Problems with Jet JJP-12 (12" Jointer/Planer)?

[Rick Gooden]

I purchased a Jet JJP in September and have had a few nagging problems and wondering if any other owners were experiencing the same thing. Right away there was a critical screw that would not tighten due to a stripped thread in the screw hole. No problem, they sent a new part right away. Next, in December the guard fell off due to a stress crack in the cast alluminium. Initially I was told these parts were back ordered for a couple of months, but much to my surprise they sent one right away and I had it within 3 days, and they sent me a new set of knives for my trouble. So far things are irritating, but OK. Yesterday, while planing 36 pieces of 1 1/2"x4 1/2"x 24" genuine honduran mahogany, taking about a 32nd per pass, the motor quit on about the 24th piece. Checked the circuit breaker, it was OK but flipped in off and back on anyways. Tried to restart but the motor would only run as long as I held the "on" button down, and quit as soon as I released it. With that I was suspecting the magnetic contactor to be faulty and call customer service. He said it may very well be the motor and to wait 4 hours and try again, and if it comes on the problem is with the motor and they will need to replace the motor. I tried it after the aloted time and it did come on, and I was able to finish the job. I called today and was told that was good news and everything should be fine. I was somewhat taken back that no replacement motor would be coming, but I do understand and did not make an issue of it. I was talking to the same representative that I spoke to yesterday and I asked if this was normal for the motor to go into thermal overload after 30 minutes under such easy conditions. He said it was not and I hope this was an isolated incident as I depend on this to eat. Anyone else experiencing problems? Overall I like the machine, but cannot handle much more down time.

Thanks,
Rick

[John Coloccia]

The only problem I've had so far is my original one was sent with a warped outfeed table. After a couple of weeks of measuring and back and forth, they just sent me a whole new machine since they didn't have an outfeed available to send. Then after a couple of hours of machine time, I had to tweak the roller pressure springs a touch. That's all I've done to it. Personally, I would call them back and ask the rep. why he thought the motor needed replacing the first time you called, and now he thinks it's fine. Explain that you have this thing in a commercial shop and that you're willing to work with them to get there but you need to get a reliable jointer/planer one way or another. I've really found their customer service to be quite responsive and helpful.

[Van Huskey]

Explain that you have this thing in a commercial shop and that you're willing to work with them to get there but you need to get a reliable jointer/planer one way or another.

He may want to consider this approach before using it, commercial use of WMH machines drops the warranty from 5 years to 1 year.

[Jason Coen]

Rick,

I'm having the exact issue with my JJP-12HH. I spoke with Bobby in tech service at WMH the week before Christmas about it, and he agreed that the thermal overload protector was faulty. He had me pull the motor plate off the motor and ship it back to WMH in order to have a new motor shipped out to me. As of today, I'm still waiting on the new motor. I've been meaning to call and check to see what's up with the new motor, but have been swamped the last week or so and just haven't had time to get around to it. I'm going to call again tomorrow morning, and I'll let you know what they say. I was very impressed with how they handled this issue when I first contacted them, but am becoming less so as time goes on and I still don't have a replacement motor.

[Rick Gooden]

Jason,

When I spoke to David in CS on Tuesday he assured me that they had the motors in stock - if this is any help to you. As to the issue of the warranty, I was fully aware of the length when I purchased the machine, that when used commercially it would be 1 year. Since I use it in that manner I agreed to that with the purchase and in no way would try to extend it to 5 years under false pretenses. All I want is a fully functioning machine, particularly since is not even 4 months in my possession and already had 3 problems. I will continue on relentlessly with CS with any problems to insure I have the machine I paid for.

[Michael Stenner]

Did the new motors fix your problems? I got my JJP-12HH around October last year and have experienced the same issue. I get maybe 30 minutes or so of use. I'm pretty sure it's not a faulty temp sensor because the motor really is very hot. I can't keep my hand on the outside of the machine where the motor mounts for more than a few seconds.

I called Jet pretty early on and talked to Russ. He basically said this machine is for the serious hobbyist and not a professional shop, and is not intended for continuous use. Most of the time, I've been able to structure my work around it (joint a little, saw a little, plane a little, rout a little, etc) but here and there it's a real pain.

Basically, I want to know if I should push them to send me a new motor, or if this is just the way it is.

[Rick Gooden]

Michael,

They did not replace the motor. I had the problem again a couple of weeks ago, called and they think it is the switch. Sent me a new one, I haven't had time to replace it. They did say they would do what is needed to fix the problem. And your right, when it happens it is very frustrating.

[Michael Stenner]

Rick, Thanks for the quick reply. Does your motor get really hot when it shuts off? I know your thermal switch says it does, but I'm guessing that's the part they don't trust.

[Michael Titus]

I've had the thermal overload switch cut out once so far. The problem is that there is very little air circulation in the base where the motor is mounted. The base is open at the bottom, but only has a couple small openings in the sides and no openings at the top. If you turn on your JJP12 and move your hand around the (open) bottom of the base, you will feel very little air movement. There is no way for the increasingly hot air to exit the base, so the motor fan becomes less and less able to cool the motor. The base does become quite warm where the motor is mounted, so the base is acting as a heat-sink, but it obviously cannot draw heat from the motor fast enough.

Turn the JJP12 off, remove the back panel from the base, and turn it on again. You will feel a very strong breeze coming out of the panel opening: the motor fan is blowing directly at the back panel. If you continue to have problems with the motor cutting out, try replacing the back panel with a piece of decorative steel grate (available at many hardware stores). This should greatly increase the air flow inside the base and allow the motor to run cooler.

[Jason Coen]

Michael,

Jet sent out a new motor, and after the swap, it runs 100%. Haven't had it shutdown for any reason other than pushing the "off" button. Absolutely push them to send you a new motor.

[Michael Stenner]

Thanks, Jason. I'll ask you the same question. Was your first motor getting really hot? When mine cuts out, the motor truly is very hot, so I suspect it's not that the thermal overload protector is falsely reporting high temps. If yours was also getting quite hot, then I'll do as you suggest and pester Jet some more. Maybe I'll call them again either way.

[Jason Coen]

Thanks, Jason. I'll ask you the same question. Was your first motor getting really hot? When mine cuts out, the motor truly is very hot, so I suspect it's not that the thermal overload protector is falsely reporting high temps. If yours was also getting quite hot, then I'll do as you suggest and pester Jet some more. Maybe I'll call them again either way.

That's exactly what was happening. The outside of the base where the motor is mounted would almost get too hot to touch. Also, once it "overheated" and shut down, I still could hold the "ON" button and make the machine run. Once I released the "ON" button, it would shut down.

[Michael Stenner]

Woohoo. That may be good news for me. Honestly, I am pleased overall with the machine as it is right now. I can usually work around it, but if this can get fixed, then the thing will be just plain awesome. I'll probably do a test to check what you describe regarding the "momentary on" functionality when it overheats, but then it sounds like time to push for a new motor.

Thanks so much for your feedback. Based on Jet's reply the first time, and that it's really not a fatal flaw, I wouldn't have proceeded without a "success story".

[Curt Harms]

If the motor really is getting almost too hot to touch, I believe I'd do something like Michael Titus suggested above. That panel is just square sheet steel. As a diagnostic step, I'd probably cut and drill a piece of 1/4" plywood to fit the opening then cut some slots or fit some sort of louvers to it and see if that helped the motor run cooler. Even if you get a new motor and it doesn't cut out when it gets hot, if I could do something simple and inexpensive to make the motor run cooler I'd do it. Seems like cooler running motors are happier longer lived motors. I have this machine but don't run it for more than 5 minutes max before shutting it down so haven't run into this problem.

[Michael Stenner]

The last time I used it, was with a friend who brought a bunch of wood over specifically to be jointed/planed. As a result, my normal "mix it up" approach didn't really work. I actually took the back panel off and mounted a small fan outside blowing in. We stopped as much as we could to chat/plan, and turned the machine off at any opportunity. Even with all of that, the thing still heated up pretty fast. In that session we managed to finish before the thing cut out, but it was clearly on its way.

[Jason Coen]

Michael,

Any luck in getting a new motor from Jet?

[Rick Prosser]

I am interested in how this turns out. I have been trying to choose between the Griz and Jet 12" Jointer/Planner, and had kinda settled on Jet due to the fact that the fence does not have to be removed when switching to planer. If there are Jet motor issues, I would swing to Griz and find a spot to put the fence...

[Rick Prosser]

I got the Jet, and I am experiencing the same issue with overheating. Will call Jet and see how they respond.

[John Coloccia]

I got the Jet, and I am experiencing the same issue with overheating. Will call Jet and see how they respond.

Have you tried running it without the back panel like someone earlier on had mentioned? I'm just curious if that actually works, but I don't think anyone has posted back with any results yet.

[Rick Gooden]

John,

I read your thread about the tables requiring constant alignment, and just like that my unit started experiencing the same problem. Any time I run the planer over about 15 minutes it shuts down, and now I have to align the tables before any critical work. What a pain. I think I made a mistake with this machine! I've just been too busy to tear everything apart or live on the phone with Jet, so I guess I will just live with it until things slow down. At least all of my problems are documented.

[Michael Titus]

I've had one shutdown since I started running my JJP12 without the back panel. I think it allows the machine to be used longer, but the motor still gets hot.

[John Coloccia]

John,

I read your thread about the tables requiring constant alignment, and just like that my unit started experiencing the same problem. Any time I run the planer over about 15 minutes it shuts down, and now I have to align the tables before any critical work. What a pain. I think I made a mistake with this machine! I've just been too busy to tear everything apart or live on the phone with Jet, so I guess I will just live with it until things slow down. At least all of my problems are documented.

Have you noticed your depth setting on the infeed slowly creeping deeper? I think the problem with mine is as I made adjustments, I tended to keep lifting the hinge (screwing in the set screws) instead of trying to keep them low. I think you definitely want at least part of the hinge resting solidly on the mount. Anyhow, the symptom of this is that the infeed adjustment keeps getting lower as the table keeps getting higher. I'm going to bet that if you check it, your zero cut setting is well above the outfeed.

That's my theory, at any rate.

[Chuong Nguyen]

Well, it happened to my JJP 12" HH over the weekend, it shutdown after about 30 min of continuous use. I took the back panel off (motor was really hot), and let it cool for a while, and started it back up again. After another half hour or more, it shut off again. This motor is weak!
I will call Jet later this afternoon or tomorrow and see what they say.

[Rick Gooden]

Well, I was edge jointing some sassafras today when the machine shut down again. Before it had always happened while I was planning. Called Jet and they are sending a new motor, although it wont be in stock until early August. Hopefully this will take care of the shutting down problem.

[Curt Harms]

Well, I was edge jointing some sassafras today when the machine shut down again. Before it had always happened while I was planning. Called Jet and they are sending a new motor, although it wont be in stock until early August. Hopefully this will take care of the shutting down problem.

Early August? My JJP-12 ate a capacitor (Jet thinks and I hope). When it failed the plastic enclosure where the cap sits was quite a bit warmer than the motor so I hope that's it. There was some smell but no bulging or leakage. The replacement should be here today. Now I really hope I don't need a new motor. I never really looked at the motor in this machine. That looks like one small motor to be producing the power it does. No wonder it runs warm.

[David Castor]

If you can hold your hand on the motor housing, it probably is not truly overheating, at least based on the typical temperature ratings for motor winding insulation. In the industrial world, the electricians' rule is to put your hand on the motor and try to count to 10 as fast as possible. If you get to 10 the motor is probably not seriously overheating. But this is a general rule for general duty motors. I'm not sure what the expectation is for this motor. But motors can get a lot hotter than you might think without being considered too hot.

[Rick Prosser]

I took the back off mine, and maybe got a little more use before it shut down.

I could not put my hand on the motor - too hot. I put my indoor/outdoor thermometer right above the motor and registered 157 degrees before it went out of range.

I talked to Jet, and they are going to provide a replacement motor.

[michael case]

Rick, given the endless issues and the fact that yours is so new, any possibility of returning to the vendor?

[Rod Sheridan]

Rick, given the endless issues and the fact that yours is so new, any possibility of returning to the vendor?

Rick, if you're lucky they'll give you your money back. I just noticed that there's a promotion on in the USA for the Hammer A3-31 at $2,999 which is $1,000 discount!

(Or you could pay $3,999 (aprox) and consider it to include a free slot mortiser............Rod.

[michael case]

Damn, Rod your making me hungry!