Best Benchtop Jointer: Top 5 Picks [2018 New Update]

A benchtop jointer is an essential tool for any kind of woodworking or carpentry tasks. Hobbyists and professionals in this field need a benchtop jointer.

The question is: How to choose the right tools for the right purpose?

We’ve reviewed top 5 best benchtop jointer here as well as some factors to consider before buying one.

Things You Need To Know

1. All about Benchtop Jointer Tools

A benchtop jointer is a relevant tool in woodworking or carpentry works that is primarily utilized to flatten surfaces throughout a board of wood.

The aforementioned tool can also be employed to straighten out any bent or distorted lumber pieces and corresponding edges.

There is a variety of brands of benchtop jointer available in the market today. In spite of all these varieties, every brand is distinct in the features and attributes it produces concerning jointers.

Hence, it is important for all users to be considerate of significant factors before setting out to purchase a perfect jointer for their needs.

2. How Does A Jointer Works?

In simpler terms, a jointer flattens the face of lumber’s imperfections such as the bent sides, curved edges, distorted, or twisted parts.

The operator of the woodworking tasks is able to substantially increase the appearance, durability, and strength of the wood by flattening it into an equal form or uniform shape.

In actuality, there are various types of jointers available in the market today, and some of these types vary in size of the boards that a jointer is able to work on.

Thus, when you decide to purchase a jointer, it is imperative to consider the kinds of projects that you want to do.

3. What are the Types of Jointers

There are quite a few types of jointers available on the market today as mentioned above. All of these types are employed for the same purpose. However, some of these types are more viable for particular applications over the others.

3.1 Benchtop Jointer

This is our main concentration for this article. In definition, a benchtop jointer is a smaller jointer tool. It is used by woodworkers or carpenters to flatten and level out lumber for small scale applications.

3.2 Long Bed Jointer

This jointer is a little bit bigger than the benchtop and it serves a similar purpose. Although, this certain type of jointer is well-favored or preferred of use in small garages and shops.

3.3 Closed Stand Jointer

This jointer is known to be the biggest of all the types of jointers. It provides a better stability, sturdiness, and working area.

This category of jointers feature a more powerful motor engine and cutting depth as well as table space for working.

Additionally, this kind of jointer is comparatively expensive compared to the other two jointers mentioned above.

This is basically the reason why this type of jointer is commonly used for bigger commercial projects.

4. What to Look for a Benchtop Jointer?

Frequently, the higher the jointer’s quality is the better. However, it will depend on what you can afford.

Other factors to look for a benchtop jointer are the reliability and accuracy. The aforementioned factors are extremely relevant variables when you use this kind of tool.

In other words, a cheaply made benchtop jointer will not cut the wood.

Hence, you need to look for the manufacturing process from the machine that you are going to buy as well as the attention to detail.

In addition, the machine’s functionality is also needs to be considered. Other elements you need to check are the ease of operation, fence design, flatness, length of knives, parallelism of tables, table length, and other features.

For your own small working requirements, you should be specific and accurate in choosing a benchtop jointer.

Aside from the functionality factors of the jointer, there are other things that you have to remind yourself when you select a perfect wood flattening machine for your home improvement projects.

5. Factors to consider

5.1 The Brand

You can find a variety of jointer brands in the market today. These brands of jointers range from the most famous ones to the least popular jointers.

However, there are some cases that a popular brand may not appeal to you as the same way it appears to the next person.

This reason is basically why it is appropriate for you to determine the kind of a jointer brand that you need.

The brand must have all the features you need for your work, and it should fit your budget perfectly as well as its specifications.

The best thing about popular brands is that you can get spare parts and accessories immediately as they are readily available in the market.

5.2 The Fence

A good benchtop jointer allows you to work conveniently and efficiently, and a good fence must allow you to adjust angles and positions, so you can work smoothly and comfortably.

In other words, you should find a jointer that comes with an easy and quick adjustable fence.

5.3 The Power

The horsepower of the motor is crucially vital because it is the main control of the machine’s efficiency. You should pay meticulous attention to the cutting power. The higher the power, the better results you will get.

5.4 The Budget

Find a jointer that suits your budget, and at the same time, fits what you need. There are quite a lot of benchtop jointers that are fairly priced and designed with ideal features and specifications that you need for your specific project.

Withal, we can look on the best benchtop jointer reviews to help you get the finest one in the market today. Thus, we have listed the top benchtop jointers in the market.

Top 5 Best Benchtop Jointers

1. Bosch RA1181 Benchtop Router Table

This benchtop jointer, router table perfectly fits with most routers.

It includes two adjustable feather boards and dust collection port as well as 6-ft power cord and dual outlet switch.

It has an aluminum fence with an aluminum router mounting plate and MDF face plates.

It also has mounter hardware for various routers, and its work surface measures 27”x 18”.

Pros:

• It is easy to assemble
• It works well
• It is functional
• It is sturdy
• It is solid

Cons:

• Its plastic base is flimsy
• It has sloppy miter gauges

2. Cutech 40160H-CT 6″ Bench Top Spiral Cutterhead Jointer

This jointer comes with a powerful motor with 120 volts and 10 amps.

It includes a spiral cutter head with 12 HSS inserts, and fence that has 90 to 135 degrees tilt.

In addition, it comes with adjustable level beds.

 

Pros:

• It has plenty of power
• It cuts very well
• It cuts clean
• It is sturdy

Cons:

• It has a flimsy fence

3. Powermatic 1610086K Model 60HH 8-Inch 2 HP 1-Phase Jointer with Helical Cutterhead

It has a helical cutter head with 4-sided inserts that provides smoother and quieter cutting.

Thus, it produces a superior finish.

Its extra-long tables are mounted on a dovetail manner for extended workpiece support.

The adjustment lever of this jointer has a quick infeed positioning table and fine-tuning cutting features.

It also has a high mount switch to provide absolute convenience to the operator.

Moreover, the jointer has a hand wheel operated worm gear system for an absolute smooth fence tilting.

Pros:

• It provides exceptional cuts
• It is a great powerful machine
• It has a great performance
• It is immensely an excellent piece of equipment

Cons:

• It is exceedingly heavy

4. JET 708457DXK JJ-6CSDX 6-Inch 1 HP Jointer with Quick-Set Knive System, 115/230-Volt 1-Phase

It comes with extremely long cast iron table for a much better control and more accuracy.

It includes a half-inch rabbeting capacity and a 33-one-eight-inch long fence with forty-five and ninety-degree stops.

It also has a powerful motor horsepower of 1hp and efficient industrial push button controls.

The jointer comes additional features such as a four-inch dust port to get an efficient dust and chip disposal as well as three high-speed steel knives-inch the cutter head with quick set knives to provide easy changing.

Pros:

• It doesn’t take a lot of space
• It is an amazing product
• Its assembly is easy
• It works as expected

Cons:

• It needs two people to manage

5. PORTER-CABLE PC160JT Variable Speed Bench Jointer, 6-Inch

It has a variable speed that range from 6000 to 11,000 RPM.

Thus, this jointer allows the operator or user to choose the right speed for the size and hardness of the material that they will need to cut.

It has two-knife cutter head with a jackscrew knife that comes with leveling arrangement.

This feature allows easy replacement and adjustment of the knives.

It also includes a built-in cutter head locks that facilitates replacement and adjustment of the knife.

Lastly, its fence is center mounted that provides the required support throughout the cut for precise edge jointing.

Pros:

• It is a nice, all-around jointer
• It’s a solid, heavy machine
• It comes with great quality

Cons:

• Its fence is complicated to adjust

Conclusion

We can conclude that the most effective, powerful, and ideal benchtop jointer is the Cutech 40160H-CT 6″ Bench Top Spiral Cutterhead Jointer. It includes high quality features and specifications such as what woodworker or carpenter usually needs for their projects.

Furthermore, the jointer is worth the money. So, it’s cost-effective and performs extremely well with only one disadvantage among the benchtop jointers mentioned above.

With all the research we did to find out the best jointer in the market today, we can firmly confirm that the Cutech 40160H-CT 6″ Bench Top Spiral Cutterhead Jointer is the one.

The price, durability, reliability, power, cutting, and clean result make it the winner among the five jointers listed above.

So, you already have an idea which one would suit you best. You just need to make sure that the jointer has everything you need for your specific project.