Looking for price guide on used machines

[Mark Gibney]

These machines are for sale close by and I'd like some ideas on what would be fair prices.

The first is a little 1hp General International dust collector.

IMG_8656.jpg

This would be useful at my 20" bandsaw. I currently use my shop vac, but I could leave this little one hooked up. Can't find any pricing online for this. It's probably not being made any more. A Harbor Freight 1hp dust collector sells for $130.

Next up is a Jet 22-44 drum sander. A quick look online says these sell for around $2,300. It seems to be in good condition so hasn't been used hard.
I have a 15" wide belt sander, but the width is limiting. The machine also has it's personality that I always need to be tuned into when I'm running it. I haven't used a drum sander, but I would see it as being for glue-ups to just even out the rough joints.

IMG_8654.jpg

Lastly is a Taiwanese made Powermatic 15" straight knife planer. Again the condition is good (but dusty!). A Byrd head with bearings and shipping would come to about $900.

IMG_8644.jpg

Thanks for any feedback you can give me.
Mark

[Christopher Herzog]

Might be easier to work backwards. What are these priced at?

I would want to give about fifty for the DC. Drum sander, maybe between 800-1000 if it passed some testing and a look over. Planer to me is about a 500 deal if it passed some testing. Pure opinion and the area for sale matters. Supply and demand with condition being the key.

Look forward to others thoughts!

Chris

[Mark Gibney]

The seller is an aerospace components business that shuttered it's woodshop years back. The people there look at new online prices and then ask half that, so in other words they really don't know.
I bought a Delta DJ20 planer (straight knives) from them and I overpaid for it ($900) but it was still a lot less than they asked for initially. It's in great condition and I wanted one, so I could have waited a couple of months for another one to come on the market, but hopefully in that time the jointer will have paid for the $400 too much I paid.

I'm not in such a hurry to get the machines I'm enquiring about here, so I'm not prepared to paid more than a fair price. And I'd say I live in an area where there tends to be plenty of choice in the used market.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Their asking prices would help. Dust collectors are plentiful on Craigslist; in NoCal I’ve seen used 2hp name brands advertised for $100-150. $900 for a DJ-20 seems about right, especially for one Made in USA; in NoCal I’ve seen them go for between $800-1200. Sounds like you had a good experience with the seller, so that’s a big plus. Plug and play is a huge advantage unless you are capable of and enjoy rehabbing machinery, but I definitely wouldn’t overpay for the drum sander or DC.

[Alex Zeller]

Location, location, location. How is the market in general for tools in the LA area? Around here the dust collector would got for $50 to $100. The drum sander could easily fetch $1000. The planer could go for around the $700 range. But there's always that guy who wants that exact model or is in a hurry and will pay extra. Since you've done business with them I assume you know how much use these tools might have had over the years. That would also play into how much I would be willing to pay.

[Mark Gibney]

A more focused question is this - will the 22-44 drum sander do anything that my 15" wide belt cannot (apart from the wider size of course).
I do not flip wide pieces around on my wide belt - it tends to leave a step at the outer edge of the belt, and I've spent many hours trying to tune it better.
Are drum sanders more predictable that way?

[Mike Henderson]

A more focused question is this - will the 22-44 drum sander do anything that my 15" wide belt cannot (apart from the wider size of course).
I do not flip wide pieces around on my wide belt - it tends to leave a step at the outer edge of the belt, and I've spent many hours trying to tune it better.
Are drum sanders more predictable that way?

No, drum sanders do exactly the same thing.

Mike

[David Kumm]

Woodworking machine prices have firmed up this year so keep that in mind. $900 for a DJ 20 in good shape is now a good deal ( although they never were made in America ). Jet sander is high at 2300, 1200 would be my high but only because I think the two post 25x2 is a much better machine and worth more like 2K. Planer is a deal at 500 if condition is good and could go to 800. Dave

[Mark Gibney]

Stephen, Alex, thanks - all that info and your questions helps my understanding for sure.
Mike - well that's disappointing, I was hoping it would be a solution. But better to know it than not.

David I ought to have been clearer - the Jet drum sander sells new online from some vendors for $2,300. Yes the planer would be nice to pick up for $500 or less. I have a buddy that is looking for one so I might run it by them and see what they say.

Thanks all.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Woodworking machine prices have firmed up this year so keep that in mind. $900 for a DJ 20 in good shape is now a good deal ( although they never were made in America ). Dave

That’s interesting. A friend had a DJ-20 in the late 90s, not sure when it was manufactured. Tremendous jointer. I distinctly recall the tag on the machine as well as the motor was Made in USA. I remember this because a few years ago I was thinking about buying one but didn’t because it was made in Taiwan. I know they were made in Brazil (Invicta) for a while and didn’t realize they had switched to manufacturing in Taiwan. So maybe my friend’s machine was part Brazilian/part USA. I’ll never know because he passed away about 10 years ago.

[David Kumm]

The DJ 20 had a big sticker on the base that said " made in USA " but if you read closer it only applied to the sheet steel base. The tables and important casting were not. Even today, the origin of machinery is sometimes hidden, particularly by Euro manufacturers who can source from everywhere and still call it Euro.

The DJ 20 was a decent jointer ( I have one ) but the tables are not even close to as flat as my old Oliver or Porter. The approved spec for new stuff is closer to .008 per table or even .01. It may not matter if the deviation is in the right place but not so good if it is near the lip on the outfeed. Dave

[Stephen Rosenthal]

David,

Thanks for the detailed information. My friend’s jointer definitely had the big sticker and I thought it was on the outside face of the tables, but you may be right that it was on the base.

While I’ve got you here, what is your impression of the Rockwell 8” precursors of the DJ-20? They occasionally come up for sale and I’ve been tempted on more than one occasion, but the distance involved in getting it was always a deal breaker. Their price range of $500-800 is more in line for my budget than a DJ-20. I’d love to get an old Powermatic, but those are a true rarity. Plenty of planers, virtually no 8” jointers.

[Rod Wolfy]

So, with regards to the sander, what's it worth to you? What if it doesn't work perfectly? What are your alternatives?

I purchased a SuperMax 19-38 for $800, fully assembled and used less that 10 times on 1/8" stock. If given the options, I'd buy the SuperMax again over the Jet; but, that's also considering what I use it for...

[David Kumm]

With any wedgebed jointer you want to be sure the tables are co planar or that the wedges are seaparate from the tables rather than cast together with them. Cheaper jointers have the wedge and table as one piece and if there is any deviation in machining, it is difficult to adjust for co planar without shimming the wedges. I'm not familiar with the old Delta design but oliver and Northfield made 8" machines that are top notch in quality. If you find any 8' jointer for decent money and close to home, check the tables and buy it. When you outgrow it you won't be out a bunch of money.

The old Performax Company sold out to Jet who kept the small designs and let Supermax continue with the larger machines. Dave