Reviewed
by Terry Nielsen
Long Beach, CA - May 2003
This jointer weighs 461 pounds so unloading it and setting it up is not a one-man job. It is delivered in two cartons and one crate--a large cardboard box contains the base with the motor already mounted and the switch enclosed in a smaller box. The jointer bed, hardware and fence are in an OSB crate. The base and motor weigh about 100 pounds and you can separate the fence and two extension wings that are used to lengthen the bed. I estimate the bed and cutter head to be about 225 pounds. The packaging did its job and everything arrived intact and undamaged.
The set up begins on the base with the switch installation and motor wiring.
The switch attaches with a couple of screws that come in the switch box.
They come with washers and nuts even though the jointer base is threaded.
The nuts and washers are probably because the same switch is provided with
other Grizzly tools. It does cause a moment of confusion until you realize
these are the only screws that will work. I figured since I once worked as
an auto mechanic and can install small screws by feel that I could wire the
motor without removing the mounting bolts and rotating it for better visibility.
I finally gave up. I would have spent less time if I followed the directions.
(Isn’t that always the case?)
The
next step is to lift the jointer on to the base and install the mounting
bolts. First remove the fence to lighten the jointer and then place the jointer
bed on the stand. I obtained the help of a friend and everything lined up
and bolted with ease. The two drive belts are installed and the motor and
jointer head pulleys are aligned. There is no room for a straight edge to
check the pulley alignment so I used a small square to check and set the
belts square to the stand. Grizzly should provide a slot in the base to accommodate
a straight edge between the two pulleys. The belts are tensioned with the
motor’s weight and the slot bolts in the motor mounting plate are tightened.
The shipping wax was easily removed with lacquer thinner, care was taken
to make
sure the painted surfaces were not contacted and my exhaust fans
were all going.
Next the in-feed and out-feed extension wings are bolted in place. The in-feed
wing was exactly flat with the in-feed table. This was actually surprising
because I don’t think extension wings are usually match milled in the
same operation. They are most likely manufactured and milled in a separate
operation so are seldom perfectly square to one another. The 
out-feed extension
wing was what I call “wing up”. This means when bolted in place
the end of the wing is higher than the table. This was very slight and created
about a .004 gap at the mating joint when checked with a straight edge. I
corrected this by shimming the top of the mating flange on the wing with “Scotch” tape.
When bolted in place this brings the end of the wing down. If you have “wing
down” then the tape goes on the bottom of the mating flange. This technique
works equally well with table saw wings. I have used it successfully on both
my Jet and Delta saws.
The bed and fence were checked for warp and the bed for coplanar. The bed
is flat to .004 and perfectly coplanar. The fence has a small dip about .012
but it is not very wide and it occurs after the cutter head. I had the same
amount of warp in my Unisaw table and when I called Delta’s customer
service because I was alarmed they told me it was within their tolerance
of .015. So the Grizzly fence was within Delta’s specifications. Since
the fence is flat in front of the cutter head and that is where I would push
against with any feather boards I am not going to complain about this variation.
The knives were checked for height and parallelism. The factory settings
were dead on. I mean really dead on. Checked with my dial indicator I did
not find more than .001 variation in any of these measurements. The chrome
plated and painted hand wheels were installed and the out-feed table was
adjusted to be the same as the knife height.
Next the fence was installed. A flip stop is used against an adjustment
screw to set the fence at 90°. Again the factory setting was perfect.
The machine comes with a 4” dust collection chute it matched the threaded holes on the base perfectly. A user provided electrical plug must be installed before use.
I face and edge planed a 5’ long, 7.5” wide piece of white oak.
The surface was smooth and clean with no noticeable mill marks. The 2hp motor
sounds almost as happy as I am. I am very pleased with this purchase and
would not hesitate for a second to recommend the Grizzly G0500 jointer to
anyone. I waited almost 5 months for this piece of equipment, I am glad I
did. 
Grizzly
G0500 Jointer |
|
Tolerances, fit/finish, instructions, set up |
A- |
Performance |
A+ |
Overall Grade |
A |
Page Last
Jointers are important tools to the serious woodworking shop. They are an essential part of the “work triangle” when preparing lumber for projects. Jointers are used to make a board flat on one side (face-jointing) and to straighten one edge while making that edge perpendicular to the flat face. From there, your lumber is brought to thickness in a planer and ripped to width on your table saw.
Jointers are relatively simple tools, but there are a few things to look for when you are shopping. Firstly, the longer the bed, the longer the boards you can accurately work with. The general “rule of thumb” is that you need a bed length (infeed table + outfeed table) at least half the length of the stock you need to work with.
Secondly, the width of the tables will affect your ability to flatten one face of a board. While you can work with wider boards that are “almost flat” with a planer alone, most lumber does not come flat! Many woodworkers settle on a 6" jointer but admit latter than they could really use the additional width that an 8" jointer offers. This helps reduce the need to rip boards down so they fit on the jointer and helps to reduce the number of glue joints you need on panels in your work. Most experienced woodworkers recommend that you buy a larger jointer if you have the money and the space to accommodate it.
You should also consider the fence for both length and mounting method. The preferred fence design is mounted in the center of the tool and adjusts easily back and forth. Longer fences are better than shorter ones as they offer more support when you are edge-jointing longer boards.
Most folks prefer that jointer knives be supported by “jack screws” rather than springs for easier adjustment and alignment. For table adjustment, levers or hand-wheels are available--many folks, including myself, prefer the hand-wheels, but either method is easy and effective to use.
Finally, the jointer you choose should be checked thoroughly for proper alignment before you start using it. The tables need to be parallel in all planes and the fence needs to be exactly perpendicular to the jointer tables. As you can see from Terry’s review article on the G0500 to the left, some minor adjustment may be necessary to achieve this goal. Enjoy your new jointer!
- Jim
Copyright © 2002 Jim Becker. All rights reserved.