My shop is very small 12' x 16' and I'm running out of space. I'd love
to have a floor type joiner but I can't justify the space.

Most projects that I fool with are about the size of a coffee table.
Do you think I could get by well enough with a bench type joiner?

I'm also thinking about a portable planer but I haven't done much
research on these yet.

thanks

If you cut a decent edge on the table saw, a benchtop will take off a 32nd
to give you a perfect edge. It will not take a raw edge and give you
anything usable. The bed is just too short.
I speak from trying to use the little Delta for 6 months. I bought it
because my shop is about 8x20 and I didn't have room for a real jointer.
But I sold the benchtop and bought one anyhow, and move it around every few
minutes when I have to get to something else.

I have a Delta and have used it for a few projects with little trouble.
I focus on smaller projects, but I have made a couple of table tops
with it and it worked very well. The blades seem to dull pretty
quickly, though.

toller wrote:
If you cut a decent edge on the table saw, a benchtop will take off a 32nd
to give you a perfect edge. It will not take a raw edge and give you
anything usable. The bed is just too short.
I speak from trying to use the little Delta for 6 months. I bought it
because my shop is about 8x20 and I didn't have room for a real jointer.
But I sold the benchtop and bought one anyhow, and move it around every few
minutes when I have to get to something else.

I've got the Craftsman benchtop 6" jointer. It is surprisingly
heavy--lots of cast iron--and surprisingly easy to use. I've jointed
stock almost 4' long with little difficulty, and it did faces on some
4" wide osage orange and 5-1/2" wide mesquite with no problems.

The bed is too short for anything longer, as you note, but within its
limits, this particular model works well. I've also edge jointed 4/4
and 5/4 rough edged oak and poplar stock with no problem, and even did
a little 12/4 cherry with good results.

Modat22 wrote:

My shop is very small 12' x 16' and I'm running out of space. I'd love
to have a floor type joiner but I can't justify the space.

Most projects that I fool with are about the size of a coffee table.
Do you think I could get by well enough with a bench type joiner?

I'm also thinking about a portable planer but I haven't done much
research on these yet.

I think you can expect reasonable results w/ stock that is roughly twice
the length of the bed w/ results gradually dropping of as it becomes
more difficult to control. If that would encompass a majority of the
size projects you envision, I suspect you would find yourself satisfied,
overall.

The portable planers from all reports, seem to be remarkably effective.
I'v an old cast iron behemoth from since long before even the new-style
4-poster's came out so have no personal experience w/ one...

On 29 Jun 2005 09:59:28 -0700, "Charlie Self"
wrote:



toller wrote:
If you cut a decent edge on the table saw, a benchtop will take off a 32nd
to give you a perfect edge. It will not take a raw edge and give you
anything usable. The bed is just too short.
I speak from trying to use the little Delta for 6 months. I bought it
because my shop is about 8x20 and I didn't have room for a real jointer.
But I sold the benchtop and bought one anyhow, and move it around every few
minutes when I have to get to something else.

I've got the Craftsman benchtop 6" jointer. It is surprisingly
heavy--lots of cast iron--and surprisingly easy to use. I've jointed
stock almost 4' long with little difficulty, and it did faces on some
4" wide osage orange and 5-1/2" wide mesquite with no problems.

The bed is too short for anything longer, as you note, but within its
limits, this particular model works well. I've also edge jointed 4/4
and 5/4 rough edged oak and poplar stock with no problem, and even did
a little 12/4 cherry with good results.

And you can always extend the length of the top with an auxiliary
worktop - I've done this with several smaller bench tools (though not
a jointer). It's reasonably successful and a lot easier to store away
in a small workshop than larger machine benches.

John