I'm in the market for a jointer. I've been looking around at
different ones, and I think I'd like to get one from Grizzly. From
what I've read here on the wreck, it sounds like Grizzly makes
pretty good stuff. I'd appreciate some feedback from anyone that's
familar with the particulars I've outlined below. I do plan to
ultimately call Grizzly about some of these questions. But I'd
like to hear opinions, comments and any tips from folks that aren't
receiving a paycheck from Grizzly. :)
o) I've got it narrowed down to two of Grizzly's 6" models. I
originally thought about one of the 8" models, but it would take
up too much space in my shop. Plus I already have a 12" planer,
so this jointer will mostly be used for edge jointing, making rabbets
and perhaps to face plane boards that are less that 6". In particular,
I'm interested in the G1182ZHW[1] and the G1182ZXHW[2]. These two
models can also been seen side-by-side on pages 32 and 33 of Grizzly's
2006 catalog. As best as I can tell, the two are identical, except
for price and the G1182ZXHW having a magnetic switch. Can anyone
verify that for me? And what is the benefit of a magenetic switch?
o) From everything I've read here on the wreck and through other
sources, it sounds like replacing the knives on a jointer is a
tedious and fiddly job and one I would prefer to avoid. :) Both
of the aforementioned models can be adapted with an optional feature
called Dispoz-A-Blade[3]. I get that once this system is installed
future knife changes are a simple affair (and relatively inexpensive
at about $18). What I'm not clear on though is the installation
of the blade holders themselves. Do those just bolt in or do they
have to be fiddled with and adjusted (the first time) to get them
properly lined up? Any idea if I can get them installed right from
the git-go at the factory?
o) I don't live anywhere near one of Grizzly's warehouses, so
I'll have to pay the $135 for truck freight. Other than appliances
and furniture bought at local retail stores, I've never purchased
anything this big. With the appliances and furniture, the drivers
brought eveyrhing into the house, but that doesn't sound like what'll
happen when the jointer arrives. From looking at Grizzly's policy
about truck freight[4] they talk about how the driver making the
delivery won't necessarily unload it. They make this suggestion
though:
We recommend that you make arrangements with the trucking
company to take delivery at the freight terminal if you can.
They will load it on your vehicle.
That sounds like it would be the way to go for me. Has anyone had
experience doing this? Is this something that I can count on being the
case or does this vary from one trucking company to another?
Thanks for any light you can shed on these questions!
[1]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1182ZHW
[2]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1182ZXHW
[3]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G6660
[4]: http://www.grizzly.com/fobcopy.aspx
Bob Moos wrote:
> o) From everything I've read here on the wreck and through other
> sources, it sounds like replacing the knives on a jointer is a
> tedious and fiddly job and one I would prefer to avoid. :) Both
> of the aforementioned models can be adapted with an optional feature
> called Dispoz-A-Blade[3]. I get that once this system is installed
> future knife changes are a simple affair (and relatively inexpensive
> at about $18). What I'm not clear on though is the installation
> of the blade holders themselves. Do those just bolt in or do they
> have to be fiddled with and adjusted (the first time) to get them
> properly lined up? Any idea if I can get them installed right from
> the git-go at the factory?
I've never used their disposable blade system. I guess my concern would
be the
quality of the disposable blades and how long they last, and how well
they wear.
Will they get dinged easy on knots?
Really, you don't need to change blades on a jointer very often if you
use a planer for the majority of your "flattening". Mine jointer blades
could use a change, but I run my boards through a drum sander, so I
really don't worry about getting the cleanest possible cut off the
jointer. I've gone over 5 years between blade changes, but I use the
jointer very seldomly. For what it's worth, I only have a 6" jointer
too. I wish the bed was longer sometimes, but I've found a way to work
around that .. any long boards that need jointing are saved for cutting
into smaller pieces. I make all my long pieces out of stock that can be
flattened in the planer.
>
> o) I don't live anywhere near one of Grizzly's warehouses, so
> I'll have to pay the $135 for truck freight. Other than appliances
> and furniture bought at local retail stores, I've never purchased
> anything this big. With the appliances and furniture, the drivers
> brought eveyrhing into the house, but that doesn't sound like what'll
> happen when the jointer arrives.
It depends on the driver. Some will park on the curb and make you
unload it off the truck. Some will be nice and take it off the truck
and even wheel it into the garage for you. I don't think I'd push my
luck and ask them to carry it down basement stairs or anything like
that LOL.
Bob Moos wrote:
> o) I don't live anywhere near one of Grizzly's warehouses, so
> I'll have to pay the $135 for truck freight. Other than appliances
> and furniture bought at local retail stores, I've never purchased
> anything this big. With the appliances and furniture, the drivers
> brought eveyrhing into the house, but that doesn't sound like what'll
> happen when the jointer arrives. From looking at Grizzly's policy
> about truck freight[4] they talk about how the driver making the
> delivery won't necessarily unload it. They make this suggestion
> though:
>
> We recommend that you make arrangements with the trucking
> company to take delivery at the freight terminal if you can.
> They will load it on your vehicle.
>
> That sounds like it would be the way to go for me. Has anyone had
> experience doing this? Is this something that I can count on being the
> case or does this vary from one trucking company to another?
I'm fortunate enough to live not far from the terminal for the shipper
Griz uses in my area. I've got a Griz 1022 tablesaw and the GO586
jointer. Happy with both of 'em. Took me weeks to get that jointer
assembled.
In both cases, one or more cartons was just about disintegrated when
the unit got to the dock. In both cases the men and women at the dock
helped me remove each piece and check it for damage. This took a bit of
time. Then they helped me horse it onto my vehicle, and away I went. It
was pretty obvious that if I'd found a problem with shipping damage,
they would have logged it right away and begun their return process. I
looked hard and was satisfied with everything. The cartons took the
damage, not the merchandise.
I tell ya: The bed of an 8-inch jointer is one heavy sucker. With no
hoist in the shop and SWMBO - and most of my neighbors - not exactly
built like a construction worker, I had to wait till somebody wanted to
borrow the truck. :-)
I've had experiences like Mike's so I sympathize and I'm grateful I
don't get that from these guys. Wish I could remember the company name.
Great people.
I've got the standard knives. I don't use it enough yet to justify the
bucks for the spirals.
I love this jointer. I was used to my vintage Craftsman four-inch, and
figured there'd be SOME sort of trick to getting two good reference
angles on a 3 foot, 8-inch walnut board. There is: make sure the fence
is 90 degrees. Other than that, it was turn it on, push the board
through. I just stood there for a while staring at those beautiful
surfaces. Felt a little silly afterwards but it's so NICE to run
something and then feel like you got your money's worth.
I'd contact the shipper days ahead of time and ask if you can come
down, check out the dock, see where you should pull up your vehicle,
and talk about inspection and possible return. Truck is best, station
wagon might be okay. The bed comes in one piece and the box will be
about a foot longer than the bed. They like you to come in as soon as
possible but they were okay with next day. Also helped that I could
take time off work at a moment's notice.
Mike Dembroge <[email protected]> wrote:
> I've had a Grizzly 6" 1182Z for about 7 years and it has worked fine.
> I had some problems with it in the beginning, such as a twisted fence,
> but you'll find that Grizzly is a fantastic company to do business
> with. Their customer support is fantastic.
That's good to know, especially since they don't have any place local
I can go to for parts or service.
> Also, I had to do some work to get the beds flat using shims, etc., but I
> think that's not abnormal for any jointer.
With regard to adding these shims, was this something you just did
yourself or did you get assistence with doing this from Grizzly?
As in, did Grizzly customer support tell you where you should place
these shims? Did they provide the shims?
> After 7 years of use, it has worked flawlessly. One other thing I did
> was add a link belt to help reduce vibration.
Thanks for the tip. I'll keep the link belt in mind when it's time to
swap out the belts.
> I have not experience with the disposable blades, so I can't comment.
> Changing blades on the jointer isn't that difficult once you get things
> setup properly and have the correct tools to do so. I have a dial-gauge
> caliper (on a magnetic base), so I can get hte blade pretty straight.
> However, it does take me about 30 minutes to change out the blades.
[...]
> Another thing about the blades, and this is just my opinion, but I don't
> like anything that's disposable. I have 2 sets of blades and sharpen them
> myself because I don't like the hassle of sending them out and picking them
> up. I have a Tormek with the appropriate attachements for doing
> jointer/planer blades, so I do all my own sharpening. So far, so good.
My personal experience and ability to deal with fine calibration is
that I don't do it well. Nor do I want to deal with sharpening
things myself or sending them out to be sharpened. So the disposable
system sounds like a good option--for me.
> Regaring shipping and pickup (a bit of a rant here), I picked mine up at
> the trucking company because, as luck would have it, Yellow Freight has a
> depot about 1 mile from where I worked (at the time when I bought the
> jointer). So, I just picked it up there. As an aside, picking it up from
> them was a complete PITA.
That's a bit of a horror story. :/ I still think I want to try
picking it up at the depot, but at least I'll be prepared if they're
not too helpful.
> Good luck and I think you'll like your new jointer. IMO, you should be
> prepared to spend some time setting it up and adjusting it though as
> is the case with most woodworking equipment.
I'm prepared for the initial set-up and stuff and I can deal with
that. I just don't want to have to spend a lot of time changing
blades out though after I do get it set-up. :)
I'll answer in line below.
First off - Thanks Bob for replying to the people who have replied to
your post.
Bob Moos wrote:
> I'm in the market for a jointer. I've been looking around at
> different ones, and I think I'd like to get one from Grizzly. From
> what I've read here on the wreck, it sounds like Grizzly makes
> pretty good stuff. I'd appreciate some feedback from anyone that's
> familar with the particulars I've outlined below. I do plan to
> ultimately call Grizzly about some of these questions. But I'd
> like to hear opinions, comments and any tips from folks that aren't
> receiving a paycheck from Grizzly. :)
>
I do not have their jointer but I do have their table saw and some other
big stuff. A similar jointer is available at Yorkcraft
Try these links
http://www.wilkebargaincorner.com/especial6J.html
http://wilkemachinery.com/default.tpl?action=full&cart=1157992909526073&--eqskudatarq=2339
> o) I've got it narrowed down to two of Grizzly's 6" models. I
> originally thought about one of the 8" models, but it would take
> up too much space in my shop. Plus I already have a 12" planer,
> so this jointer will mostly be used for edge jointing, making rabbets
> and perhaps to face plane boards that are less that 6". In particular,
> I'm interested in the G1182ZHW[1] and the G1182ZXHW[2]. These two
> models can also been seen side-by-side on pages 32 and 33 of Grizzly's
> 2006 catalog. As best as I can tell, the two are identical, except
> for price and the G1182ZXHW having a magnetic switch. Can anyone
> verify that for me? And what is the benefit of a magenetic switch?
mag switch will turn itself off if you loose power or trip breaker.
>
> o) From everything I've read here on the wreck and through other
> sources, it sounds like replacing the knives on a jointer is a
> tedious and fiddly job and one I would prefer to avoid. :)
maybe - I have done it 2x so far. I probably go longer between
sharpenings than I should because of the fussyness. Its not really that
bad though.
Both
> of the aforementioned models can be adapted with an optional feature
> called Dispoz-A-Blade[3]. I get that once this system is installed
> future knife changes are a simple affair (and relatively inexpensive
> at about $18). What I'm not clear on though is the installation
> of the blade holders themselves. Do those just bolt in or do they
> have to be fiddled with and adjusted (the first time) to get them
> properly lined up? Any idea if I can get them installed right from
> the git-go at the factory?
not sure about dispozablade. The Cadillac solution is a spriral head
cutter. It solves your blade change concerns and gives the nicest cut
possible. See http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2006/Main/36
(I'm NOT talking about the H7590, I'm referring to H7764 Byrd Shelix)
>
> o) I don't live anywhere near one of Grizzly's warehouses, so
> I'll have to pay the $135 for truck freight. Other than appliances
> and furniture bought at local retail stores, I've never purchased
> anything this big. With the appliances and furniture, the drivers
> brought eveyrhing into the house, but that doesn't sound like what'll
> happen when the jointer arrives. From looking at Grizzly's policy
> about truck freight[4] they talk about how the driver making the
> delivery won't necessarily unload it. They make this suggestion
> though:
>
> We recommend that you make arrangements with the trucking
> company to take delivery at the freight terminal if you can.
> They will load it on your vehicle.
>
> That sounds like it would be the way to go for me. Has anyone had
> experience doing this?
yes. They will use a forklift and put it into the back of a pickup for
you. They wont likely put it on top of your VW rabbit or load it in your
wife's minivan.
If they deliver it to your house they will NOT, by default, lift it off
the back of the truck. You need a loading dock. The carrier can come
with a liftgate truck but this is usually an extra charge between you
and the trucking company.
Is this something that I can count on being the
> case or does this vary from one trucking company to another?
It may vary. Also, the truck terminal could be pretty far away. (The two
times I have done this one was 15 mins away, the other was 45 mins away.)
>
>
> Thanks for any light you can shed on these questions!
>
>
> [1]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1182ZHW
> [2]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1182ZXHW
> [3]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G6660
> [4]: http://www.grizzly.com/fobcopy.aspx
Good luck and have fun
JGS <[email protected]> wrote:
> > o) I've got it narrowed down to two of Grizzly's 6" models. I
> > originally thought about one of the 8" models, but it would take
> > up too much space in my shop. Plus I already have a 12" planer,
> > so this jointer will mostly be used for edge jointing, making rabbets
> > and perhaps to face plane boards that are less that 6".
> Most everyone I know would give up some shop space for an 8" joiner.
> Unless you have a special board or a lot of time, getting the first flat
> edge on a board over 6" is going to be PITA unless you want to rip the wide
> boards to 6" or less. Cheers, JG
As mentioned, I've all ready got a 12" planer, so I'm not worried
about boards larger than 6". The 8" machine would take up too much
space, some of which I want to use for a bandsaw at some point in the
future. :)
[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
> I've got a Griz 1022 tablesaw and the GO586 jointer. Happy with both
> of 'em. Took me weeks to get that jointer assembled.
Excellent! I've been reading the wreck for awhile and it seems most
people that have Grizzly stuff like it.
> In both cases, one or more cartons was just about disintegrated when
> the unit got to the dock. In both cases the men and women at the dock
> helped me remove each piece and check it for damage. This took a bit of
> time. Then they helped me horse it onto my vehicle, and away I went. It
> was pretty obvious that if I'd found a problem with shipping damage,
> they would have logged it right away and begun their return process. I
> looked hard and was satisfied with everything. The cartons took the
> damage, not the merchandise.
Thanks for the tip. Hopefully the cartons for the stuff I order
won't disintegrate. I called Grizzly today and found out the name
of the trucking company they would use to get stuff to my area. I
then gave that company (SAIA) a call to find out about picking
things up at their depot and if they'd put it in my truck. Turns
out the depot is close by to me and they will in fact put it in my
truck. So this sounds like the best way to go for me.
> I tell ya: The bed of an 8-inch jointer is one heavy sucker. With no
> hoist in the shop and SWMBO - and most of my neighbors - not exactly
> built like a construction worker, I had to wait till somebody wanted to
> borrow the truck. :-)
I'll bet! When I first started looking at the Grizzly catalog, I
was very interested in the GO586. But when I started thinking about
the shipping weight for that thing at 558 pounds, that got me
thinking it wasn't going to be something I could deal with. Then
there was just the size of the 8" jointer. The next big purchase
will be a bandsaw, and I don't think I'd have room for that and an
8" jointer. So I've settled on the 6" G1182ZHW.
> I've got the standard knives. I don't use it enough yet to justify the
> bucks for the spirals.
I took a look at those spiral cutters also, but that looks to be
outside of my league at the moment as well.
> I love this jointer. I was used to my vintage Craftsman four-inch, and
> figured there'd be SOME sort of trick to getting two good reference
> angles on a 3 foot, 8-inch walnut board. There is: make sure the fence
> is 90 degrees. Other than that, it was turn it on, push the board
> through. I just stood there for a while staring at those beautiful
> surfaces. Felt a little silly afterwards but it's so NICE to run
> something and then feel like you got your money's worth.
Great to know. That's what I'm looking for--something that'll just
work--and keep doing it for years to come. :)
Thanks for the comments!
bf <[email protected]> wrote:
> I've never used their disposable blade system. I guess my concern
> would be the quality of the disposable blades and how long they last,
> and how well they wear. Will they get dinged easy on knots?
That's a good point. But given the cost of the disposable blades
($18) and the regular blades ($53), it looks like I can keep 3 sets
of disposable spares on hand for just a bit more than the cost of
one set of regular knives.
While I don't think I'll be dinging the knives up all that much, I am
concerned about how much dicking around it'll take to change and set
the regular type knives. My skills and patience for dealing with
fiddly stuff is pretty low, so I think it'll be worth the additional
up front expense to get the disposable knives and then not have to
loath and dread the prospect of changing the knives when they do need
it. Plus, I'd rather be working with the wood than working on the
jointer. :)
> Really, you don't need to change blades on a jointer very often if you
> use a planer for the majority of your "flattening".
That's what I'm thinking. I'll use the planer for stuff wider than
6" and the jointer for face planing smaller stuff, edge jointing and
making rabbets. The main thing I want is edge jointing, so I think
I'll be fine with 6".
[Truck Freight]
> It depends on the driver. Some will park on the curb and make you
> unload it off the truck. Some will be nice and take it off the truck
> and even wheel it into the garage for you. I don't think I'd push my
> luck and ask them to carry it down basement stairs or anything like
> that LOL.
My shop is in a two car garage, but I've got a bit of an incline
to my driveway. My concern is the driver will show up with a big
truck (i.e., anything designed to back-up to a the level of a loading
bay) and then there'd be no way I could manage to wrangle the thing
out of the truck and safely down to the ground. But if I were to
go get it from the freight depot I think I could wrangle it into
my pick-up (assuming they won't put it in there for me) if I had
to and I could then back my pick-up straight into the garage and
get it out that way.
"a >
> o) I've got it narrowed down to two of Grizzly's 6" models. I
> originally thought about one of the 8" models, but it would take
> up too much space in my shop. Plus I already have a 12" planer,
> so this jointer will mostly be used for edge jointing, making rabbets
> and perhaps to face plane boards that are less that 6".
Most everyone I know would give up some shop space for an 8" joiner.
Unless you have a special board or a lot of time, getting the first flat
edge on a board over 6" is going to be PITA unless you want to rip the wide
boards to 6" or less. Cheers, JG
Bob,
I've had a Grizzly 6" 1182Z for about 7 years and it has worked fine. I had
some problems with it in the beginning, such as a twisted fence, but you'll
find that Grizzly is a fantastic company to do business with. Their
customer support is fantastic.
Also, I had to do some work to get the beds flat using shims, etc., but I
think that's not abnormal for any jointer. After 7 years of use, it has
worked flawlessly. One other thing I did was add a link belt to help reduce
vibration.
I have not experience with the disposable blades, so I can't comment.
Changing blades on the jointer isn't that difficult once you get things
setup properly and have the correct tools to do so. I have a dial-gauge
caliper (on a magnetic base), so I can get hte blade pretty straight.
However, it does take me about 30 minutes to change out the blades.
Another thing about the blades, and this is just my opinion, but I don't
like anything that's disposable. I have 2 sets of blades and sharpen them
myself because I don't like the hassle of sending them out and picking them
up. I have a Tormek with the appropriate attachements for doing
jointer/planer blades, so I do all my own sharpening. So far, so good.
Regaring shipping and pickup (a bit of a rant here), I picked mine up at
the trucking company because, as luck would have it, Yellow Freight has a
depot about 1 mile from where I worked (at the time when I bought the
jointer). So, I just picked it up there. As an aside, picking it up from
them was a complete PITA. I got there after work about 8:00p and was told
that I would have to wait until 8:30 because they were on a break. So,
there I am, sitting in the lunch room of a bunch of guys who looked me like
the enemy.
Then, when it came time to to load up my truck (Ford Ranger with camper
shell), they brought out 2 very large boxes and put them at the back of my
truck and that was it. They sat there and talked about their weekend
conquests while I hefted the boxes into the truck by myself. If it had only
been 1 box, it would have been a piece of cake to just slide it into the
truck. HOwever, because there were 2 boxes, I had to muscled the second one
up on top of the first in order to get it the shell.
Then, they made me sign a waiver stating that the boxes had no damage or
puncture marks. They were punctured all over the place, so I shouldn't have
signed, but I just wanted to get out of there, so I signed.
When I got home, I found that there's a good reason why I have 2 boxes. Not
only did I have my jointer, but I had someone else' Grizzly dust collector
too. My order said 2 boxes. The 2nd box was supposed to be the second pair
of blades, but they goofed and gave me the wrong box.
I called the trucking company the next morning to tell them. The woman took
my information and said they'd call me back to let me know what I should do.
About an hour later, another woman calls and accuses me of trying to keep a
dust collector that's not mine, and that she wants it back. Gheez! They
probably wouldn't even know if I didn't call them to tell them.
I should have made them come and get the thing, and even maybe let them wait
while I ate dinner or something, but I didn't. The manager I talked to was
very nice and apologetic and said that his workers were supposed to help me
load it and wanted their names, but I didn't know. So, I agreed to bring it
back to them since it was so close to my work anyways.
Okay, that's probably way more rambling than you wanted, but that was my
experience picking up my jointer at Yellow Freight.
Good luck and I think you'll like your new jointer. IMO, you should be
prepared to spend some time setting it up and adjusting it though as is the
case with most woodworking equipment.
Mike
Alameda, CA
"Bob Moos" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm in the market for a jointer. I've been looking around at
> different ones, and I think I'd like to get one from Grizzly. From
> what I've read here on the wreck, it sounds like Grizzly makes
> pretty good stuff. I'd appreciate some feedback from anyone that's
> familar with the particulars I've outlined below. I do plan to
> ultimately call Grizzly about some of these questions. But I'd
> like to hear opinions, comments and any tips from folks that aren't
> receiving a paycheck from Grizzly. :)
>
> o) I've got it narrowed down to two of Grizzly's 6" models. I
> originally thought about one of the 8" models, but it would take
> up too much space in my shop. Plus I already have a 12" planer,
> so this jointer will mostly be used for edge jointing, making rabbets
> and perhaps to face plane boards that are less that 6". In particular,
> I'm interested in the G1182ZHW[1] and the G1182ZXHW[2]. These two
> models can also been seen side-by-side on pages 32 and 33 of Grizzly's
> 2006 catalog. As best as I can tell, the two are identical, except
> for price and the G1182ZXHW having a magnetic switch. Can anyone
> verify that for me? And what is the benefit of a magenetic switch?
>
> o) From everything I've read here on the wreck and through other
> sources, it sounds like replacing the knives on a jointer is a
> tedious and fiddly job and one I would prefer to avoid. :) Both
> of the aforementioned models can be adapted with an optional feature
> called Dispoz-A-Blade[3]. I get that once this system is installed
> future knife changes are a simple affair (and relatively inexpensive
> at about $18). What I'm not clear on though is the installation
> of the blade holders themselves. Do those just bolt in or do they
> have to be fiddled with and adjusted (the first time) to get them
> properly lined up? Any idea if I can get them installed right from
> the git-go at the factory?
>
> o) I don't live anywhere near one of Grizzly's warehouses, so
> I'll have to pay the $135 for truck freight. Other than appliances
> and furniture bought at local retail stores, I've never purchased
> anything this big. With the appliances and furniture, the drivers
> brought eveyrhing into the house, but that doesn't sound like what'll
> happen when the jointer arrives. From looking at Grizzly's policy
> about truck freight[4] they talk about how the driver making the
> delivery won't necessarily unload it. They make this suggestion
> though:
>
> We recommend that you make arrangements with the trucking
> company to take delivery at the freight terminal if you can.
> They will load it on your vehicle.
>
> That sounds like it would be the way to go for me. Has anyone had
> experience doing this? Is this something that I can count on being the
> case or does this vary from one trucking company to another?
>
>
> Thanks for any light you can shed on these questions!
>
>
> [1]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1182ZHW
> [2]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1182ZXHW
> [3]: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G6660
> [4]: http://www.grizzly.com/fobcopy.aspx