# Harbor Freight 6" Jointer



## motor

Ok, I know there are two main camps out there, "HFH" Harbor Freight Haters :furious: and "FHF" Friends of Harbor Freight :smile:. I don't want to start a debate about the pros and cons of HF, I just would like some feedback on one of their lovely green tools.

I see their 6" jointer listed on Craigslist quite often in the $100 range. If this unit has a straight bed, good fence, and decent cutters, is it worth buying? I'd mostly be using it for cleaning up reclaimed boards and rough wood for smaller projects.

I look forward to your feedback!


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## Icutone2

*HF Planer*

Can't say I have used one but with the right settings and the price I would try it.
Lee


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## TomC

If you see them quite often on Craigslist that ought to tell you something!
Tom


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## knotscott

I don't own one, but most owners have favorable comments. It's not a top of the line jointer, but it'll flatten a face and square an edge. 

I've been pleasantly surprised by a couple of HF items....I really think it boils down to analyzing the individual tool in question more than being in one extreme camp or the other. They do have a few gems....DC, a few DP's, jointer, some of the clamps, etc. Not so different from many brands these days, it depends on the individual tool.


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## motor

Thanks for the feedback so far. I agree there are some duds and some diamonds when it comes to HF. (I own tools in both categories.)
My thinking is the jointer is such a simple tool that with the exception of the motor you pretty much see what you get. I would definitely check the bed to make sure it is straight, but I have questions on that process. 
It is easy enough to check the beds on both sides of the cutter for straightness by using a straight edge. But since one side of the bed is higher than the other, how do you compare the two? Or do you? And, do you need to check the blade for trueness against the beds?


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## ddreese

I have one rule for HF: Check the reviews online if it is more than just a hand tool.

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## DannyT

i see craftsman jointers on cl for 100-150 all the time. almost every tool i see from harbor freight always says used very little or like new, i wonder why.


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## troyd1976

Ive had the 6" HF jointer for a couple years now. i dont use it for face planing operations, but have been pleased with the results with edge jointing. i wish it had a bit longer tables, but they are pretty much the standard length for the 6" jointer class.
the bright side? i didnt feel as guilty taking a cut off wheel to the base of it being a harbor freight machine ( i cut off the sheet metal base so the unit on a base i made would slide under my TS wing.


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## Steve Neul

I've never used this jointer either but if my needs were for small projects I would buy it. It's just when you try to make glue ups 4' or longer, a longer bed is really needed. It can be done but it's hard to make the joints straight enough on a short jointer. Also if it lacks power for face planing you could put a bigger motor on it.


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## VIFmike

what are the advantages of a jointer vs a planer? which would be a better tool to buy first for general woodworking? 

It seems like a jointer would be better for large pieces right?


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## wericha

VIFmike said:


> what are the advantages of a jointer vs a planer? which would be a better tool to buy first for general woodworking?
> 
> It seems like a jointer would be better for large pieces right?


2 different tools, with some crossover. A planer is for thicknessing, taking rough lumber down to a specific thickness. A jointer is more for making an edge straight and sqaure to the adjacent face (the one along the fence). A jointer can be used as a planer in that the face of a board can be run if the board is not wider than the jointer. But if the board's thickness is inconsistent, using a jointer won't fix that.

Personally, I would buy a jointer before a planer. You can easily buy wood milled to the thickness you want, but cutting to width will require dressing the cut edges.


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## JohnK007

wericha said:


> 2 different tools, with some crossover.* A planer is for thicknessing, taking rough lumber down to a specific thickness. * A jointer is more for making an edge straight and sqaure to the adjacent face (the one along the fence). A jointer can be used as a planer in that the face of a board can be run if the board is not wider than the jointer. But if the board's thickness is inconsistent, using a jointer won't fix that.
> 
> Personally, I would buy a jointer before a planer. You can easily buy wood milled to the thickness you want, but cutting to width will require dressing the cut edges.



Sometimes I wish we would adopt the term our Australian friends use for a planer. On the one Australian forum I often hang out on they, almost to a man, call a planer a "Thicknesser". I think it's a more accurate description of the machine's primary function.


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## VIFmike

Well just about everything I have been using has been a consistent thickness. I have had issues with boards being warped a little. I am buying a miter saw today. Just wondering what tool next. I think I will get a jointer next. Then a planer.


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## cocheseuga

TomC said:


> If you see them quite often on Craigslist that ought to tell you something!
> Tom





DannyT said:


> i see craftsman jointers on cl for 100-150 all the time. almost every tool i see from harbor freight always says used very little or like new, i wonder why.


What fantastic and relevant advice. :thumbdown:



From those who own it, it's gotten pretty good reviews. A 'gem,' so to speak. When it went discontinued (for whatever reason) last year, I tried to grab one. It's come back, but I'm unsure of any changes, if any.

For $100, used, it's a fair price.

Here are some on LJ who have owned it: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/35883


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## woodnthings

*putting it simply*



VIFmike said:


> what are the advantages of a jointer vs a planer? which would be a better tool to buy first for general woodworking?
> 
> It seems like a jointer would be better for large pieces right?


They are different machines with different purposes. The jointer has cutters underneath the board, the planer has them above.
A jointer will make any surface of a board, edge or face, straight and flat. Jointers are hand fed, planes have power feed.
A thickness planer will make the top surface of the board a uniform dimension or "thickness" for its entire length..... and will follow any irregularities, humps or curves that are on the bottom surface since that's the one on the bed of the planer.
Before you run a board through a "thickness planer" the bottom surface should be "straight and flat" by using the jointer first.

You need both for proper preparation of lumber unless you are willing to use hand tools for the same purposes. You can joint an edge on a table saw or router table also. You can surface a board using a router with a movable sled also.
Some plankas are too wide to run through a planer, so a router and sled HAS to be used:


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## dbhost

Sad to say, Harbor Freight appears to have discontinued the 6" jointer as an ongoing product. They killed off the 8" a couple of years ago. They are left with that weird 7" machine which isn't well regarded...

The HF 6 and 8" jointers are both well made machines. Mind you, a jointer is a pretty simple device... Not a lot to screw up there. Both of these machines are well regarded by those that own them. But they ARE cheap jointers.

To put it bluntly, if I could chose between the old style boxy Craftsman 6" jointer for $75.00 or the HF 6" for $125.00, I would get the HF as I think it's a better designed machine (copies the old Rockwell design from the 50s...).

I see a LOT more Craftsman and Jet jointers going around here even though HF sold a lot of their jointers in my area... Guys are keeping them though...


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## dbhost

Steve Neul said:


> I've never used this jointer either but if my needs were for small projects I would buy it. It's just when you try to make glue ups 4' or longer, a longer bed is really needed. It can be done but it's hard to make the joints straight enough on a short jointer. Also if it lacks power for face planing you could put a bigger motor on it.


I have to beg to differ... I don't have the HF 6" jointer, I have a Sunhill 6" bench top unit. And rigged with properly aligned infeed / outfeed roller stands, face /edge jointing 9' long stock has been no problem at all. And as far as face jointing is concerned. I must admit to being somewhat conservative with it. I have no issues face jointing full width in Pecan or Mesquite with my 6" sunhill, but then again... I don't try to hog 1/8" off at a time... I make repeated light passes which gives me a great finish anyway...


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## PSDkevin

I agree with woodnthings. Both machines are needed for stock prep. And you will probably end up owning both. If I had the choice of which one to buy first it'd be the planer. I find I can do jointing a variety of other ways. But it's harder for me to do the things I do with my planer without it.


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## cocheseuga

I'm in the middle of using my Craftsman jointer, of similar construction and bed length, and I've been jointing 6' glue-ups on mine. It's not easy, but it can be done.


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## BradB

I have the HF 6 inch jointer. I really like it. Well made, lots of power. The only thing I don't like about it is the blade guard is plastic and the dust collection isn't the greatest. Other than that a well rounded machine.


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## VIFmike

A jointer is now at the top of my list. My last three buys were, Table saw, miter saw and biscuit joiner. next up is the jointer then a planer.


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## VIFmike

The HF close to me has 2 of them. One in stock and the display model. They have it on clearance for $249


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## troyd1976

id try taking the 20% off coupon in see if they will do that with the clearance price


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## mikekahle

I bought mine off craigslist. Talked to the guy to question what he used it for and to see if he was a woody or what. Turned out he bought it because he retired and wanted to make picture frames and the only reason he was selling is because he was moving from my area to Florida. I went down to check it out and it was as he described. I looked at the blades, it only has two and they were not beat up or anything I could see. I bought it took it home an put it through my calibration as learned through various online videos. 
I quickly found that the outfeed table side would hit the blade cylinder if raised too high. Meaning if I had the table set up to cut less than an 8th of an inch, the blade cylinder would be pinned against the outfeed table and would not turn. 
I had to tear the table apart and grind the part of the table at the slide in the rear down so I could do less than an 8th cuts. 
After I got her back together, and squared up, I set the table to 1/16 cuts and that is where she remains. she cuts beautifully. 

I also got the HFT planer from the same guy in the same deal, and after checking that the blades were aligned, it works fine. I use it as a back up to my Ridgid planer when the ridgid is down or I just dont want to run something through the ridgid... 

Spent $200 on both and am happy after I got them working to my likes.

I tried to post on the HFT site about the jointer table hitting the blades and something happened and the post never showed, but I have not seen anyone else post about it, so it might have been a manufacturing issue with mine (line worker was drunk or napping) or who knows...


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## Purrmaster

I got the 6 inch Harbor Freight jointer recently. I am still fighting with it. 

Pros: The motor has plenty of power and I haven't had it bog down.

It's nice and heavy and stable. The construction is sturdy.

The tables, from what I can tell, are flat. Though they are a little rough. The fence is nice and flat too.

Cons:

It's a pain in the ass to adjust. At least it has been for me. Getting the fence to 90 degrees with the bed is not easy. The gauge that shows the tilt is basically useless. You'll definitely need a good try square. The very act of tightening the bolt to set the fence causes the fence to move.

Setting the knives is also not easy. Despite using a magnetic jig and trying to set them several times I still don't think I have them set properly. 

Assembly of the stand is a nightmare. 

The stock knives don't seem particularly good.

I'm getting lots of tearout and snipe even with proper adjustment of the tables and having the knives sharpened.

Dust collection is basically non-existent.

I got it mainly because every other jointer I saw was looking to be at least $600, as opposed to the less than 200 bucks I paid for the Harbor Freight.

If you have skill and experience with tuning jointers I think it would be a great bargain. 

I'll start a new thread soon asking for help with this thing. I've read reviews from plenty of people that have had great luck with this jointer.


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## knotscott

Purr - Get one of the $5 magnetic welder's squares from HF to set your fence. :thumbsup:


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## mikekahle

The magnetic welding angle is what I use to square my fence. Once I got everything square and set (put the fence 4 inches in) I have not touched it. I use it only for edge jointing, not face jointing.


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## Purrmaster

The fence is square. I locked it into place. It took some doing and an engineer's square. I go look for that tool next time I'm at Harbor Freight though. Thanks.

I'm going to start a new thread when I get home with some pictures. There are parts of the jointer I simply couldn't figure out from the laughably bad instructions that came with it.

P.S. I've had a problem with the knives hitting the table as well. Turns out I have to really, really tighten down the set screws or the blade slips out.


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## GilaJorge

VIFMike: forget the planer....get the best jointer you can and table saw or compound miter saw....you can buy boards so earily that already at the proper thickness...then et a biscuit jointer...these are basci must haves for doing any project.....I had a planer and just gave it away unused....


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## Larry42

*Planer first*

There are two major steps to making straight, flat, boards. To get a true jointed edge you first need a flat, non-twisted face to reference to the fence. So you need to face the board first. Old but workable method, a scrub plane. Fairly quick if you know how to use. Then use your jointer or a shooting board and a hand plane. The shooting board should give better results. 
There is also a way of getting (sort of) faced boards out of a planer. Use a carrier board that allows you to trap your work and shim it to support it in a manner that holds the top face where it needs to be. Sort of a PIA but works and allows you to face a wider board than most home-type jointers. Once faced you can plane to thickness. Then joint an edge.
For those not familiar with shooting boards Google it. They allow you to make perfectly straight, smooth edges including perfect miters. Simple to make, simple to use, no rotary marks. If you have a jointer that produces less than perfect edges, use it first then a swipe on the shooting board.
Remember to understand reference. Almost all machines use a reference face or edge, the area being machined will be affected by that reference.


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## Alchymist

Larry42 said:


> There are two major steps to making straight, flat, boards.


Just a FYI: The post you responded to is over a year old. :yes:


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## Unchuckm72

*HF 6 in Jointer*

I Have a HF 6 in jointer and am pleased w/it,but setting the fence is a pain even w/ a square. I use a dial indicator to lower the infeed table because the scale on the side is useless. The motor belt that came with it had too much slack, so I used a smaller belt. I have used it to rabbet and it did quite well. (unless your boards are warped.) I know what I bought and I can work w/it. My next concern is to find blades for it as HF doesn't carry them anymore. It's main use in my shop is for planing edges; cleanup after being on a tablesaw, planing all the boards in a project to the same width, rabbeting.


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## JakeFox

motor said:


> Ok, I know there are two main camps out there, "HFH" Harbor Freight Haters :furious: and "FHF" Friends of Harbor Freight :smile:. I don't want to start a debate about the pros and cons of HF, I just would like some feedback on one of their lovely green tools.
> 
> I see their 6" jointer listed on Craigslist quite often in the $100 range. If this unit has a straight bed, good fence, and decent cutters, is it worth buying? I'd mostly be using it for cleaning up reclaimed boards and rough wood for smaller projects.
> 
> I look forward to your feedback!


did you buy one of these? Im looking at one on craigslist, says blades need sharpened but good enough for edging. Hes asking $75 for a central machinery model 34434. I haven't been able to find anything about them, just wondering about your luck. 

Jake


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## cfreak

I have this jointer and the knifes are in bad shape now. Do you know if I can buy the replacement knifes anywhere? Thanks!


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## Steve Neul

cfreak said:


> I have this jointer and the knifes are in bad shape now. Do you know if I can buy the replacement knifes anywhere? Thanks!


How bad a shape are they in? A place that sharpens saw blades should be able to sharpen the ones you have. Once you get the old ones out you should be able to determine if any 6" jointer knives would fit it or whether there is something about them that is proprietary.


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## Mycrossover

motor said:


> Thanks for the feedback so far. I agree there are some duds and some diamonds when it comes to HF. (I own tools in both categories.)
> My thinking is the jointer is such a simple tool that with the exception of the motor you pretty much see what you get. I would definitely check the bed to make sure it is straight, but I have questions on that process.
> It is easy enough to check the beds on both sides of the cutter for straightness by using a straight edge. But since one side of the bed is higher than the other, how do you compare the two? Or do you? And, do you need to check the blade for trueness against the beds?


Just bear in mind that if it goes down for some small but custom part that you can't make or is a lot of trouble to duplicate, you are out of luck. A lack of any real product support is a keystone of HF low prices Even their well made Hercules line are throw away after 90 days unless you buy an extended warranty.

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