Used 16" Jointer - Recommend Used Woodworking Suppliers

[Douglas Snyder]

I am thinking about buying a used 16" jointers. Are there any suppliers/dealers you recommend? Since I would like to inspect the equipment before buying, I was hoping to find a reliable honest dealer with 5 hour drive from Nashville. Do any of these dealer do any repair work if the unit needs it? Thanks, Doug

[David Kumm]

Ask the OWWM.org guys but I've had good dealings with Fred Rehak in Suttons Bay MI. doesn't oversell or overstate. I bough a 16" Porter jointer from him. Better than he described. Oliver, Porter, Northfield, are the big three. Yates American or the earlier American were good three toed jointers and the Newman 60 had the heaviest castings. I have an Oliver 166bd and the Porter 300 and prefer the Porter but the reasons make a long story. The jointer with the best tables should be your choice. You don't want a shallow in the middle of the table. Most other problems can be corrected. Ben Rock in Dekalb has a good rep although I've no first hand dealings. There are some to avoid but not in public. Dave

[Brian Weick]

Are you mechanically inclined? Do you have 3ph power? Can your shop floor handle the weight?

These are not difficult machines to work on....for the most part. I will tell you this, if you go through a dealer you are going to pay more than from a private individual. I hit pay dirt last year......I bought a American 16" #1 Buzz jointer-complete and running-great machine & a Oliver 117a 30" band saw-complete and in running condition- both were $1000.00. Was a woodworking business that closed down and he had to get them out of there-quickly....

There are bargains to be found out there, but you have to network and you should have some mechanical abilities SHOULD it need repairs. The guys over at OWWM are a wealth of knowledge and are more than happy to help you out with your machinery....for the most part , they just need to be cleaned up and painted, I go way beyond that but that's usually the case unless stated otherwise.

If your looking for them to work on it, it may get pricey.....


B,

[Jeff Duncan]

I bought from Ben Rock and he was a good guy to deal with. Something that's very important when buying a machine from halfway across the country with only e-mailed pics to see. He also has the capacity to repair/tune machines which can be helpful.

Ideally however you want to find someone local to you. There are a lot of dealers out there and every one of them is different. Some are just trying to re-sell equipment they bought at auctions, others are trying to sell stuff that was traded in for new machinery. Some will know the ins and outs of the equipment and some really won't. If your a pro I'd recommend calling some of your local peers as they may provide some good advice.

Lastly as mentioned jointers are pretty simple machines overall and for the most part are easy enough to work on....though mine wasn't:( So if you can find one on the local used market without going through a dealer you'll certainly save yourself some $$$$.

good luck,
JeffD

[David Kumm]

Brian is correct. there are deals out there for the patient. I have bought from both private individuals and dealers. A key is whether you can inspect the machine personally. I will spend the extra for a quest machine from a dealer I trust anytime I can't go look at it myself. It is fairly easy to hear about the bad guys and the price upcharge from a dealer is pretty reasonable in this market. A good dealer is also a good packer and crater and should not charge much extra if any to crate the machine. I'm not inclined to quibble about price on the machine I want but would rather stress good crating. Although jointers are simple machines, problems are seldom cheap to fix. The old Oliver and Porters used ABEC 7 huge oil bath bearings that might cost as much to replace as you pay for the machine. A dealer will at least tell you whether stuff is original, some individuals may or may not. I would not pay as much for an old jointer with sealed replacement bearings as they are probably $500 cheaper bearings than the original. You need to do homework and talk alot to the seller to get a feel for his knowledge and honesty. certain machines are worth a second opinion. Oscillating edge sanders come to mind as they are a PITA to rehab. Remember you are buying a jointer that would sell for $20K today if new so any machine in great condition will be a good deal. In bad condition you will always overpay. Dave

[David Kumm]

Douglas, an additional comment on 16" jointers. Some have guards that swing out of the way so you can joint a wider board without going through a lot of work. While a 16" handles 98% of your needs there is a comfort in having the ability to joint that 24" glued up panel well enough to run it through the sander etc. Not a deal breaker but an added bonus. The oliver 166 is one of the best old jointers but their guard design is less than perfect. Mine did not work as well as the typical porkchop guard that pivots in front of the blade rather than at the end of the outfeed table. Dave

[Brian Weick]

Koodos Dave.....

Good point....well, I guess he'll have to buy a Martin,,,,,,,Time for that home equity loan........LOL.......I think they start at $23,000.00. Somewhere around there......

B,

[Bill White]

http://www.redmond-machinery.com/

This is where I would start. No affiliation.
Bill

[David Kumm]

Brian, as great as the $23000 Martin would be, I'll stick with my $2500 Porter- from a dealer. The American was one of the original three toed designs, later to become Yates and a great machine. Too bad the companies are all gone. Dave

[C Scott McDonald]

Koodos Dave.....

Good point....well, I guess he'll have to buy a Martin,,,,,,,Time for that home equity loan........LOL.......I think they start at $23,000.00. Somewhere around there......

B,

The things I would do to own one of these Martin Combos...

http://www.martin.info/cms/_main/planing/tp300.html

No mention of price on website.

Still though...maybe one day...

[Brian Weick]

Brian, as great as the $23000 Martin would be, I'll stick with my $2500 Porter- from a dealer. The American was one of the original three toed designs, later to become Yates and a great machine. Too bad the companies are all gone. Dave


You'll get no argument from me about the Arn.....slightly biased opinion .......LOL


B,

[Steve Kohn]

I'm not sure where you're located but in DeKalb IL. is Pleasant Street Machinery. As of last week they had a 16 inch available.

[David Kumm]

[QUOTE=C Scott McDonald;1846336]The things I would do to own one of these Martin Combos...

http://www.martin.info/cms/_main/planing/tp300.html



No mention of price on website.

Scott, that machine is actually a rebadged Griggio. Martin modifies them a little and sells as an entry level machine to their regular line. You can find the same machine on the Griggio site. Dave