Opinions on this Craigslist Jointer Planer find?

[Keith Upton]

Just wondering what people think of this cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/d/craftsmanjointer-planer/6665886188.html I found on CL. I'm just getting into woodworking and only plan on doing basic builds for around our house. Would this be a decent jointer? I'd probably use it more for squaring up 2x4s and 4x4s. I currently have a decent table saw, cir. saw, jig saw and a nice Makita compound sliding miter saw showing up on Tuesday.

[Cary Falk]

I would stay away. I believe it has a fixed outfeed table and would be difficult to set knives. I also feel the price is way too high.

[Keith Upton]

Thanks Cary. As a complete newbie, what should I be looking for in a jointer that's main duty would be squaring lumber?

[Cary Falk]

I just looked and there is not much in your area. This Craftsman would be a better choice but I still think the price is a little high.
cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/d/craftsmanin-jointer-planer/6652079210.html
I haven't lived in Colorado Springs in a while so I don't know what the used market is like so it may be in line. What to look for? Adjustable infeed and outfeed tables, center mounted fence(as opposed to the end mount old Delta ones), as long infeed and outfeed tables as possible, stay away from benchtop models, handwheels vs levers is a personal choice. Most of the newer models, independent of brand, will be designed similar to the one I linked to unless it is a parallelogram jointer like the DJ-20 in Falcon which is a better design.

[Keith Upton]

Thanks for the additional info. That Delta that you linked to is way out of my budget and is probably too large for my shop area as well. What do you think would be a fair price for the Craftsman you linked to?

[Cary Falk]

Well it looks like jointers have really jumped in price so maybe $350 is not too far out the ballpark. I would feel better at $250-300. If you go look at it check if the tables are coplaner and the fence is not warped or twisted. Maybe take a 3' piece of 2x6 and see how well it runs.

[Dan Friedrichs]

This is an example of a decent-quality 6" jointer with adjustable infeed and outfeed (although it is short bed):
denver.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-x5-6-jointer/6667759146.html

And here's an example of a decent-quality 6" jointer with longer beds:
cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/d/general-int-6-long-bed-jointer/6662844630.html

[Jon Grider]

Those cman jointers are not sexy and a little fiddly to change and adjust knives, but knife changes in many jointers is not the most fun way to spend an afternoon. The outfeed table is fixed too, but that was never a bad thing in the 30+ years I had one. What you get is a machine that works well within it's limitations and gives reliable service and predictable results. Most here will probably tell you to get the widest jointer you can afford and I agree with that. My 8" seems puny to me now and I hope to go larger sometime if I can find the right deal on an older machine. Around here that jointer would probable go for $50 to $100 less. That machine looks like it was well cared for though.

[glenn bradley]

Hi Keith, I want to make sure we touch on something that a lot of folks just starting out can miss. A jointer will flatten a surface on a board. Then using this newly created reference surface you can joint an edge true to that reference surface, typically 90 degrees.

Jointers do not "square" material as a whole. It "squares" two surfaces to each other, typically a face and an edge. A planer is used to make the face opposite the jointed face parallel.

Here's an article with some info. (https://www.finewoodworking.com/2003/01/01/the-jointer-and-planer-are-a-team)

A tablesaw can be used to make the edge opposite the jointed edge parallel. This results in a "squared" piece of material. Did that make sense?

It does seem the used jointer market prices are up right now. This seems to go in waves as folks sell 6" machines to upgrade to 8" or 12" if that is their requirement. I would lean toward the Craftsman that Cary linked to as a good starter jointer with a reasonable shop footprint.

Many folks on here (and other forums) have stayed with a 6" jointer as this meets their needs. There is a "rule" in tool buying to buy the best you can afford. Buying the "best" tool you can afford doesn't mean buying the biggest ;-) Enjoy the journey.

P.s. I sent you a P.M.

[Rick Potter]

Like Glen said, good starter machine, and it is in great shape.

My dad had one for years and it worked fine. The owner is asking $245 for it, which seems fair to me, but I would try to talk him down a few bucks. Either way, you can't lose much if you don't like it, and decide to move up later.

Ask for the manual if he has it.

The ad says it was posted 3 days ago. Bet it won't be there more than a week.

[Keith Upton]

Well it looks like jointers have really jumped in price so maybe $350 is not too far out the ballpark. I would feel better at $250-300. If you go look at it check if the tables are coplaner and the fence is not warped or twisted. Maybe take a 3' piece of 2x6 and see how well it runs.

What do you mean by "coplaner"? Sorry, total newbie here.


Hi Keith, I want to make sure we touch on something that a lot of folks just starting out can miss. A jointer will flatten a surface on a board. Then using this newly created reference surface you can joint an edge true to that reference surface, typically 90 degrees.

Jointers do not "square" material as a whole. It "squares" two surfaces to each other, typically a face and an edge. A planer is used to make the face opposite the jointed face parallel.

Here's an article with some info. (https://www.finewoodworking.com/2003/01/01/the-jointer-and-planer-are-a-team)

A tablesaw can be used to make the edge opposite the jointed edge parallel. This results in a "squared" piece of material. Did that make sense?

It does seem the used jointer market prices are up right now. This seems to go in waves as folks sell 6" machines to upgrade to 8" or 12" if that is their requirement. I would lean toward the Craftsman that Cary linked to as a good starter jointer with a reasonable shop footprint.

Many folks on here (and other forums) have stayed with a 6" jointer as this meets their needs. There is a "rule" in tool buying to buy the best you can afford. Buying the "best" tool you can afford doesn't mean buying the biggest ;-) Enjoy the journey.

Thanks. I have been watching some videos and learned that you really need 3 tools to square a board up. But it also sounds like I could "square" up 3 sides of the board with just a jointer and table saw? One face and edge on the jointer and then the other edge on the table saw? That would be enough for my bench build at least.




Like Glen said, good starter machine, and it is in great shape.

My dad had one for years and it worked fine. The owner is asking $245 for it, which seems fair to me, but I would try to talk him down a few bucks. Either way, you can't lose much if you don't like it, and decide to move up later.

Ask for the manual if he has it.

The ad says it was posted 3 days ago. Bet it won't be there more than a week.

Oh, you were talking about the one I posted. lol

[Keith Upton]

Those cman jointers are not sexy and a little fiddly to change and adjust knives, but knife changes in many jointers is not the most fun way to spend an afternoon. The outfeed table is fixed too, but that was never a bad thing in the 30+ years I had one. What you get is a machine that works well within it's limitations and gives reliable service and predictable results. Most here will probably tell you to get the widest jointer you can afford and I agree with that. My 8" seems puny to me now and I hope to go larger sometime if I can find the right deal on an older machine. Around here that jointer would probable go for $50 to $100 less. That machine looks like it was well cared for though.

I'm one of of those guys that tries to always buy the best tools I can as well. But in this case, it is either buy something relativity cheap for now and use it, or not buy anything for a year or more.



This is an example of a decent-quality 6" jointer with adjustable infeed and outfeed (although it is short bed):
denver.craigslist.org/tls/d/delta-x5-6-jointer/6667759146.html[/URL]

And here's an example of a decent-quality 6" jointer with longer beds:

cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/d/general-int-6-long-bed-jointer/6662844630.html

That Delta is not actually located in Denver, it's 4.5+ hours from me. And the General is just more than I want to spend right now.

[Keith Upton]

Out of the two Craftsmans, which would be a better machine for me?

1. Craftsman 6 1/8" Jointer with brand new knives and fan belt cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/d/craftsmanjointer-planer/6665886188.html

2. Craftsman 6 1/8" Jointer with cabinet and mobile base cosprings.craigslist.org/tls/d/craftsmanin-jointer-planer/6652079210.html

To complicate things more for me, my father-in-law just offered to sell me two Craftsman routers, a router table and Ryobi hand planer for $100 total. lol

[Dave Cav]

I think either one would work and both appear to be in good shape, but I would tend to lean toward the second one as it appears to be newer, and has an adjustable outfeed table. I think the $350 price is fifty to a hundred bucks too high, though. Take a couple of 2 foot pieces of clean 2x4 over and try them out and see which one works better for you.

[Cary Falk]

What do you mean by "coplaner"? Sorry, total newbie here.



Make sure the tables are dead flat across the whole surface. Make sure they don't droop at the far ends. Make sure there is no twist in the tables. It can be checked with a known good straight edge or a long (4ft)good level

[Marc Jeske]

Both are priced a bit high, BUT... Both are very clean.

As said, the second one has an adjustable outfeed table, in some cases advantageous.

But actually, for what sounds to be your needs, you don't need either.

"Basic builds" will rarely need a Jointer.

I predict it will be rarely used in your case.

Not to change the topic, but if you have $150- 200 , a same vintage Craftsman floor standing belt/ disc 6x48, 9", will get used WAYYYY more often.

Marc