[DesertRatTom]

Made overseas is just the way it is today. I have two laguna saws, table and band, and both are excellent tools and clearly worth the premium. I have a 10 year old Powermatic 6 inch jointer that is a rock. No regrets on any premium purchase I've made. Same goes for my Bosch 1617s, colt and sliding miter. Of course, I had a much higher income than I do now. Only one regret, a common one, that I didn't get the 8 inch model. Oh well, too soon old, too late smart.

 

[Roger Leclercq]

You are right a few years ago wife bought a Electrolux vacuum from Costco It was a POS It turns out that Eureka bought the right to the name. The same goes for Fuller Brush and Craftsman, Sears sold Craftsman to Stanley now all their power tools are actually Stanley Dewalt they also own Porta Cable,Delta they bought Oldam maker of Viper Router Bits and shut them down 90% of the tools are now made over seas and junk compared to the old stuff.

 

[topielski]

I'm just starting out in woodworking and am in the market for a jointer. I read this forum, thanks for teh great info guys and the back and forth- it's great to hear informed opinions. but for entry level like me buying my first jointer, I started looking at desktop models and, before you laugh, the Ridgid 6" and Cutech 8" desktop models are getting excellent reviews on Amazon. Since Ridgid JP0610 uses straight knives I am leaning towards the cutech 40180HCB-CT with spiral cutters. For these prices ($600 and $500) I am seriously considering starting with it. There is a good Wood magazine review available [sorry can't post URL].
For that matter, the Cutech planer also rates excellent, and Cutech seems to have decent customer support from what I can see.

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

Hi Bogdan and welcome. What's adequate for you is always dependent on what you need it to do for you. With jointers its how wide and how long that dictate the answer. I think in a discussion a few years ago we came up with a rough rule that you are limited to about double the length of your infeed for how long a piece is practical and still expect good results with a jointer so if the Cutech does that then it should probably serve you well.

Keep in mind too that with woodworking machines that old heavy iron is in most cases still serviceable too. Don't discount those. If I could find an old industrial drill press for a reasonable price I'd replace my Delta 16.5" in a heartbeat.

 

[Ed3443]

I want to thank everyone for their input and advice. I decided to pull the trigger tonight on the Grizzly G0495X. The Fine Woodworking tool review (thanks Jamie) and the information provide by Cad-Man (thanks Bruce) makes me have a lot of faith in Grizzly. I was going to buy the $1295 jointer--but I really wanted the helical cutter and I figured if I was going to spend $1725 I might as well get what I really wanted. I figure this will be the last jointer I will buy and one of my kids will get it. Once I receive it, I will write up a review. I just want to say thank you for everyone who helped me make this decision. You guys are great!

 

[timbrframr]

Congrats! You'll love it. If you ever want longer beds, I made a set of extension tables from shop scraps in a couple of hours that work extremely well. Aigner also sells extensions that are great.

B

 

[mgmine]

They say that the two happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day they buy the boat and the day they sell it. I can't say that about my jointer but I can say that it was one of the least used tools in the shop. I use only wood from a sawmill (well most of the time which means that it's rough and needs to be machined. I have found that I can get a straight edge, good enough for gluing straight off the table saw. If I'm working with aboard that has a bow in it I simple rip it down and glue it back together. If the wood is too wide it will warp so ripping and regluing it is the best way to go. I also run the boards through the planer on their edges if I don't smooth them out with the table saw. I sold my jointer after 5 years for just about what I paid for it and have never regretted it.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Ed, don't forget to take a picture of it in your shop so the rest of us can drool.