Is this 12" jointer worth $400?

[dtam]

Not sure if this is a good deal. Seller says it's from a combination machine. Does anyone know the brand name and model#?

Thanks
David

[poolhound]

Wow that really is a beast. Not sure what the make is I wonder if you could even get parts for it. Not sure I would want to spend $400 on it.

do you need a 12"? you can get a new 8" griz for 695.

[cgallery]

I'd post that over at http://www.owwm.org (Old Woodworking Machines forum). It actually looks smaller than really old iron. I kinda like it.

Don't tell the guys at owwm.org where you found it, though, someone will likely snag it out from under you.

[eddy merckx]

Heck, the motor is probably worth almost that much. My questions would be whether you actually have the space to put something that big and whether you have the capacity to move a 1000lb jointer. Is the motor single phase?
Does the machine work properly? Can you fabricate a blade guard? If the answers are yes, I don't see how you can go too far wrong.

[LCHIEN]

its not just the $400, you have to determine if the care and feeding of that baby is going to be worth the few times you need it.

Hidden costs:
moving expenses to get it to your shop
moving expenses if you ever have to move it or sell it
repair parts, replacement bades; if you can get them at all will they be reasonable?
Electrical Hookup... does it have 3 HP motor or more? does it need some power you don;'t have like 230V or 3-phase?
Space consumed in your shop
Are you going to have to mount the motor, (being from a combo machine, is it attached to the jointer?)

[Pappy]

All good questions to ask yourself about the machine. The biggie being the motor. The "Do Not Start" tag would concern me, too.

[dtam]

Thanks for everyone's advice - alot of things I didn't think about before.

- don't have space for it
- don't have 220v outlet
- too difficult to move it to my house
- not skillful enough to fabricate a blade guard
- hard to explain to wife why I need another jointer when I already have a nice 6" Craftsman that I never use

so I'm not going to get it.

[Holbren]

If it has the old lead filled bearings they may need to be repacked too.

If it's the square cutterhead, I have read they are unsafe.

[dtam]

Only $100 now - I would get it if I had a way to move it to my house.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/tls/755068786.html

[Pappy]

That would be tempting. The Baldor motor is more that that.

[RAFlorida]

For a hundred bucks, YES.

Just as Pappy said, the motor's worth that. It being tefc and heavy built. That's assuming it works. But listen to what the other posters said too; safe, space, ect.