Super Value

This is a long review but, I hope it will be useful to someone considering this jointer.

I purchased this jointer a few weeks ago and wanted to put it through it’s paces before reviewing it. This is an excellent machine and has quickly passed my bandsaw as the favorite tool in my shop.

I spent a few months contemplating whether or not I even needed a jointer. After reading page after page of online forums I decided to go ahead and pull the trigger. I came really close to purchasing an 8 inch jointer but could not find a name brand 8 inch with less than 2 hp for under $1000 bucks. I was concerned that I would throw a breaker with the 2hp Grizzly wired for 120.

It arrived about 5 days after I purchased it online. I was a little nervous about getting it from the delivery truck to my garage shop. I was surprised when the driver unloaded it with a liftgate and lugged it up my steep driveway with a pallet jack. I tried to tip him but he wouldn’t accept it.

The jointer was shrinkwrapped to a pallet and came in two boxes. It took me about 10 minutes to get everything unpackaged. The base and motor were in one box already assembled. I had my neighbor help me set the table on top of the base. Had he not been around, I think I probably could have lifted the table on to the base alone but, I am glad I didn’t have to chance dropping it and cracking the table or throwing out my back.

Assembly/Fit and Finish

The assembly was a breeze. The table attaches to the base with 3 bolts that have very long hexagonally shaped heads (the heads are at least two inches long) so that you can do most of the tightening by hand. You do have to reach up into the base to tighten the bolts but it is not difficult.

The owners manual is easy to follow and most of the assembly is intuitive.

It came with a good set of push blocks and quality wrenches.

There was a fair amount of rust preventing grease and I spent about 15 minutes cleaning it off.

The fit and finish on this machine are excellent. The fence slides forward and backward like a dream.

Everything was aligned perfectly right out of the box. I went through all the alignment steps in the manual and didn’t have to make any adjustments.

Using the Jointer

Several months ago I milled and resawed some wood from a storm felled walnut tree. The tree fell in 2005 and had been laying on the forest floor for several years. We cut it into manageable slabs with my dad’s chainsaw mill and then I resawed it on my bandsaw. I let it dry for a few months after resawing. After drying, the wood was cupped, bowed and warped. I ran it through my new jointer and ended up with a ton of beautiful stock. The jointer never hiccupped. I was so pleased to have my own “free lumber”. (Free——-less the price of all the tools I purchased but, isn’t that half the fun?)

I can’t attest to the quick set knives as I have not had to change them yet.

This machine comes with a five year warranty.

Cons

This jointer only has six inches of face jointing capacity. I know the day will come that I have an 8 inch wide board that I will have to rip first in order to properly flatten one side.

My only other problem was with the dust collecting shroud. Do not attach it if you don’t plan to hook it up to a dust collector. It will clog up the jointer and start blowing chips everywhere. If you don’t have a dust collector, simply leave the shroud off and the chips will fall neatly down the chute into a well placed mop bucket.

All in all, this jointer is an exceptional value. I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a 6 inch jointer.