need opinions: Delta Benchtop Jointer

[Kevin Gregoire]

im thinking about getting a Delta 6" benchtop jointer 37-070

has anybody tried one and how do you like it? im very limited on
space and for now im only using short pieces of wood so i would
think it should work fine but i want your opinions first please.

and is this an older model then the JT160? any difference?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41crneBo5rL._AA300_.jpg

[Neil Brooks]

a buddy of mine has three jointers.

He put a little 6" benchtop Delta on a roll-out tray, under his RAS table.

Says it's the one he uses MOST -- exactly as you describe: for smaller pieces.

Is this one used ?

You may outgrow this one, but -- particularly if it IS used -- probably won't lose any money on it.

I say go for it !

[Jim Rimmer]

That looks just like my Delta JT160 and I love it. I'm a hobbyist so I'm not running hundreds of boardfeet through it but it works good for me.

Amazon says it is newer version of the JT160.

[johnny means]

I used one in my shop while I shopped for my permanent jointer. I was able to finish several jobs with it and thought it performed admirably. The fence was a bit fussy and took a little time to get square, but was good enough once squared. I found it useful for parts up to six feet long.

[Caspar Hauser]

I had one. I don't have one anymore. There's a reason for that.

[mike wacker]

Had one worked great for it's size limitations. Died early. I'm told to by-pass the speed control to bring it back to life. Boat anchor right now until I try that. But I will as it worked great as it was.

[Bill Huber]

I have one and its OK but that is about it.

The table on mine came with mill marks on it and was very hard to slide wood over. I use a hard maple block and some emery cloth and about 2 hours work and got is smooth and that works much better.

The infeed table took a lot of work shimming to get it flat with the outfeed but it can be done, just take some time.

The fence is really not that good, if you push to hard you can push it right out of square. I use it more to flatten a board then edge jointing, most of my edge jointing I do with a glue line blade on the table saw.

So after about a day working on it, I guess I would say for the price and the space I would say its worth it.

[David Hostetler]

For a small shop, I think that a bench top jointer is a better option than the long bed free standing machines only because they gobble up less space which is priceless in a cramped shop. I don't own the Delta, as it was when I was looking for a jointer, I was very unimpressed with the build quality of the Delta I saw at Lowes. I ended up with a Sunhill SM-150B, which is merely a rebranded Geetech 6" bench top jointer. Works great, has jointed any stock I am willing to shove at it just fine... The Geetech jointer was sold under a lot of different names, including Craftsman, WoodTek, and others...

To give you an idea of the quality of the Delta model, take a look at the description from the Sears web page....

"
Black Decker/ Delta JT160 6'' Variable Speed Bench Jointer"

Pretty much sums it up...

[Bruce Wrenn]

I would watch CL for a used 6" Grizzly with stand. You can tuck one under the wings and out feed table of most saws. Unless Delta has improved the speed controls, then the speed control is a POS.

[Derek Gilmer]

How much are you paying for it? I had one and found it....usable at best. Like Bill said if you tweak it, shim it, sand it, buff it and offer it the occasional sacrifice it is great :). My major complaints were the tables needing a lot of work at first and the fence not having good positive stops or locks. Once you get it to 90 it tended to not stay there long. The blades are also a bit of a hassle to change and adjust properly.

I'd pay around 80 for one and feel good about it. Much more than that and it is pushing it. I say that AFTER I paid 125 for a used one kept it for a few months and found it lacking. But I had room for a larger floor standing model. Another thing I'd consider on a limited shop size is a lunch box planer + planer sled to do the jointing.

[John McClanahan]

If your willing to live with the limitations of a short machine like this, Jet has a 10" jointer/planer combo machine that seems priced fair.

John