Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi everyone, I'm in the market for a new jointer and need some OLF advice.I have to get a benchtop jointer because of space.I have read a lot of poor reports on benchtops but hopefully someone can reccomend a decent one. Anyone have one they really like ??

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

I have a small 6" from Mastercraft and love it but it's sold here through Canadian Tire stores...

Dave,

Is it just for guitars? If so, I'll chime in with the obligatory "are you sure that's what you want" comment.

I have a Powermatic 6" jointer (great tool) and a Robland 12" jointer (part of an X31 combination machine, which is ever better than the Powermatic), and they are great for rapidly jointing large, thick boards that need a pretty good joint, particularly if there's lot of boards to joint.

But when it comes to things like guitars that have to be "where's the jointline?" perfect, I unplug the big boys and pull out my Steve Knight jointer and home-made shooting board. With a good handplane, you absolutely will not be able to see the joint line. I have to mark the centerline down the front of the soundboard right after glue-up, while the halves are still a hair offset, so I will know where the center is. I neglected to do this on the first one, and I was never able to figure out where the joint line was. When gluing the top to the sides, I thought one of the grain lines was the joint, and I ended up with the top a tad off center. I didn't discover my problem until I noticed that the soundhole was not centered on the line from the center of the nut to the center of the butt wedge.

Aside from joint quality, a good handplane is also cheaper and faster than a power jointer unless you are doing some significant production runs, in which case you can run a power jointer a bit faster because you don't have to clamp each plate flat to the shooting board.

There are many good handplanes out there, but Steve Knight's are IMHO the best bang for the buck. Not to mention that it's always nice to support one-man shops like Steve's. The jointer may be a bigger plane than you need for guitars (it wouldn't hurt, though); a jack plane would work fine also.

http://www.knight-toolworks.com/wooden.htm

If you decide to stick with the benchtop jointer, good luck. I inherited one a few years back that got used exactly once before I donated the piece of crap to charity.

I can tell you from sad experience that the Delta benchtop multispeed jointer is not suitable for lutherie, the fence deflects too much under pressure and it angles the joint. I now do what Irving Sloan did and attach sandpaper to a 2 foot carpenter's level. I have yet to make a bad joint in top or back and it was a helluva lot cheaper than the Delta!

I use Amazon.com feedback for stuff like this.

Example, my son bought a Polaroid cheapo digital at Walmart. We pulled it up on Amazon and it had a one star rating, twenty percent is an F on a report card.

So, folks that have these items are the best to speak on that item. You kind of have to throw out any comments which are out of line with the rest, but for the most part if you get four stars you have a good item.

Example part 2, my son found the Nikon CoolPix L4 had a four and a half star rating, he returned the Polaroid, added the difference from his savings and has a great camera that takes great pics and does 25 min. videos as well. All because of the feedback system employed by Amazon.com on their website.

Plus, if you enter through the OLF, I think they send a small stipend in support to the Forum. Good luck looking for the perfect tool. I'm using a 1946 6 inch Atlas made in Kalamazoo, Michigan.... that and a hand plane on occasion... and the window pane to check for trueness of joint....Dickey38931.8249884259

Thanks Serge,sounds like a good one.

Thanks Kelby,Wish I had room for a Powermatic like yours!They are great IMO. I too use a hand plane and shooting board for my tops .IF I do go for benchtop it would be for neck blanks and other projects I do occasionally. Those Knight planes are awesome,thanks.
Art-thanks I read about the Delta problems with the fence.sounds real flimsy.
Bruce Me too. I read a lot of those feedbacks from Amazon. Thanks

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

I have one of the jet 6" jointers and I don't do tops on it but it gets used all the time when making jigs, doing neck blanks and milling stock. It's one of my must have tools. The unit's been super reliable and is pretty quiet for a jointer, good stuff.

-Paul-

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-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

I've got the Jet 6" also and I love it, too. I would like to try one of those spiral heads with square rotateable(?) carbide blades though. Some day.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

I have the Shop Fox 6" bench top. It is a nice tool. If you know how to use one and set it up, it is a great tool. If not, it will not get used at all. Make sure the fence is very sturdy. The Delta fence is not, I don't know about the Jet.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

This is what you want. I have seen these things in action and they are wonderful.

INCA Jointer

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Thanks guys
those Jet jointers sound good so does the Shop Fox

And that Swiss made Inca looks very nice.I might put a bid on that machine!thanks Brock

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Dave one word of caution on the INCA. My cousin has had one for 25 years and it is a very fine machine. However I'm pretty sure they went out of business making parts near impossible to find. I would research the part availability before bidding on it. Well worth $500.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Thanks very much Bob, Will do

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Of course they won't ship it... and it's located outside of Boston, not all that far from me.

Inca made great products.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Yeah, I saw a few others on Craig's list too. I think they are also in the NE, if you are interested. It would be nice to have a big jointer if you are resawing.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Yeah,It looks like I'll pass on the Inca. Parts are no longer available. Too bad,It looked liked a neat tool.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

I used the Grizzly with the square rotary blades on my last guitar and it is absolutely amazing. You can do perfect joints with it. I did my sitka top joint in one pass with no cleanup or additional sanding needed.
-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

Kelby, those Knight planes are very impressive. I think I know what I'm going to ask for for Christmass!

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

[QUOTE=vpelleri] I can tell you from sad experience that the Delta benchtop multispeed jointer is not suitable for lutherie, the fence deflects too much under pressure and it angles the joint. I now do what Irving Sloan did and attach sandpaper to a 2 foot carpenter's level. I have yet to make a bad joint in top or back and it was a helluva lot cheaper than the Delta![/QUOTE]

I concur, My little delta benchtop jointer was a completed waste of my money. I now join my tops using my Grizzly granite block with sandpaper glued to the surface. One of these days I'll make a shooting board.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

John, wow, you and sandpaper for joining!   

I admit, I do it too. I rake that thing over my Atlas Kalamazoo six inch, then slap two pieces of sanpdper under the fence and way-lay it until it's happy on the window pane. No light and it's glue time. Just finished a rosewood back with zigzag backstrip, oooo-la-la.

I think joining tops and backs is one of my favorite parts of luthiery.

I had Our machine shop machine flat, level ground and polished a piece of 3" x 1" T6 aluminum tubing for me that I use adhesive back sand paper on. I use the shooting board and #7 plane for tops and backs most of the time but I have to admit this does just about as good of job in about the same time. But I like my seams tapered like this // (more less a scarf type joint) so like I said I use the plane on a shooting board.MichaelP38932.6242824074

What grit of sandpaper folks? Just curious.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

RE: Bruce Dickey's Aug 2 reference-Then you and John Watkins and I are using the good old Atlas 618. I just rebuilt mine and am in the process of going variable speed DC 1 hp.When I rebuilt the spindle I got it to .00015 TIR cold. I'll be doing gamecalls,chisel handles and wooden plane parts and stuff on mine. PM me if you want to chat please. MTMiketobey38932.7787615741

I don't have one, I use a shooting board and hand plane to start and then finish using sandpaper glued to a 2' level. I use 150 grit.

Mike
White Oak, Texas

Thanks for all the input guys! Much appreciated!

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755