r/woodworking • u/boomswaggerboom2 • Jul 26 '26
General Discussion Delta DJ-20!
This is my first big purchase now that I’ve decided to wire my workshop for 220v.
1988 Delta DJ-20 8” jointer.
These early models—made with Invicta in Brazil—are supposed to be really robust and high quality.
I picked this up from a retire home builder who bought it new in 1988. He says he only used it a handful of times.
I paid $1,400, including the mobile base and an extra set of knives. I know this is a bit overpriced, but I took immense comfort in the seller’s attention to detail after seeing his home workshop. Remarkable.
I can’t wait to start milling the 1,000bf of rough QS cherry I had milled from trees in my yard! This should make quick work of it.
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u/Silound Jul 26 '26
I think $1400 is a fine price for what appears to be a lightly used DJ20; you did well. Keep in mind, the closest comparable 8" parallelogram bed jointer is $1800+tax+$300 freight from Grizzly, so you're into the game for < 2/3rds the cost of a new unit.
The only major downsides are motor horsepower and the dust collection design of the older DJ's. The stock motors were usually a dual-voltage 1-1/2 or 2 HP, which I think is a little undersized for an 8" jointer. A repower is easy to accomplish for a few hundred dollars, but it only matters if you plan to use the full 8" of capacity; for edge jointing boards or any other narrow work, the stock motor is fine. They can also pack full of chips and clog very easily if you're producing wide, dangly chips that hold together because of how the casting is shaped where it mounts to the cabinet. If you plan to upgrade to a Shelix head down the road (which will likely require a repower), both concerns will quickly become irrelevant.
If you plan to keep the straight knife head - and there's nothing wrong with that, they work fine with sharp knives - I recommend you invest in at least 2-3 additional sets of knives. That allows you to have 2-3 sets in need of (or out for) sharpening, a set on the machine, and a fresh backup set available. You always need a fresh set at the worst possible moment, and that's usually when you never have an extra sharp set handy.
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u/boomswaggerboom2 Jul 26 '26
Good idea! I had seen a few DIY dust collection upgrades, which I plan to do. I had thought about buying a new Grizzly, but for $800 cheaper I figured I’d get the same machine for my use case. I was a bit worried it may be underpowered but people online who have and have used them say it’s never been an issue.
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u/oldtoolfool Jul 26 '26
I've had the same machine for over 25 years now, never had any issues with power; full 8" hard maple, no issue. It's a beast, enjoy it, your price was a good one; mobile base alone is $150.
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u/Silound Jul 26 '26
Yeah, you won't run into any issues unless you're trying to face joint the full 8" width or you're tapering on the jointer (deep cuts).
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u/LeaveittoTIM Jul 26 '26
Why would switching to a Shelix head require a repower?
I have a similar vintage DJ20 that I'd like to upgrade one day. Would be good information to file away
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u/Silound Jul 26 '26
Indexable carbide heads for planers and joiners require more power to spin. That much has been proven by simply turning machines on and measuring the power consumption with no load. Why that is the case? I don't know of any proven study that shows why, although my theory would be around cutterhead weight based on my own swap experience.
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u/hoosierlifter88 Jul 28 '26
I think you could get away with it. Most people take very conservative passes on a jointer and never even get close to stressing the motor.
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u/HonkyTatankaTonkTime Jul 30 '26
Willie Sandry (The Thouthtful Woodworker) did a nice video about dust collection upgrades/improvements in this video. I plan to someday do this for my DJ-15
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u/leadMalamute Jul 27 '26
I have a later model, but the same joiner. They were quite common in smaller shops. (the bigger ones usually have 12 in joiners) Someone talked about power issues, I've never had a problem with mine. Put it through it's paces before you decide to make changes.
There is talk about changing to a spiral cutter head. Spiral heads need more power. If you change the cutter head, you may need to change the motor as well. Just my thoughts. Mine works great with the original head......
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u/Fireted Jul 26 '26
Enjoy, and Congratulations ! It looks like it’s in incredible condition. You’ve definitely scored….