Jointer: 8" Powermatic or 12" Grizzly

[UglySteve]

I've gathered some money again to purchase an upgrade to my 6" Ridgid jointer. I've narrowed my choices to either an 8" Powermatic parallelogram with straight knives, 3 blade cutterhead 2hp motor 82" bed or a Grizzly 12" parallelogram with straight knives, a 4 blade cutterhead and longer bed, 3hp motor, etc... They both cost the same amount of money. The only reason I'd consider the smaller one is that it's made in the USA and has the powermatic name behind it. Everything else points to the Grizzly, i.e., size, power, weight, length, 4 blades instead of 3 and cutting capacity.

Any suggestions?

[Sac]

I have the Grizzly with the spiral cutterhead. So does Vic. I must say that it is a very nice machine. It is a solid machine and I really don't have any complaints. I would say, if you have the space, go for the Grizzly. There will come a time that you are going to get that perfect really wide board and you would say, "I wish I would have gotten the bigger one." Grizzly also has very good customer support. Just my thoughts.

[Vic]

Spring or save the extra to get the spiral head cutter. They are fantastic. Like Sac said, I have the 12". I got it because I set my shop up to be able to work in 12" width. It opens more possibilities.

[wilburpan]

The only reason I'd consider the smaller one is that it's made in the USA and has the powermatic name behind it.

Are you sure about this? I thought that Powermatic machinery was manufactured overseas for some time now.

[jab73180]

I think Rob Bois has the powermatic. He may chime in with his thoughts. I think go big or go home. If i had the room and money i would go with the grizz for sure.

[Ben H]

I fear Steve is mistaken about PM. It's all made in Asia now. My neighbor and I had a good chuckle at his PM band saw saying made in the USA on the base. The base may have been made in USA, the saw was not. I'm 99.9% sure there is not a single machine still made in the USA. The closest thing is the Canada made General stuff.

[minorhero]

I've gathered some money again to purchase an upgrade to my 6" Ridgid jointer. I've narrowed my choices to either an 8" Powermatic parallelogram with straight knives, 3 blade cutterhead 2hp motor 82" bed or a Grizzly 12" parallelogram with straight knives, a 4 blade cutterhead and longer bed, 3hp motor, etc... They both cost the same amount of money. The only reason I'd consider the smaller one is that it's made in the USA and has the powermatic name behind it. Everything else points to the Grizzly, i.e., size, power, weight, length, 4 blades instead of 3 and cutting capacity.

Any suggestions?

The powermatic machines of today have all their parts made overseas. Powermatic is now owned by the same company that owns Jet. The the machine may or may not be assembled in the US. I own a 1967 Powermatic Model 60 (8" jointer) and think it is a great machine. I have no experience with the 12" grizzly. From my point of view the only reason to get the 12" machine over an 8" or for that matter to upgrade from the 6" is if you plan to face plane boards. IF you do a lot of face planing and you need a 12" machine then there you go. The beds get a bit longer as you increase in size (generally speaking) which helps when jointing really long pieces. But otherwise there usually is not a noticeable difference in the stock that runs through the machine or the speed at which you can run the stuck through the machine.

One thing you may wish to take into account is size and portability of these machines. If your shop is small you may not want the 12". If you know you are going to be moving your shop in the future you may not want a 12" machine.

[UglySteve]

I guess that settles it. Grizz it is. But if they are all made overseas, why such a price jump for the powermatic name? I always associated them with the highest quality

[PaulMarcel]

The thing about Powermatic being made in the USA comes up often. Sure it was in the past, but not for a long time now. I have a fairly old PM20 planer, the VS drill press, and had the PM64S table saw; all were made in Taiwan.

I'm sure they charge more because of the name but also they do quality checks at the factory to ensure the fit and finish is to their standards. The other guys could do that, too, but it would cost more. I also believe some parts are simply heavier duty for the same size machine as the competition. More metal, more machining, heavier shipping weight affects the price.

I'd go for the Grizzly; it has a pretty good online reputation

[woodhack]

I guess that settles it. Grizz it is. But if they are all made overseas, why such a price jump for the powermatic name? I always associated them with the highest quality

Dude, Puke yellow has got to pay Marc. Those costs are passed on to the consumer.

I kid because I care.

[JerrySats]

When it comes to joniters , size does matter , that is if you have the room .. Get the 12" Grizzly and if you can ,spring for the spiral head cutter especially if you work with a lot of figured woods .

[Chester]

I would really like to upgrade from my Jet 6" Jointer ... even though it does almost everything I need.

The thing that really worries me about the "big boys" (12-inchers) is the weight ... they are over 1,000-pounds. My shop is in the upstairs of the barn. It seems like anytime I get any tool that is over 200-pounds, it is a huge ordeal, just trying to figure-out how to get it up there. Last year, I had to get a new 600# TS and a 225# drum sander up the stairs. It was no-fun!

Was also thinking about making one of those wide-board flattening jigs for my planer. Charger has done it and it seems like a very doable project.

[jab73180]

Make the wood shop down stairs.

[Bobby Slack]

I am about to score a used 8" jointer and a 12" surface planer. The only issue will be power. I will have to upgrade to 220V

[Bobby Slack]

Answering your question ... I am not sure about Grizzly ... Check the service record of both companies. Check their financial stability and go with the organization who will support you when the chips are down.

[ztifpatrick]

I've gathered some money again to purchase an upgrade to my 6" Ridgid jointer. I've narrowed my choices to either an 8" Powermatic parallelogram with straight knives, 3 blade cutterhead 2hp motor 82" bed or a Grizzly 12" parallelogram with straight knives, a 4 blade cutterhead and longer bed, 3hp motor, etc... They both cost the same amount of money. The only reason I'd consider the smaller one is that it's made in the USA and has the powermatic name behind it. Everything else points to the Grizzly, i.e., size, power, weight, length, 4 blades instead of 3 and cutting capacity.

Any suggestions?

I have the Grizzly 8" with the spiral cutter head. Love it, would never go back to straight knives. The edge lasts and is easy to rotate when needed. If you can go bigger with that head even better. I liked it so much I got the Grizzly planer with the same type of head.

[Vic]

As I stated, my Griz 12" spiral head is an awesome machine. The fit and finish is great and it does what it is supposed to do, square up my stock.

[ztifpatrick]

As I stated, my Griz 12" spiral head is an awesome machine. The fit and finish is great and it does what it is supposed to do, square up my stock.

Is that the G0609X 12" Jointer w/ Spiral Cutterhead? Parallelogram Jointer weighs about 1000lbs? Approx $2500? All this talk has me thinking of upgrading, boards always seem to be just a bit wider than what you've got!

[Vic]

Is that the G0609X 12" Jointer w/ Spiral Cutterhead? Parallelogram Jointer weighs about 1000lbs? Approx $2500? All this talk has me thinking of upgrading, boards always seem to be just a bit wider than what you've got!

That's the one I have, yes. I really love it. The goal with my shop has been to have it set up to handle 12" stock. As I'd planned to design and build furniture, I wanted to be able to move into the larger widths, as they seem to provide a wider variety in term of beauty and figure. The surface I'm getting off this jointer is really great, even on highly figured wood.

[Mister Pants]

Answering your question ... I am not sure about Grizzly ... Check the service record of both companies. Check their financial stability and go with the organization who will support you when the chips are down.

I can't speak for their jointer, but my tablesaw and band saw are both Grizzly. They've been around for about 30 years so they're a stable company, and their service record is, at least from my experience very good. Fit and finish of both tools is quite good. My first tablesaw delivery must've fallen over at one point as I didn't accept delivery, and Grizzly were very helpful with shipping a replacement immediately (had the replacement two days later). I've found their customer service much better than Delta's who couldn't even ship me the right part when I provided them the exact number.

That said they are what you pay for though. Powermatic, SawStop, Delta etc. have better trunions on their table saws etc. I expect the powermatic jointer parts are beefier and it may have a few more bells and whistles than the Grizzly which is generally the no-frills but well made tool.