Delta Bench top Jointer, Need Review

I have a 6” Jointer on rollers and wish I had saved a little more an gotten an 8”. Perhaps you could put a floor model on rollers and move it out of the way when working.

I would think hard on a bench top model if your doing any kind of larger work. What kind of projects are you planning?

Also, I see quite a few benchtop jointers on craigslist. Perhaps you could find an inexpensive used one there to use and determine if a benchtop jointer meets your needs.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I have a Ridgid 6” jointer that I bought last year at Home Depot. It has served me well so far, and is good for what I need. I would like a larger jointer, but they are much more expensive as well as take up more space. The 6” has been a good compromise for me.

I would say get the free standing jointer instead of the benchtop. The larger table would work much better, unless you are only jointing smaller items. I believe the free standing jointer will also be more powerful too. I would say the Ridgid would probably fit under your workbench, as it is not too tall. If not, maybe you make a case to fit over it, and have additional storage there.

Wayne has a good point about trying out the benchtop before you buy one (if possible). I think you will find a larger model would work better, even if it does take up some floor space.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Oh and $5 says you will outgrow the mitersaw in the next few years. I had a smaller one and it frustrated me to no end to be 1/2” or 1” short on cut capacity. Although hand saws work well in that situation.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I do wish my miter saw was a 12” and not a 10”. My Dad has the 12” version of my Dewalt and I have used it a few times. The extra inch or so makes a difference. Like Wayne said, I am often an inch or so short of the board width. I can flip it over, or go the handsaw route.

Craigslist in my area has not caught on as much as other places I’ve seen. There are a decent number of listings, but no where near what a couple of other large cities nearby have. I’ve found a few good sources for reclaimed lumber from demolisions there.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

I bought the same Ridgid as Bill, about three years ago. It’s too small. I would expect that you would do better to find some space and get a free standing one. I have found that, especially face jointing, a heavy sturdy tool is really an asset. I’ve looked at those little jointers before I had one and they seem awfully Mickey Mouse. No offence to anyone that has one.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Yeah, you all are probably right. I think I’ll table the idea and rethink my shop’s layout to accomodate a sturdier unit. My brother in law bought an 8” Shop Fox jointer last month. It’s HUGE, but it’s awfully pretty! It weighs a ton. His shop is in an attic that covers the whole house. The only entry is from an exterior staircase. I’ve helped him carry the jointer, table saw, bandsaw, and 1000BF of red oak up there. Makes me appreciate my ground level shop.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

I don’t know if you’ve seen my shop layout, Jeff, but I raised my tablesaw so my jointer can tuck under the left wing. It sticks out about 10” past the wing and doesn’t take up much more space than my TS. Carrying the tables to a 8” jointer up a stairwell would be a real nutbuster! No wonder you want that little dude.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I’ve worked a lot with UHMW (see my profile for why). One thing to keep in mind is that you should run the UHMW through a surface planer before screwing it to your fence. UHMW can vary in thickness as much as 7% of the width and still be considered to be not defective. I’ve seen UHMW with hollows and crowns before its planed that would certainly throw your jointing off.

Another option is to use a plastic called Delrin (generic name acetal, pronounced ah-see-tal). This is a much more rigid plastic than UHMW and a lot more slippery. It’s also more expensive, but I sell offcuts of it at my ebay store for reasonable prices, if you’re interested.

-- surplusdealdude

Sorry, forgot to mention that I have set up a UHMW help center in Google groups. I have put all of the little ins and outs of working with UHMW that I’ve picked up in about 10 years of working with the stuff in there. URL for it is;

http://groups.google.com/group/uhmwtips/browse_thread/thread/d8feeae7a6d07e05

-- surplusdealdude

UPDATE: I took Mot’s advice and started looking for more space in my shop. I don’t want to store it under a counter as it is a very wide machine. I would have to remove at least two of my base cabinets. My planer and a trash can are already under the spot where I embedded my miter saw. Something had to go or be drastically altered. It pained me to do it, but I dismantled my traditional workbench that I made when I first got started. I planed the top about an inch and attached a sheet of MDF via pocket screws to it. I bordered it with maple for a nice contrasting look. I attached this top to a 2X4 fixed the wall via lag bolts. I installed some heavy duty hinges so that the top can drop flush to the wall when not needed. I hinged the legs to fold in wards into the bottom of the table. I had to hollow out a portion of the table bottom to allow the legs to completely fold. In the end, I will have 10’-12’ more square feet in floor space.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

I was in the same boat as you with limited space. I found an older mode(1989?)l that was never used with the base kit on CL for $75.00 and the guy also had a 2 gal compressor that was older but like new in the box for $50 so I bought them both. It works great for what i need if and when I get my big shop I will upgrade all my tools as needed.

-- Jim in Cushing Oklahoma

I have a Delta 4” benchtop and it is pure junk. Aluminum is a poor choice for a table top of any kind.
I now have a Grizzly 6” and love it.

Bill

-- Make Dust

I decided to pass on getting a jointer for now. I’ve got a pretty good setup for jointing on my tablesaw or router table for many applications. It’ll get me by for the time being. I’ve been putting off getting a dust collector for a while as its a very boring purchase. I’m in a 10X20 shop so the air gets pretty bad very quick. I have access to an 8” Shopfox jointer at my brother-in-law’s shop for major milling.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

LOL. We will see how long this decision lasts. : ^ )

Dust collection is always a good investment.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

I think and re-think until I decide to think some more. The birth of my shop was a painful process like a new bride, a big living room, a bunch of new furniture and a husband with a sore back. I look forward to the outcome here too!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)