Quality, affordable, helical cutterhead, 200mm jointer

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fov

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Brasov, Romania
Time seems to be as scarce as money these days, so it's time to use some to get ahead of, ahem... time.

I'm currently in the process of equipping my small workshop and hit a snag. I can't seem to find a quality 230V, semi-pro 8" (200mm) dedicated jointer (not a combined, planer thicknesser, I already own a Makita 2012NB), with long enough, but not too long (~180cm) precision cast iron tables, helical cutterhead, not industrial bulky/heavy (say around 200kg, so that 2-3 brave men could hoist it down the stairs and through the corridor into the workshop), that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Plenty of nice, affordable 8" jointers across the ocean I see (grizzly, powermatic, king, etc...), but they don't ship to Romania and I would choke on the shipping cost anyway.

I found just one variant in Europe that might suit me (actually dispatched from and sold by ebernardo.ro, which is Romanian, go figure): https://www.bernardo.at/en/sp-200-ps-230-v.html, but it won't be in stock for a few moths (est. March). Price and specs look good, not sure about the quality.

Know any other quality and reasonably priced variants in Europe that match the specs and can be delivered to Romania?
 
Be aware that Bernardo are just a trading company. They get everything made in China. Not better or worse than all the others like them, but not worth any premium.

Of course Grizzly, Powermatic, et al are all made in China or Taiwan too. Some better, some worse. You tend to get what you paid for minus however much went on their advertising.
 
Well, there was a time when Made in China was very sought after, at least in communist Romania, but times have changed. Even Dewalt and Makita outsource production in PRC (and Romania too) nowadays, so I guess it boils down to being lucky.

I have no experience with Bernardo, and I've heard both good (not great) and bad about them. They build hobby tools too, but this one they advertise as semi-pro, and the price suggests the same, but unfortunately that's not a guarantee of good craftsmanship and QC. The long wait and quality concerns triggered this thread. I cannot believe there are no better alternatives out there, just that I didn't know where to look for them.
 
I owned a Bernardo bench pillar drill for a couple of years. Perhaps slightly better than the typical Axminster branded Chinese drills of similar price, but there was no local support in the UK.
I was surprised to find the digital depth gauge was based on the rotation of a bog standard potentiometer as a sensor.
Given the tolerance of a generic pot is 20%, when I tried to repair the broken device and discovered how the thing worked, I didn't waste any more time on it.
 
fov said:
Time seems to be as scarce as money these days, so it's time to use some to get ahead of, ahem... time.

I'm currently in the process of equipping my small workshop and hit a snag. I can't seem to find a quality 230V, semi-pro 8" (200mm) dedicated jointer (not a combined, planer thicknesser, I already own a Makita 2012NB), with long enough, but not too long (~180cm) precision cast iron tables, helical cutterhead, not industrial bulky/heavy (say around 200kg, so that 2-3 brave men could hoist it down the stairs and through the corridor into the workshop), that won't cost an arm and a leg.

Plenty of nice, affordable 8" jointers across the ocean I see (grizzly, powermatic, king, etc...), but they don't ship to Romania and I would choke on the shipping cost anyway.

I found just one variant in Europe that might suit me (actually dispatched from and sold by ebernardo.ro, which is Romanian, go figure): SP 200 PS / 230 V, but it won't be in stock for a few moths (est. March). Price and specs look good, not sure about the quality.

Know any other quality and reasonably priced variants in Europe that match the specs and can be delivered to Romania?
Click to expand...
Buy in the UK and ship it out, possibly with an ex pat man with van.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

Sideways, I hear you, knowing the guts of the beast up front could shave a few mm off the frustration when shtf. Or not :confused: but at least you know what to expect. That's why I love reviews and comments when hunting for something. I've also reached out to my local Felder dealer about their smallest baby (HAMMER A3 31) and while I was trying to convince myself (and loyal entourage) that the cost reflects the value, some reviews debunked that and I won't risk that kind of (costly) disappointment.

The Jet seems nice Darren, but too small for my needs. While they list other machines that would fit me, and even deliver to RO, there seems to be an alarming amount of unhappy customer reviews about that website.

Jameshow, I thought about that, in a different way. It would be nice to hook up my trailer and go visit some friends in the UK, go sightseeing then pick up the beast on the way back. But it's infeasible at the moment.

One last (nice) thing about the HAMMER A3 31:

Maybe a DIY of that could persuade me to go for a smaller, 6" for the moment. Will think about it.
 
Googling for "6 inch long bed planer" gave me a ton of images which help to show where the same machine is badged up under different retail brand names.
Jet, Baleigh and others could be added to your list of names.
Jet planer.jpg

Is the 8" width for a particular reason ? I have a feeling that 6" is popular as a benchtop but longish bed machine and these can be found ready mounted to a base, while 10" is more versatile if you intend to process more substantial planks.
 
I've never seen an 8" surface planer so perhaps that's just an American thing, historically here they were 9" and over (with the exception of shooters which were 6" and under) because that was the most common width of softwood timber (9x2, 9x3 & 9x4) imported from Europe and Russia, being called "deal" hence "Swedish Deal" "Russian Deal" and so on which people often get confused with being timber species especially after the term fell out of use.

Very few manufacturers make dedicated surface planers anymore, and those that do either produce cheap rubbish that's not fit for purpose or they're £5000+ machines like the SCMs with very few options in between. I think whatever you end up buying in the new market you will be very disappointed with the build quality. I would suggest considering buying a combined machine and selling your Makita planer, or buy an old surface planer made by the likes of Wadkin, Robinson, Danckeart, etc... which will be of a much higher quality than anything you could buy for under £5000 now, the only problem is you won't have your helical cutterhead but these are largely unnecessary and very costly.
 
You are right guys, I bet I'd love the quality of an older machine, but that would present a few challenges: finding a reliable, quality source, service and spare parts, retrofitting a helical, 230V ( I don't have 3-phase ) and size/bulkiness. As I said, it's a bit of a challenge to transport the machine to the workshop, which is only 4 by 4 m anyway, minus one m2 at the entrance minus the space needed to open the door. I need room for all my other machines and tools, lumber and the actual piece I'm working on, so space is tight. As The Martian said, I'm gonna have to science the s**t out of this.

Sideways, that 8" ( or is it a long bed 6"? ) Jet looks very nice, but I don't know how to get a hold of one here from a reliable source. I'm beginning to think the transport price would not be small change either...

I could start with a 6", but my projects are diverse and an 8" seems better in the long run. I need a helical for all it's merits (noise reduction - or go to war with neighbors, dust extraction, finish quality on difficult wood, ease of maintenance) so I can't go for a cheap 6", and I doubt an expensive one will hold a good resale value. A 10" or bigger would cost too much and/or weight too much. 9" sounds interesting, but couldn't find any. 8" is the sweet spot. I did consider selling the 2012NB and going coed, but didn't find the right machine yet, and I expect a dedicated planner to be a better quality machine compared to a combined one in a similar price range. And I (secretly) like jointers ;)
 
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AFAIK the 260s seem to exist in the form of benchtop jointers or combo thickness planers, rather short in terms of table and guide length, and many are advertised as hobby machines or have poor reviews. But maybe I've missed something. Jameshow, any particular model or machine type you're thinking of?

I'd be willing to pay a premium for a good 8" dedicated jointer, but Against_The_Grain nailed it, I seek an elusive monster...
 
I see. Looks like both machines have short tables and guide, no helical, no cast iron. Reportedly, the Metabo has some plastic cogs inside too, that give way sooner or later. Not quite what I'm looking for...
 
Well thanks bushwhaker, but we're back where we started. That's the 6" from Bernardo and it is available here for about 6200 RON, free transport (Masina pentru rindeluit lemn Bernardo SP 150 PS / 230 V). Their 8" seems more interesting but it is out of stock till March. As I said, I am looking for similar or better alternatives (see specs in first post), even if a bit pricier. That means a quality 8" or even a long bed 6" dedicated jointer made by a reputable company, that delivers to RO.

PS. I've provided the bernardo.at links in previous posts (and not the ebernardo.ro ones - that I would actually use to make a purchase here in RO) because they show availability, the price is in EUR and the lang is EN, so it's easier for everyone to understand what's going on.
 
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Interesting thread, this hunt reminds me of my search for a decent quality disc sander.

I hope at some point soon it becomes economically feasible for a company to produce high quality machinery but at a smaller scale than industrial machinery.

There seems to be this quiet middle ground between hobbyist and industrial, where people want quality, would be happy to pay a premium for it, but the machinery just doesn’t exist. I can only assume it’s because manufacturers believe that there isn’t a market for it.

Good luck with your search!
 
Yeah, I was just discussing this with a friend and we agreed that it's probably a lack of demand in the RO (and possibly EU) market for such machines. I was hoping to find somebody who has been fortunate enough to have already found a solution and could point me in the right direction.
 
Calum Bettison said:
I hope at some point soon it becomes economically feasible for a company to produce high quality machinery but at a smaller scale than industrial machinery.

There seems to be this quiet middle ground between hobbyist and industrial, where people want quality, would be happy to pay a premium for it, but the machinery just doesn’t exist. I can only assume it’s because manufacturers believe that there isn’t a market for it.
Click to expand...

Producing high-quality machinery at a smaller scale will result in exorbitantly priced machines, you need the numbers to keep the costs down. Take Sedgwick for example, probably as small-scale as it gets in regards to woodworking machinery manufacture and their machines aren't really that good of a quality anymore, and still way above what most hobbyists would ever justify spending.
 

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