Grizzly G0959 12-Inch Combo Planer/Jointer with Helical CutterheadSerious Hobbyist

Twelve inches of jointing and planing width from a machine that runs on a household circuit and weighs 95 pounds. Nothing else here gives you that much width for the money. It's the answer when you want to flatten wide boards and only have room for one machine.

• Twelve inches of width for around twelve hundred dollars is the widest capacity per dollar in the category
• A helical head with 28 carbide inserts on a machine this light is unusual
• It runs on a standard 120V circuit, so no electrical work
• Jointing and planing in one footprint suits a shop with no floor space to spare

• This is the lowest-rated machine in our jointer set at 3.8 out of 5, and that's worth taking seriously
• Max depth of cut is only 3/64 inch, so flattening a cupped board takes many passes
• Die-cast aluminum tables and a 95-pound frame mean it doesn't have the mass to stay put under heavy work

Inserts are 15mm indexable carbide and rotate to four fresh edges. There's no cutterhead or fence upgrade on offer. If you find yourself fighting the shallow depth of cut, the fix is a heavier dedicated jointer rather than an accessory.