Folks can debate and chew the fat over this one for a long time, but
the bottom line is space, cost and functionality. Some folks don't
have the space, some do. Some have financial limitations/other
responsibilities and have to be more responsible in spending, and some
folks simply don't need an 8" jointer for type of work they like to do
and the occasional +6" wide piece that comes up.

I had a 6"er for 7 or 8 years, and from time to time would resist
ripping wide boards down, and face joint 8" wide boards by hand with a
#5 to get them into the planer, and did just fine. I happened to have
the cash, and bought a DJ-20 last fall and I've never looked back.
I've put about 5 to 600 bd ft (maybe more) through it so far, and face
jointed some 7" wide cherry just last night, and am still thinking to
myself "what a great machine this is."

Take your pick, whether its Grizz, Delta, Jet, Powermatic, General
International or some other brand, you generally get a more powerful
machine, longer beds, more stable platform, better adjustment
mechanisms - it all adds up to a better user experience and a bit more
flexibility. Incremental costs on blades or sharpening, well, I can't
get excited about that all too much. If you go larger, you will
likely not regret it. For me it is a once in a lifetime buy, as I
won't sell it while I'm alive. When I give it up for the afterlife
there'll be one hell of a garage sale!!

Mutt


"Dave" wrote in message news:go5Rc.33403$J06.11147@pd7tw2no...
It seems to me that a jointer is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. When I
look back at tools I have bought before, I often wonder why I didn't buy
better quality or bigger equipment from the beginning. Therefore, now that I
am looking at buying a jointer, I feel tempted to go for an 8" machine
rather than smaller...............SNIP

Any ideas out there? Can you do almost as much on a 6" machine as an
8"?

Dave