Jointer/Planer Combination Machines

All I can say for sure is that the spiral cutterhead with the individual cutters is well worth whatever it costs extra…

-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe

I have a planer/moulder/sander/rip saw combination (WoodMaster) and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I”m sorry that I can’t answer your question directly, but from the videos I’ve seen, these machines are quite amazing and do a nice job. I’m surprized that it took so long for someone to make them.

-- Jesus is Lord!

They look pretty nice. One advantage to this is you end up with a pretty good sized jointer.

-- Dick Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I had thought about buying one of these combination machines because I want a bigger jointer and a planer with spiral carbide cutter heads.

I worry that the jointer bed might be too short on these combination machines. I currently have a 6” jointer with a 47” table, that’s too short in my opinion. The Grizzly combination machine has a 60” table. The 13 extra inches might make some difference.

The other thing I don’t like is how low the planer area is. I can’t imagine constantly bending down to insert and remove boards from the planer. Also, the planer seems to have rather short infeed/outfeed tables. Won’t this increase snipe?

I’m going to stick to my original plan of buying a bigger jointer with a large bed and carbide cutter head and a separate planer with carbide cutter head.

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

I have the Makita 2030 and love it. It is a machine from the 1980’s. I replaced the infeed and outfeed rollers and added carbide blades.

-- Abe Low, Fine furniture, Sacramento, CA

Chris,

The current issue of Popular Woodworking has a blurb on the Grizzly model… “Switching the machine between its two functions is easy. Let me repeat that: it’s easy.” They only played with it at a show, hadn’t actually gotten to use it though.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/awfs

Talks a little more about both models.

-b

Thanks for the link Ben!

-- Chris