Still looking for jointer...delta DJ20?

Im not sure what they go for new but i do know that is one heck of a jointer. I wouldnt ever see a need to upgrade in the future with that battleship. Just dont let the little one land her planes on it.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

The new ones go for about $2000, but they have the parallelogram beds, which I’m not sure if this one does, or how old it is

I would peg it as a 90’s version without the parrellelogram tables. From the pics it looks like its in a storage container so you might be able to talk him down a little or bundle something else with it. Hopefully youve got a couple of mules to move that bad boy. Its gonna be heavy. Real heavy. If i had the dough id buy it.

If you can get the model / serial number you can go over to deltas website and get a date on it. Id bet its all surface rust as well from being in an uncontrolled climate. Should come right off.

Youd want to spin the cutterhead by hand and listen for any grinding which would indicate bad bearings. Also, if you have osme way of checking the bed for flatness that would be a great idea. I dont have a 6’ straight edge personally but a 4’ level might give you a rough idea of flatness. I dunno how you would test it to see if it ran or not if indeed it is in a container but that would be prudent.

Good luck Shelly and keep us posted.

-- "there aren’t many hand tools as awe-inspiring as the #8 jointer. I mean, it just reeks of cast iron heft and hubris" - Smitty

Shelly – I have had a DJ-20 for a little over 8 years and have run all kinds of hardwood through it. It still gives superior performance. I believe that you will find that most all DJ 20 joiners made in the past ten years have the parallelogram tables. I do not see how you could go wrong with this machine.

-- Roger M, Aiken, SC

Well it sounds like a good buy then but I don’t have a day off until saturday so hopefully he still has it!

That machine does have the parallelogram tables, you can tell just by looking at it (also, it wouldn’t be a DJ20 if it didn’t). The rust looks superficial. At that price, I would run, not walk, and snap that up as fast as I could. I used to own a DJ20 and loved it. I have the equivalent of a Grizzly G1018 now with the dovetail ways and it works fine as well.

I really hope your not responding because your on your way to pick it up ! Wont be there long.

Looks like a really nice machine. You might have to clean up the rust on the table, and make sure it runs good!

i wish i were on my way to pick it up:( I am stuck at work until saturday…and i work 12hr shifts:(

i’ve had mine for about 15 years

love it

call the guy up
ask him to wait

those jointers with hand crank
can be a pain to move up and down

this one is super simple
loosen the lock lever
raise or lower the lever arm
tighten the lock lever

done

they do have a shelix spiral cutter for it now
that you can drop in
even with the cost of it
you are still below the new cost
of just the regular DJ20

i am still waiting to do that myself

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

that was my thought, to upgrade to a shelix later. my only worry is that i won’t be able to see it run since it is in a storage shed…but i feel like even if the motor is broke, the machine itself is still not going to be a bad deal. surely i could find a cheap motor to put on an awesome machine lol. is there anything else i should check besides the beds for flatness and the bearings? many times when i buy from CL i later find out it wasn’t as great of a deal as i thought b/c i end up buying parts i did not know were missing. when i got my table saw i had to buy the miter guage and the wrench to change the blade. i have asked him to wait, and to let me know if someone else is interested and i will try to talk my parents into going to get it for me. as of now i am supposed to be there at 9am saturday. i have been looking for a good deal on a nice jointer for so long! i think i will cry if i lose this one lol

also, it almost seems like this guys owns the storage unit, or bought it(like on storage wars). he doesn’t make it sound like they are his tools. i haven’t asked yet, but do plan to. he has another post with the rest of the unit. all of it for $5,000. “Tools include Table saw , portable table saw , panel saw , wet tile saw , 60 gallon air compressor , shaper , jointer , 55 gallon industrial vacume , band saw , scrowl saw , planer”. and then this is at the bottom “All items are of GOOD USED CONDITION ( Unless other wise stated ) Seller will do best to accurately describe item of any defect. But please keep in mind USED items may have pre-existing fading, mild piling or air-bourne dander. All items should be washed before using. All Sales Sold As Is, No refunds, No partial refunds or exchanges. We buy our items at yard sales and auctions, so many times we may not know the history of the item”. now that i read it, they are obviously not his tools, but it seems like these are good tools and not put in the unit b/c they were broke. i sure would love to have that panel saw!! maybe when i hit the lottery lol

“Mild Piling” sounds like how I store stuff in the garage. I think the guy must dispose of estates and such and that is just his boilerplate disclaimer for furniture and clothes. If all those tools are name brand quality five grand sounds like a deal. IF you have five grand and an empty shop space with at least a hundred amps to put it all in. Three phase stuff would start to add cost.

yeah i wish i could buy it all lol. i would LOVE a panel saw!

I have two of those and they are good. I put the Byrd Shelix in one of them and it works great.

-- Sorry the reply is so long. I didn't have time to write a short reply.