My "new" $50 Craigslist Jointer
So for the past 20 or so years I've had the below Rockwell 4" jointer. I bought it for $50 off the carpenter that added the second floor to my home. It needed a little work, but for the most part it served me well over the years.
The downside, obviously, was the short bed and only a 4" width. So I've been searching for a long time for a Craigslist special. Then I saw a post for a 6" Delta jointer for only $100. I then noticed the author's comment that the motor wasn't running at full speed….for what ever reason. So I thought I'd give it a look and barter with him, and if the motor was truly shot, hey, I would have only invested a small amount and my savings could be spent on a new motor. Here is what I found when I got to the guys house.
A rusty mess. I couldn't even tell if the rust was so deep that it pitted the cast iron taable surfaces or not. And the motor was doing just as the guy said…barely turning. So he let it go for $50. I took it home and fired it up the next day and to my surprise the motor quickly ran at full speed. Then I got to work on rust removal. Here is the finished product:
Sometime when the weather get's warmer I'll tackle removing and painting the surface rust on the cast iron body of the tool. I sharpened and set the blades, trued up the beds so they're co-planar, lubed up all the metal on metal surfaces and parts, sprayed the machined surfaces with Top Coat, and gave the table and fence a good coat of paste wax. Now I have a hell of a Craigslist find!
So for the past 20 or so years I've had the below Rockwell 4" jointer. I bought it for $50 off the carpenter that added the second floor to my home. It needed a little work, but for the most part it served me well over the years.
The downside, obviously, was the short bed and only a 4" width. So I've been searching for a long time for a Craigslist special. Then I saw a post for a 6" Delta jointer for only $100. I then noticed the author's comment that the motor wasn't running at full speed….for what ever reason. So I thought I'd give it a look and barter with him, and if the motor was truly shot, hey, I would have only invested a small amount and my savings could be spent on a new motor. Here is what I found when I got to the guys house.
A rusty mess. I couldn't even tell if the rust was so deep that it pitted the cast iron taable surfaces or not. And the motor was doing just as the guy said…barely turning. So he let it go for $50. I took it home and fired it up the next day and to my surprise the motor quickly ran at full speed. Then I got to work on rust removal. Here is the finished product:
Sometime when the weather get's warmer I'll tackle removing and painting the surface rust on the cast iron body of the tool. I sharpened and set the blades, trued up the beds so they're co-planar, lubed up all the metal on metal surfaces and parts, sprayed the machined surfaces with Top Coat, and gave the table and fence a good coat of paste wax. Now I have a hell of a Craigslist find!