Benchtop Jointer opinions

[ebarr]

OK, so now that I am actually building something instead of just turning stuff, I am in need of a benchtop jointer.

I have looked at the Porter Cable from Lowes for $250.00. Anybody have any feedback on this machine? I don't have a lot of room to buy anthing much bigger. Although I did look at the Jointer from Harbor Freight.

 

[ebarr]

Also, I want to say when I was at the HF in Durham the other day the jointer was on sale for $199.00

 

[bluedawg76]

out of curiosity i looked on craiglist and saw this one. it' a delta? not sure how it compares to the jet but the price is right.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/2609909866.html


My only question about the small benchtop jointers is why? I'm guessing you're well aware of their limitations (short bed, no adjustment on the outfeed, etc.). a planer sled can do the same thing (i.e. face joint) so why not just go with a planer and build a sled out of melamine?. You'd get the extra width of 12-13" that a 6" jointer can't do. just a thought.

Sam

 

[Bas]

If you primarily build small boxes, a benchtop jointer would do just fine. But if you want to straighten larger boards (5' or longer), you'd have a devil of a time keeping everything flat and stable. Edge jointing a 4' board is quite feasible though. So it all comes down to what you're trying to do.

Sam's suggestion of using a planer sled is excellent. Before I got my wider jointer, I'd use a hand plane to take the worst bow/ twist out of a board, then run it through the planer with a sled. You can use the table saw with a jig or a router with a straight edge to edge joint a board too. But that's a lot more time consuming than using a dedicated machine.

The HF jointer is not a bad machine, it's very similar to the other 6" jointers out there (Delta, Grizzly, Ridgid). But, it may take some more tuning to get everything properly aligned. 6" jointers show up on Craig's list all the time, so if you have the room, I'd go that route before the benchtop model.

 

[ebarr]

DUHHHH!!! :BangHead::BangHead:

Didn't think about the router table method. That sounds like it will get me through the project I am currently working on.

This is why I love this forum.

 

[merrill77]

I'm with Bas on this one. Simple jigs can straighten edges as well as, or better than, a benchtop jointer. Not as conveniently, perhaps, but when you are space or $$$ constrained, it is worth considering. I rarely glue up large panels, which is the only time I ever used my jointer. I eventually sold it and now use a table saw sled for edging short boards, a router guide for edging long boards and a planer sled for flattening faces.

 

[junquecol]

There is one sweet Powermatic on RDU CL for $375 right now. If I didn't already own more than one jointer, I would be all over it like fleas on hound dog! From Lowes, $250 with tax is only a hundred less than what you could have a REAL jointer for