This is not mine (stole the pic from a certain auction website), but it is the same model and similar condition. No, well, actually mine's not as rusty, but it is a fairly rusty, and much dirtier - gunked-on old oil, etc.
My 2 main questions (although I'll probably have many more) are:
Are the blade guards fairly universal? Mine did not come with one, and the craftsman website says a replacement part for this model is not available. Where could I get a suitable replacement guard?
The manual basically makes it seem as though any old hack with a shop can sharpen the blades on a whetstone or similar. Yet, I always hear about people sending out their jointer and planer blades to be sharpened. Can I really do it myself, or is it just asking for trouble. They definitely need to be sharpened before I use it, I'd say.