King 8" Jointer?

[Tony Shea]

Has anyone used, seen, or heard of the brand King? There is an ad in the classifieds for a used 8" Jointer. I emailed about what brand and model and he replied that it is a King model WJ8 with a 2hp motor. He said he used it for a flooring job at his parents and hasn't used it since. It's gone unused for a couple years but stored in a heated garage. For the life of me I can't find anything on a King WJ8 jointer. He is going to send me a couple pics on the phone tomorrow and asked that he'd take one of the brand logo. I've seen King Canadian which I'm assuming is what this is but can't find that model #. He's asking $375 so it seems to be worth investigating a bit more.

Oh and I have another prosepect in a Delta DJ-20 which I know would be ideal. In good shape and got him down to $800. That is a bit more than I want to spend at the moment and am not sure I have the room for this monster. I may be able to give him closer to $700 or a bit more. Any thoughts on this price?

[John Thompson]

It's likely KingCanada which makes about the same machines as anyone else. I can't find anything on the WJ8 but their current 8" jointer in the KC series looks idenical to the Grizzly 8" with a slightly shorter bed. The fence is about the same. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have a look... after you call King Canada on Monday to confirm it is one of their earlier models.

You can't beat the price if the machine is in good working order and not caked in rust.

Good luck...

[Derek Stockley]

I have 2 King Canada machines. It's typical import stuff. King has two lines - King Canada and King Industrial. I'm told King Industrial is generally better made stuff.

Make sure you check the machine out pretty thoroughly - bring a good 4' straight edge and check the tables are coplanar and that the locking screws all hold without deflecting the tables. Someone more expert in jointer maintenance could probably give you a more thorough checklist.

I've had electrical troubles with both of my King Canada machines and my drill press chuck kept coming off. King fixed all of these problems without much fuss under warranty and I've had no problems since. Even given my experiences, I'd go for it at that price if it checks out mechanically.