Delta - 6in Jointer with Stand (Shopmaster) (Rating: 5)

To begin this review I have to add that this is my first jointer ever. I've never used one before so all of my comments are based on being a novice.

Also, one peculiar thing is that this jointer is not advertised on Delta's website and other than seeing it in the Rockler advertisement I can't find any proof of it's existence;) The jointer is a 6 in model with a metal stand that needs to be assembled. The bed could be a bit longer but for me it works very well. So on to the review.

Over Christmas Rockler had an advertisement for this jointer for $200 as part of a door buster sale on Jan 2. Regular price on the box was listed at $400. To get it I was at the store in 10 degree weather at 5am to wait in line. Luckily I got there when I did because of the 10 they had in stock, I got number 8. I was a bit apprehensive about this given it's size, the motor's power and the lever control of the infeed table. But for $200 I figured I could learn on it for a few years and then move up to a larger model.

After wrangling the 250lb mammoth box home and hassling a friend of mine we carefully broke out backs getting it into the basement. The instructions were very clear and in about two hours the jointer was put together and right side up. I was going to follow the calibratoin instructions but after putting my engineering square against the fence I found it to be good enough to get started.

With the fence set (by a total novice) I was ready to run some 4 in wide oak. I have nothing to compare this to but to me it went through very well and come out smooth as silk. I've been using this now for a few months and it's still running great. It's not super load and is tolerable in the house. face joining is going very well and while I need to improve my technique, i'm coming to the conclusion that I'll have this tool alot longer than I thought. I have not had to replace the knives yet so we'll see how easy that is.

The only downside to this is a good, but not great, dust collection. I have my delta DC collected and it gets most of the shavings but a few still make it to the floor. It does not, however, launch a bunch of dust into the air.

One other area I was surprised with was the lever adjustment on the infeed side. I was hoping for a wheel because well, that just seemed more precise, and the lever was a compromise based on the price but I haven't found that to be a problem at all. It's easy to make small adjustments and get the tool set for work.

I have not tried rabbitting with it and probably never will.

So, if you're a novice looking for a jointer to get started wtih I would highly recommend this tool. It was very easy to set up and very easy to start making sawdust ;) The difficult part will actually be finding this tool to buy.