Used jointer - what to look for

[Victor Robinson]

As a newbie I've been hesitant to go the CL route when obtaining equipment only because I don't really know how to properly evaluate what I'm looking at or looking for.

Found a potential first jointer on CL. It's one of those older Delta 6 inchers on a stand.

What should I ask the seller and what should I be looking for when I go to check it out?

What I've thought of so far:
fence flat and square
infeed/outfeed tables flat
no obvious signs of rust, etc.

What else am I missing? Thanks!

[Michael Flores]

make sure to ask if there is anything wrong or broken cause delta replacement parts are expensive.

[Frederick Rowe]

In no particular order . . .

Run the jointer. Look, listen, and feel for vibration. It should have little to no vibration. Squeals might indicate loose or worn belt.

With the jointer unplugged and wearing leather gloves, turn the jointer cutter head by hand and feel for any binding which may indicate worn bearings. While doing this, inspect the blades for nicks and that there are two jack screws per blade. The jack screws raise and lower the blade - while unlikely, one might be missing if the unit were subject to gross negligence.

Buy or borrow a 36" straight edge (not a ruler - look at Lee Valley or Starrett) and a set of feeler gauges. The straight edges aren't cheap, but with care, will serve you a lifetime. I never met anyone who regretted buying one. Check infeed, outfeed, and fence for flatness. Anything over .005" hump or dip, take a pass. Next, set infeed and outfeed tables at level, then check with straight edge for coplanar. That is, both tables being parallel. Check tables for any gouges. Rust, pitting, and even small gouges are not a problem and can be buffed or sanded flat. If you see marks that suggest the jointer table doubled as an anvil - take a pass on it.

Turn adjustment levers/hand wheels for raising and lowering tables. They should not bind or require excessive force. It should be noted that it is not uncommon for the both in feed and out feed tables to be set then rarely moved. That being said, at first they may be stiff, but should move freely thereafter.

There are lot's of 6" jointers on the market - don't pay anything close to retail regardless how clean and unused it looks. Take your time. If you've never used a jointer, stop by a store that sells them and feel what the controls on a new machine feel like. Also consider whether in the next couple of years, that you might need to move to an 8" jointer. If the answer is yes, do yourself a favor and skip the 6". Beside the two inches of width (may not seem like much) the longer in feed and out feed tables give it a much greater capacity to joint longer/wider pieces.

Good luck, and regardless of which brand and size you get, become educated on set up of the jointer. Here's a good chart to trouble shoot improper jointer settings.

http://home.usmo.com/~rfwoodworking/jointer.html (http://home.usmo.com/%7Erfwoodworking/jointer.html)

The jointer is one the machines where even if set up is perfect you can still induce an uneven cut due to bad technique. Plenty of web videos available. Pressure should be slightly biased to in feed table as your piece engages the cutters, then pressure biased to outfeed table once the cutter has created a "flat" which should register with the out feed table for the remainder of the pass. Each subsequent pass should then widen that "flat".

One last point. Safety. Always position your hands so that at any time, they will not be over the cutter head. If the wood breaks apart - some unseen void or crack under tension - you won't feel the pain until it's too late. As your hand pushes the wood to the cutter head on the in feed table - just before it's over the cutter head, lift your hand from the wood and place it on the out feed table and resume pushing. Just like hopping over a creek. Repeat for the trailing hand. With practice, the piece being jointed will make the move from in feed to out feed table without any pause. Watch the hand approaching the cutter head at all times.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Not all machines have jack screws- my 6" Davis and Wells jointer doesn't. Its a bit more trouble to set the knives but I don't really miss them.

You will also want to make sure the fence isn't warped. It is impossible to make a good edge joint without a straight fence.

[Pete Bradley]

What Fredrick said plus:

check the ends of the dovetailed ways (under the tables) for cracks right at the corner of the dovetail. Small ones are not fatal, but there should be a big reduction in cost.

A jointer is one of the easiest machines for bearing replacement. Consider buying even if the bearings are trashed. if the shaft is loose in the bearing or the bearing is loose in the bore though (in other words, if there's noticeable play), pass on it because these issues are difficult to fix.

Flatness lengthwise was determined at the factory and is unlikely to be a problem unless the machine has been very heavily used. It is common for the tables to droop due to gunk at the top of the ways. This is fixable with disassembly and a good cleaning. Machines that have seen a *lot* of use can get the table worn lower in the middle than at the edges.

Look at the gib screws in the cutterhead also (the screws that hold the knives in). If they're rusted or rounded over they may be very difficult to remove and they're often expensive to replace. Not a no-go if they're bad, but definitely affects what you should offer.

[george wilson]

Most fences are a little warped,it seems. There have been discussions about it here before.

I think you should just buy a new Grizzly jointer and be done with it. I don't know how old the Delta is. We had a 1950's jointer for many years at work. Its gib screws were hard to access due to the small amount of clearance,and the thin wrenches they supplied frequently cracked. The narrow hex head screws got dubbed over. Frequently,they would be stuck,and we had to spray them with penetrating oil,and let them soak before we could loosen them. I had to take a decent wrench and grind it down thin to use on the screws.

Before I retired,I bought a new 8" Grizzly,the cheapest model,to replace it. The tables on the old one were worn too much to suit me. The Grizzly was excellent in all ways,except,you might have to replace the motor on anything Asian at some point,because their armatures are not dipped in insulating varnish. I have 2 1986 machine tools that are still fine,but have had others that arced across their bearings and had to be replaced. Cheap as these machines are,I don't mind replacing a motor.

You could take the armature out of the motor and have it dipped by a motor shop for insurance.