Shop upgrades under consideration

I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has some knowledge or opinion (first or second hand) of any of the following:

1. Jet JJP 12HH jointer/planer combo with helical head.

2. Installing the Incra LS/TS fence on a Sawstop contractor saw, or

3 Installing the LS/TS on the Sawstop 115v cabinet saw.

Thanks in advance.

Tony
 
tony , i cant remember who it was , but within the last year they got the jet combo here on the forum and liked it.. but another com[any to look at is felder and hammer which are the same company just different levels of machines. if you can get by with a 12" planer than you would be good on the combo less space and the jet or the others both change over fairly easy from what i have seen on video and from others opinions.. i know that a guy in here in canada just got he hammer this spring and loves it..
as for the saws a sawstop in my opinion is better than any saw without the braking system.. and the incra products are all good stuff..
i would suggest doing a search for the jet combo machine on you tube to se eif you can find some video on the change over and then look at the felder tools.
 
Not what you asked about, but let me join Larry in suggesting you look at the Felder/Hammer tools. I have the older model Hammer A3 31, 12" jointer/planer combo and have been very pleased with it. Knife changing is a breeze and switching from jointer to planer is fast and easy.... but today after unwrapping a stack of wide rough cut cherry I wish I had spent the extra money and gone with the 16" A4 41. There is even a new 'silent power' spiral cutter head available on these machines. Pricey but sweet!
 
Larry and Ted:

I like what I see about the Hammer, but the price with a helical cutter is more than I can justify. Buying used is not much of an option for me, because in Vermont (where my shop is) I have seldom seen good used higher-end machinery (except for the occasional Unisaw ) on the market. If the Jet seems like a good machine, it will be big enough for my needs. Grizzly makes one of that size, but from the videos I have seen, I don't like the way it converts as much as I like the Jet.

Maybe I should explain the upgrade program; it starts with the table saw. I currently have a TS3650 equipped with the Incra fence system and a Bench Dog cast iron router table in place of the left table on the saw. When I installed the fence , I chose not to split the rear rail, and so I cannot use the TS3650 blade guard. I use micro splitters, grippers, and adrenalin when I'm ripping boards. That's what is pushing me to the Sawstop.

I want to keep the Incra fence. If I could mount it on the Sawstop contractor saw without the rear rail interfering with the blade tilting, I could use the Bench Dog router table on the Sawstop, but since I'm assuming that this will be the last saw I buy, I'm leaning toward the cabinet saw for the stability, ease of alignment and better dust collection. That would mean a separate new router table and an Incra positioner, but I could handle that. The trouble is, I'd be getting crowded if I added another piece on the floor.

My shop is in the basement, and not very big. In addition to the table saw, I have a Makita SCM saw on a Ridgid tool cart, a 14" PM bandsaw, a DW734 planer on a roll around cabinet, and a Ridgid 6" jointer. A shop made assembly/outfeed table takes up the remaining open floor space. Drill press and belt/spindle sander are bench top units. No mortiser; I use Dowelmax, MortisePal and Beadlock jigs for that.

The jointer is too small; the planer is OK, but on both of them I have had tearout problems with figured maple, which I can get from a local source, and love to work with.

So that's where I am, and why. I think I should be able to sell the saw and the other tools easily enough if I price them reasonably; they're all in good condition. We'll see.

Tony
 
Can't help much on the jointer/planer or the saw (although I'd love a SawStop), but I've got an older Incra TSIII on my Ridgid TS3650 table saw, and if I ever upgrade the saw, the new one will definitely have an Incra on it. Best thing since carbide teeth, if you ask me. :thumb:
 
tony get in touch with incra and see if the old fence will interchange in some way,, and that router table you have now needs to stay and either connect to the saw stop or use it for the router table in the future that cast iron table is a great tool..
 
tony get in touch with incra and see if the old fence will interchange in some way,, and that router table you have now needs to stay and either connect to the saw stop or use it for the router table in the future that cast iron table is a great tool..

The cast iron router table extension could be an asset in selling the saw; if so, adios Bench Dog. If I kept it, I'd have to build it into a larger table top to accommodate an Incra positioner. I know that Woodpeckers makes a good offset table that fits my router plate and is predrilled for the incra positioner. If the Bench Dog extension doesn't go with the saw, I still have the original cast iron extension table for the saw. I might find a buyer for the Bench Dog (and the fence and other accessories that came with it); they are selling new for around $400, and mine are in good shape.
 
A friend who likes to complicate my life by (usually) pointing out the obvious, has made a few observations and suggestions:

1. I don't need a jointer bigger than 8''. Based on my experience, he's probably right. We both agree that something like a GO490X would do the job.

2. Having separate units is more convenient, and if I relocate my trashcan/separator to an adjacent utility/wood storage area (where the DC unit currently sits) I will have room for a stand-alone router table and a planer station. Right again.

3. The money saved by avoiding the cost of a good combo unit will allow for buying a new DW735 and a Byrd cutter head. Right again, it seems.

I've see a YouTube video showing how to swap out the head on the DW735, and it looks doable.

If any one has any experience with the GO490x or swapping out the head on the DW735, or has any thoughts about either, I'd appreciate hearing.

Thanks,

Tony
 
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A friend who likes to complicate my life by (usually) pointing out the obvious, has made a few observations and suggestions:

1. I don't need a jointer bigger than 8''. Based on my experience, he's probably right. We both agree that something like a GO490X would do the job.

2. Having separate units is more convenient, and if I relocate my trashcan/separator to an adjacent utility/wood storage area (where the DC unit currently sits) I will have room for a stand-alone router table and a planer station. Right again.

3. The money saved by avoiding the cost of a good combo unit will allow for buying a new DW735 and a Byrd cutter head. Right again, it seems.

I've see a YouTube video showing how to swap out the head on the DW735, and it looks doable.

If any one has any experience with the GO490x or swapping out the head on the DW735, or has any thoughts about either, I'd appreciate hearing.

Thanks,

Tony

Oh goody. Complicating someone else's life helps me see mine as less complicated . . . :D

1. I found a 6" jointer too narrow 90% of the time but, find my 8" will handle 99.9% of what I need to do.

2. Having separate units works well for the way I work.

3. When deciding between a spiral head on my lunchbox and just stepping up to a larger machine, I went with the larger machine. Putting a $400 head in a $500 planer not really designed to push it seemed doable but, I grew to question the wisdom for the long haul. For another $500, I'll drive this machine to the tomb.

I have had the G0490X since mid 2008. I have used it many times a week since then. At the 18 month mark I rotated the cutters. I am still on the second cutting edge. Reasonably quiet but, who cares? You are always wearing your hearing protection anyway, right? It showed up so well aligned I had to keep checking to find what I was "missing". I couldn't believe it was that good out of the box.

Mine is the older style so I had to enclose the dust chute (the new ones have this done already) and add a link belt (the new ones use a serpentine belt so this again is not necessary). I love the long infeed and tall fence. My list of gotta-haves when I went looking were:
- parallelogram beds (if you ever adjusted a dovetail-way machine, you know why).
- long beds.
- tall fence.
- spiral head.

There were a few that filled the bill but at nearly half the cost and hundreds of positive posts, I took the plunge on the Grizzly. No regrets; I smile every time I use it.
 
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Tony,
I'm not up on those particular combo machines, though I am a fan of combo machines. I'll be getting 'my' Shopsmith later this year I'm mostly going to use it as the lathe, drill press, sanding disc and a second bandsaw, not the Table saw function.

I have lots of great friends who make suggestions like that...(Most of them hang out there by the way...) but you know, it's always easier to make the suggestion, not always so much to put it into action. Still a second opinion can cut through the 'wouldn't it be nice' factor to a working reality that you may not see because you're focused on the possibilities.
 
Oh goody. Complicating someone else's life helps me see mine as less complicated . . . :D





3. When deciding between a spiral head on my lunchbox and just stepping up to a larger machine, I went with the larger machine. Putting a $400 head in a $500 planer not really designed to push it seemed doable but, I grew to question the wisdom for the long haul. For another $500, I'll drive this machine to the tomb.
.

Did you get one of the Grizzly 15" units, or something else?

Tony
 
tony, another vote not get the add on head on a dewalt.. i have a full size 15" planer with straight knives and i am gonna change it out because to up grade a new machine is out of the question.. if you had a full size machine i would suggest doing like i will be doing but not on a lunch box .. now alan beinlien done it on a ridgid i think and loves it so talk with him on the change over.. also i to have a 8" jointer and would NOT trade it off for anything else.. in my case like your freind said the dollars made sence to go single tools and no go combo..
 
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Tony,
just to throw this into the mix, I recently spotted an affordable helical head 13" planer: the Steel City 40300H which goes for under $500. From the looks of it, 'typical' modern lunchbox planer design with 26 carbide cutters. I"m going to the Borg today to see if I can get one drop shipped there. Highland woodworking has them for $440, but due to the weight, they tag an additional $24 handling charge on it. The Borg lists it at $480 something. If they can do that with store pickup, it is about a wash price wise.

My DW734 is due for replacement soon, I was looking at the DW735, but the helical head Steel City sure has my interest instead.
 
Some progress

A local dealer will sell me the 3hp Sawstop PCS without rails or fence at a reasonable price, including delivery. I'm going to do it, and install the LS-TS that is now on my TS3650. I'll sell that saw with the original rails and fence as soon as we get back to VT. It also appears that if I use support legs for the Incra rails, I will be able to install the Bench Dog router table extension on the right side of the saw, and avoid having to build or buy a new router table setup. I'll wait on that until I get the new saw.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my DC is located in an adjacent space in the basement, along with a wood storage rack.That space is adjacent, but not directly accessible; to get there, I need to walk out of the shop area, down a corridor, then make a u-turn down another corridor to the storage room. I think I will install a door (maybe a double door) that will allow direct access to that space from the shop area, and install the new jointer and planer in there rather than in the existing shop space. Will probably want to install some better lighting in there, but the change will be a great improvement. More shop space, and more efficient handling of lumber.

I'm still not sure what to do about the jointer and planer. I am back to leaning toward the Grizzly spiral head machines (490X and 453Z). I have a couple months to decide; maybe something will go on sale and force the issue.

Tony
 
...It also appears that if I use support legs for the Incra rails, I will be able to install the Bench Dog router table extension on the right side of the saw, and avoid having to build or buy a new router table setup. I'll wait on that until I get the new saw...

Tony, here's how I added support to my Incra rails to hold a router table extension, and still kept the saw mobile:

Ridgid%20TS%20Braces%2009%20-%20800.jpg


There are turnbuckles in the middle of each brace so I can tweak it up or down as needed. Here's how I built bolts into the braces:

Ridgid%20TS%20Braces%2003%20-%20800.jpg


Ridgid%20TS%20Braces%2006%20-%20800.jpg
 
Vaughn:

That looks great on the TS3650, but I don't know if it will work on the right side of the SawStop PCS. The crank to set the saw blade angle would be between the cabinet and the router lift, and that angled support might interfere with access to the crank. Would have to look at it when the saw is assembled.

On my TS3650, I have a Bench Dog cast iron router table extension bolted to the saw table and the rails, in place of the left extension wing that came with the saw. The Bench Dog is 4" longer than the original wing, and with the router and lift is a good bit heavier, but it has stayed dead flat with the table with no additional support and no measurable flexing of the rails.

Tony
 
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