Is this Jointer worth $900? It will be my first Jointer...

[Kevin Hargis]

I'm new to this forum since around a month or two ago and have learned a LOT from all of you!! thank you! :-) I have been working very hard on a new wood shop in my basement and am excited to get to work on some long awaited projects.

One item I have been on the hunt for is a JOINTER... I found this one local to me for $900. It's an 8" / 72" Powermatic 60 that is the heavy duty version with the 2 HP motor.
It was used in a furniture making commercial shop, not a hobby shop, so it concerned me with it's daily use over the last 15 years. It's a straight knife cutter but the owner assures me that it is set up wonderfully and is smooth as butter...

Is this worth the $900 tag he is asking? I'm sure it could use new knives or to be sharpened, but that's to be expected I would assume...
Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!
296929

Thanks!
Kevin

[Ellen Benkin]

Can you try it out? What do newer models sell for? Any rust on the bed? It looks as though they took good care of it.

[Andrew Hughes]

Too bad about the adjustment lever on the infeed side.I don't like that style.If your out here on the west coast pm me.Might be able to go with you to look at it if it's not too far away.I don't need a jointer but they are my favorite machine.I think 900.00 is too high.Aj

[Peter Quinn]

Bit high ImO for a 20 year old dovetail way jointer. Maybe $750 is closer to accurate, ultimately it's worth what he accepts and gets. If I couldn't pass wood over it to check condition I'd pass. Need to know that everything spins, bearings are not shot, tables are co planer.

[Matt Day]

IMO, definitely not. As stated, it's 20 Years old and has been used by a commercial shop. Those are the two reasons that I think the price should be more like $500. You can buy a brand new grizzly with warranty for less than $900 shipped, with a 10% coupon.

[David Kumm]

Age is kind of irrelevant for jointers. It is all about how flat and co planar the table are. I would take a jointer I could see in person over one ordered any day. Take a good straight edge and feeler gauges to check tables. Listen to the motor. Bearings might need changing but no big deal. Make sure the tables are co planar and if the ways don't need shimming you should be good forever. The old PM made in US with Meehanite cast iron will be better in 20 years than a new machine if good now. The best jointers were made years ago. You need to judge the condition of the PM. My old jointers have better tables and are more accurately ground than new. The PM 60 was a decent machine although I'd like it better if it were from the green era. Dave

[Bill Orbine]

You'll find better deals later on down the road. The question is....... how bad do you want this one. The jointer working as smooth as butter depends on how well YOU will maintain it even if you verify the condition before purchase.

[Myk Rian]

Is this worth the $900 tag he is asking?
Nope. You can get a much newer Delta DJ-20 for that price, or less.
My present 8" jointer, a 1976 Rockwell, was had for $300. Don't let the guy snooker you for more than $500.

[David Kumm]

Nope. You can get a much newer Delta DJ-20 for that price, or less.
My present 8" jointer, a 1976 Rockwell, was had for $300. Don't let the guy snooker you for more than $500.

Keep in mind that the DJ 20 was made in Brazil, Taiwan, and finally China. The best DJ20 may be better than the best PM 60 but my Taiwan DJ20 doesn't have as flat a table as I like so you still need to go with the best example. DJ 20 will go for 800-1200. Patience helps but a well treated machine close enough to check is worth a premium. Dave

[Matt Day]

Age is kind of irrelevant for jointers.

20 years of commercial use is NOT a factor? It is in my world.

[Kelly Cleveland]

Try it out and negotiate. We have one of these at school at it runs great but it probably gets used less than 2 hours a year.

[David Kumm]

20 years of commercial use is NOT a factor? It is in my world.

Compared to the machines I've rehabbed this looks pretty pristine. That's why I said bring a straightedge and check out the tables. Quality of the tables trumps most everything else in the jointer world. I've got 75 year old jointers with much better tables than my DJ20 or most any new jointer I've checked out. Doesn't mean all new are bad and all old are good but my experience with lots of machines is that old cast iron work is generally better than new. Dave

[Jeff Duncan]

I'm with David, if the machine is in good order it's going to be a better quality than most of the offshore junk. I have machines in my shop that I've owned for close to twenty years and were bought used. Condition is everything and you can't make good judgements based on what little info is given here. As for the lever, that's a plus in my shop, with few exceptions I will never buy a jointer with hand wheels again. Much too slow and cumbersome to adjust.

As for the question of worth, that's a tough one as it has to do with multiple factors. If your in a location that doesn't have a lot of used equipment to choose from, it could be a bargain at $900! If your in a more populated area maybe its only worth $500-$600? At the end of the day it's worth what someone is willing to pay him. For example, there's a guy not far from me trying to sell a Northfield shaper. Been trying to sell it for well over a year, maybe 2 now. It seems like it should be worth a LOT more than his asking price, but it's still sitting there. I will say 8" jointers are more sought after and quality ones even more desirable. The worth aspect….you'll have to decide for yourself.

good luck,
JeffD

[Keith Hankins]

I'd not go that much. For that you could get an old 12" I'd also check if it's only 20 years old it still could be made in china.

[CPeter James]

A jointer is a pretty simple machine and not a lot of moving parts. There are only 4 bearings in one ( 2 in the motor and two on the cutter head) and all 4 should be replaced before you use it too much. At 20 years the grease is probably pretty well dried out. Bearings are cheap and for the most part easy to install. If the table are OK as mentioned above, then the machine is probably good for another 50 years. Any problems should have surfaced long a go. This is a USA machine with good castings that are well aged before they are machined so they are much more stable than a new one.

CPeter

[Jon Grider]

A jointer is a pretty simple machine and not a lot of moving parts. There are only 4 bearings in one ( 2 in the motor and two on the cutter head) and all 4 should be replaced before you use it too much. At 20 years the grease is probably pretty well dried out. Bearings are cheap and for the most part easy to install. If the table are OK as mentioned above, then the machine is probably good for another 50 years. Any problems should have surfaced long a go. This is a USA machine with good castings that are well aged before they are machined so they are much more stable than a new one.

CPeter

Yeah, my opinion too. PM 60's made in USA are very desirable. New bearings, and a little time to get the tables coplanar if they are not and you'll have a great machine. What's the old saying, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery" or something like that? There are many PM 60 clones out there, some good, some not so good that didn't have as close tolerances as PM. I'd offer a bit less and hope he takes it, but I'd buy that jointer for 9 bills if I needed one. That machine was made when quality still mattered.

[Keith Weber]

20 years of commercial use is NOT a factor? It is in my world.

My 16" Northfield had 50 years of commercial use. I took a precision straight edge and feeler gauges to it in every which way, and I couldn't get the smallest feeler under the straight edge anywhere. Flattest surface I've ever seen on any machine. They built them right back then. The bearings ticked a little, but it's an easy job to replace them. It's like a new machine. Like others have said, a jointer is a simple machine with not much other than the bearings to wear out -- maybe a single-phase motor if it ran a lot.

Comparing a US-made, 20-year old PM to a new Grizzly is not a fair comparison. It's hard to set a price on something like that without looking at it. If it's in good shape, I'd take that any day over a new Asian jointer -- even if the price was the same.

[Scott T Smith]

A jointer is a pretty simple machine and not a lot of moving parts. There are only 4 bearings in one ( 2 in the motor and two on the cutter head) and all 4 should be replaced before you use it too much. At 20 years the grease is probably pretty well dried out. Bearings are cheap and for the most part easy to install. If the table are OK as mentioned above, then the machine is probably good for another 50 years. Any problems should have surfaced long a go. This is a USA machine with good castings that are well aged before they are machined so they are much more stable than a new one.

CPeter

My thoughts as well, although I think that 900 is too high. In addition to the table's being flat and co-planer, another thing to check is how well the fence locks in at 90 degrees.

[Kent A Bathurst]

If it checks out in person, I think it's an OK deal. Not a gloat, but not a stupid number either.

Unless you end up where 8" simply isn't side enough, this would be the last jointer you'll ever need.

My 16-yr-old PM 60B just cruises - never a problem.

[pat doyle]

There will be others out there the 900.00 is heavy, I had a 8" Rockwell for years the outfeed table was down .070. I found a Delta clone a Transpower 8" with a 67" table that was flat as can be in every direction but had bad bearing in the motor for 100.00. I use it all the time and it is smooth as silk.