Any info on Vulcan 6" Jointer

[Ganesh Kumar]

Hello All,

This is my first post here at the Creek. Moved to a new house a year ago. The house needs a lot of finishing up work, and I started buying tools and reading up, and caught the woodworking bug along the way. Now I am trying to soak all I can from magazines, forums and books when I can get time away from work and our 1 year old. So, in practice it seems like I am just collecting all the tools I think I might remotely need when I actually get to do some projects :D

One of the first projects I want to do is build a good but inexpensive workbench, and I really like the New-Fangled Workbench by John White of FWW. It's got some really good reviews, and some criticism too, but I think it would do great for my needs now. And I would need a bench anyway to work on my other projects.

I'll need to add a jointer and a planer to my toolset to get started on this workbench project. Since I am a fairly recent import to this country with all my friends being tech geeks, I don't have a friend's or neighbor's shop that I could "borrow".

That finally brings me to the point of my post, I saw an ad in our local Craigslist for a Vulcan 6" Jointer, priced at $150. I have never heard of this brand, and the seller didn't know much about it, as he got it a few years ago from a relative who passed away. I wanted to get your opinion if this is worth buying, or if I should hold out for something better.

120 V ac, Vulcan Joiner, made in 1991, Sharp blades

Cheers,
-Ganesh

[Myk Rian]

Take a long straightedge with you to look at it. Make sure the tables are flat and coplaner. Other than that, for $150 it's a deal.

[Ganesh Kumar]

Take a long straightedge with you to look at it. Make sure the tables are flat and coplaner. Other than that, for $150 it's a deal.


Thanks for the quick reply Myk!

If the knives are bad, or when the time comes to replace them, do you think I could use any 6" jointer knives (Jet / Delta / Grizzly)?

[Ganesh Kumar]

Picked up the jointer yesterday. The seller had ran an old wooden fence board earlier in the morning to make sure it works. When I checked the knives and later the board, there were a few nails in it, and he let them chew the blades :eek:

The dust collection is pretty much non-existant. There is a ramp made of 1/8" board that lets the chip fall to the floor. I am going to try and build a box, or look for a DC attachment as someone had mentioned in another thread.

I still couldn't find any info on the manufacturer. It just says Vulcan since 1897. Made in Taiwan. 6" Jointer. It has a 1 HP induction motor on it.

But later comparing the Harbor Freight Central Machinery planer, it looks exactly the same, except that the DC ramp on the new HF planer is made of metal. The motor specs are the same, and even the 6" Jointer label looks similar. So, I'm pretty sure it is an older HF manufacturer.

I could've got the new HF Jointer for $225 (after discount and taxes), so its not a great deal at $150 for an 18 year old jointer with bad blades. But hey, I could've done worse, and more importantly, I now have a jointer in my garage! :)

[Myk Rian]

I like Freud knives.
Measure yours, look here, http://www.freud-tools.com/freudplanjoi.html then go to Amazon to find them.
Get 2 sets for the free shipping.

[Ganesh Kumar]

That's a great link! Thanks Myk.

My next step was to take the knives out and measure them. I was just going to measure the width, but now I know better.

[Dennis J. Rundall]

I have a Vulcan 6" jointer. I am having a problem finding knives that are 1/16" thick.
Sid you find any? If so where.

[Myk Rian]

I like Freud knives.
Measure yours, look here, http://www.freud-tools.com/freudplanjoi.html then go to Amazon to find them.
Get 2 sets for the free shipping.
This link no longer works. Try this one. Problem being, Freud no longer shows jointer knives as a product. Bummer.
http://www.freudtools.com/

[Ganesh Kumar]

Sorry for the late reply. I took Myk's advice and bought http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004RK6S/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They worked perfectly for my jointer. Hope this helps!

Adding description in case Amazon link fails later: Freud C390 6-1/16-Inch x 3/4-Inch x 1/8-Inch Jointer Knives - 3-Piece Set