Thread: Sherwood 8" jointer - thoughts welcome

With regards to the 4 knife setup. I wouldn't give it much value. If it was my machine, I would only be using two knives with the other two set very low in the cutterhead so that they will never touch timber again. The pairs of knives do need to be set the same projection out from the cutterhead and weighted the same (within 2 grams or so) so that you keep the head balanced.

Yeah, those front mounted wheels look like they'd be more of a pain than a convenience...
The Hafco one seems to be the same machine with the wheels in their more traditional location and the $90 saving should get you a spare set of blades W629 - P-200H Planer Jointer | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse

First modification to either machine: open up the extraction port from 4" to 6"

Hi Kuffy and thanks for chiming in. Pardon my ignorance, but why is 2 blades better than four? Would that approach not slow your feed rate capability? Or are you suggesting 2HP isn't enough to push the 4 blades effectively?

Regarding the Hare and Forbes machine, thanks, I had not seen that. Many of the specs are a match, although the fence design appears quite different. The Sherwood handles are apparently foldable to keep them out of the road if required.

Cheers.