Jointer wanted

[Tim Sherwood]

I'm looking for a used 8" jointer.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Did you see this?

 

[Tim Sherwood]

Thanks , I did Bill. That's what gave me the itch... But I haven't heard back from that listing. I'm hoping someone here might be thinking about letting one go to a good home. I just can't talk myself into 2 or three grand for a new one.

 

[Tim Sherwood]

I'm looking for a used 8" jointer.

I found one. It's an old U.S. made Delta Rockwell. Now I would like to find a good spriral carbide head. Can anyone recommend one of the asian ones? The Byrd head has a very long and uncertain lead time.

 

[Echd]

I am happy with my sheartak in my Dewalt 735. I also have a shelix in my ridgid jointer as another point of reference.

Sheartak is also Canadian so the exchange rate is often in your favor. They are likely to have a usable cutter. They are quite obviously Asian units.

 

[Tim Sherwood]

Thanks, I'll check them out.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Another option is Holbren. I got the head for my Delta DJ-20 there. Don't know if their wait time will be any better or not. I called and talked to the owner and was very satisfied.

 

[Tim Sherwood]

Thanks Bill.

 

[bob vaughan]

If your jointer is a 37-315, its not too hard to change regular knives. There's a video on it out there.

 

[tvrgeek]

I suggest you be sure whatever you find that you can get either a LUX or Byrd head for it. Not cheap, but even for a cheapskate like me, worth every penny. There may be some cheap heads out there, but probably fewer cutters and lower quality. I have a both a LUX and a Byrd in my jointer and planer. Both top notch.

 

[Tim Sherwood]

Thanks for your suggestion Bob. I found a copy of the owners manual on line: dated 1959. It shows the lifting springs that should make changing the knives simpler. I always have your instruction video running when I'm setting knives.
This machine is running on 110 volts now. Do you know if the motor can be converted to 220v? It's a cast iron monster and I can't even see the motor label unless I pull it from the cabinet.

 

[bob vaughan]

Do you know if the motor can be converted to 220v? It's a cast iron monster and I can't even see the motor label unless I pull it from the cabinet.

Best answer: Probably.
Who knows what got done to that jointer in the past. It may not even be a Delta motor but a replacement motor some previous owner put in there. A photo may help. Maybe a flashlight and inspection mirror could reveal some motor tag info, depending on the stand. There's a bewildering number of possible motors that Delta could have provided for that motor. Most motors can have the voltage changed.

As an aside, I'm not a big fan of those hateful little knife raising springs. For me, they push the knife up more forcefully than I like. I'll usually take them out.

 

[Willemjm]

I have 8” Grizzly, which has served me well with straight cutters. Still in perfect condition.

Have to upgrade to a 12” at some point, as we do a lot of custom counter tops. With the 8” it means any lumber I have wider than 8” has to be ripped down, with a lot of waste.

I have never progressed to the spiral cutter route, as the straight blades really do everything I need and they seem to last a really long time, before sharpening is needed.

For a counter top, we have to sand anyway, but generally after the jointer and planer, one pass through my drum sander removes any tearout or planer marks.

Not to highjack the thread, but what advantage do those who upgraded to spiral experience?

 

[Tim Sherwood]

I can just see the top part of the label. It is a Rockwell brand motor. I tried a mirror and my phone camera. No luck getting a line of sight yet. I'm going to tackle it again this morning.

 

[Tim Sherwood]

OK the motor is 115/230 v. 16/8 amp. I'm good to rewire it at some point down the road.

 

[Tim Sherwood]

Willem I am having the same debate with myself. As a hobby shop, the straight knives will certainly do the work I need. Or do I spoil myself with the expensive new toy?

 

[Willemjm]

Willem I am having the same debate with myself. As a hobby shop, the straight knives will certainly do the work I need. Or do I spoil myself with the expensive new toy?

Yep, my jointer is about 19 years old from new purchase, changed the belts once and the last two years it has been pretty busy. I put new blades in once and had the first set resharpened once. It does a pretty good job, after two years on the sharpened blades and a whole bunch of countertops and cabinet doors.

I purchase all my lumber in the rough, normally around 300bf at a time, but the wholesale quality is good, so the lumber is clean without anything which would chip blades. Also make sure no plywood comes close to the jointer.

 

[bob vaughan]

Not to highjack the thread, but what advantage do those who upgraded to spiral experience?

They add an attractive decorative detail.


Not my photos.

 

[Willemjm]

They add an attractive decorative detail.
View attachment 220563 View attachment 220564

Not my photos.

Interesting. That is a really great analysis. With straight normal cutters on that piece of Curly Maple, no doubt we would have some tearout. The question is whether the tearout would need more than the 1 1/4" thousands of an inch sanding, compared to the spiral cutter detail.

 

[bob vaughan]

Also make sure no plywood comes close to the jointer.

Really? What could possibly go wrong? (LOL)