What's an 8" jointer worth?

[Rusty Eads]

I talked a guy down from $325 to $150 for a 600 pound monster of a machine with a 6 foot infeed/outfeed tables with the original cutterhead. If I get it I would go ahead and install a byrd cutter head if I could.

If I can get an old crescent 8" jointer, put a byrd head on it with a 2 hp motor, all for about $600- $700 - would it be worth it?

BTW, the tables are perfectly flat and coplanar

[Dan Friedrichs]

It would have been a GREAT deal even at $325. :)

[glenn bradley]

I guess the next post will be one of those "the one that got away" posts due to you taking the time to ask these questions. :):confused::)

[Rusty Eads]

I hope not, he has had it listed for about two months now. I'm just a bit apprehensive as it is a project and a fairly costly one at that. Not knowing what a decent 8" jointer with a byrd head is worth I wanna make sure I won't be making a mistake. I currently have an old craftsman 6 1/8" that works fine I guess but the table is small and it would just be handy to have a bigger one.

[Myk Rian]

I bought a Griz G1018 for $350 last year. I thought I got a good deal.
A Byrd Shelix will cost me another $405. It's something I'm considering.

[Rick Lizek]

Is the original head a 4 knife cutter head. Babbitt or ball bearings. Personally from rebuilding machines for 25 years I consider the Crescent jointer to have one of the finest table adjustment set up ever made. Simple and easy to adjust and even easy to take a table off for regrinding and easy reinstallation. Dovetailed or parallelogram jointers can't compare. I actually like the original head and whether the machine is babbitt or ball bearing it's still one of the best machines in my opinion. The tables slide apart to make it easy to change blades. I always reference the knives directly off the head and not the table on those jointers. I think it's a great deal at $325 even if you don't change the head. I'd get it and run it with the original head. A proper knife angle and slow feed will handle most grain except end grain.

[Rusty Eads]

unfortunately the original cutterhead is only two knives and it is babbitt bearings that he says are shot. I would more than likely retrofit it with ball bearings, though he did say for an extra $100 he would throw in a RBI three knife cutter head with fafnir pillow block bearings.

[Don Jarvie]

Does it come with a motor? Some of the old replusion/induction (R/I) motors are more powerful than todays so you may not have to upgrade depending on whats there.

If you can buy it and put the new cutter on it for 600 to 700 thats a heck of a deal.

[Mike Cruz]

I picked up an 8" Delta jointer (20 years old) for $400 and considered it a real deal. I spent the $ for the Byrd...under $350 for the head and new bearings. What is it worth? To me, IF I were going to sell it...? I wouldn't part with it for less than $900. Would anyone be willing to part with their $900 for it? That, my friend, is the real question of "worth". I have a feeling that, on CL, most wouldn't appreciate an older machine in good condition with a Byrd head, and I would take a hit. Maybe here, I might find someone that appreciated it... don't know.

I think that if you can get it for that price, you'll have the extra cash to drop into the upgrade, and it would be "worth" it to you, and in the long run, you'll be able to get most of your investment back. I think many might be turned off by a two knife cutterhead...regardless if it is a great head or not. Keep it though, even if you do the upgrade. You never know if whoever is the next owner might want it back to its original specs.

[Pete Bradley]

Comparisons to machines like a recent Delta or Griz are way off the mark. This machine is in some ways better made, but represents the state of the art in the early 1900s. It could be rebuilt into a top of the line machine, but the base price should reflect the amount of work, time, and parts to get it there.

Personally I wouldn't run the clamshell head, but some do successfully. If you keep the head, you've got to melt out and repour new babbit. If you ditch the head, you need a head, plus figure out how to retrofit bearings. That pillow block setup clearly didn't work out for the current owner, you should ask why.

What does it have for power? A humongous 3-phase will add cost if you don't already have 3-phase power or a suitable RPC. Likewise some old motors will want something that you don't have. New wire and plug? Proper grounding? Mag starter? Belts, pulleys? Shouldn't scare you off, but be sure to account for time and cost in your offer.

There's a lot to be said for old iron and this machine may be a diamond in the rough if you have the skills and go in with eyes open. The forum over at www.owwm.com (http://www.owwm.com) is a good place to start.

[Mike Cruz]

So, this is a 100 year old jointer? Uh, yeah, I would agree that my comparison of a 20 year old Delta is a bit off the mark. Sorry, didn't see anywhere in the OP that the machine was THAT old.

So, to answer your question, I have NO idea if it would be worth the $700-$800 that you would be investing in it on the market. Some may love it, some may call it a disgrace that you ruined an old machine with a Byrd head.

[Myk Rian]

Another situation where too little information confuses the issue.

[Pete Bradley]

Rusty did specify "old Crescent", babbitt bearings, and 2-knife head. That pretty much dials it in.

SMC seems to draw a lot of "jump on it!" posts for used machine questions. The reality is that for anything over 20 years old or so there are some great opportunities out there, but only if the buyer goes in with realistic expectations of the money, time, and parts to get to a safe and usable machine.

[Joe Shinall]

I paid $400 for my 8" Grizzly with handwheels. It's about 10 years old but the guy that had it may have used it 3 times. No rust, no paint chipped, extremely nice.