Amazon.com Review

Small shop? Limited budget? That doesn't mean you have to give up onowning a jointer. This Shopmaster model is perfect for either situation but still packsfeatures for precision woodworking. Variable speed offers 6,000 to 11,000 rpm,adjustable at the touch of a dial; infeed and outfeed tables adjust smoothly and easily.Though the 30-inch bed is shorter than stationary models, you aren't losing anything inwidth, because the JT160's cutting capacity is a full 6-1/8 inches. The fence, shorter andlighter, of course, than stationary models, tilts 0 to 45 degrees outward for beveling andchamfering operations. Positive stops are at 45 and 90 degrees. One sure advantage overits big brothers: the JT160 weighs just 35 pounds. Its cutterhead uses two knives ratherthan three, and the knives level with an easy-to-adjust jackscrew. Rubber base pads keepthis little fellow where you want him, and if you want a permanent home for it, a stand isavailable. --Kris Jensen-Van Heste ... Read more

Features

• 2-year limited warranty on machines, parts, and accessories
• 10-amp, 120-volt motor for smooth, powerful cutting action
• Center-mounted fence adjusts quickly and easily for less down time
• Easy to adjust infeed table for fast set up
• Extra large table to support stock up to a full 6" wide

Reviews (31)

Not Bad if You're Patient
In large part because of other reviewers' comments regarding their problems, I purchased this unit from a local supplier (sorry, Amazon). When I got it home and examined it, I found that both the infeed and outfeed tables were about 1/32 inch high in their respective centers. I called Delta customer service, and they told me that they didn't recommend my installing replacement tables myself, and that they were back ordered anyway. They suggested I return it to my local supplier, which I did the next day. My supplier sent it to the Delta factory service center across town. Three and a half weeks later, I still did not have a jointer. It turns out that the Delta factory service center couldn't get the replacement tables either.

My supplier brought in a complete replacement jointer for me, and we opened the box and checked the tables with a square. They were dead on. To be fair, the Delta technician said that he hadn't seen one of these "with bad tables right out of the box for some time now", and the first unit I got was a floor model that could have been sitting there for some time.

I agree with the other reviewers. The fence adjustment mechanism is laughable. It makes setting the fence to any angle at all VERY difficult, but with about 20 minutes of work I got it set to 90 degrees - where I plan to leave it!

Once past these little tribulations, the results the jointer produces are excellent. I'm just a wood hacking hobbyist and probably don't have "professional" expectations, but I'm very happy with what this little unit does for me.

Delta JT160 Shopmaster 6" Bench Top Jointer
ASSEMBLY: Assembly was straightforward and took less than 30 minutes.

SETUP: Blade alignment was acceptable out of the box. The infeed table indicator had a large error but was easily adjusted.

PROs and CONs: I've never used a jointer before, and it took a little while to get the hang of this machine. Performance was everything I had hoped for. But like most other Delta Shopmaster tools I've purchased, it's lacking attention to details. The speed control knob does not line up with the indicators and cannot be adjusted without loosening the control. Also, the blade exposure indicator is located forward of the exposed blade area. Finally, the fence has a very slight warp. Although other reviewers found it difficult to align the fence, I was able to adjust it easily by holding an engineer's square snugly against the fence while tightening the clamp.

NO, NO, NO!!!
This is NOT, IMHO, worth what it cost to manufacture the styrofoam it's packaged in. That fence drove me nuts, and plan on spending 1/2 hour trying (KEYWORD) to align it. I'm surprisd that Delta selected such a poor choice of materials for this Unit.

Save your money and buy either the next Unit up (I believe that is the 360?) and while it's twice the price you're getting 10X the quality. Likewise Ridgid's new Jointer: $399 and worth every cent.

You can spend $200 now on a cheaply made design or 2X and have a cast iron Unit that'll last you a lifetime.

Just my .02 (about the worth of the Delta JT-160).

I'd give it several "Negative" Stars as a rating but unfortunately, it's not an option.

OK for what it costs
I purchased this hoping I would be lucky enough to get flat tables, but willing to have it fixed if not. Well, that would be "not". Oh well. I wanted a light portable jointer that I could set up for a 90 degree fence, 1/32" depth of cut, and leave it there forever. The fence is a bit of a pain to set, but is reasonably stable when it's set, and with the aluminum tables it's light enough to easily move into and out of use. I will be dropping it by the service center (not too far away for me, luckily) to get new tables while I'm out of town anyway, so aside from the hassle of driving to and from, I'll have a hand-tuned, light jointer when I'm done. For the price, I guess that's fair.

Excellent choice for the Jobsite!
I've noticed with all delta tools, half seem to be pieces of crap and the other half seem to be real good quality.
This tool does just what I need it to do when i'm out on the job site. It's lightweight and compact, so I have no trouble fitting it into the truck. I've found it especially useful when installing kitchen cabinets.
However if i'm in the workshop I wouldn't even look at this tool. You definetly need a good quality floor model....I would recomend the Powermatic. ... Read more

Features

• Adjustable cut depth on infeed table
• Three blade cutterhead with HSS double edge blades
• Adjustable cut depth on infeed & outfeed tables
• 1?2" rabbeting capacity
• Two blade cutterhead with HSS double edge blades

Features

• Hitachi exclusive 5 year warranty
• Powerful 15 Amp motor with 20,800 cuts per minute
• 26 ft/min automatic feed rate
• 12 9/32" max cutting width
• 10,400 rpm

Reviews (7)

WONDERFUL MACHINE
I've had my Hitachi P12RA planer for 8 years and couldn't be happier. Originally, I wanted to buy their F1000A cast iron planer/jointer but discovered Hitachi no longer exports it to the USA. Since the F1000A is SOOOOOOOOOOOO remarkable, I took the chance on this "little brother" and was very pleased- with the planer.

The quality of cut is outstanding, and boards come out dead accurate. In fact, I go to this planer over my 2 year old Jet 15" stationary planer almost every time. The Jet is a workhorse so that should tell ya something! Setup is simple. The knives are really beefy and all the other parts (castings, chains, bearings, adjusting screws) are heavy and well made. I get "slick-as-glass" results even on ebony. Since most of the components are aluminum alloy or stainless steel, I don't even have to fight rust.

Though the jointer is powerful and gives a fantastic finish to the wood, it's just too simplistic. There isn't a way to align the infeed and outfeed tables, which makes getting a flat board almost impossible. They are fixed except to adjust the depth of cut. In fact, holding a straight edge to the length of the jointer bed reveals both tables angle away from the cutterhead. Since I make guitars, this sort of thing drives me bananas. I actually sent the jointer portion back to the dealer for a partial refund.

My advice is to buy the planer portion only. Spent the money for the dust hood too. It's well put together and very effective. This planer has been featured in several books and magazine articles over the years, and for a good reason. You will be amazed with the results!

hitachi planer
The jointer bed is too small for this to be the perfect machine. The planer is excellent, but the total length of the infeed and outfeed bed is very short and makes it difficult to accurately joint long pieces of wood. The first thing that I did after buying this was to buy a 71" powermatic jointer. It is not the most economical way to go.

The exhaust tends to get plugged in both the planer and the jointer with wood chips.

Increase the quality of your work
This machine is pure joy. I bought one to replace my Delta which was an O.K. tool. It doesn't hold a candle to this beauty though. No portable even comes close. In fact , most stationary units wish they could perform this nicely. I've never used a planer or a jointer that produces smoother finishes than this machine. Usually in a combo unit you lose to compromises. Not so here . It has plenty of power to do anything you want to. It runs quieter than some of the other portables I've used. The one piece table is something others should copy in their designs.Since the cutter head is stationary ,it doesn't need a lock. Snipe is almost nonexistent. It makes for some of the smoothest surfaces I have ever produced. Even highly figured hardwoods are no problem if you keep your blades sharp.The height adjustment is the smoothest on the market. Many high end woodworking tools come from Japan and this is no exception. If you are willing to pay the little bit more that this tool commands you will be rewarded by years of precision cutting you won't find anywhere else.

A Workshop Wonder
I bought the P12R Hitachi Planer in 1994. Without a doubt it is the best planer for the money on the market. I looked at several different models before deciding on the P12R. Besides just looking better than the rest, it has a feature not found on many other planers. The cutterhead remains stationary while the stainless steel planer bed moves up and down on four columns. I think this makes for a much smoother cut, virtually snipe free. I use mine on a regular basis, and after 6 years, have never changed blades. I've never even sharpened the original ones and it still makes exceptional cuts. It does cost a little more than the others, but believe me, it's well worth it.

High End Portable Planer
The P12R planer is at the high end of the portable planer market. It's better than twice the price of Taiwanese manufactured models. I purchased the Hitachi P12R planer about 18 months ago and it's performed very well. I've run several hundred linear feet of Oak and Maple, many boards at the maximum width, and board thickness as much as 4 inches. All this without significant drag on the motor. I was considering a 15 inch floor model machine, but shop space is an issue. The Hitachi gets the job done and packs away under a worktable. Changing the blades was a big fear, but it couldn't have been easier. Access was easy, the instructions very clear and adjusting the blade height very simple. This machine is worth its price, especially if you value quality tools. ... Read more

Product Description

This is double insulated with an accurate depth stop wheel. 3 positions with 3 notches at different depths allowing you to easily change the biscuit depth by engaging the desired notch on the depth stop wheel into tabs on the back side of the base assembly. Sliding on/off switch with locking feature. This tool is switched "on" by the slide switch located at the side of the motor housing and can be locked in place. or, when pressure is released the switch will snap to OFF. A convenience for long cutting operations. SPECIFICATIONS: 110v/60Hz, 700 Watt, 10,000 RPM no load speed, FEATURES & ACCESSORIES: Plates: 10 - #0, 10 - #10 & 10 - #20, Dust Collection Bag, Top Handle to guide and balance, Allen Wrench, Adjustable Front Fence, Depth Indicator and Scale, Highlighted Centerline & Gauge Marks, 2 spanner wrenches, Glue dispenser Bottle, Extra carbon Brush set, Blow molded case. ... Read more

Features

• Powerful and easy to use.

Product Description

If your smaller projects can't justify the expense of a stationary jointer, we have the perfect jointer for you! Whatever the size of your project, quality work demands the function of a jointer. Edges will glue up tighter, corners will line up straighter and your whole project will go together more smoothly. Don't put off buying a jointer any longer when this handy benchtop version is available! You'll wonder how you lived without one. ... Read more

Features

• 2-H.S.S. knife cutterhead
• 5/64" maximum depth of cut
• Jack screw knife adjustment
• Powerful 1/2 H.P., 110V motor

Features

• Two-year limited warranty on machines, parts, and accessories
• Center mounted fence adjusts quickly and easily for less down time
• Easy to adjust infeed table for fast set up
• Extra large table to support stock up to a full 6" wide
• 10 amp induction motor for smooth, powerful cutting action

Reviews (24)

Good For Small Stuff
I've used this jointer every weekend for approximately 8 months now. My opinion of this tool is that it works well, if the operator uses it to do what it's designed for. This is not a large project tool. If you do a lot of smaller projects and don't need a stationary jointer, this is a good value. I've been using it in conjunction with one of Delta's benchtop planers and have been able to square rough stock pretty easily. Just remember, this is not the best choice of tools for larger boards. Buy a BIGGER JOINTER with a LONGER BED if you use LARGE BOARDS. If you try to feed long boards over a small bed, you're just asking to be frustrated and will wind up wasting stock.

Out of the box, I had no problem in setting up the machine and getting the fence square to the table. It has stayed put since the initial setup. This little machine has plenty of power for it's size and has served me well.

I would say that it's drawbacks are that it is quite noisy if used on the higher rpm settings and the dust collection chute is inadequate. Otherwise, I would have happily rated it higher. Overall, I'm very happy with this tool and would recommend it.

Nice little machine
I have owned this machine for about 2yrs.If you have a small shop it works perfect. I set the fence once and it has stayed true. I cant count how many times I have used this little machine and fineley have to replace the blades. It is very portable.I have it hooked up to my dust collecter and it takes all the wood chips like it is soposed to. For the money it is a nice little unit

DO NOT BUY
I gave it one star becuase Zero was not an option!

I plead with you not to waste your money on this Jointer. The fence adjustment construction is unstable and the fence wobbles giving you out of square cuts every time.

Maybe I'll use mine as a food processor!

Delta makes great products but they missed the boat on this one. Spend a little more on a floor model.

Okay for small stuff
Like probably a lot of its buyers, the low price and compactness of this jointer attracted me. For boards less than 3 feet long, it does a good job once you get it aligned. But the short bed makes it almost impossible to joint stock longer than that. Definitely don't attempt what I tried to do and make a pair of French doors with it! I perfected snipe to a fine art.

Replacing the knives was considerable aggravation. There are probably a few tricks to make the job quicker but my first effort took two hours.

That said, it's a pretty cool little machine, like a toy locomotive. Fit and finish is good and it's pretty beefy for its size (except for the fence). But all it did was whet my appetite for a larger pedestal jointer, which is my advice. Unless you make strictly toys and jewel boxes, if you need a jointer you probably don't need this one.

Works for me
...The tool arrived on time in good condition and took about 45 minutes to assemble and setup. The test piece I ran came out flat and square.

To avoid breaking those adjustment ears everyone complained about, don't move the set screws against a locked fence. Loosen and move the fence away from the set screws then adjust the set screw. Move the fence back in, lock it and check the adjusment. If it is off repeat the process. It took me three tries and they are included in the 45 minutes.

This unit will do what it is intended to do, joint short (less than three feet) boards. I haven't tried but it looks like if I set up a roller support to the infeed height you could do longer boards.

This unit lost one star for ... the price of the dust collecter adapter,... I'll make my own. ... Read more

Features

• Two-year limited warranty on machines, parts, and accessories
• Powerful 3/4-horsepower, single-phase induction motor for smooth cutting
• Three knife ball bearing cutterhead provides an even finish of cut
• Provides 14,400 cuts per minute for smooth results
• Full 6-by-46-inch table to handle long and large stock

Reviews (12)

Delta 6" Jointer Review
I have now purchased two 37-190 Jointers both mail-order. My Dad, had a Jet Jointer which I used extensively until he gave it to my brother, and I had to buy my own. I recently bought Dad a new 37-190, so I could use mine. The Delta machine is less expensive than the Jet and offers a superior fence system. From the time both Delta jointers came out of the box (I helped him set his up) they were square, knifes adjusted properly at the factory, and the table and fences were straight. My Dad has been building cabinets for his new house and says the Delta fence is superior to the Jet in ease of adjustment and lack of movement. The Jet reviews that talk about the problems with Delta Jointers must be Jet Factory Reps. I have never had a problem with my 37-190, and I have owned mine for 6 years now. The fence is the best part, it is far superior to any other 6" jointer fence for the major brands on the market, that's why I bought the Delta. The fence is extremely stable and never moves unless moved, and is very easy to adjust for different angels. I have several Delta machines and have never had a problem with any of them. I would highly recommend the 37-190 to anyone looking for an excellent value with superior quality.

This is a wonderful tool for the money
I have had my Delta 37-190 jointer for only a short while, but it has turned out to be a wonderful item. A real life saver in cabinetry.

Yes, the knives on my unit were not in spec when out of the box, but it is an easy thing to fix if you take the time to do it right. You should realign the knives anyway when new out of the box.

The fence is a sturdy piece. You have to wrench the handle down good to get solid lock up. If you don't, it wants to wobble. If it wobbles, turn the handle a bit more until it stops.

Out of the box the fence was not in zero, but a quick fix solved that. My fence has held zero since I set it up with the square. Can do 45's then swap to 90's without it ever going out of zero.

This is a tool that I would recommend. You have to get to know it to make it work properly, once you do, it is a tool you can't be without.

Great little Jointer, at a small price
This is a great little jointer. It works well, is easy to set up, with one small exception (the belt which I upgraded to link belt), and is small enough to fit into my garage workshop. So far it has handled cypress and red oak, making my jointery perfect. If you're interested in a small jointer, this is the one.
I purchased this jointer in July '04 as a floor model clearance sale and saved a bundle. They're not hard to find and a little talking saved me $150 on the jointer and wheeled stand.
Don't wait!

A great small jointer!
This machine handles it's work load very well. It's only draw back is a poor dust collection system. The enclosed stand makes this machine rate a 5.

better for the money
I agree with all the observations, but not the conclusions...1) side to side movement in the fence means nothing, the only important thing is that the fence remain perpendicular to the blades. If it stays square, a little wobble along the length will not affect the cut. 2) Yes, hand wheels would be a little easier to adjust but to date, i have have had no problem making fine adjustments with the lever. You might have to try once or twice, but it works fine. 3) And the blade adjustments?? Please. Show me a jointer where the blade adjustments are easy.....anyone?? Didn't think so. You're working in tolerances of a few thousandths. How easy did you think it was going to be. Overall.....great machine, great price. Long live Delta. ... Read more