Delta 37-070

[Jason Buresh]

I have a chance at buying a Delta 37-070 jointer for $100 on Craigslist. I do not have room for a huge jointer in my shop so I am limited to a bench top jointer or at the largest maybe a Ridgid stand alone unit. I need everything lightweight and mobile to get up and down the stairs of my shop and I don't have a ton of floor space. Is this a decent unit for the money or should I pass? I have been looking into the cutech 8" bench jointer as well and like how it has the slide out wings for longer pieces. I can hold out and keep saving if need be for a better unit but also don't want to pass up a good buy. What is everyone's thoughts?

[Mark Hockenberg]

Jason,

It sounds like you're pretty set on a bench top machine to due to logistics. Given that, this machine may be worth a shot for $100. I'm a little concerned that that the newer Delta has poor reviews. A plus of the Cutech is that it has the spiral cutterhead. Most of us prefer that to straight knives.

I'm sure you know the limitations of these machines - accuracy and bed length. If you're primarily surfacing shorter boards, it may not be as big a deal. I wouldn't want to try to flatten a long board on a bench top machine.

If you want a jointer only for edge work, you could pass on the jointer and straighten edges on a router table, if you have one. I did that for a few years when I started and it works just fine.

Regards,
Mark

[Jason Buresh]

Mark,

I think I would be able to get away with the Ridgid floor unit with wheels in my shop. Would this be a better choice? I was thinking I could build a stand for a bench top jointer and use my workbench as an outfeed table or is it better to have a longer bed?

Thanks again!
Jason

[glenn bradley]

I owned that Delta or one very much like it. You can get the tables co-planer with a lot of patience and shim stock. Once aligned it actually worked pretty well for things up to about 30" long. Heavier stock will tend to push the machine around but, a couple of clamps can take care of that. I did not have it long as I discovered almost immediately that 6" was too narrow for most of what I was doing. This is not the case for everyone. We have members who have run 6" machines for many years without issue.

Having a small work space (small is relative) provides challenges. Fortunately there are tons of books, tips and videos on how to overcome. Certainly making your machines, jigs and tools do double-duty is one way of capitalizing on the space they require. Unlike your tablesaw which can do so many things, a jointer is specific to its task. Only you can really judge the better value when it comes to the floor space used by a jointer versus the hassle of pulling a bench model out every time you need to use it.

[Zac wingert]

You said you need it to be mobile to carry it up and down the stairs of the shop. Do you mean all the time, or once? The rigid machine that you refer to - if I am thinking of the right rigid 6” jointer, that is not a machine even two would want to move up and down a stairway on a regular basis. It’s certainly not known as a heavy or robust jointer, but something like that is not portable.

if you need to carry it around, it’ll have to be a bench top.

[Jason Buresh]

The up and down the stairs would not be on a regular basis but I do have a 90 degree turn in my stairs which can make long, awkward, heavy objects kind of tricky. I guess I should have been more clear.

[Mark Hockenberg]

Hi Jason,

As Glenn mentioned, the bench top unit will limit you to a 30" board length. He knows better than me, as he had a similar machine. So I would recommend the Rigid or something similar in order to get the additional bed length.

Having the workbench serve as an outfeed table is somewhat useful, but it won't ever be exactly coplanar with the jointer table. So that arrangement won't increase jointing capacity.

I also agree with Glenn's thoughts around the 6" width. I've run a 6" stationary jointer for over 20 years and it's served me. But I often have to rip boards narrower than I prefer to get them to fit the jointer. Given my experience, I would have purchased an 8" jointer with a longer bed. Or, when I win Powerball, I'll buy a European 16" or 20" .

I think you are likely to outgrow the benchtop machine over time. But again, for $100 if the Delta is in good shape it's worth a try. You can probably recoup that $100 when you upgrade later.

Cheers,

Mark

[Chris Schoenthal]

I've had that jointer for many years and it's served me well, but can't say how well it will serve you.
A lot of it depends on what kind of projects you plan on building and the size of material required for them.
Most of mine are smaller projects that don't need a lot of length.
The couple of times that I have needed to joint longer boards, I've been able to setup extension rollers to help.
Any time I've needed to joint wider than the 6", I've used a planer sled.