Pwk5017 Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Looking at a used Delta DJ-20 tonight, but I am having a hard time doing my due diligence. I read some reviews toting this as one of the premier 8" jointers, possibly the top dog. Then, others say the Grizzly 490 is the carbon copy, and it is half the price new. I will say that the DJ-20 does seem to hold value steadily at $1100 from looking for a year. Ebay they are all around that price point, and I have seen three on CL that were exactly $1100. Not sure how or why everyone settles on $1100 for the asking price, but they have certainly been consistent. From what I can tell, this model isn't even in production anymore. This kind of throws the "50% off retail" rule of thumb out the window. The bed length of 76" is absolutely something I am excited about along with the 8" width, but I am feeling in the dark a bit on the quality of this machine and other comparable machines. Are they the best? Would I be better off going with the GO490? I have a 6" rigid jointer right now, and I have been yearning for an 8" jointer since day one, but I want this upgrade to be the end-all-be-all purchase for the next 5+ years. Backstory on this particular machine is asking price $900 with a set of new carbide knives. I don't actually know if they are carbide, or if they are HSS, but that could be a real nice bonus if they are carbide tipped. He also told me has a box truck, so I assume a deal can be made for simple delivery. I have a hatchback, and a DJ20 isn't fitting in my car with the seats down....I feel like if this was Powermatic PJ-882 I would have already purchased this jointer at this price. I am just not sure about the quality of the DJ-20, the future reliability, and the availability of service/parts down the road. I do not have starrett quality straight edges to test the jointer beds and fence. I will need to rely on the QC of the factory, and the original purchaser to make sure the beds are within factory spec. About all I can do is run a board through it and see if it comes out flat and 90*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Just be aware that Delta's new owners aren't doing a very good job supporting parts etc for older machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted December 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Yes, this is one of my worries about this machine. Like I said, if this was the PJ-882, that guy would be counting his money right now. Has anyone compared the GO490 to the DJ-20 or Powermatic? I am just curious where these all land next to each other. I obviously want my jointer to be very good and precise. Is the machining on a 10+ year old DJ-20 better than that of a new Grizzly? I have just been eying the GO490X with more and more interest. $1400 and I have a new spiral cutterhead jointer at my door. I would go with the delta to save $500+ and take the time to set the carbide blades perfectly the first time IF the bed machining is better. I assume carbide knives would last me(busy hobbyist) many years before having to be changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 I think Grizzly has some free shipping deals going this month as well. You may want to give a call and check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted December 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 They don't have free shipping applied to their prices, but the other crappy thing is they have a showroom in PA. Even though its 4 hours away, it costs me 7% : ( Might be worth the call to check on shipping, that's $150! I think I am going to go for the jointer. The guy called me back and he apparently owned a huge cabinet shop in town (30k sf), and he said this machine was purchased when he sold his business and wanted to downsize to one employee. Shortly afterward he bought a big northfield and this dj20 has been sitting for a few years. Whether that is the case or not will be seen tomorrow when I get to use it and touch it, but we had a good conversation for ten mins. He will deliver it for me with the box truck, and it turns out we are only 15 minutes apart. Comes with the brand new solid carbide blades. I assume I can set these once, and forget about it for the next 5 years. I rarely work with anything harder than maple so they should last quite some time. I think the DJ-20 is a good machine, and I am saving money over the Grizzly to begin with. Whether or not its better than the Grizzly would only make the deal sweeter for me. Not having to clean off the cosmoline and assemble the Grizzly is a definite plus. I will hopefully be posting a picture of it parked in my shop tomorrow. I will need to run a 220v line to where my 6" jointer currently is. Good thing I have a spare 20a double pole breaker on hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Super! Best of luck with the new toy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 I would not worry to much about it coming out of a cabinet shop. Cabinet shops don't use jointer nearly as much as you might think. No the carbide cutters don't last all that long. First they are never as sharp as fresh HSS and take a little longer to dull but when they do the cut quality is horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted December 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 PB, is there an advantage to the solid carbide then? They are like triple the price of HSS. Owell, hopefully I get a solid year or two out of them. I have been using the same freud HSS blades on my used 6" jointer for the year and I "think" they are still good, so hopefully 2 years out of the carbide blades before they need sharpened. I wont pretend to know the ins and outs of cabinet shop workflow, but I can see what you mean. A lot of the construction seems to be sheet goods, which obviously do not need jointed. Regardless, the owner said he bought it 4 years ago, and had it for a few months before grabbing a bigger 12-16" northfield(actually kinda excited to see that machine when I visit), so he said he really uses the northfield and his 6" jointer way more than the 8". Ultimately that is why he is selling the 8". Atleast with a pro shop, you know the tool wasn't treated in a supremely stupid manner--super long extension cords, hackjob motor rewiring etc. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 PB, is there an advantage to the solid carbide then? Not for a hobby shop probably not even for a pro shop unless your running old school with a power feed. Jointers are really a thing of the past for the cabinet industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 A happy new member of the 8" jointer club. Surprisingly easy to load this machine up the ramp into a box truck on the mobile base. Now I just need to run an outlet over to the machine and enjoy. I think I did well for a 3 year old machine. It's incredible to look at the difference between this machine and my 6". I see why the price differential is 2-3x. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Congrats.. Looking forward to the test drive to see how you like it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pwk5017 Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Picture didn't load from before. Ran the outlet and fired it up at midnight. I can go to bed happy content. Tomorrow is a full work day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Holy cow! How long is that bed? Looks like a good 6 feet in that shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted December 21, 2014 Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 Specs are 79.5" total , 42. 5" infeed, 32" outfeed so the balance must be the cutter head gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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