# Benchtop Jointer - Should I Buy One



## cutworm (Oct 2, 2010)

I just don't have the room for a full size jointer and am considering a benchtop model. I read mixed reviews on them so it makes the decision difficult. Is one better than others? What are their limits? Any input will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Unless your jointing short boards 2ft or under I would not consider a bench top jointer because of their short beds.


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## SouthpawCA (Jul 19, 2009)

I have a Craftsman bench top jointer-- I've been trying to sell it for $50 obo with no takers. If I were you I'd put whatever money you were going to spend on it into a jointer plane. It takes up a lot less room and you get a much better edge.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

If it will suit your needs, go for it.
I build small boxes so a benchtop would be perfect for me. I'm eyeballing one of the granite models by craftsman or steel city.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I'd think about a hand plane, but with that said, I had a Delta benchtop planer for years and it served me well.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

I considered one as well for a lot of the same reasons. I came to the conclusion it was a waste of money. Right now I am flattening boards with a router. For the edge, get a piece of MDF shelving at a big box store. I got an 8 foot one. Put your board on top with just a little bit of the edge hanging over. It doesn't need to be exact, just make sure the whole board is over the edge, and you don't have too much (your router will hate you). Throw in a flush trim bit (straight bit with the bearing on the bottom). Adjust the router height until the bearing rides on the flat edge of the MDF. Route the edge off. Run the board through your table saw with the flat edge up against the fence.

To flatten the face, I made a router sled. do a search here and on google. They are easy to make. It's amazing what you can do with a router


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

If you buy S2S lumber, meaning the faces are already surfaced, you can use your table saw to joint the edges of a board using a rip sled. It is much faster than using a jointer, and on long boards, it is actually more accurate.

Plus, your jointer blades will need to be changed much less often.

Of course you need to be using a good blade, but you should be anyway.

Here's a free rip sled plan we use in my shop:

http://prowoodworkingtips.com/Table_Saw_Rip_Sled_Plan.html


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

This quite possibly might be a stupid question, but can't you use a table saw sled to edge joint both edges of a rough piece? Clamp it down and run it once and you end up with once edge straight, then flip it over and the second pass parallels the other edge. Maybe a 2nd super-thin pass on the first edge again just to be safe. I would think the downside would be more waste than if you'd used a jointer.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Ed, a lot of people do. That was my original plan for the MDF. I found with a router I get a lot less waste. I also think it's a little easier and safer. loading up a 7 or 8 foot long board attached to another board on the table saw can be tricky and require some infeed and outfeed support to ensure you get a straight cut. Slicing off the other side after one is clean seems easier for me as it is just a board riding the rip fence and nothing else attached to it.

Plus the router bit leaves an ultra clean edge with no saw marks at all. that is just me though, other ways work well for other people


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Many years ago (early 1970's) I had a benchtop jointer. Wasted money..it was only good on wood scraps and did not have enough weight to be stable.
The powermatic jointer I have now is a very much used tool in my shop and with the 6 ft bed I have accurately jointed 8 ft boards.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

I would not recommend that.

If you do not have enough space for a floor model - get a handplane (#7), in fact a #7 is safer, and can handle larger boards that the benchtop jointer cannot.

give hand tools a chance


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## wiswood2 (Apr 12, 2008)

Dont buy a delta I had one and it spent more time getting fixed than it did jointing boards.I bought a 6 in. grizzly and it is realy nice.I should have bought it right away.
Chuck
Wisconsin-Wood-Chuck


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

*Please save your money and buy a real jointer !!* 
I had the Delta benchtop jointer , and it was totally useless. 
They are now selling the same model relabeled as a Porter Cable brand.
I've also used my router with a good straight edge to follow , like lumberJoe does…works fine : )
Keep an eye out for an old Delta 4" jointer , if you're just looking to joint edges , or any of the older cast iron models on Craigslist. Bring a straight edge with you and check the tables and fences for warps or twists.


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## dcutter (Mar 27, 2009)

I bought an old school Rockwell Delta 6" jointer for $100 on craigslist a while back and have been happy with the performance. Its solid cast-iron and built like a tank. Its not great for long heavy boards (greater than 5' or 6') in which case I'll just use an old stanley # 8 hand plane and a good straight edge. Once I get one edge straight I'll run the other through my table saw with a good sharp blade. Its not ideal, but i've got a small shop that's out of room.


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## cutworm (Oct 2, 2010)

Thank you to all for the great advice. I was afraid that would be the answer but still had hope. Guess I need to start looking at how to squeeze a little more room. Very good solid opinions here. 
Thanks again,
Steve


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

My shop is roughly 1/3 of our two car garage, the majority of which takes up about an 11×15' area, which is fairly small. By giving the workbench double duty as an outfeed table, mounting my router table to the TS, and tucking the jointer under the left wing of the TS, and placing the whole thing in the center of my shop, I've been able to squeeze in a 6" floor jointer. Dunno if your space is condusive to a plan like that, but it'll give some food for thought…










I did the layout on Grizzly's online shop planner neat IMO.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

how did you get it to show the labels? Here is what mine will look like after this weekend (minus the jointer and bandsaw which I don't have yet)


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

"*how did you get it to show the labels? *"

Copied it into Powerpoint, labeled it, then saved it as a .jpeg format! (It is too bad that they don't show basic labels on the tools)


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Geez! If I had known that I wouldn't have bothered labeling everything. I made a visio diagram, I may just import the grizzly shapes


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## cutworm (Oct 2, 2010)

That's about the same area I have but it looks as if you may have a little more wall space. I have everything on wheels - back the SUV out, roll things out as needed. I guess I need to put my "area" on paper. In my shop it's a war of inches. I get an opportunity and slide the freezer over 4" or move a bicycle 6". Come home and there's 2 twelve packs of drinks under my bandsaw. Some days I gain space and some days I lose space. 4 years to retirement I plan to look for a nice detached shop, a separate garage and hopefully a pretty good house too.


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