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Thread: Anyone recognize this central machinery 8 inch jointer

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Spokane WA
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    31

    Anyone recognize this central machinery 8 inch jointer

    My first post in a while (been a lurker for years).

    I just brought home a C/L "find" (one of those "pennies on the pound" dealies ...$150 for probably 350-400 lbs of cast iron and a few ounces of hard plastic knobs).

    (This has to be the very first time I've picked up a C/L "find" where I'm not going to have to spend a few hours de-rusting the tables: all 5½ feet of 'em! The thing already shines better than the mid-70's Rockwell Unisaw table's surfaces that I've spent many hours working on lol.)

    The name plate says "Central Machinery 8 inch industrial rabbeting jointer SKU # T 7700".

    The seller knew nothing about it ...he'd bought a storage unit, and this was inside. He was a nice guy (and helped me load it, which was insane for two old guys using the lift and tote method: thank goodness the two trailers were the same height); what I gave him for this was more that what he paid for the storage unit's entire contents lol.

    The jointer looks a lot like pictures of Grizzly G1018HW (link to Grizzly page), or maybe an Enco 150-5110 (link to Enco website manual w-pix).

    At some point in its life, someone put the red Grizzly cutter-head guard on it. Hmm, did early Grizzly jointers sport a "Central Machinery" name plate maybe???

    The front table also sports shims front and back (I included a pix of the front shim; the rear is pretty much the same). Does anyone know why that might have been done? Shouldn't the cam/gib adjustment that the machine came with been enough to make the tables co-planer?

    Anyways, if anyone knows anything about this, or has any comments/suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. (My googling turned up zip-zero-nada for variations on a T-7700 sku.)

    Back story: When I left Cali' for Washington state a few years back, I simply couldn't take my entire woodshop with me. We moved our entire household, and there simply was not enough room in the truck to keep everything. So my nice little Jet 6 inch jointer (which looked, if anything, even nicer than this looks) was one of the tools I had to leave behind. I figured I'd buy a new one when we got settled, but the price for jointers (any jointer!) in Spokane is waaaay more than what you could find them for in Sacramento (after 3 years of looking, I am intimately familiar with the local C/L prices). So. This is the first day I've not regretted having to leave the Jet behind lol. Whoo-hoo, an 8 incher! - My wife's happy about it too: she doesn't have to hear me bitterly complain again (ever again, prob'ly) about selling my old jointer.
    Last edited by Brandon Davis; 06-25-2014 at 2:28 PM. Reason: added details

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2009
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    N.W. Missouri
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    I have a Jet 8" jointer that looks exactly like that. I gave the same price at an auction.

    John

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by John McClanahan View Post
    I have a Jet 8" jointer that looks exactly like that. I gave the same price at an auction.

    John
    Thanks! Was that a JJ-8CS?

    Like this one?

    01 JJ8CS-front.jpg 02 JJ8CS-rear.jpg

    ...they do look pretty similar. What is the bed length?
    Last edited by Brandon Davis; 06-25-2014 at 5:02 PM. Reason: corrected mod. no.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Camas, Wa
    Posts
    3,853
    Central Machinery is the brand name for Harbor Freight. They haven't had a 8" jointer for some time. They opted to go with a 7". I can't even find it on the web site anymore. Yours looks like any run of the mill import 8" jointer.

  5. #5
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    N.W. Missouri
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    Mine is called a JJ-8. 66" bed, 3 cutters, 2hp motor and the same color.

    Looks just like the pictures.


    John

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Richmond, TX
    Posts
    409
    Hello and welcome! This is possibly made by Gee Tech which is the manufacture for several different brands that are private labeled, like the Jet, Woodtek, Grizzly and Shopfox. I am sure with some minor adjustments this will run really nice, enjoy your new to you Jointer.

    Regards!
    Ed

  7. #7
    hi:

    There's a neat trick you can use to ID almost anything - enter whatever key words you know apply into the google search engine, and when the first page comes back with the full google menu on top, select images. Scanning through the images works nearly everytime - in your case entering "8" jointer central machinery" gets you some Harbor Freight photos on the 1st page that let you id your find. (Lucky bugger, wish that were here..)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Cincinnati Ohio
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    4,731
    Like others have said, Central Machinery is the house brand of Harbor Freight. http://www.harborfreight.com/central-machinery.html
    For $150, I think you did very well.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Spokane WA
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    Quote Originally Posted by ed vitanovec View Post
    Hello and welcome! This is possibly made by Gee Tech which is the manufacture for several different brands that are private labeled, like the Jet, Woodtek, Grizzly and Shopfox. I am sure with some minor adjustments this will run really nice, enjoy your new to you Jointer.
    Ed
    Thanks Ed! - I'll add "Gee Tech" to my searches list!

    I'm looking forward to getting it off the trailer (I'm still trying to decide what mobile base to put under it, as my "shop" here is the garage ...which two Jeeps share: it snows in Spokane, so cars need to be garaged lol), and seeing what needs done.
    Last edited by Brandon Davis; 06-26-2014 at 10:20 AM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Spokane WA
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Lehnert View Post
    Like others have said, Central Machinery is the house brand of Harbor Freight. http://www.harborfreight.com/central-machinery.html
    For $150, I think you did very well.
    You and my lovely bride lol (I dunno who's happier: me or her ...so she gets to quit listening to me whine lol). Thanks!
    Last edited by Brandon Davis; 06-26-2014 at 10:30 AM.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Spokane WA
    Posts
    31
    Quote Originally Posted by rudy de haas View Post
    There's a neat trick you can use to ID almost anything - enter whatever key words you know apply into the google search engine, and when the first page comes back with the full google menu on top, select images. Scanning through the images works nearly everytime - in your case entering 8" jointer central machinery gets you some Harbor Freight photos on the 1st page that let you id your find. (Lucky bugger, wish that were here..)
    Thanks for that suggestion. I'm trying that right now ...and it is showing some machines I didn't come across.

    ...jointers are pretty dear around here, and usually all 1½ cees gets you is a rusty Sears 4 inch-er, or parts (usually rusty, too lol). I do kind of feel like I "scored" (an 8 inch has never been in my sights; this is a hobby, and I'm semi-retired ...gotta watch the pennies).

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Spokane WA
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    I used the customer service form on the Harbor Freight website to ask if they had any information about a SKU# T-7700 Jointer, and I just got an email from HF Support with a PDF parts list attached (it looks like the last pages of a manual).

    That's good customer service!

    ...just from the looks, the manual dates from the 1980's to early '90's.

  13. #13
    As mentioned probably made by Gee-Tech and probably their CT200 model.

  14. #14
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    Aug 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Gumpper View Post
    As mentioned probably made by Gee-Tech and probably their CT200 model.
    Thanks.

    From what I've gleaned through the responses, I think it started life as a Geetech CT200 also.

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