Sparkey Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Anybody have a recommendation for a bench top jointer. I am wanting to make some larger projects and am not able to buy wood that wide. Also those of you that do this do use biscuits when you glue the wood together? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTCowpoke22 Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Can't help you on the jointer, but I do use biscuits. They work great. Just be careful that your piece doesn't flex and cup when clamping it. I use a few scrap 2x4s with straight edges to clamp on top and bottom to keep the piece flat. amazingkevin and Sparkey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted October 5, 2016 Report Share Posted October 5, 2016 Rusty the first picture is my jet jointer. It is a 6" jointer and a 6" wide board is all it will joint. The problem with a bench top jointer is the table isn't very long. The longer the table the better it will joint a board and the longer board it will joint. An 8" jointer will joint a wider board (8") and the longer table it will have. This picture is a DeWalt 735 thickness planer and will plane a board 13" wide. For the thickness planer to do a good job you have to have a board that is flat on one side and one edge which is done on the jointer. The thickness planer will only plane what the other side is telling it to do. In other words if you have a dip on the bottom side and run it through the thickness planer you will have a dip on the planed side. There is a lot of videos on You-Tube you should watch. Also a good place to get information is on the Router Forum. Here is a link. http://www.routerforums.com/forum.php Sparkey and Scrolling Steve 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky2 Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Yes on the biscuits, sorry, I can't help you on the jointer. Len Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Monk Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Do you have a surface planer. I rip my boards down about 2 1/2" wide and use my surface planer to plane the edges for gluing. I have never used biscuits and have never had any issues. dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 (edited) The only advantage to using biscuits is alineing the two boards. For me it is a wasted step. When doing a glue up, I make sure the boards are properly aligned with each other before tightening the clamps. Any good woodworking glue will be all that's needed. Once cured, the joint will e stronger than the wood! I do have a biscuit jointer, but haven't used it in years. As far as a table top jointer, Hawkeye 10 said it best, it will be very limiting. Edited October 6, 2016 by dgman Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I do not use biscuit joints and I use my jointer as little as possible. It is the only tool in my shop that I am afraid of. Not sure why, but it scares me. With a good saw blade I can cut an edge on the table saw that is as good as the jointer's. But my advice is if you get one, get a floor model. Desk top one are just too small to be useful in my opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Anybody have a recommendation for a bench top jointer. I am wanting to make some larger projects and am not able to buy wood that wide. Also those of you that do this do use biscuits when you glue the wood together? I too am not a fan of bench top jointer. It is unstable and the short bed can make for uneven jointing. When you say larger projects, are these projects that are 3/4" thick and better??? Because if you are scrolling such projects biscuits will show. I use biscuits when making table tops or projects that are 3/4" thick. They are also a plus for aligning and strengthening the joint. But I make sure they are centered on piece and will not use on any thickness less than 3/4" With that said I have used mini biscuits on boxes to help strengthen those 45 degree joints. If you have a good table saw and a good quality full thickness blade you can cut edges ready for glue up without a jointer. If that does not work you can use a router to sweeten the edges. Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted October 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 (edited) Yes the projects will be with 3/4" thick wood. What I am wanting to do is get some 1 by 8 hardwood and glue two pieces together so I have a piece 16" by 16". I want to use this for making bowls and other items. So it sounds like no biscuits is the way to go or they will show. I don't see myself doing anything longer than around two feet long. I was wanting the bench top so I can set it on my table saw as I don't have a lot of extra floor space for a floor mounted jointer. Thanks for all the advice and comments. The jointer I am looking at is the Grizzly. Cast iron table and fence. 1.5 hp motor. Table 28.5 by 6.25. two knives 10,000 rpm. 45, 90 and 135 degree fence stops. 2.5" dust port with collection system. $250. Edited October 6, 2016 by Sparkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneMahler Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I have a jointer. I find using my table saw with a properly set up fence is faster and just as accurate. My table saw is setup so it is spot on which takes time but well worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted October 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I think I will try my table saw since I am not in a hurry to buy anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Can't help you on the jointer, but I do use biscuits. They work great. Just be careful that your piece doesn't flex and cup when clamping it. I use a few scrap 2x4s with straight edges to clamp on top and bottom to keep the piece flat. My 1/8"x4"aromatic cedar strips glued together to get 8" needed a weight on them like you said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amazingkevin Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Anybody have a recommendation for a bench top jointer. I am wanting to make some larger projects and am not able to buy wood that wide. Also those of you that do this do use biscuits when you glue the wood together? I bought a new bisquit machine and never knew what it was used for.I let it go when i lost my 3.5 tons of tools.I now know what it does and have had use for it all along Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonylumps Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 (edited) I bought a Cutech Jointer a couple of months ago I comes with Helical cutter head with 2 cutting sides Plus you could buy optional carbide cutters if you use pallet wood.I bought it when I inherited some rough sawn lumber.Using the Router table jointer function was getting to be a hassle.I may use it once or twice a week. But what a pleasure to use. It is light enough to store it out of the way.But I have mine mounted on a rolling stand along with my Wen Belt sanderI alongside it.Bought it direct from Cutech 289.00 Shipped. Edited October 6, 2016 by tonylumps Sparkey and hawkeye10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I bought a Cutech Jointer a couple of months ago I comes with Helical cutter head with 2 cutting sides Plus you could buy optional carbide cutters if you use pallet wood.I bought it when I inherited some rough sawn lumber.Using the Router table jointer function was getting to be a hassle.I may use it once or twice a week. But what a pleasure to use. It is light enough to store it out of the way.But I have mine mounted on a rolling stand along with my Wen Belt sanderI alongside it.Bought it direct from Cutech 289.00 Shipped. Tony I have heard good things about this jointer on "The Router Forum". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 Like Hawkey I have the Jet Jointer and the Dewalt 735. For what you plan on doing with the wide boards don't use biscuits as you stated they will show. A WELL tuned table saw will give you excellent edges for gluing but I still prefer the Jointer. I had a small bench top and got rid of it as soon as I could. Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted October 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2016 I looked at the Cutech jointer and it looks pretty nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted October 7, 2016 Report Share Posted October 7, 2016 It looks just like my old Delta bench top jointer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonylumps Posted October 7, 2016 Report Share Posted October 7, 2016 It looks just like my old Delta bench top jointer. Is the same Except for the Cutter Head.It uses a Helical type cutter.Very nice finish on the cut.Cuteck has pretty good service and parts. Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted October 7, 2016 Report Share Posted October 7, 2016 There are some woodworkers who use a jointer for every project. I've been making sawdust for almost 40 years. I've made furniture, cabinets, etc and I've glued up my share of wide panels. I've never owned a jointer and at this stage of my life, don't ever see myself getting one. I understand their purpose and I do use a lot of roughsawn lumber, but I've been able to manage just fine without one. If you want to make 16" by 16" panels, I think you can readily get glue ready edges if you have a good table saw and rip blade. I use a Freud 24tooth glue line rip blade and it leaves edges plenty smooth and crisp enough to go right to glue up. Long boards can be a challenge, but I have a jig for straightening edges of roughsawn boards that are longer than my table saw fence. Works pretty well. For 16" long boards, your TS fence alone should suffice, as long as it's aligned properly. Use cauls when gluing the panels, it will help a lot with alignment. Scrape the glue squeeze out with an old chisel or putty knife before it fully hardens. If there is some slight misalignment of the boards, a few swipes with a sharp hand plane and some judicious sanding will take care of it. I don't ever want to talk anyone out of buying tools, but there are numerous ways to skin the proverbial cat. Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye10 Posted October 7, 2016 Report Share Posted October 7, 2016 A jointer isn't about getting nice glue joints. It is for getting one bottom or top flat and square with one edge. Then a thickness planer and table saw will get the other side flat and parallel with the other and the table saw gets the other edge flat and parallel. Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkey Posted October 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 Well the wife just told me about something she wanted built. I just ordered the jointer from Cutech. Looks like it will come in more handy than I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTTHECLOCKMAN Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 A jointer isn't about getting nice glue joints. It is for getting one bottom or top flat and square with one edge. Then a thickness planer and table saw will get the other side flat and parallel with the other and the table saw gets the other edge flat and parallel. Ehhh not totally true. It is about getting a good glue joint also. If i am doing a table top or any wide board panel I am running both sides through the jointer for that sweet glue joint. I have a Delta 6" full size jointer. Now if you do not have one then many other options mentioned are good to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonylumps Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 Well the wife just told me about something she wanted built. I just ordered the jointer from Cutech. Looks like it will come in more handy than I thought. Rusty you will like it. Now it uses 12 cutters and when you buy spears they only come 10 in a pack. Figure that one out .Well i ordered a set of spear cutters.Never used them yet. But the idea is to just replace the one if it gets nicked Plus they have 2 cutting edges on each cutter. Sparkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill WIlson Posted October 8, 2016 Report Share Posted October 8, 2016 A jointer isn't about getting nice glue joints. It is for getting one bottom or top flat and square with one edge. Then a thickness planer and table saw will get the other side flat and parallel with the other and the table saw gets the other edge flat and parallel. I use my planer to flatten as well. Takes a little time, but it works. I suspect that flattening boards on a bench top jointer would be tough. Limitations of capacity and infeed & outfeed length will pose challenges. With a sled and/or a long melamine coated shelf board as an auxiliary bed, this can be done fairly easily with a planer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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