8 Best Benchtop Jointers For Woodworking: A Comprehensive Review

Benchtop jointers can be a great tool to start your journey as a woodworker with some light to medium-end projects. When you have a benchtop jointer, smoothing out the warps on a wooden piece becomes significantly easier.

However, not every benchtop jointer out there comes with the value you need from them. You must get one of the best benchtop jointers to make a difference in your woodworking.

To make your life easier in finding such a jointer, we found the top 8 benchtop jointers you can find out there for woodworking. So, let’s go ahead and check out some quality benchtop jointers for your next project.

Difference Between A Benchtop Jointer And A Stationary Jointer

While exploring the realm of jointers, you will come across two types of jointers for woodworking. One is a benchtop jointer which we are currently talking about here, and the other one is a stationary jointer.

Here are some of the key differences between the two jointers that should give you an idea of which one is perfect for you. 

Specification	Benchtop	Stationary
Power	Decent power	Great power
Cutting quality	Surface level cuts	Deep tough cuts
Portability	Very easy to move	Immovable
Pricing	Reasonable pricing	Quite expensive
Suitable for	Beginners and hobbyists	Professionals
Noise levels	Pretty high	Comparatively Low
Build quality	Decent	Excellent

Who Should Get A Benchtop Jointer?

Both types of jointers have their purpose, and there is no right answer to which one is better. It all comes down to what kinds of projects you are working on and the factors the jointer can fulfill.

Now, when it comes to benchtop jointers, they are just the perfect thing for the following purposes.

•  As a beginner woodworker, benchtop jointers are perfect as you can easily learn the process and work on smaller projects.
• If using a hand planer seems difficult or not enough for your projects, benchtop jointers are the solution for you.
• When you need portability in your jointer, benchtop jointers are the best for that purpose.
• A professional woodworking shop can use a benchtop jointer as a backup or a secondary jointer for smaller lumber pieces.
• Anyone looking for a jointer within a reasonable price can try out a benchtop jointer as their first woodworking tool.
• DIYers and hobbyists who work on smaller wooden pieces or don’t require too much accuracy can rely on a benchtop jointer.

In short, a benchtop jointer is perfect for any project requiring a portable, decently powered, easy-to-use, and reasonably priced jointer. If your project requirements are similar, get on board and check out some of the best benchtop jointers we will explore.

8 Best Benchtop Jointers to Get for Woodworking

Finding the perfect benchtop jointer can be difficult because of so many options. However, with the 8 best choices, you won’t have to struggle too much.

All of these come with excellent quality and uniqueness in their features. Pick the one that suits your needs the best. Let’s get started.

1. PORTER-CABLE Benchtop Jointer – Best overall

The PC160JT benchtop jointer from Porter-Cable can be a game-changer for beginner woodworkers. It has quite a lot of beginner-friendly features, which makes using the jointer much easier than usual.

Beginning with the versatility of variable speed, it can go from 6000 RPM to 11,000, based on your needs. This way, you can define how much speed you need based on the thickness and size of your wooden pieces. It allows you to have more control over your work.

Another great thing to appreciate about the jointer is the ease of use factor. Setting up the jointer is very straightforward, and using the tool doesn’t require any prior experience. You can easily get precision and smoothness using the adjustable tables.

Adding to that comes its Jackscrew knife leveling and a cutter head lock which makes replacing the knife and adjusting it a child’s play.

This is a 6-inch jointer which means you can easily work on most smaller projects without any trouble. But it doesn’t shy away from the capability either because it can surely cut through most wood with 12000 to 22000 cuts per minute cutter head speed.

Pros

• Very easy to use for beginners
• Features a variable speed option
• Easy to set up, adjust and replace knives
• Great value for money
• Packs enough power for DIY projects

Cons

• The head bolts securing the blades can be too tight
• Cord is a bit short

2. WEN JT630H 10-Amp 6-Inch Spiral Benchtop Jointer – Best In Affordability

Wen is a pretty popular brand when it comes to woodworking tools. The JT630H is one of the best jointers you can get for the money. Along with the affordability factor, it has many other things to offer.

Firstly, the spacious workspace this jointer can provide you is truly impressive. The work table is 30 by 6 inches, providing enough space to work on small to medium-end projects without trouble.

Coming to the performance, in every pass you make on the wood using this planer, you can expect to remove 0 to ⅛ inches of material. It should speed up your woodworking projects a lot. And thanks to the depth-of-cut scale on the jointer, you can attain accuracy as well.

A unique factor about the jointer is its adjustability settings. By beveling the fence, you can easily get some 45-degree angled cuts on your wooden pieces. Combining the 12 HSS high-quality spiral cutter heads with all that, you can expect a fine finish on your wood after using this jointer.

Even though it’s an affordable benchtop jointer, it doesn’t lack power even a little bit. The jointer packs a serious punch with its 10 amp motor that can rotate the cutter head 12,000 times in 60 seconds. So, performance and power will never be a concern with this one.

Pros

• High-quality, sharp blades
• Excellent power and performance
• Great affordability
• Handy adjustment features
• Offers good safety and quality dust port

Cons

• Needs a lot of maintenance
• Fence settings can be inaccurate

3. CRAFTSMAN CMEW020 Benchtop Jointer – Best for reliability

When it comes to reliability, Craftsman is always a contender for that. Their CMEW020 benchtop jointer is just another example of quality within affordability. The jointer has similar features to the Porter Cable PC160JT but added some variations.

Whether you plan to work on softwood or hardwood, the jointer will work on both thanks to its variable speed option. You can run the jointer from 6000 RPM to 11000 RPM. And the cutter speed can go from 12000 cuts per minute to 22000 cuts per minute.

One of the best things to love about the jointer is its accuracy in cutting. It has a center-mounted fencing system that allows the jointer to provide the necessary support when doing edge jointing. And the accuracy remains throughout the entire cut.

It’s a great jointer considering that you get it at a very affordable price, yet it features a 10-amp motor. The powerful motor makes the jointer ideal for face jointing, edging, and flattening.

Pros

• It’s pretty affordable
• Suitable for soft and hardwood projects
• Provides good accuracy in cutting
• Comes with quite a lot of power
• Gives users great control over the speed

Cons

• Fence can feel a bit wimpy
• The outfeed table has a poor build quality

4. WEN JT833H 10-Amp 8-Inch Spiral Benchtop Jointer

To work on some larger wooden pieces, you can get the Wen JT833H with a much larger workspace availability. And it’s not just limited to the workspace only, you can also see the jointer being effective for professional projects and some DIY projects.

Of course, its table size is the obvious factor that keeps it ahead of other benchtop jointers. It has an 8-inch width on the table that makes working with smaller to medium-sized wooden pieces much easier. Also, you can work on a variety of projects.

For cutting performance, you can rely on the jointer without any worries. It can remove about 1/8 inch of material from your wood with a single pass. And the HSS blades with 16 staggers make the jointer even more powerful.

Speaking of power, the jointer has a 10-amp motor that can rotate the cutter head at a 12000 RPM speed. Moreover, the adjustability features on the infeed table with the fence beveling at 45 degrees are always helpful in a jointer.

Pros

• Spacious enough for large projects
• Great cutting performance
• Features good power on the motor
• High-quality blades
• Accuracy is always on point

Cons

• Requires a lot of adjusting
• Surfaces can be a bit warped

5. Delta power 37-071 6″ Benchtop Jointer

Unlike other benchtop jointers, Delta Power 37-071 can’t boast about its lightweight nature because of its weight. But the weight adds up to the stability and builds the quality of the jointer, so it works out as an advantage.

Along with its stability and build quality, you also get some great performance from its capability of 20,000 cuts in a minute. Also, you can get a 0 to ⅛” depth of cut on the jointer to remove materials quickly from your wooden pieces.

Accuracy from the jointer is another reason to fall for this one repeatedly. For starters, the fence and table have the perfect precision in the machining. Adding the high-quality cast-iron fence support system results in even more accurate jointing.

The jointer features very beginner-friendly adjustable settings. The fence adjustment system is pretty straightforward. It features positive stops at 90 degrees and 45 degrees in and out to make the adjustment process much easier.

Pros

• Build quality is very impressive
• Easy to adjust the blades
• The material moves through the jointer easily and safely
• Efficiently ejects chips from the dust blower
• Comes with excellent accuracy

Cons

• It’s a bit heavy to move around
• Setup instructions are vague

6. RIKON Power Tools 20-600H

Not many jointers will give you fast-paced performance like the Rikon Power tools 20-600H jointer. With its features, you can get some quick operation from the jointer to save time on your projects.

Starting with the powerful motor at 10 AMP, you can expect excellent performance in all projects. Also, the fence adjustability can tilt from a 90-degree angle to a 45-degree within moments with 100 percent accuracy.

Along with all that speed, you also get performance from the quality blades. It comes with a helical-style cutter that has a 6-row design. The cutter-head features 12HSS and 2-insert cutters that can provide very effective cutting action.

It’s a 6″ jointer, so you won’t have any trouble covering those small DIY projects using this one. And when you add the heavy-duty metal construction on the jointer, it just reaches a new level.

Lastly, the jointer has some very handy features, such as a quick depth adjustment setting, a well-machined table, a 2-½” dust port, a safety guard, etc. You also get front safety switches and two push blocks.

Pros

• It features some quick functionality
• Highly capable cutter head and blades
• Comes with plenty of features
• Adjustability settings are pretty good
• Heavy-duty build quality

Cons

• The fence requires frequent adjustments
• Not many beginner-friendly

7. Shop Fox W1876 6″ Benchtop Jointer

As a casual woodworker working on hobby projects, you might fall in love with the Shop Fox W1876 benchtop jointer. It comes with features that suit the needs of a DIYer perfectly, and the value truly seems irresistible.

Starting with the 10 Amp, 1-½ HP motor, you can expect great power from the jointer. The maximum depth of cut on the benchtop jointer is up to ⅛ inch, which is more than enough for DIY projects. Also, the width is a standard 6″.

The jointer features a spiral design with 12 inserts, and here’s the interesting part, you can replace all 12 inserts. With its 12,000 RPM cutting speed, the jointer gives amazing cutting results.

As for the adjustment features of the jointer, it’s quite impressive in that aspect. There is the infeed table adjustment which is very easy to do using the knob that comes with a lock. It adds up to the precision in cutting depth adjustments for sure.

On top of everything else, the blade quality of the cutter head is just thoroughly impressive. The jointer features a spiral cutter head with an HSS blade. So, you can get excellent hardness from the blade and top-tier wear resistance to retain sharpness longer.

Pros

• Build quality is pretty impressive
• Cutterhead functions effectively
• Plenty of handy adjustment features
• Spacious table for DIY projects
• Features great power

Cons

•  Assembly instructions aren’t good
• Not suitable for professional work

8. JET JJ-6HHBT, Helical Head Benchtop Jointer

If you don’t mind paying for quality, then the Jet JJ-6HHBT can be perfect for your woodworking projects. It comes with some premium end feature that gives you the option to work on several different types of projects.

For starters, the jointer comes with a high-powered motor running at 15 amp. It helps the cutter head to rotate at a speed of 10,000 RPM consistently, which is a pretty insane feature to have in your jointer. The horsepower of the motor rates at 1HP, which is also good.

One of the best things about this jointer is its high-quality carbide blades. These are 14-indexable blades that are four-sided, which you don’t get to see too often on benchtop jointers. Also, the cutter head is helical, so there’s that advantage.

To attain accuracy in your cutting depth, the jointer comes with a visible scale. You can hardly go wrong with an accurate scale such as this one. Altogether, accuracy is surely a strong suit of this benchtop jointer.

Pros

• Solid build quality
• Provides excellent performance
• High-quality blades cut very well
• Powerful enough for DIY and more
• Has good safety and dust collection feature

Cons

• It can be annoyingly loud
• No angle adjustment for the infeed and outfeed table

Things to Consider When Buying Benchtop Jointer

Sometimes just knowing about the choices isn’t enough because you can still get confused between the eight picks. 

So, to make an effective buying decision, you must consider some factors that make up the perfect benchtop jointer for your needs. Let’s check those out quickly.

Cutter head type

The first thing you should consider with a benchtop jointer is the kind of cutter head it has. You will typically come across three options for the different cutter heads, and all of them have their specific purposes.

• Straight blade

First, there are the most common straight-blade cutter heads, which are easy to maintain but aren’t the best in quality. Also, they are pretty loud.

• Helical

Helical cutter heads, on the other hand, have very high-quality blades with smooth operation. These cutter heads are low on noise. You can easily replace the blades on this cutter head individually.

• Spiral

Then there is the spiral cutter head that has a pretty smooth functioning and doesn’t make much noise. However, if you want to replace the blades, you must replace the whole unit.

Overall, it’s best to get a helical cutter head for the best benefit, but they can be a bit expensive.

Speed settings

For your jointer speed settings, there are two options you will typically come across. One is the variable speed option, and the other is a fixed speed option.

If you want more control over your projects, which is the best option for DIYers, go for a jointer with variable speed settings. The speed can range from 6000 RPM to 14000 RPM at max. Usually, variable-speed benchtop jointers lack power.

So, if you want more power on your benchtop jointer, go for a fixed-speed option.

Power

Coming to the power factor, you have to look at the horsepower of the motor or the AMP. The most common power rating for benchtop jointers is a 10 AMP motor, but it can also go up to 15 AMP.

Try getting a benchtop jointer with a motor with at least 10 AMP power. The horsepower can be anywhere between 1 to 2 HP, and you should be good with the level of performance you get.

Adjustability settings

Adjustability features are very crucial to have in your benchtop jointers. You need to look for jointers that have effective adjustability settings. It’s important to have accuracy in the settings so that the jointer functions properly.

A jointer must have the proper fence adjustment settings, angle and blade adjustments, and calibration settings. Some easy-to-understand instructions included with the package can also be helpful.

Ease of use and setup

When you are done considering the crucial factors, you can move on to whether the jointer is easy to use. As a beginner, you will want a jointer with ease of usage.

But for ease of setup, whether you are a beginner or a professional, it’s necessary. You will, of course, want to avoid assembly and installation processes involving too much hassle. So, get a benchtop jointer accordingly.

Final Words

Now that you have a clear idea of the best benchtop jointers for woodworking, you can easily get one for your needs. You won’t have to worry about the jointers’ quality since they are top-notch.

Still, if you are looking for the best one, we recommend the PORTER-CABLE Benchtop Jointer, as it’s the best overall pick. It has affordable pricing, the build quality is top-notch, and its performance is excellent.

Other than that, you can go with any of the other ones based on which one comes with features that suit your needs.