Mark Gibney
Contributor

I'm looking at two used 16" jointers and I want to hear any advice on which one is better, or if neither is worth getting.

One is a 1959 Wotan (German) and is 3 phase, 220 volt.

The other is a late 1980s (the owner thinks) EMA (Italian?). I don't know about the electrical.

If I could get either machine for the same price, which one is the one you would choose? And why?

When I get enough money down the road I would consider changing the head to a new helical head.

The alternative to one of these machines is a new General International 16" with a helical head, which will cost me about $8K all in.

Thanks for any insights.

[IMG]/Users/markgibney/Desktop/Wotan jointer.png[/IMG]

[IMG]/Users/markgibney/Desktop/EMA jointer.png[/IMG]