Chris C. Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I'm in the market for a jointer and am really struggling. I have a garage workshop so space is limited. I don't currently have 220V access so I am considering a few different 6" jointers. I am considering the Ridgid JP6010, the Grizzly GO814, GO814X, GO452Z as well as the Jet JJ-6HHDX and JJ-6CSDX. Obviously the price-point of the Ridgid is very appealing, but I also want a quality machine that is going to last, without having to take out a 2nd mortgage. I've searched high and low in my area for a decent used one, but for what people are asking and considering the shape and age of what I'm finding, I think I would be better off buying new. I'm not a huge fan of the straight knife models, but instead of replacing that with a helical head, I might be better off putting the helical head in my planer. I would appreciate any thoughts, opinions, experiences. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 Welcome to the forum! I think you would be happy with any of your choices. I would lean towards the Grizzly models over the Rigid simply because the Grizzly fence is cast iron. I have an 8" Grizzly and it has served me well. I prefer the helical head, both my jointer and planer have one, simple to set up, better cut quality, and quieter to run are my reasons for switching. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I'll second the HH in both machines! As for the machine, you have quite a few machines on your list! I think you'd be happier in an 8" machine and I haven't looked at any numbers. Would be a tough choice for me between a 6" machine with a HH and an 8" machine with knives that I could upgrade later. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legenddc Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 I've had this same issue as well. I've been stalking the used marketplaces but the only thing that I seem to see pop up is 20+ year old machines that are priced more then the new Ridgid one. I'm hoping I'm able to find something soon. Like you I struggle with not wanting to spend $600-900 on a new 6" jointer only to one day sell it at a loss and buy a new 8" one for $1,500+. I don't have enough space to fit a 8" jointer and no 220v. Upgrading would require a new panel which I don't want to do unless we're committed to staying in our house for a least a few more years. I'm still hoping to eventually find a used one, if not I will probably start pricing out new electrical panels and 220v runs. If I were to buy a new 6" jointer one of my top priorities would be resale value. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askland09 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 We have the JJ-6CSDX and bought an aftermarket mobile base for it. For the last year it has been a wonderful machine for our 1 stall garage workshop. Took us only an afternoon to unbox, put together and tuned for use. Hope this helps! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askland09 Posted January 8, 2021 Report Share Posted January 8, 2021 16 hours ago, Chris C. said: I'm not a huge fan of the straight knife models, but instead of replacing that with a helical head, I might be better off putting the helical head in my planer. Going to add a little bit to my answer (had to cut it off early...how dare they expect me to work at work ). IF you have the finances to do the HH in both I think that is your best option. However, if you can only do one, I think having the HH in the planer would is much more beneficial than the jointer due to how much I personally use it vs the jointer. the heavy usage prompted us to get a HH for the planer so we can have smoother cuts, quieter run times, significantly less maintenance, etc. We have not upgraded to the HH in the JJ-6CSDX and the straight knives have worked perfectly fine for a couple weekend warriors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted January 9, 2021 Report Share Posted January 9, 2021 The advice is generally to skip the wasted time and money on a 6" and the selling thereof. I ignored this warning and paid the price. I would take a few hours and build yourself a nice planer sled to use while you save your money. This is what I did and the choice has paid dividends ever since. Who knows, you might luck onto a killer deal on a used 8" while you are saving up. P.s. There are lots of folks out there who have never had anything other than a 6" and are very happy. Didn't work for me but, obviously does for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C. Posted January 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 On 1/8/2021 at 10:42 AM, Askland09 said: We have the JJ-6CSDX and bought an aftermarket mobile base for it. For the last year it has been a wonderful machine for our 1 stall garage workshop. If I may ask, what kind of projects are you running through your 6" jointer? I don't know that I'm going to be building anything massive, but don't want buyers remorse for buying something too small for what I might be building in the future. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C. Posted January 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 9 hours ago, gee-dub said: The advice is generally to skip the wasted time and money on a 6" and the selling thereof. I ignored this warning and paid the price. Can you elaborate on why/how you outgrew the 6"? I know the longer bed of the 8" is very appealing. I'm just not sure of the "why", when people say they outgrew the 6". Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 10, 2021 Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 @Chris C., I have a 6" benchtop jointer, which I rarely use. I find that milling rough lumber goes best when I flatten a face first, and the faces exceed 6" more often than you think. I use a planer sled, or sometimes hand planes, because my current workspace is too small to support a larger jointer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Askland09 Posted January 10, 2021 Report Share Posted January 10, 2021 16 hours ago, Chris C. said: If I may ask, what kind of projects are you running through your 6" jointer? I don't know that I'm going to be building anything massive, but don't want buyers remorse for buying something too small for what I might be building in the future. Thanks Hey Chris, I've built a few coffee tables, my fiance's desk, our hall table, cutting boards, a shoe rack and my niece/nephew's step stool using the machine. Currently I'm in the process of building a lid for a 35 gallon crock for a coworker. Here's the thread of the shoe rack. All of the boards were milled with the 6" jointer. One of the obvious drawbacks with getting the smaller machine is more time gluing up panels. However there are plenty of ways to flatten a larger face with your planer thus allowing you to joint the edge. For us the savings of getting the 6" was worth the extra work. It's also grown my ability to color and grain match (I think anyways?). All of this my own personal opinion. Cheers, Luke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chris C. Posted March 23, 2021 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted March 23, 2021 Chris M Cook said:Today 10:18 PM I really appreciate all the feedback. I pulled the trigger and recently received my new 8" parallelogram jointer. I can already say that I'm happy with the decision, because my 1st round of lumber was 7.5" wide. I rewired a 240V breaker that used to run a hot tub and installed a Armorlite drop cord. Jointer and power problems resolved. Thank you, everyone! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted March 23, 2021 Report Share Posted March 23, 2021 @Chris C., congratulations. We look forward to seeing what you're doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted March 23, 2021 Report Share Posted March 23, 2021 Excellent. What was your eventual choice? The 6" versus 8" argument really grinds on some people but, those of us who lost money have a fairly strong opinion. Glad you went 8" and it will probably be your forever jointer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C. Posted March 23, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2021 3 hours ago, gee-dub said: Excellent. What was your eventual choice? The 6" versus 8" argument really grinds on some people but, those of us who lost money have a fairly strong opinion. Glad you went 8" and it will probably be your forever jointer. I went with the Shop Fox W1859. They're typically more expensive than their Grizzly counter part, but I actually found one cheaper, with free shipping, so I had to do it. I did find a really cheap, used, 6" one that I bought for $80. After using it a couple times, I knew that I needed an 8". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted March 24, 2021 Report Share Posted March 24, 2021 15 hours ago, Chris C. said: I did find a really cheap, used, 6" one that I bought for $80. After using it a couple times, I knew that I needed an 8". Congrats! You got off easy on that 6". You got to learn at a low cost; wish I had ;-) You may now join the ranks of those that recommend an 8". There are plenty of folks who have used a 6" forever and are very happy. The need for an 8" only rears its head when you want to face joint a board wider than 6". For me that is 90% of the time so I am happy with an 8". I use a planer sled for wider boards which come along a couple times a year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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