Accessories

Delta DJ20 - Great Jointer
I had this same jointer years ago bought from the Tool Crib (now Amazon) when it was US built - I just bought another one and it still a great product. The table is flat and it has a one piece cabinet. The bed is packed in a wooden crate that requires some real effort to move around - get some friends! Everything is well packed and greased for shipment. Parallelogram jointers are far superior to the sliding dovetail type. It's easy to get used to quick adjustment with the levers instead of rotating a wheel as in others. The fence is solid and straight - it takes a little effort for installation, but no complaints.

I Purchased the Delta 37-365X Jointer.
On request, the shipping company delivered the machine with a tailgate lift. The jointer shipped in a cardboard box containing the base with motor and a plywood crate containing the table assembly, fence and other parts. When the jointer arrived, both box and crate had suffered minor damage to exterior and packing materials. The staples used to fasten one of the straps used to secure the table assembly, fence and small parts in the crate had pulled loose, allowing them to move and create a very small nick on the table edge, however it was easily repaired with a few strokes of a file and is now undetectable. Otherwise, the jointer was undamaged. I used a heavy-duty 4-wheel dolly to easily transport the crate and box from the lowered truck tailgate into my shop.

After reading other reviews, I was relieved to see that a 4-inch dust collection cover for the chip chute was included and installed with a very nice fit. I was also happy to see that the 120v/220v motor came pre-wired for 220v. The instructions for assembly and adjustments were thorough and easy to understand. After assembly, I found that it was necessary to adjust the table and fence pre-set stops as well as the out-feed table height. The knives were sharp and did not require any adjustment. All adjustments were very easy to make and produce excellent results when machining stock.

The parts are heavy, combined they weigh almost 400 pounds. During assembly, work carefully to avoid injury to yourself and/or damage to the jointer. I recommend that you enlist the aid of a friend to install the table assembly on the base. We lifted the table assembly from the crate and supported it at the ends with saw horses, then rolled the base under the table assembly to align bolt holes and fasten them together. I recommend purchasing the mobile base as a permanent solution to mobility needs, but you could use a dolly, pallet jack or a forklift. It took an afternoon to unpack, assemble, clean and wax the cast iron table and fence, and make necessary adjustments.

I upgraded to this jointer from a Jet 6-inch model which I re-wired to 220v during assembly. The Jet is a sweet machine, did a great job, and I liked the handwheel table adjustments, but I really needed the capability to machine wider and longer stock for many future projects. It wasn't long before I became familiar with using levers to adjust the tables on the Delta. The five-year warranty adds to peace of mind. In hindsight, I wish I had purchased the 37-365X as my first machine. If you have the room in your shop for machine storage and handling the stock lengths it is capable of machining, you will love the results.

Almost 5 stars
Delta has been making the DJ-20 for quite awhile and it has always been viewed as a quality product. Everything is adjustable and strongly constructed. The extra long infeed table is very nice and the accuracy of the tool is excellent. However, there are a few improvements that could be made:

1) Dust collection. Currently there is a chip chute but no pipe for DC attachment (6" would be ideal). You can get around this by screwing in a HVAC fitting (just like the Delta Unisaw). Chips pile up rapidly with this tool... you will want something taking them away!
2) The fence is not adjustable to the front edge of the tool. This makes the rabbeting ledge worthless (unless you need a 2"+ rabbet).
3) The fence angle is not easily adjustable. Dialing in an exact setting can be frustrating... the lever to control the tilt is small and does not offer a lot of control.
4) Belt vibration is noticeable during power down. A link belt fixes this problem.

In fairness, most jointers have these same exact problems. It would be nice if Delta could address these issues... then they'd have a true 5 star product.

Delta Dj-20 Is Top Notch
I have owned this jointer for about a year now having upgraded from the Jet JJ-6CSX 6 inch and a Delta Deluxe 6 inch model prior to that. The DJ-20 has performed magnificently. It was dead on right out of the box. The only tweaking I performed was to tighten the belt as the motor would "bang" when you initially turned it on. Cuts are smooth with the oak and pine that I have mostly run through it at this point. The fence adjusts smoothly. The infeed table is very smooth to adjust which I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first having been used to the handwheel adjustments on the Jet. But I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the table adjusts up and down. Please note that even with the 1.5 HP motor, the unit comes pre-wired for 220 so you will have to accomodate that with a 20 amp breaker. The motor shows plenty of power even with extra wide lumber. If there were one complaint I would lodge it would be with the lack of a magnetic switch. Also, I have not had to change the blades yet but everything that I have read indicates that it should not be a painful process. I would definitely recommend this machine as it has served me well to this point.

Delta 37-365X X5 8" DJ20 Precision Jointer
great jointer!! The fence takes a little time to get adjusted if your not careful it will slam down on the table but otherwise a great tool.