John A. Schaefer
07-05-2010, 5:36 PM
Well, I don't know if this would qualify as a gloat for most of y'all, but for me it's a bargain. This is a hobby for me, so I don't currently need any really big machines. Maybe some day...(And thanks to the fellow Creekers for their advice on this in Deals forum.)
I picked up a brand new (still in the crate) Makita 2030N combo jointer/planer for $300!:D The guy I bought it from said that his grandfather had purchased it new in the late 80s planning to get into woodworking when he retired. Well, one thing lead to another, he never setup his shop, and never un-crated this bad boy.
The way I picked it up:
155144 155145
After some effort, I got the thing out of the crate and onto a mobile base (no small feat, since I had to do most of it alone - and the Makita weighs at least 300 lbs). I needed to raise it up about 14" in order to get the jointer bed to a comfortable working height.
Most of yesterday was spent making it clean and pretty :). The protective shipping grease was still on the ends of the jointer bed, as well as the whole planer bed, and even on the cutters. But there was rust on the middle of the jointer and on the guard where a mouse had made itself a little nest. So after lots of elbow grease, rust removed, WD40, and 4 coats of paste wax, it's almost ready for service. The jointer bed is a little pitted, but not so bad that it will impact anything that I'll be doing for the near future. I'll probably repaint the guard at some point, just so the rust spots don't steal my sanity.
155146 155147
I have run a couple boards through the jointer just to give it a test, and it beats the heck out of the little benchtop unit I've been using.
Next up: get the planer rollers ready for shipment to North Carolina for a new coating - around $90 for each roller.
So for less than $500 I got a 6" jointer with a 59" bed (upgrade to what I have), and a 12" wide planer that can handle up to 7 1/2" thick stock (something I didn't have before).
I picked up a brand new (still in the crate) Makita 2030N combo jointer/planer for $300!:D The guy I bought it from said that his grandfather had purchased it new in the late 80s planning to get into woodworking when he retired. Well, one thing lead to another, he never setup his shop, and never un-crated this bad boy.
The way I picked it up:
155144 155145
After some effort, I got the thing out of the crate and onto a mobile base (no small feat, since I had to do most of it alone - and the Makita weighs at least 300 lbs). I needed to raise it up about 14" in order to get the jointer bed to a comfortable working height.
Most of yesterday was spent making it clean and pretty :). The protective shipping grease was still on the ends of the jointer bed, as well as the whole planer bed, and even on the cutters. But there was rust on the middle of the jointer and on the guard where a mouse had made itself a little nest. So after lots of elbow grease, rust removed, WD40, and 4 coats of paste wax, it's almost ready for service. The jointer bed is a little pitted, but not so bad that it will impact anything that I'll be doing for the near future. I'll probably repaint the guard at some point, just so the rust spots don't steal my sanity.
155146 155147
I have run a couple boards through the jointer just to give it a test, and it beats the heck out of the little benchtop unit I've been using.
Next up: get the planer rollers ready for shipment to North Carolina for a new coating - around $90 for each roller.
So for less than $500 I got a 6" jointer with a 59" bed (upgrade to what I have), and a 12" wide planer that can handle up to 7 1/2" thick stock (something I didn't have before).