I'm thinking of getting rid of my 6" Jointer and 12" lunch box planner and replace it with an 8" jointer. Looked at the Grizzly's with the spiral head. My only issue (besides money) is most of them are 220 and I only have 110 in the garage. Any recommendations for an 8" jointer running on 110? Thanks, Bryan
I have no idea, but it's interesting that the 6" machines have either I or 1 1/2 hp, but the 8" goes up to 3 hp. Seems like 3 hp is overkill. You could probably put a 2 hp motor on the machine and be just as well powered as the 6". Might me more cost effective to upgrade the garage electrical.
Putting in 220 is rather straightforward really
but I understand the reluctance to get into
electrical stuff. A neighbor who was an electrical
engineer showed me how to run 220 lines
and ever since I've become more and more
confident, getting into 3 phase machinery
and so forth.
There's a thing called a duplex breaker. You
pull out 2 of your 110v breakers and put
2 duplex breakers in. To one side of each
you put your 110v wire back in and for the
other side of each you pull one leg for a 220v
line. It's basically a 110v line doubled up
and sometimes you can use existing 110v
wiring, turning the white "neutral" wire into
a live wire. Do check the wire gauges though.
It may be the insert heads need more HP. I never
thought about it.
1.5hp motors can often be set up for either
voltage. If you look for a used 1.5hp jointer
chances are you can switch it over. It's
a simple thing to do with a diagram on the
motor plate usually.
I could live without my jointer; it's easy enough to joint boards by hand, but planing by hand….no thanks!
If you're going to put the $$ in for a new jointer, why not upgrade to 240V too?
I sold my 6" jointer to my neighbor about 3 years ago, in hopes of upgrading to an 8"....Well, that hasn't happened yet, I'm still w/o one, and haven't really missed needing it….The one that Bill M. posted was the one I'm after, but I'm afraid to buy one since they are no longer made here…..I guess those days are gone….I've got a couple of straight line blades that put a smooooth edge on the boards, or I'll use pocket holes, if necessary….
Keep the planer. As others mention, a jointer is incapable of making two parallel sides, which is essential to making flat, square stock. You can't replicate what a planer does with anything other than a hand plane or (with a crap-ton of work) a router.
Besides, there are several tricks for jointing boards wider than 6" on a 6" jointer. Unless you are doing it a lot, an 8" jointer isn't worth the extra expense.
Lot of great input. Thanks. Minorhero, I was thinking of going with but now having second thoughts. My lunchbox planer (Ryobi) has much to be desired. Plus I'm working out of half a two car garage. I considered one of those planer/jointer machines but not too keen on the multi tool idea. Thanks again for the input.
Bryan
A wide jointer is a real pleasure to have (I have a 12") but as mentioned earlier there are tricks to using a smaller jointer to get wide boards jointed and planed . I would consider upgrading your planner before you upgrade your jointer, because you won't get parallel sides on your wood by just jointing both sides.
I'd echo others and encourage you to upgrade the planer first. I'd rather have a nice 15" planer and get by with my 6" jointer. You can build a super simple sled to "joint" rough lumber in your planer.
The Delta DJ-20 pictured above is the same jointer as the Grizzly G0490X in different colors, different switch placement and more powerful motor. I have the Grizzly and can recommend it 100%.
Comparing 110v to 220v is easy. With 220v you have twice the power using half the amps and this makes the machines work easier with less operating costs. The spiral heads are a major plus, they cut as smooth, with less effort, make less noise and make blade changing almost effortless and troublesome. If you don't feel confident running a 220v circuit, hire a licensed electrician and let a pro do it. it may be a little pricy but at least it will be done correctly and you will have someone to fall back on if something goes wrong.
With a parallelogram jointer the tables do not require shims in the ways to keep them level to each other. I had a Powermatic 54A and after a couple of years the ways needed to be shimmed again and again and again. (That jointer had a curious habit of allowing chips to enter the start contact of the motor requiring it to be removed, cleaned and reinstalled. That is a MAJOR chore and is why that jointer was disposed of.)
Stick with a single purpose machine. Yes you can purchase a combination machine but you will find, and the reviews here on LJ will prove this out, that neither function is as good as a single function machine.
You will find an 8" jointer is more useful in the long run and with a 15" surface planer you can prepare stock easily. No you can't plane stock to a thickness with a jointer which is why a surface planer is essential. Simply stated, a planer will follow twists in stock. Face jointing isn't a procedure a planer was designed and meant to do.
Bryan
A wide jointer is a real pleasure to have (I have a 12") but as mentioned earlier there are tricks to using a smaller jointer to get wide boards jointed and planed . I would consider upgrading your planner before you upgrade your jointer, because you won t get parallel sides on your wood by just jointing both sides. http://lumberjocks.com/tenontim/blog/26637
- a1Jim
I like the link that Jim listed as a method for jointing "wider" boards than your jointer is designed for. I would like to offer a somewhat similar method that I use, that does not require any additional jigs:
First, I do not take as big a cut on my spiral head 8in jointer. In fact I set my jointer for minimal (1/32-1/64in) cuts. Sure this takes many more passes, but it allows me to get away with jointing against the grain without much if any tear-out. I just rotate 180 horizontally between passes (NOT flip).
Second, I then take the board to my bench and plane the resulting higher ridge, that is just 1/32-1/64in high, with a handplane until it feels smooth. I have gotten away with as small as a #4, but prefer a #6 or #8 plane depending on the length of the board. Handplanes were set up for minimal cuts as well.
Third, I then take the board to my lunchbox planer to finish to desired width.
I have jointed 10in wide boards on my 2hp 8in jointer (G0593) with good success. I do have to say, that as a hobbyist I rarely have need for anything as wide as 10in and prefer my widest boards to be ~7in or so. Just a personal preference of mine. Oh, and as others point out, it was easy to swap out 2-single breakers for a double wide "duplex" and convert to 240v. I do make sure that all my machines are tied into ground, not only at the box, but to my metal frame building/shop as well.
I found a used Jet 8" joiner in a deal referred by a friend. It replaced my 6" and I would never go back. It makes a huge difference, and not just that I can joint a wider board, it is just more stable and solid all around. For planers, I got lucky a few years back and got a CL deal on a Powermatic 15". It really great having an 8" joiner and a 15" planner! Just luck and tenacity in looking for used good equipment.
So if I upgrade my planer, plane one side of the board until flat and flip it over and plane the other side I will have parallel sides right and even thickness right? Then just joint an edge and ready for ripping to width?
Bryan
You may have parallel sides but you won't necessarily have flat sides. This is why you need to joint one face ,so you have a flat surface. If you have a board that's wavy or has dips in it the planer will just follow them,so your board may look like a snake when you look down the edge of it.
Ah ha! Thanks Jim, it's like a light went on in my head. When my board was wider than my jointer (6") I would run it through the planer trying to make it flat, but was still coming out with wavy and uneven thickness =/- 1/16". I just put new blades in my jointer so I'll runs some through today using the horizontalmike method. Thanks guys.
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