$400 for a Grizzly 8" jointer?

[Eagan]

Been waiting a long time jor a jointer to appear on Craigslist in my neck of the woods. Anyone have any opinions about this? If I decide to persue, what should I look for?

I can't really see a need for me to go to an 8" jointer; is the extra width really that valuable? How would this compare to the Harbor Freight and GeeTech models?

http://bloomington.craigslist.org/tls/2864295986.html

[BigguyZ]

Well the black paint job alone.. come on!

But for serious, I think it's more than a good deal. Although I only have a lowly 6" jointer, I hear often that going with an 8" model is advised. There's a huge price jump in 8" versus the next size up, but not so much from 6" to 8". And anytime you can be allowed to use a wider board, that's a good thing. Also, 8" jointers usually have longer beds, which helps to control the longer boards- a good thing even if thery're not over 6" wide.

From what I can see, it looks in good condition. Major things to look at would be damaged cast iron. Major pitting. Mechanical controls/ adjustments not working well, Motor running poorly.

[chopnhack]

Try and figure out why he painted the thing black, is he trying to hide some damage or rust?

[Eagan]

Try and figure out why he painted the thing black, is he trying to hide some damage or rust?

Aha! Someone else with the same question I had.

[dbhost]

I would be very worried about the repainting... For the price, not terrible, but what is he hiding with the black paint?

For $550.00 you can get a brand new Geetech 8" from Loma Tools...

[LCHIEN]

yeah, that was the first thing i wondered, why the paint job?
8" jointers generally also have a longer bed so you can do longer boards...

for inspection: flat and parallel tables some rust can be worked out. Even a few small pits won't cause a serious problem. Adjustments work OK - infeed table adjusts up and down, fence is adjustable for 90 degrees and moves in and out OK. Motor runs smoothly (might be a leap of faith if there's no place to plug it in.).

[tommyt654]

Looks like a lot of light rust on a lot of the bolt heads as well as the adjustment rod, more than likely he p/u at an auction house somewhere for a song and now tryin to make out like a thief, I would take a long hard look at it before makin a purchase.Nuts and bolts can be replaced but a motor maybe not so cheaply as well as a possibility with frame componenets.

[jnesmith]

I can't really see a need for me to go to an 8" jointer; is the extra width really that valuable?

I think 8" is the sweet spot for a small shop. I have a 6", and I make do with it, but there are often times I wished I had an 8". I rarely wish I had something larger than that. Most of the lumber I buy seems to close to 8" wide, so I could more often face joint an enter board without ripping 2-3" off it first.

[Eagan]

Machine sold, but not to me.

Man claimed he was the original owner and had it since 6 of 87. Said he painted it when the Grizzly paint job started to look bad. Admitted that the blades might need resharpening.

Guess I'm glad that I didn't get it. My shop is getting a face lift and I would not want to have to keep moving it around. And the wife admits that she'd rather I buy a new one - when the time is right - then purchase someone else's problems. Just got my fingers crossed that Loma keeps those jointers on sale for awhile.

[greenacres2]

Dang man--is your wife married???

earl

[jackellis]

I'd love an 8 inch jointer...almost as much as the additional space I'd need for it.

[Pappy]

Got lucky when I found mine for $165 at auction. About $20 for new head bearings, $10 for the belt, $15 for paint, and $50 for casters. The stand was bulit from stuff I had around the shop. About $260 total invested and a LOT of labor to break it down, run everything through electrolysis, repaint and reasemble. The only things the knives needed was cleaning and a few swipes with a diamond hone.





The extension tables got recycled as cutting boards for Christmas presents.