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Jointer on the job site?

plumbsquare | Posted in Tools for Home Building on February 28, 2006 09:08am

Got a question for all you finish guys. Do any of you pack a jointer to the job site? A full sized 6″ machine? Or is there a decent bench top model out there I haven’t heard about. (I’ve never been impressed with that little Delta.)

I find myself doing more built-ins and custom work on site and I need my jointer. But I also work alone and wonder about moving it around without tearing it up. I’ve got my thickness planer on a home built stand and can just slip a hand truck under it, but I haven’t come up with an easy way to horse that jointer through snow drifts and up the stairs.

And yes, I DO know how to use a hand plane. That’s what I’ve been doing up until now. But it’s slow, and I’ve started making face frames with a pocket hole jig and I’m discovering what I thought was 90 degrees sometimes isn’t.

Any suggestions?

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Replies

  1. jackstraw | Feb 28, 2006 01:24pm | #1

    I always face the same problem and haven't solved it either. The couple of times I brought it to the site it was a great addition to my arsenal but the pain of moving even a six inch Delta alone was n't really what I look foward to again.

    Next time I'll wait to the weekend or so and use my brother to help me.

     

  2. RW | Feb 28, 2006 01:37pm | #2

    We're starting a trend. Not only are more people up at 4am than need be . . . the jointer thing is pretty frustrating. I don't know that I even could move mine solo.

    Last year I tried to talk a guy out of a 4" he had - old old thing, Rockwell I think. It was just about perfect. It was technically "benchtop" with no stand under, but you had to put the motor somewhere (so you had to have a bench or rack to put it on). It had about a 4 ft bed, and built like a tank. He said sure you can buy it . . . when I fall over dead!

    I think this is something Powermatic, Delta et al could sell. You make a jointer with sturdy fold up legs and a couple of wheels and a handle so you can grab the thing and move it 50 feet without throwing the beds off. You make it big enough to be useful and small enough one sturdy guy can still lug it around in a trailer or into a house. Lots of trim guys would jump at it. Now, how to do that?

    "A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you." -Bert Taylor

    1. User avater
      NickNukeEm | Feb 28, 2006 03:51pm | #6

      Shopsmith makes a 4" jointer.  I had one prior to buying a 6" Delta.  The jointer can either be used with the Shopsmith, or can be ordered as a stand alone unit, including stand.  I used mine with a Shopsmith, so I can't speak for the portability of the stand alone unit.

       "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."  Invictus, by Henley.

    2. mike4244 | Mar 01, 2006 01:01am | #12

      I used to own one of those 4" rockwell joiners,sorry I sold it. Paid $75.00 for it at ,believe it or not JC Penny's. 45 years ago they carried some smaller power tools, when they decided to stop carrying them they were put on sale.

      The joiner is still going strong, I tried to buy it back from my brother a dozen times, no luck.

      mike

      1. pjmcgarvey | Mar 01, 2006 01:23am | #13

        Grizzly makes a 4" benchtop jointer:

        http://www.grizzly.com/products/H2801

        PJ

      2. alias | Mar 01, 2006 03:43am | #16

        i have the rockwell 6" version of that model, it was passed down to me from my grandfather. still using it to this day, i love that thing weighs around 80-90 lbs. was gonna sell it , just a month ago i ordered the grizzly 0490 8" . but after looking at it for about an hour i'll still keep in the shop . anyhow as i digress , jointer on the job ...... yup ... but the size of job merits that decision..." we judge ourselves by our motives, and others by their actions........."

  3. zorrosdens | Feb 28, 2006 02:14pm | #3

    We used to run a Hitachi or Makita Planer/jointer combination machine, 12" planer and 6" jointer.  They were great to use and they were workhorses.  I don't know if they still make them but they were great.  Units cost about $1600. 

    1. jc21 | Feb 28, 2006 04:20pm | #7

      We did the same. That Makita 2030 was a great machine .................. it's a shame Makita no longer sells staionary equipment in this country. Hitachi still sells a combo machine.

      1. zorrosdens | Mar 01, 2006 01:38am | #14

        Yeah......I've used both and they work the same....I bought a Hitachi and loved it....it works for those sites where you can have great security and keep it on site(or good ground to roll it onto the job and back to the trailer, or an extra hand).......it's been awhile but someone must make a good (carriable) unit out there for the need to use separates.  When you have both of those they work great.  Those combos were the best.  You built a box and put some 6" wheels on it, then the machine and you were set to play shop alltheway.  We worked in such large homes we usually brought a cabinetshop Powermatic tablesaw, too......NOW YER' TALKIN'!!  And every once in awhile we set up vacuum bags for arches and a fullon shaper....theryago!!

    2. Jay72 | Mar 01, 2006 04:24am | #17

      Zorro, I have had the Hitachi planer joiner combo unit for 10 years and it is a work horse. The only tool that I love more is my 11 yr old hitachi 8 1/2" SCM. The joiner on the planer joiner combo is best suited to stock under 6' because of the limitations of the table. I think that they can be bought new for around 1200.00 if you look around. Model # R12PRA or somthing like that.

      1. zorrosdens | Mar 01, 2006 07:44am | #23

        You right...I've jointed on 12"SCMI machines and THEY are the sweetest, biiig, loooong, wiiiide, like a MACK truck...lovem.

        I also had an 8 1/2" Hitachi, and they rocked and still do (built like a tank)... but it went by way of a garage fire....so now it's their 10" laser dbl bvl job (8 1/2's big brother).

        When I first saw the Hitachi 8 1/2", like the Panasonic drills, I thought they made radios and tvs....didn't trust'em (at the time, that's different now).  I had my eyes on the Makita 14" chopper with a teflon blade.  One of the boys sold me his 14 so he could get a Hitachi, all I had at the time was a Makita 10"er.  Then I work on one of the guy's Hitachi 8 1/2"....MAN, I HAD to have one.  So I put the 14'er in the shop and there I went.

        Edited 2/28/2006 11:53 pm ET by zorrosdens

  4. rcobb | Feb 28, 2006 02:50pm | #4

    With the festool planers you can get an accessory that inverts the planer and provides a fence, providing a approx. 14 inch jointer!

  5. User avater
    BossHog | Feb 28, 2006 03:04pm | #5

    I took my portable Delta brand jointer down to Mississippi for the Ms. Katrina fest, and it sure got a lot of use.

    It's not an outstanding high quality machine. But it's not meant to be - It's portable.

    I think it works fine for anything 4' long and under. It just isn't made for longer stock.

    Old upholsterers never die. They always recover.
  6. BryanSayer | Feb 28, 2006 07:02pm | #8

    This is just an off-the-top-of-my-head thought, but would it be possible to build (or modify) something along the lines of a router table to accept a power planer? Possible even switch out a belt sander too? I know they make some sort of stand for belt sanders.

    Where's Dino when you need him...

    1. Sojourner | Mar 01, 2006 06:35am | #19

      Hello BryanSayer,Your comments reminded me of some "band-aid" quick portable jointing techniques I've used before. Now, this probably won't help the original poster all that much, but perhaps a slight digression of the original thread might be of some use to someone. Hand-Held Planer: For a quick down-and-dirty jointer-type setup, we once used a 3/4" piece of ply as a table, clamped to sawhorses. We carefully measured up and screwed down some aluminum L-shaped brackets as infeed and outfeed fences, and made a wood bracket to hold down a hand-held power planer on its side. (Think of a jointer setup sideways, if that helps the visualization). It did the job, but then again, it wasn't exactly cabinet-making.Portable Table Saw: Additionally, I've used my portable table saw for straightening up an edge by making a shimmed auxiliary fence of MDF. I clamped the MDF onto the saw's permanent fence, added a thin shim on the "outfeed" side of the fence, and raised the blade into the MDF fence, even with the shimmed outfeed side of the fence. Again, not cabinet-making, but it did what I needed it to.Router Table: I've just received a flyer from Rockler; Rockler offers "Router Table Jointing Shims" as add-ons to their router table/fence. Possibly this might be a portable solution with more precision.http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16426Sojourner

    2. dinothecarpenter | Mar 01, 2006 07:13am | #22

      Where's Dino when you need him...

      The smart router  kit (SRK) is a multi tool traveler and guiding system with parallel and traverse movements capabilities. (9" 0n each side of the rail.)

      You can use just about any tool on the sliding arm of the SRK.

      Router-planer-sander-gizmo32-chain saw-jig saw- drill etc.

      Take it one step farther and you can cut-rout-and line drilling your cabinet parts without moving the panel or the guide rail.

      On solid lumber. You can use the Bosch planer and follow with  a circular saw to make your own edges-veneer. Again, without moving the guiderail.

      The planer  stops at the line and you just can't make a mistake. You position the guide rail at the desired line and the planer stops right at the line. (dinoproof)

      Or..use your router and follow with a circular saw to make your own  flutted scrive molding.

      Please guys.

      Don't try to place orders from here. Mr Tonton told me not to sell tools in the forum. Only to talk about tools and ideas.

      See you all at the Fest.

       

      YCF Dino

      Underground woodworker.

  7. fingers | Feb 28, 2006 09:19pm | #9

    Speaking of Dino, his EZ guide will get you out of alot of situations that would have required a jointer.

    1. Squash | Feb 28, 2006 11:03pm | #10

      This really only works for squaring and cleaning up an edge, but I've had great luck outside of the shop using my router table.  Use a long STRAIGHT fence built so that the infeed fence is recessed 1/32 - 1/16.  The outfeed fence is set even with the arc of the bit.  Like I said, it's not perfect and you need to be a bit finicky building the setup, but it sure does work nice in a pinch. 

  8. User avater
    limeyjoiner | Feb 28, 2006 11:58pm | #11

    http://www.mafell.com/produkte/prod_hobeln_fr.htm

    I've been considering getting one of these for a while, just couldn't quite justify the cost



    Edited 2/28/2006 4:00 pm ET by limeyjoiner

  9. user-75913 | Mar 01, 2006 02:36am | #15

    lie nielsen makes a portable jointer.  The no7 or no8.  you can check ebay for an older stanley as well no7 or no8. 

    my portable jointer is the LN no7

  10. Burts | Mar 01, 2006 05:53am | #18

    The EZ Smart version is the closest thing to a job site jointer that I have seen.  Here is a link.  http://eurekazone.com/gallery/the-ez-smart-edge-jointer

     

    View Image
    View Image View Image View Image
    View Image

     

    RSS



    Edited 2/28/2006 10:01 pm ET by Burts

  11. nikkiwood | Mar 01, 2006 06:53am | #20

    Somebody already mentioned the Festool planer, which can be set up as a jointer. It is very similar to the Mafel linked in Post 12 of this thread:

    http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=4&prodid=574539

    A lot of two piece router fences are specifically designed so they can be used for jointing. I just bought the Rousseau fence, which actually came packaged with shims that you can use for jointing. If you are already carrying a portable router table for job site work, I would think something like this would work very well.

    the Rousseau site does not provide links to specific products. The general link is below, then search for "Basic Router Fence Model 3301" :

    http://rousseauco.com/

    ********************************************************
    "It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."

    John Wooden 1910-

  12. User avater
    trout | Mar 01, 2006 07:00am | #21

    If you're used to using one, there just isn't a faster machine to square an edge than the jointer.  As others have said, the size of the job dictates how practicle it is.

    The small delta works so-so and not worth buying.  The Grizzly is also sold under various names and looks better and weighs something like 80 lbs.  However, it's still a shorty.

    I've used the Hitachi planer/jointer combo and it must be over 100 lbs with the jointer attached.  Too heavy to cart about for such a short table.

    Looking at many of the more common full size 6" jointers, the Delta 6" seems to be the lightest at 150 lbs. while having a design that can be easily broken down into two pieces--stand/motor and bed.

  13. User avater
    loucarabasi | Mar 01, 2006 03:28pm | #24

    Can you fabricate a straight edge shooter board for the table saw. And then use a hand plane to clean up the edge? My buddy has a crapsmen, believe it or not its not too bad.

    -Lou

    1. zorrosdens | Mar 04, 2006 05:45am | #25

      When I have a few, or even one, important edge to get smooth after sawing I pull out the my Porter-Cable door plane (the expensive one).  It works like a charm and I'm so used to it in my hands that I can handle the plane with one hand and the board with the other perfectly....my favorite "no jointer" jobsite jointer.

      Edited 3/3/2006 9:47 pm ET by zorrosdens

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