Grizzly G0958 8-Inch Combo Planer/Jointer with Helical CutterheadHobbyist

One machine that joints and planes, which is the whole reason to consider it. If your shop is small and you need both jobs done, this buys you the pair for the price of one. You pay for that with a changeover every time you switch modes.

• A real helical head with 18 carbide inserts at this price is unusual, and it shows in the finish
• Once you've done it a few times the changeover takes under a minute
• It's the lightest combo machine Fine Woodworking tested, so it moves and stores easily
• It adds thickness planing to a shop that had no room for a second machine

• Planer mode leaves snipe that testers couldn't fully dial out, though a jointer pass removes it
• Changeover means remounting the fence, dropping the planer bed, and moving the dust shroud, so it's a chore if you switch often
• The dust shroud itself is awkward to work around

Inserts are Grizzly H9893 and they're four-sided, so each one turns three times before it's spent. There's nothing else to upgrade. If the changeover starts to annoy you, that's your signal to buy separate machines.