Jet 10" Jointer Planer

[Johnnyy Johnson]

I was looking at one in a woodworking shop today. I have a 6" Delta jointer, but was wondering it the 10" Jet would be worth the $399 for the occasional board that you need to get flat before going to the my 15 " Delta planer. I dont need it for the planer...just to get the board flat.

Thanks

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Has not anyone bought one of the machines???

[Josiah Bartlett]

If you don't need the planer feature, I think you will find the jointer tables too short for doing a good job of flattening a wide board.

[Mike Reinholtz]

I was at a local wood craft not too long ago and asked the owner about the same machine. He said when they came out a couple units came in and they played around with it for a bit. Apparently none of the employees liked it. They said both the 10" and 8" have the same motor and that it's under powered for a 10" board, had to go so slow they had burn marks. All this is just what he told me, I didn't see them use it so I can't confirm. He did tell me that if I am looking for a combo machine but can't spend $2K to wait for the rikon 10" combo machine to come out. It's supposed to be much stronger, can be wired for 220V, and has longer tables than the jet. I emailed Rikon a few months ago and the reply said the machines would be available end of October to early November. Since both of those months past I emailed them again but so far haven't heard anything. The 10" Rikon combo machine is supposed to go for $600-700.

[Bryan Hosford]

I have the jet 12" jointer/planer and love it. Small and powerful, and great for my 1 car garage shop. can't beat having a 12" jointer, I buy rough lumber, and also cut my own and alot of the boards are 10" - 12". This tool has lots of power 5 year warranty and easy transition from Jointer to planer. I had the concern over the short tables but have never seen an issue, But I also don't joint boards longer than 6'. If I did see an issue I would build a couple of in and outfeed tables. I highly recommend this tool if you are space challenged.

Bryan

[John Harden]

I don't know that machine, but would suggest you go see one before buying it. $400 for a 10" J/P combo is dirt cheap. My guess is you'd wind up with a machine that reflected $400 in quality. In other words, barely usable.

Table extensions can also be added. Felder and Martin both sell incredibly beefy aluminum and cast iron ones. I have four of them on my combos and bought some for my MM20. They are 20" long and either 5" or 11" wide. They also sell longer ones that have an extension leg.

Not cheap at $200-$350, but you won't find any better out there.

Regards,

John

[Victor Robinson]

I've been thinking about getting the 8" or 10" of one of these. I'm incredibly space-challenged in my garage, and these also fit the budget nicely. The Amazon reviews on these are fairly decent - most of the problems revolve around parts broken during shipping and apparently Jet customer service has been good (according to those reviews). A few other reviewers mention problems (such as infeed/outfeed tables not being coplanar), but also mention how they fixed them.

My impression from my research (and hence why I had decided on the Jet combos) was that once you go through the effort of tuning, they're pretty decent.

It would be nice if creekers with hands-on experience could chime in.

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Thanks everyone..I may take Mike,s suggestion and look into a Rikon.

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Mike..I went to the Rikon site and I like the specs much better than the Jet's. I think I will hold out for one of them.
Thanks for every one's help, It kept me from making a mistake!!

[John Coloccia]

Just to clarify, the 12" and 10" jointer/planers are VERY different. The 12" is built like an industrial machine. The 10" is built like something you might buy at Home Depot, or Sears. I was not at all impressed with the 10" and I probably would not buy one at any price just because it didn't look to me like a quality unit.

I really like my 12", by the way.

[Adam Shapiro]

I actually called Rikon earlier this week about their 10 inch model after I found a mention of it online. They told me I could order one now through Woodcraft ($699 or $799, I forget which), but they're now really marketing them it. As much as I like being the first guy with the new toys, I'm really trying to suppress the urge to continually be everyone's beta tester. I'd love to see a review. I went to look at the Jet at a local dealer yesterday, the fence flexes with any pressure, and that really worried me. I've never used a jointer before, but that just seems like it'd be a problem.

When I talked to the tech guy at Rikon, he said the 10 inch is not just a smaller 12 inch. The whole change over process, and the construction materials, are of a different grade. Which also leads me to be a bit concerned about how different it will be from the Jet's quality. I wish the Grizzly was just a couple hundred less....

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Hi...Well I started out looking at the Jet and took the forum advice to leave it alone. I checked out the Rikon 10"...made some calls and emails and found out as above $799. I almost bought one, but looked at the Grizzly 10". It is on sell and for a couple more hundred I placed the order. I only wish Grizzly had just a 10" jointer, because I plan to keep my Delta 3hp planer. Had to pay $32 for a lift gate truck from UPS. 400 lbs.
Thanks for all the help!!
JJ

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Just got an email from Woodcraft, for anyone interested in the Rikon, there price is:

The 25-010 Rikon is $599.99.

[Lee Bidwell]

Hi...Well I started out looking at the Jet and took the forum advice to leave it alone. I checked out the Rikon 10"...made some calls and emails and found out as above $799. I almost bought one, but looked at the Grizzly 10". It is on sell and for a couple more hundred I placed the order. I only wish Grizzly had just a 10" jointer, because I plan to keep my Delta 3hp planer. Had to pay $32 for a lift gate truck from UPS. 400 lbs.
Thanks for all the help!!
JJ

Hey Johnny,
I've been considering the Griz 10" combo, and I would love to hear impressions from a trusted Creeker. Please report back with your opinions. thanks.

Lee

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Lee...Will do, It should be in next week...Thanks

[Peter Aeschliman]

I agree- I've thought about that machine some as well. I checked it out at the Bellingham, WA grizzly facility. My concern was that the fence didn't seem terribly sturdy. But the floor model may not have been configured correctly.

I go back and forth on this machine all the time.

[Larry Anderson]

I too will be interested in your review. I've been thinking about the Grizz or the Jet 12".

[John Harden]

Holy Hannah!!!!!! No disrepect, but both of those look like they are a piece of junk!!!!

I'd very much like to see a WW magazine review of their performance. Not likely, as I'm not sure what you'd compare them too. They have nothing in the way of competitors. I don't even think Grizzly sells anything in that league.

If that is what Jet's offerings look like, they have fallen quite far.

Regards,

John

[Mike Reinholtz]

Joe- would you be willing to write up a review of your experience with the 10" machine? I have seen some interest in it on various message boards and have myself been curious about it in the past.

I think it's a little harsh to say Jet has "fallen quite far" because of these 2 offerings. I think if anything they are responding to a specific market of people that could use both a planer and a jointer and have neither the space nor budget to get higher end machines. That being said, I also wouldn't expect the planer to hog off 1/8" from 10" wide hard maple and leave a perfect finish.:cool:

[Rod Sheridan]

Holy Hannah!!!!!! No disrepect, but both of those look like they are a piece of junk!!!!

I'd very much like to see a WW magazine review of their performance. Not likely, as I'm not sure what you'd compare them too. They have nothing in the way of competitors. I don't even think Grizzly sells anything in that league.

If that is what Jet's offerings look like, they have fallen quite far.

Regards,

John

I have to agree with Joe, I own a combination machine, and really like it, however those two Jet machines are certainly not what I think of when I think combo.

Regards, Rod.

[Curt Harms]

Joe- would you be willing to write up a review of your experience with the 10" machine? I have seen some interest in it on various message boards and have myself been curious about it in the past.

I think it's a little harsh to say Jet has "fallen quite far" because of these 2 offerings. I think if anything they are responding to a specific market of people that could use both a planer and a jointer and have neither the space nor budget to get higher end machines. That being said, I also wouldn't expect the planer to hog off 1/8" from 10" wide hard maple and leave a perfect finish.:cool:

I don't think those machines are the high end of Jet's offerings. They may fit others needs/budget however. We've seen Jet machines in Sears & the borgs. It seems these machines would fit in there nicely. Not everyone needs or can afford a $10,000 geewhizbangdoitall machine.

[Mike Black Milford, MI]

I was looking at one in a woodworking shop today. I have a 6" Delta jointer, but was wondering it the 10" Jet would be worth the $399 for the occasional board that you need to get flat before going to the my 15 " Delta planer. I dont need it for the planer...just to get the board flat.

Thanks
Johnnyy,
I can't help you with the input you asked for about the combo machine but I can suggest an optional plan.
I only have a 6" jointer but I am in the process of building a sled to allow me to joint wider boards through my 15" planer. This sled is from a design in a Fine Woodworking Magazine online article and video from a few years ago (which I learned about through someone else at Saw Mill Creek).
A similar sled on one of Mark Sagnuolo's "Wood Whisperer's" videos even uses a simplier design for the sled.

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Mike ...do you have a link to the site so I can look at it?

Thanks
JJ

[Mike Black Milford, MI]

Mike ...do you have a link to the site so I can look at it?

Thanks
JJ

The fine woodworking video and back issue article is available for a pay fee and I think it really has a 14 day free trial. Here is a link for a search I just made for planer sled at fine woodworking.com: http://www.finewoodworking.com/search/search.asp?cx=009096020989677304441%3Ayn5icbkse5w&cof=FORID%3A9&ie=UTF-8&q=planer+sled&siteurl=www.finewoodworking.com%2F#1067

I think I saw the FWW planer sled video first through Sawmill Creek from a link by a previous poster in the forums.
There is also the finewoodworking magazine article on building the sled.

The Wood Whisperer site is free but Mark Spagnuolo, needing to make a living, and his double mortgage payments, will hint of becoming a member of his guild. Membership seems to be totally optional at the present. http://thewoodwhisperer.com/planer-sled/

Hope this info helps.

[Lee Bidwell]

Holy Hannah!!!!!! No disrepect, but both of those look like they are a piece of junk!!!!

I'd very much like to see a WW magazine review of their performance. Not likely, as I'm not sure what you'd compare them too. They have nothing in the way of competitors. I don't even think Grizzly sells anything in that league.

If that is what Jet's offerings look like, they have fallen quite far.

Regards,

John


I have to agree with Joe, I own a combination machine, and really like it, however those two Jet machines are certainly not what I think of when I think combo.

Regards, Rod.

Just to clarify, the Jet 10" combo is basically a bench top machine. The Grizzly 675 (http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Jointer-Planer-Combo/G0675)that Johnny ordered is a full size floor standing combo machine. It's not in the same league as the European combos, but it also costs a fraction of their price. As much as I'd like a Hammer A3 31, or even a Grizzly 12" combo, that's not in the budget at this time. John, I enjoyed your thread on all your new toys, but I am pretty sure I won't be seeing a semi full of equipment pull up to my house any time in the near future :). Hence my interest in Johnny's review of the Grizzly 10".

That said, I still have some concerns, including the aluminum fence and the two knife cutter head. I think alot of people will be interested to hear how it performs.

Lee

[Johnnyy Johnson]

I should have it the first of the week. I to have concerns about the cutter head being 2 HSS. I want it to only surface one side of the board, so I will have a slower feed rate since I am pushing the board through. As far as the alum. fence, I may not even put it on. Since I am only doing this as a hobby, my time is not as important (most of the time). I plan to surface one side and then use my 3 hp planer to finish up. As far as the edge.(some will think I am crazy) I use my 3 hp shaper and 1 hp feeder to do the edge on a straight 1/2 bit. It only takes a few minutes to line the fence up on my scribe marks and drop the feeder and let her rip...nice and smooth. I guess I will be selling my 6 " Delt Jointer...Thanks

[John Harden]

Just to clarify, the Jet 10" combo is basically a bench top machine. The Grizzly 675 (http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-Jointer-Planer-Combo/G0675)that Johnny ordered is a full size floor standing combo machine. It's not in the same league as the European combos, but it also costs a fraction of their price. As much as I'd like a Hammer A3 31, or even a Grizzly 12" combo, that's not in the budget at this time. John, I enjoyed your thread on all your new toys, but I am pretty sure I won't be seeing a semi full of equipment pull up to my house any time in the near future :). Hence my interest in Johnny's review of the Grizzly 10".

That said, I still have some concerns, including the aluminum fence and the two knife cutter head. I think alot of people will be interested to hear how it performs.

Lee

Lee, I understand what you're saying. I'm not trying to compare the little Jet to Felder or Hammer as that's an apples to oranges situation.

I think it is fair though to compare it to the G0675 you mentioned. My impression is that the Grizzly is about twice the cost of the Jet, but appears to be far more than twice the tool.

That's really the point I'm trying to make.

I remember 15+ years ago when Jet would never have pursued the entry level hobbiest market. They were top of the heap when it came to import machinery back when Reliant and others were coming on the scene offering less than good quality tools. Jet would have never put their brand on something like this. Times have certainly changed.

I would advise checking it over carefully before buying one.

Regards,

John

[Lee Bidwell]

John,

I agree about the Jet. Personally, I would never buy a benchtop jointer for the kind of work I do. However, like Johnny, the Griz might be just what I need at an attractive price. Almost EVERY piece of wood I buy or mill exceeds the capacity of my 6" jointer, and I'm afraid I would still be frustrated if I had an 8". Like Johnny, I don't really need the planer, just the wider jointing capacity. The Grizzly 675 is the only tool in my price range that fits the bill. I just hope it's a quality tool.

Lee

[Johnnyy Johnson]

Lee and others who asked about the review. As soon as I get it I will post results with pics. I'll hook up the fence and post some pics of the cut on the edge and face. Then post pics of the face through the planer. Will be looking at feed rate, which type of wood. I'll run some pcs. of oak, walnut and cherry as a test. I'll have to get the hand over hand method right before the test so it is fair. The way I see it someone who can not get the eye, hand and speed working right could make a great machine look bad. ...Thanks JJ
Also, I am learning that failures are good lessons learned if you put forth the effort and are open minded. Catch myself kicking my butt at 57 all the time..Oh if I was 20 again and know what I know now!!
Oh Well Thanks..JJ

[Peter Aeschliman]

Lee and others who asked about the review. As soon as I get it I will post results with pics. I'll hook up the fence and post some pics of the cut on the edge and face. Then post pics of the face through the planer. Will be looking at feed rate, which type of wood. I'll run some pcs. of oak, walnut and cherry as a test. I'll have to get the hand over hand method right before the test so it is fair. The way I see it someone who can not get the eye, hand and speed working right could make a great machine look bad. ...Thanks JJ
Also, I am learning that failures are good lessons learned if you put forth the effort and are open minded. Catch myself kicking my butt at 57 all the time..Oh if I was 20 again and know what I know now!!
Oh Well Thanks..JJ

Sounds fantastic. I'm looking forward to it. Please start a new thread for it so it doesn't get lost in this one.

Good luck.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I remember 15+ years ago when Jet would never have pursued the entry level hobbiest market. They were top of the heap when it came to import machinery back when Reliant and others were coming on the scene offering less than good quality tools. Jet would have never put their brand on something like this. Times have certainly changed.
John

15+ years ago, Jet has some questionable quality equipment too. The 14" bandsaw I had, which was entry level, was terrible. They basically sold generic Taiwanese stuff like so many other importers. It was just a matter of paint color and badging.

The biggest retailers of entry level equipment back then was Sears (via Emerson and Foley Belsaw) and Delta. However, Delta also sold high end too. Delta's entry level equipment was of generally good quality and sported a unique design. Their biggest competition in benchtop tools was by Japanese companies like Hitachi, Makita and Ryobi. All these machines were small and had their limitations. But, they performed well for the hobbyist. I believe Hitachi, Makita and Ryobi's demise resulted from US import tariffs against them as a result of the Japanese government 'dumping' tools on the US market to gain market share back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Today, things have changed for the better. Much, much better. Quality, value and innovative design is evident in all the major importers. In fact, I just bought a new Jet machine when they had the big nationwide sale. The quality is superb.

It took me many years to get the bitter taste out of my mouth, but I just can't justify the grudge anymore.

-Jeff :)

[Johnnyy Johnson]

I will...I have to work some long hours next week so it will probably be the next week.

[Lee Bidwell]

I will...I have to work some long hours next week so it will probably be the next week.

Thanks Johnny. I look forward to it.

Lee

[Wilbur Pan]

Hey Johnny,
I've been considering the Griz 10" combo, and I would love to hear impressions from a trusted Creeker. Please report back with your opinions. thanks.

Lee

I can't speak to the Grizzly, but I can speak to the Rikon 10" jointer/planer. I bought one about 3 years ago. Rikon had these on the market in the US for a while, then pulled them, and now it looks like they are coming back.

It's a good thing, too. I think this is a really great machine. I got mine for $600, and would get one again in a heartbeat. Having 10" of jointer capacity for $600 can't be beat. The common knock against these machines is the "short" table, but I can easily joint stock 6' long on this by myself, and with the aid of an outfeed stand and/or a second pair of hands I've been able to joint 8' long boards.

Probably more to the point, this type of machine is very common to find in the U.K and Europe, which means that there are a lot of woodworkers using a 10" J/P combo -- just not in this country. Literally every single manufacturer that sells machinery over there has one of these machines in their line up, including Dewalt (!). It's as ubiquitous as Delta 14" bandsaw clones are here.

So are there downsides to this machine? Sure. The fence could be beefier. It works, but I have to make sure that I'm not applying too much lateral pressure, otherwise it flexes. This is not a big deal for me because I go over edges with a hand plane anyway.

Also, I bought the mobile base option that Rikon had available for this machine, and it is a piece of crap. If I had to do this again, I would make a mobile base for this instead. The machine itself is surprisingly sturdy. I used the Rikon 10" J/P combo once and found out after I was done that I had the mobile base in the unlocked position, and I didn't even notice.

Aligning the tables was a fiddly proposition. The tables on my J/P combo made a very shallow "V", such that if you put a marble on the infeed or outfeed table, it would theoretically slowly roll to the cutterhead. I was able to get the tables aligned, but this meant taking the tables off and using brass shims to do the alignment. But this was a one time adjustment, and even though switching from jointer to planer mode and back involves taking off the outfeed table completely, it has stayed in alignment. Besides, this is not really an issue with the current version of the Rikon 10" J/P combo, as I'll talk about later.

Switching from jointer to planer mode and vice versa takes a couple of minutes, and is not difficult to do at all.

Finally, the adjustment for the depth of cut for the jointer could be smoother, but I pretty much leave it to take a 1/16" cut all the time.

I would certainly buy this machine again. In looking at the Rikon website, there are a few improvements to the 10" J/P combo that I see. First of all, the cutterhead now has three blades, which should lead to smoother cuts. Second, it looks like there are jacking screws added to the infeed and outfeed tables to help with the table alignment issue. I really wish I had these on my machine. My machine was 220V only, and the new version is 120/220V, but I would run it on a 220V circuit if I had a choice. The instruction book for the new machine that's available on Rikon's website (http://www.rikontools.com/manuals/25010.pdf) is much nicer than the one I have. The crank to change the height of the planer bed looks like it's been moved to a more convenient location. The switch looks a little different, and the plastic is a different color, and that's all the differences that I can see with the new version.

I haven't seen the Grizzly 10" J/P combo up close, but comparing it to the range of 10" J/P combos available in the U.K. and Europe, it is a step up from the Rikon. The Rikon is more like a semi portable contractor's tablesaw, and the Grizzly is more like a permanently situated hybrid tablesaw. I would have considered the Grizzly if it was available back when I was shopping for one, and if I had more space in my shop. If I had the space, I'd save up for a 12" J/P combo instead, since that won't take much more space than a non-stationary 10" J/P combo. But given my space constraints, the Rikon would still be the machine for me today.

I mean, 10" of jointer capacity for $600! You can't beat that. You'll use the width capacity of your jointer much more than you'll use the length capacity.

[Adam Shapiro]

I would certainly buy this machine again.

Thanks for the review. I ordered the Rikon this week based on the points you mentioned. I hope to enjoy it as much as you have.

[Johnnyy Johnson]

My 10" Grizzly combo showed up yesterday. I rallied the troups and was able to get it in the woodshop and out of the crate. I have a 3 day weekend coming, so I'll get it set up and do some testing. I'll post my findings.

[Lee Bidwell]

Can't wait. Remember to take plenty of pics. :)

Lee