To get the whole story on the shipping debacle you will have to check my other post on the JJP-12.
It took a several phone calls but I finally got the shipping company to deliver the machine today (Saturday 3/27). The truck arrived a little after nine in the morning. The driver was nice so I bought him breakfast. The lift gate was a little iffy still, but the driver was able to finesse it to the ground. The little lift loaned to me by a friend was great, it was able to lift and move the skid with little effort.
Now for the good part; the shipping crate was no worse for the ware and the machine and all its parts arrived without any damage. As with any new machine, there was a lot of oil and gunk to clean off of the surfaces. I used WD40 and some old rags on the tables and bed and Windex on the painted surfaces. Assembly was very easy, basically all that was needed was to install a plug, set the fence, slide in the bridge guard, and check factory settings for co-planer and blade set etc. O.K., I’ll admit I actually added a step and made the whole process last until about 2:30in the afternoon. I like to take my time checking things.
Cleaning was, well, cleaning, not much more I can say about that. The fence is fairly tall, about 6″, and made from heavy aluminum, the adjustment can be a bit tricky but no more so than my old Inca, besides, I never tilt the fence on a jointer so I don’t consider it an issue, just set it and check it occasionally. The cord that comes with the machine was a bit short for my situation so I replaced it with a longer one. The switch appears to be sealed, at least I couldn’t find a way to open it without damaging it, and so I cut the cord inside the base and spliced the same type of cord with the appropriate wire nuts backed up with electrical tape. Installing the bridge guard is a snap, just insert it into the bracket and turn the black knob to secure it in position.
Next, I proceeded to check the tables for coplanar, they were so close I doubt I could have done better, so nothing to do there. Same was true with the planer bed and the knife set, all very good from the factory. Now for the smoke test; I plugged in the cord and pressed the power button, the machine came to life, and to my surprise, was extremely quiet, much quieter than my Inca. The operation was also very smooth, passed the nickel test better than any machine I have in my shop even on starts and stops. I set the infeed table for a light cut and passed a piece of poplar over the cutters. The table surfaces are ground with a kind of grooved finish. It could be a bit smoother in my opinion and I felt, as others stated, that there was more drag than on most jointers. I think Jet should change to a true ribbed or smooth surface. This issue is not enough for me to return the machine; it will just take getting used to. The surface of the cut had a funny kind of rough area about 3/4″ wide that concerned me, but after making the easy change from jointer to planer and finding the same mark on the planed surface, it became obvious that there was a minor problem with the grind of the knives. I am confident that this issue will go away with the first sharpening, anyway I’m not worried. Planer operation went well also, I could not discern any snipe. Dust collection worked as it should even though my hose had a slightly loose fit on the dust chute.
The machine is heavy, around 500lb., so I won’t be moving it around without a mobile base of some kind. I will get base and an extra set of knives as soon as I can.
My over all first impressions are good, so it will stay. The cost from CPO Jet was $1999.99, this included shipping and no tax. An 8″ jointer and a 15″ planer from Grizzly would have set me back about the same amount but my truck would have had to live outside, I’m not ready to give up a warm truck on those -20 days in the winter:) Photos follow. I will list a few more observations as I gain more experience with the machine.
Replies
Looks nice, Bob. If you decide you don't like it, after all, you can always e-mail it to me. ;-)
Bob,
Gudgot, you have got a proper planer/thicknesser in the USA! I am getting Queenie to strike a medal to celebrate the event.
Now, I yam hoping you will go out on The Mission To Save America From Daft Skinny Jointers And Tinny Lunchbox Planers, as you will subsequently be made a saint for your efforts. But until then enjoy the pleasures of a WW machine designed to do the job. No more planing only them skinny little planks or handplaning away snipe, as you may now obtain geet bigun planks and make them all square and even within only a minute or maybe two for the real monsters.
So, what are you going to call it? We cannot have you referring to your "jointer". :-)
Lataxe
"Plointer" may be easier to
"Plointer" may be easier to pronounce than "jlaner". ;-)
That's very nice Bob and great for space issues. I prefer the 85" long talbe on my jointer and 42" long on my 20" planer but.. if I was space challenged I would probably go that route as two machines fill one spot on the floor. I am sure you will find the package a pleasure to use and it appears to be well made..
Enjoy....
Thanks Sarge,
I think I made the right decision for my situation. It was real tempting to go for the two separate machines, but after setting up this one it became obvious that a combo was right for me. Anyway, I have been using the Inca combo for around twenty five years now. I plan my work and keep my change over’s minimal.
Lataxe,
I've always like the European way of doing things, nice to see some U.S. companies coming around. I like Ralph's names, but what do you think of "combplaneointer"
You will find that your bed lenght will suffice the majority of time and the fact you used an Incra combo for a long period confirms that Bob. But.. even with the bed lenghts I mentioned I have I occasionally need more as I do some very long stock prep on occasion. So I posted to suggest that if or when you do run into that there is an excellent solution. I have 4 (two would suffice for you most likely) of the Ridgid flip top adjustable stands. They are well made.. have a friction top in lieu of bearing which I personally think are like putting a greased pig on a flag-pole and they are relatively well priced in the high $20's I believe as I purchased them years ago.
Simply put they are the best stands I have found.. quickest and easiest to set up.. sturdy when you do and basically a pleasure to use. I have used them for re-saw on my larger BS.. the drill press.. jointer and planer and the back extension on my TS is attached to the top of one of them with gives it pin-point height adjustment. They are excellent and fathers day is coming up! :>)
Bob,
I have the MiniMax combo machine. You comment on the "grooved pattern" on the bed surface. The MM has the same type of 'semi-finished' surface. It has not been a problem, however I do Johnson's wax it periodically.
Congrats on your purchase.
Frost,
I have also waxed the tables/bed and don't really think it’s much of a problem. I do notice a bit more drag when comparing it to my old Inca. Maybe with use and a number of waxings it will sort of "break-in". As I said, I'm not at all worried though.
Sarge, if your reading, thanks for the good tip on the stands, I'll keep an eye out.
Decision Points
Bob,
Congrats on the new machine. I will be interested to hear what you think of it once you have had a chance to break it in. I hope to add a jointer-planer combo machine to my limited space shop some time soon and I would be very interested in hearing why you chose the Jet and if, after using it and comparing it to your old Inca, what criteria you think are relevant in comparing these things.
Chris
Thanks for the great post. The Jet was on my list of wants, when I was looking to replace my aging but faithful DeWalt 733 planer. But the daunting thought of having to sell and transport my Delta DJ-20 was too much to want to deal with. Perhaps next time.
Please keep the updates coming, long term impressions on use of these cool new (for U.S. market) class of machines.
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