Festool HL 850 E Planer Vs Porter Cable 6" Jointer anyone have the 850

[JLB builders LLC]

I have a Porter Cable 6" jointer. I just bought a new trailer and have been thinking about the real estate. The PC takes up a bit of room and does not stack very well.

Does anyone have the Festool HL 850 E Planer  and use it as a jointer with the optional accessories. I mostly use the PC for planing the edge of 3/4 stock for face frames. 

I do not think I would get rid of the PC, and yes I know its not really high end but it works for what I use it for at this time.

I have an oooold misquote 3-1/4 planer that I use for doors, well until I started using the TS75 and realized the cut was baby smooth anyway Id really like to replace the Mikita and eliminate the PC.

Thanks for any input. ~Jamie

 

[peter halle]

Is your PC jointer a full size 6" model?  What is the infeed and outfeed table lengths (approx)?

Peter

 

[JLB builders LLC]

Is your PC jointer a full size 6" model?  What is the infeed and outfeed table lengths (approx)?

Peter

I guess about 12" each side??? I just read that the HL 650 can use the accessories to make it a jointer and see the CMS router table can be used in the same way.  [eek]

 

[erock]

Jamie,

  For what it's worth.  I have the 850 and I'm only a hobbyist.

I love the bench unit that the 850 connects to.  I have the bench unit in a sys4.  Takes up very little space.  I have a 6 inch craftsman jointer that now

collects dust.  Since I bought my Festool tools I have been thinking about selling my jointer and table saw.  They just sit in a corner taking up space.

If you need to free up space, I would recommend picking up the 850 and bench top unit.  You can just clamp the whole unit to the MFT and hook it up to a

CT vac.  I recommend a 36mm hose, but the 27mm works good.  The cut is smooth, just like you are getting with your TS75.  Plus, if you do custom trim

work you can add different cutter heads to give difference effects to the wood.  Like honeydokreg has done for custom mantels.  I know there is a video

of him using the 850 floating around the FOG. 

It's worth checking out.  Just my two cents.

Eric

 

[sancho57]

I bought the 850 for a couple of reasons, I can use it as a hand held planer, it makes a great door planer when the full length fence is added and I can use it as a jointer. I have a 6" jet jointer that sits in the corner and collects dust and rust. I am selling it when I get back to the states and buying the 850 accessory to make a jointer out of it.

I honestly dont know how good a edge it will make as it only has (i think) one blade in it as opposed to the 2 blades my jet uses. But for portability and versatility I think it will be more useful to me.

I had the bench top delta jointer before I got the 6 " jet. It was a kick arse  little jointer that did a pretty good job. If I could do it all over again I would of never sold it and got the Jet.

 

[Tinker]

I am a hobbiest who gets only a month to month and a half a year to really do serious WW'ing.
A few years ago, i bought the 850.  I found about the only thing I was using it for was to flatten short chunks of wood I had squared up with bandsaw.  I could get a flat face by using winding sticks to line up the cuts.  Sometimes, I still had to finish off using hand planes.  Not being experienced enough, i did not feel comfortable using the toy as an edge jointer, so it pretty much ended up as a great dust collector.

A year ago, i happened to stop @ The Tool Nut and saw the 850 set up on the frame with fence.  i played with it a little bit and the darned thing stuck to my hand so i could not let it lose.  It ended up following me home (the frame and fence) where I found it to be great.  I now leave the 850 with frame and fence set up permanently.  It gets used on nearly every project, especially since I buy mostly rough cut, unsquared and unplaned lumber.  The fence is adjustable to any obtuse angle.  It is one great little tool.

I have used larger jointers from a little Rockwell/Delta 4" to a larger 8" or 10".  For longer lumber, I think I would not be as thrilled with the 850 set up as I might be with a much larger machine.  for my uses, it is fine.  About the single blade, the blade is skewed so it makes as fine a cut as any jointer i have ever use.  The blade comes as a unit on a drum.  I have not had to change, but i think the blade is removable from the drum. (not sure on this) For me, i would just get a new drum with blade and replace, sending the old setup to shop for sharpening.  With the carbide that goes into Festoys, i don't think i will ever wear out or dull the blade. 

I have just recently taken a dose of cool-aid and brought home a CMS.  The fence and table are much longer than for the 850, so I can probably handle much longer lumber with that.  The fence is adjustable with the CMS.  The table is adjustable for the 850 bench setup.  Either way, the adjustment is extremely accurate.  With the bench model, there is only one adjustment to be made for jointing: the table.  With the CMS, you have fence and router bit to set up.  I have not set up me CMS yet (lota moving and reorganizing of my shop first), but i do not think my 850 will become neglected.  I think the fence on the CMS is adjustable only vertically while the 850 fence is adjustable at any angle from 90º (vertical) to 45º.  I wood not feel comfortable working with the 850 fence set at 45º for anything longer than maybe 3 feet.  Longer can be handled at 90º.  I have never been comfortable jointing  any length over 36" at 45 with any jointer.  i am sure others with more experience would be comfortable handling much longer lumber with the 850.

For site work, i would have bought into using the 850 had they been around when i was in construction (for "special" customers, I did occasionally do some not too complicated cabinet work. ) I think it is a lot better tool than the old Delta/rockwell I used back in the mid '50's.  Maybe not as satisfactory for heavy work as a larger machine might be/have been, but it is a do-able machine.
Tinker

 

[semenza]

I have the 850 I have used it in the bench mount for jointing short (about 32" long) 3" x 3"  pieces for some  legs I was  making. 32" was pushing it do to the  short bed length for jointing.  If you really want to use it for a job site jointer then I think you will want to build some extension tables.  

You will need a good square to check the fence for 90 degrees.

I have not used it for regular edge jointing  because of the short beds. I currently use my router table for edge jointing.

Seth

 

[vanderpooch]

I have had the bench unit for a while. While useful, I found the reversed setup from a normal jointer off putting. It's hard for me to overcome years of muscle memory pushing wood over full size jointers.

What I mean by this is that the way it is set up, you would want to push the wood being machined with your left hand, right hand holding the material against the fence which is the opposite of any regular jointer. I think the awkwardness of this position made my results less than they might have been otherwise.

In the end, I've found it easier to use a plane for the pieces that are within this machine's capabilities, or my Inca if I'm in the shop.

Still, if you can get used to it, a handy thing for jamb extensions or stuff like that out on the job site.

- Kit

 

[Tinker]

I had not thought about the left to right or the right to left aspects.  For some, it might just come down to that with the 850 bench combo.  I run ito that with using my ATF 55 on the rail.  I am very comfortable working with my right hand even tho i am left handed.  every circular saw i have ever used was used right handed. (we lefties suffer so much with right handed tools  )  When i got the parallel guides, being short, it should be much easier for me to work (saw) from near side of the cut.  However, that means stepping around to the side of saw where I must use it left handed.  I find that to be not only difficult physically, but in my head it is not safe.  I just have a difficult time using those parallel guides.  I am currently phasing out (verrryyyy slowly) of my landscaping biz and trying to devote more time to WW'ing, so i should have more time to work on that problem.

With the CMS, I will be doing edge jointing from the same side of bits as I always have done with router tables set ups (within last 25 years) as well as when I used jointers in the past.  However, when using my 850 and going the opposite way, it does not seem to bother me as it has been such a long time since i actually used a jointer.  Over 40 years, actually. 
Tinker

 

[Julian Tracy]

I had the 850 and don't do a bunch of door work.  As a handheld planer, I wasn't using it much as my preference is to use one one-handed - the 850 is too darn big for that.  So, I always used my Bosch planer for scribing, stud adjustment, etc.

Only reason I kept the 850 was to eventually get the bench unit as I figured it'd be handy for kitchen fillers, etc.

But that's a ton of money for the unit and the fence only to end up with a pretty much crippled benchtop jointer.  Then I picked up the portable 6" Delta variable speed jointer and after using it, sold the 850. 

The portable Delta is at least twice the length of the 850 inverted and it all other respects 4x the jointer.

It's pretty darn quiet, has variable speed, excellent dust collection and isn't too heavy.

On top of that, they're available all day long in excellent condition on Craigslist for about $125-150.

For door work or figured planing, I could see keeping it, but other than that, the 850 is a bit of overkill.

And the Bosch planers are swiss-made and have excellent dust collection as well, so I fail to see the added value of the smaller Festool planer other than it matches my other tools... Kind of similar to the jigsaw - there are other equivalent if not better options to the green and blue.

JT

 

[JLB builders LLC]

Thanks everyone for the input. Here is what I have decided.

I wasn't aware the the direction would be reversed feeding the 850, that might bother my comfort level.

The weight of the 850 might be an issue, I'm use to the makita one handed. I had bought a Bosch planer for a job to replace the Misquote but didn't need a planer so I took it back. If I new it was swedish made I might have kept it lol. Guess I will go pick it up again, since getting the TS75 leaves such a smooth finish edge on doors that I do not use the planer as much.

Seems the CMS router table might be a good replacement. Im outfitting a new 6x12 V-nose trailer so a router table that is compact might be just the thing for me. Now to get over the cost grrrrrrr