I need a jointer- Advice?

[Samuel Green]

Hi all,

I am in the process of setting up my workshop and have most of the tools I need with the last thing being a jointer. I am a craigslist guy and have put together a solid shop on a tight budget, looking to keep that going with the jointer. Im willing to be patient but I was curious if anyone has suggestions on what to keep an eye out for. 110v and 6 inch would be ideal as space is tight. I appreciate any tips!

Thanks,

Sam

[Phillip Mitchell]

What are you building and/or planning to build in your shop? A 6" jointer will be fine for some folks who don't ever work with anything rough over 4' long (and obviously 6" wide or less) but most folks find a 6" to be easily outgrown once you get into wanting some flexibility in dimensioning your own lumber.

It's going to be more expensive and you will need 220v (most likely) but I think an 8" would be a minimum, unless you are going to be working with primarily smaller stock. A lot of the rough boards that I find are over 6" wide and it's a pain and sometimes wasteful to rip stock down just to be able to face joint it.

Look for an older Delta DJ20, even older Rockwell 8", older Powermatic PM60, or even a used Grizzly, JET, Shop Fox, etc 8". I would expect to pay at least $500-700 for an 8" that is in decent, proper working condition and doesn't need anything major. You want to make sure that tables are flat, motor sounds good, and table being co planer is a plus, but that can be fixed with some fiddling. I would expect to have to change out the knives for new/sharp ones when you get it so familiarize yourself with that process. Lots of good videos on the web about that. The one from the Wood Whisperer is a good place to start that isn't too complicated to digest.

[Chris Hachet]

I am in the same boat and have been looking at used jointers. $600 seems to be the minumum for a decent used 8 inch jointer, and the new Grizley 8 inch jointers are roughly a grand or so IIRC.

Thinking new and Grizley may be in my future, as a lot of the older machines I have found have not been well maintained.

Only advice I can give is two fold....6 inch jointers seem to celebrate birthdays on craigslist, whereas an 8 inch jointer that is reasonably priced seems to disappear in a couple of hours. Keep cash ready and buy an 8 inch jointer, if nothing else for resale sake.

[Brad Barnhart]

I've had a delta bench top 6" jointer for years, No complaints. I bought a stand off ebay for something else, but bolted the jointer to it, & its a perfect fit! Take a look at Grizzly, too. It's all in how much you want to spend, & how much space you have.

[Wayne Cannon]

Bed length is beneficial for supporting longer boards. I wound up getting an 8" jointer for the bed length, despite the fact that I don't need the width.

[Chris Hachet]

Bed length is beneficial for supporting longer boards. I wound up getting an 8" jointer for the bed length, despite the fact that I don't need the width.

IMHO you only need it once to miss it-every time I have bought a tool with excess capacity it has come in handy at some point.

[Steve Demuth]

So much depends on what you do in the shop. A good 6" jointer will do 99% of what you need if you you are making small furniture, boxes, or hanging cabinets. You're mostly jointing material under 4' and the 6" width is sufficient. But if you want to make tables, dressers, or cabinets with drawers, every project will make the limitations of the the smaller machine an issue for you. I've got a 6" Powermatic. About twice a year I wish I had a larger jointer, but more often than not, when I do, it's a 10 or 12" tool that I want, not an 8".

[Matt Day]

First of all jointers are simple machines. If the beds and fence are flat, cleaning up a machine that's not been well maintained is pretty easy.
For the OP, anything delta made more than 10 years ago should be fine. Grizzly's should be fine too as they are delta copies for the. It's part, and they offer replacement parts for most delta machines since they are interchangeable. There are plenty of other brands too like Jet and Powermatic.
I know you said space is tight but the difference between a 6" and 8" is not really that much. I have a 17' x 17' shop and have a 12". Started with a 6", then 8", now 12".
Where are you located Sam?

[glenn bradley]

I will forgo the warnings about a small jointer since you have already determined that a 6" machine is adequate for what you do. Many folks chime in on the "get an 8-inch or suffer the consequences" threads wondering what all the fuss is about; they have done well with 6" machines for years. My point being that while it did not work for me, a smaller machine is not "the devil" if your work is of that type or scale.

Being a Craig's List guy and seeking the most often upgraded machine, you have no doubt seen many 6" machines listed. I will respond to your request for "suggestions on what to keep an eye out for" in reverse as this may be more helpful. I would run far and run fast from any version of the Delta benchtop jointer currently offered as the Porter Cable PC160JT and appearing in other colors. I bought one new despite valid warnings and couldn't sell it fast enough. If you already had one I would help you fight it into occasional usefulness but, a jointer is one of those machines that if it does not work properly, it is useless. To quote Yoda "there is no try" in jointers.

Nearly any jointer that hangs off another machine made in the 50's is more of a cool curiosity than something I would want to get involved in trying to find parts for. Avoid any recent Delta offering as parts are non-existent. An exception may be the DJ-20 since Powermatic, Grizzly and others have cloned this machine to the point of parts exchangeability to some degree. My Grizzly G0490X is an example.

Jointers are fairly basic machines, like drill presses. Still, many manufacturers seem baffled by how to make a decent one . . . like drill presses . I would also avoid any odd-ball name that you didn't recognize unless you can prove it to be a decent make that has been re-badged and has been cared for like a well loved pet. This warning comes from a parts availability position.

I'll continue rambling by stating that a dovetail-way jointer that is out of whack is often painful to get aligned, a parallelogram machine is much easier to setup or (more importantly in the case of used) correct. Take a straight edge with you. If it is a DT-way machine format and the tables are askew, low ball it (and explain why) or walk away.

[Jon Grider]

Ditto on most of the advice above. If you are on a very limited budget and a six inch jointer is the course you are going to take, the ubiquitous Craftsman from the 50's through the 80's on Craigslist may serve your needs. Not intending to start a Craftsman firestorm here, much of their machinery deserves the derisive name calling it receives in woodworking circles, but from my own experience, my daily user for over 25 years was a 1980 6" Craftsman jointer and it served me fine. I still have it in a storage room. The motor has oil ports for the bearings, and it's a very simple design with just the infeed table adjustable for depth of cut. In my neck of the woods these go for very cheap on CL. For short and narrow boards mine worked well. Not sure where you're at but I'll give you a good deal if your near SW Michigan.

[Samuel Green]

First of all jointers are simple machines. If the beds and fence are flat, cleaning up a machine that's not been well maintained is pretty easy.
For the OP, anything delta made more than 10 years ago should be fine. Grizzly's should be fine too as they are delta copies for the. It's part, and they offer replacement parts for most delta machines since they are interchangeable. There are plenty of other brands too like Jet and Powermatic.
I know you said space is tight but the difference between a 6" and 8" is not really that much. I have a 17' x 17' shop and have a 12". Started with a 6", then 8", now 12".
Where are you located Sam?

SF Bay Area. Thanks for the advice! Small shop here too, 10x15 roughly.

[John TenEyck]

With that small of a shop a used Inca J/P would fit your needs better than most any alternative. 10" of jointing and planing capacity in a footprint no bigger than a small jointer or lunchbox planer. I had one for 25 years and it was, and I assume still is for the Creeker I sold it to, a great machine. Broaden your search criteria. An Inca pops up every now and then.

John

[Myk Rian]

Look for one of these Rockwell/Delta machines.
It's a 37-315 8"
You'll thank me.

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[Gary Radice]

I just sold one of those 8" Delta machines and I agree is it is hard to beat. A vintage USA made Powermatic 6" or 8" would also be good, or a vintage 6" Delta. The Deltas from the 40's to the 60's with a cast iron base are particularly nice because they are so heavy and solid, but the open frame bases are also fine. Delta made a long bed and a short bed 6". The long bed is slightly more useful and takes up only slightly less space but I've had both and either is superb.

Look for one of these Rockwell/Delta machines.
It's a 37-315 8"
You'll thank me.

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[Chris Hachet]

Look for one of these Rockwell/Delta machines.
It's a 37-315 8"
You'll thank me.

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Quoted for Truth!