not sure what the benefit is there but it's just a bit more expensive). I do remember Grizzly having a 10" model in years past but I can't find any info on it. I can't help but feel like that would be the ideal size. I looked at Oliver's 10", but that thing's like $3200, which is more than I think I ever want to spend on a jointer (or possibly any machine). Does anybody here with an 8" jointer ever feel inconvenienced by not having something wider? If so, how often? And on the other side, does anybody here have a 10"-12" (or wider) jointer but feel like they rarely (or never) use the full width?

Again, right now I'm just surveying my options. It's just one of those things where I like to have a general direction of where to go WAY in advance of the actual event. Thanks!

[Phil S.]

I have a Inca jointer/planer with 10-1/4" blades.  It handles most of what I want to do, but say surfacing a 2 X 12 isn't going to work.  Some say that is when you break out your hand planes, but you need some experience and a bit of oomph to make that work.  I have a bit of the former and less of the latter every year that goes by.


BTW, a combination machine is a great way to go.  More expensive than a stand alone planer, but cheaper then two stand alone machines with the added benefit od the planer and typically wider capacity.

Phil

[barryvabeach]

I have a 12 inch Jet combo, which works well for me.  While it is pretty rare that I need something bigger, the last two projects I did were  live edge desk tops for some friends using boards that were around 15 inch wide, and so I had to rip them in half to go through the jointer - planer, but once I glued them back together, they looked great.   I think 10 or 12 would be nice, and of course, while there are some drawbacks to having a combo, it is nice that both are the same width.

[KingwoodFan1989]

BTW, a combination machine is a great way to go.  More expensive than a stand alone planer, but cheaper then two stand alone machines with the added benefit od the planer and typically wider capacity.

Phil

That's sorta how an issue of Wood Magazine put it when they tested Grizzly's 12" combo along Jet's and MiniMax's in an issue from several years ago: many 12" jointers cost the same amount as the combo machines, so it's like getting a free planer in a way. The thing is, though, my DeWalt 12 and 1/2" planer works just great for me other than a BIT of snipe sometimes as well as being quite loud., so it'd be nice to save $1000 and just get the jointer...but as I said above, standalone 12" jointers are several thousand, and the same goes for Oliver's 10" model. How often do you use boards above 8" wide?

Barry, how long are Jet's tables total? I think Grizzly's combo has just under 5 feet of tables. Does it do well straightening boards longer than 4-5 feet?

Mags, I laughed a bit at the "aircraft carrier" comment. If you REALLY want an aircraft carrier, though, check out the combo machine in this video: 2 feet wide! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0335X42KRs
I know there are jointers out there going up to about 3 feet, but anything over 16" is pretty much an aircraft carrier.

[Mags®]

Your answer will range with nothing less than 12" aircraft carrier to joegrout chiming in that he runs a production shop on a 4" bench jointer... bottom line buy whatever you want.

[HomerLee]

Since no one has answered the question regarding the parallelogram jointers, I'll throw my 2 cents in. I have had several  jointers and now have a Grizzly parallelogram jointer, and its the only way to go IMO. Previously I had a Delta and spent 8 hours aligning the beds. I had to make some shims to get it right. The parallelogram jointer is so much easier to align. I was done; perfectly aligned in one hour.

[Tony Z]

Since no one has answered the question regarding the parallelogram jointers, I'll throw my 2 cents in. I have had several  jointers and now have a Grizzly parallelogram jointer, and its the only way to go IMO. Previously I had a Delta and spent 8 hours aligning the beds. I had to make some shims to get it right. The parallelogram jointer is so much easier to align. I was done; perfectly aligned in one hour.

I'll second the parallelogram vote: I have a 6" version of this style jointer(Grizzly), with a Byrd head. Excellent tool for my hobbyist style woodworking.

Use for my jointer is more edge than anything, since I buy my lumber S2S and jointed one edge.

[Scoony]

No experience with a parallelogram jointer, but I do have an older 8" grizzly that I got used for cheap. Most of the lumber I get is right around 8" wide, so the 8" works perfect. With the few 10" or wider boards, I either flatten one side with hand planes or use a sled with shims in the planer to get one side flat, depending on how bad they are. One of my lumber sources takes great care in sawing and drying so his lumber is pretty flat to begin with. I will upgrade the TS or get a drum sander before upgrading the jointer.

[gov.cheese]

Some years ago I moved up to a DJ-20 (8") from a DJ-15 (6"). While two inches doesn't sound like a lot it makes a HUGE difference. 8" has been a sweet spot for me and never felt the need for anything bigger. Anything you get is just a matter of planning around what you have regardless of size.

Some guy posted a thread on an 8" Steelex which appears to be an exact copy of a Grizzly for a little over $1000 shipped to your door. Looked like a pretty good deal.

[stav]

You could always build the one that Matias (sp?) built. Then you are only limited by the size of the cutter head you get.

https://woodgears.ca/jointer/homemade.html