Grizzly G0634x 12 in. 5 HP Planer/Jointer With V-H

It is a great machine. Swapping between jointer to planer is so, easy.

So far, so good. It arrived promptly and well-crated, and the carrier Grizzly used, ABF, was very good about communicating when they'd be there, and were true to that. Some pros: *The 5hp is sufficient for every cut I've tried to make, including in wide maple. *The cutterhead has only made tearout when I was taking a heavy cut against the grain. (You're not supposed to do either of those things, so that's on me.) *It's quieter than my dust collector. *Changeover takes me less than a minute. *The end-mounted fence saves space. Even with the tables swinging behind a bit when opened, the machine projects about the same amount as my old 8" jointer. Some cons: *I was hoping to avoid tearout completely, but no dice. *Dust collection in jointer mode is so-so. *The serrated infeed roller marks the wood if you take too shallow a pass. *The machining on the fence bracket is a bit rough right where my hand naturally goes when picking up the fence. *Similarly, the indicator for jointer depth is a pointy bit of metal at a natural place to put your hand when lifting the infeed table; I keep stabbing myself with it. A few "good to know" things, neither good nor bad: *It's a bit taller than most jointers, and my mobile base adds another inch or so. It works for me at 5'8", but for someone shorter that might be an issue. *If your DC isn't hard-piped, you may need more slack in your hose than you'd think to effectively reach both dust ports. *You might worry about flex in the end-mounted fence, but I've found it minimal. Easy to jury rig something that would prevent it entirely if you felt the need. *I've only had this for a few weeks, so read my four stars for durability as "everything feels beefy". *The front end of the cutterhead, and the holes in the front of the chassis, are both threaded, so that the machine can mount a slot mortiser, but Grizzly doesn't offer one? All that said, I really like the machine so far. A few quibbles, sure, but all-in-all I think it's a pretty solid value, and would both purchase it again and recommend it to someone else.

Everything was A1 with the very minor exception of the model numbers peeling off. (I'll ask for a new set.) I thought 5hp would be more dramatic for start-up, but it starts quickly, quietly, and smoothly! Runs quiet and vibration free.

Very pleased with this machine. I'm glad I went with this model for the 5 horses. I've used other Planer/Joiner models and they didn't have the power to push through all the time. My first project was white oak floating shelves and the surfacing went very well. I only removed a star because there is some deflection in the jointer fence on the outfeed side. I've adapted to using a welding magnet behind the fence to stabilize it. It's a great tool for some serious woodwork in a small space.