Besides the PM54A ($800) with the 66", there are a few other long bed
options.
Grizzly makes a 6" with a 60" bed. Unfortunately, it is $950 (it does
have a spiral carbide insert blade, but I would rather get normal
blades and save the money for something else). It does have solid
infeed/outfeed tables (no extensions).
General makes two 6" with 55" beds (using extensions) for $530.
Sunhill also makes a 6" with a 52" bed (using extensions) for $500-600.
My feeling is the solid bed without the extensions is the way to go,
but the two choices available are too much money, so that pretty much
brings me back to 8" jointers for the same price or cheaper.
On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:35:28 -0500, "Owen Lawrence"
<[email protected]> wrote:
[...snip...]
>>
>> Powermatic 54a exists in answer to your question. For those who buy it
>as
>> their first jointer, it may be the last jointer they purchase.
>>
>> Bob
>
>Now THAT's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for. Looks like at about
>two years' worth of tool budget for me, so it's good to know I won't have to
>buy it twice.
>
> - Owen -
>
The Powermatic is well made, by the accounts I have seen. But I find
it interesting that there are 8" jointers on the market that can be
had for a similar cost.
FWIW, some people swear by the 8" over the 6" width (Tage Frid, for
example). I suppose it does depend a lot on what kind of woodworking
projects you do, whether you will miss the extra 2".
Companies care about profit and sales, not what customer's want.
On Sun, 6 Mar 2005 09:07:50 -0500, "Owen Lawrence"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I see lots of comments from people that they'd like to have a longer
>jointer, but don't necessarily need a wider one. So why don't manufacturers
>make 6" jointers with the same bed length as today's 8" jointers?
>
> - Owen -
>
"Owen Lawrence" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I see lots of comments from people that they'd like to have a longer
> jointer, but don't necessarily need a wider one. So why don't
manufacturers
> make 6" jointers with the same bed length as today's 8" jointers?
>
> - Owen -
>
>
They do, but it multiplies problems with the iron castings, takes up space,
and gains relatively little over the shorter, given effort by the operator.
"Owen Lawrence" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I see lots of comments from people that they'd like to have a longer
> jointer, but don't necessarily need a wider one. So why don't
manufacturers
> make 6" jointers with the same bed length as today's 8" jointers?
Powermatic 54a exists in answer to your question. For those who buy it as
their first jointer, it may be the last jointer they purchase.
Bob
"Owen Lawrence" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I see lots of comments from people that they'd like to have a longer
> jointer, but don't necessarily need a wider one. So why don't
> manufacturers
> make 6" jointers with the same bed length as today's 8" jointers?
>
> - Owen -
>
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
"Owen Lawrence" wrote in message
> I see lots of comments from people that they'd like to have a longer
> jointer, but don't necessarily need a wider one. So why don't
manufacturers
> make 6" jointers with the same bed length as today's 8" jointers?
My 6" Powermatic 54A's bed length is only 10" shorter overall than the DJ-20
8", and the outfeed tables are the same length on both machines, 32".
That is not to say that the extra width and length does not make the DJ-20 a
more useful machine, but the 54A is a pretty fair compromise when it comes
to utility and the amount of storage space the machine takes up in a small
shop.
I used to think of my shop as "small" ... I now realize, at least for how
much I do in it, it is actually "tiny". Still count it as a blessing, tho.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 11/06/04
On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 21:55:28 GMT, Phisherman <[email protected]> wrote:
>Companies care about profit and sales, not what customer's want.
Wouldn't selling a product that fills a market void increase both?
Look what the minivan did for Chrysler in the 80's.
Barry
> > I see lots of comments from people that they'd like to have a longer
> > jointer, but don't necessarily need a wider one. So why don't
> manufacturers
> > make 6" jointers with the same bed length as today's 8" jointers?
>
> Powermatic 54a exists in answer to your question. For those who buy it
as
> their first jointer, it may be the last jointer they purchase.
>
> Bob
Now THAT's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for. Looks like at about
two years' worth of tool budget for me, so it's good to know I won't have to
buy it twice.
- Owen -
I've got the 6" PM and today I could have used the 8. AAMOF, I could
have used an 8 yesterday too... Anyway, with 4/4 material about 8"
wide, I can run it through the planer (18" piece of oak is sufficiently
stiff that it isn't about to bend under pressure from the rollers)
without ending up with non parallel faces. I took light cuts and miked
it when done--perfect. If the raw stock wasn't of reasonably even
thickness, of course I'd have been out of luck.
Dave
Jim Weisgram wrote:
> The Powermatic is well made, by the accounts I have seen. But I find
> it interesting that there are 8" jointers on the market that can be
> had for a similar cost.
>
> FWIW, some people swear by the 8" over the 6" width (Tage Frid, for
> example). I suppose it does depend a lot on what kind of woodworking
> projects you do, whether you will miss the extra 2".