On Oct 29, 4:19*pm, Greg M wrote:
All,

I'm considering a HF jointer posted on craig's list. I'm just getting
started with woodworking, looking to acquire used tools to make it a
little easier on the pocketbook. Already have a 36-980 delta contractor
tablesaw, bosch router combo kit w/table, jigsaw, trying to finagle the
50's delta 14" bandsaw my dad never uses, etc.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/tls/896840205.html

looks like this one:http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=30289

Anyway, is the above jointer worth $90, or would I be better off waiting
for a used 6" delta or rigid for $250+/-? Also, it seems like many end
up upgrading from a 6" to 8", so would I be better served to cut my
teeth on the cheapo HF and plan on an 8" in the future?

Thanks for the help,

Greg M

I had a vintage four-inch Sears that I finally sold and bought an
eight-inch griz. I found it wasn't the width that mattered but the
infeed length. I never got the hang of running a board longer than two
feet through that little sears. It always tapered or bowed or
something, and I always ended up jointing longer boards with a jointer
plane. And I was actually happy that way till I suddenly had enough
money to get the Griz with the intro offer on their new longbed eight.
Now I can't imagine a project without it. (I'm thinking with that bed
you'll be okay with boards around three feet or less, maybe longer.)

So yeah, that's not a bad price for your first jointer. It'll give you
experience with adjusting (probably more than you want), help you
figure out what you're really looking for, and like the man says, even
if you sell it for less than you paid, you haven't payed much money to
get some good hands-on experience.

As long as it runs, sounds good, and you can't find any dips or twists
in the beds using a good straightedge, I'd go for it if I didn't have
a jointer.