Jet JJP-12 Combo with helical head

[Don Abele]

Just got back from travel and had an e-mail from WMH waiting for me. They are currently in the testing phase of the JJP-12 Jointer/Planer combo unit with a Byrd-like helical head. They said the testing should take about a month, but wouldn't give any more specifics on price or release date.

They also told me if I buy the current model and change out the head to the Byrd Shelix, I'll void my warranty with them. :(

If the price difference stays the same as with their 15" planer, the helical head should cost about $800 more than the standard knife unit. That would be a savings of almost $300 over buying the standard unit and then upgrading to the Byrd head. Grizzly charges $500 for the upgrade.

Be well,

Doc

[Narayan Nayar]

Cool.

I've got my eye on the Jet (to replace my PM 6" longbed + Dewalt lunchbox) and would love to order it with a helical head. Let us know when it's available!

Through whom are you ordering?

[Don Abele]

Well, I got bad news back from Jet today. Seems like there's a problem with adding a helical head to the standard JJP-12. Here's what he said:


The problem is not in jointer mode, but in planer mode. Right now it seems that the feed rate of the planer vs. the work the cutterhead has to do is not balanced. What you end up getting is the cutterhead falling behind while the planer infeed rollers continue to feed, which in turn causes a spike in amperage and eventually a popped breaker when using the proper sized breaker. You don't get this in jointer mode cause the user is the feed rate controller, so when the user feels them bogging down the machine they slow the feed rate.

Well shoot...there goes just upgrading the JJP-12 with the Byrd aftermarket head.


As for when the JJP-12HH (that's the unit with the factory installed helical head) will release:


We would love to see you with a new 12" JJP-12HH, the truth is it will be at LEAST 6 months if not 12 before this happens and that is on the best case scenario. Testing is still in process; these things take time and the JET engineering team is happy to retain a product that needs further inspection and improvement rather than be first to market on a product. Originally end of year was planned, but obviously this is not the only project the engineering team is working on. We are expecting to install some new improvements in the next month or so, if we are happy with these improvements then we will manufacture. If we are not happy then it is back to the drawing board, not "well sell this one for now and we'll make a running change in the next build."

<sighs>

Not sure what to do now. If I buy the current JJP-12, it sounds like it will never be able to be upgraded to a helical head. I definitely can't wait a year to buy the JJP-12HH. So if I really want the helical, it looks like I'm back with the Grizzly.

Be well,

Doc

[Andy Pratt]

It's weird that the cutterhead is the bottleneck. I thought that the helical head made for less demand on the motor/less difficulty feeding stock, so it's odd that it can't keep up with the feed rate designed for normal knives.

I suppose I'll wait my 12 months and see where we're at then.

[Rob Knapton]

I've been lurking here for awhile, but found the issue with the warranty interesting.

I seem to remember something from awhile back dealing with this issue on car warranty's. There was some act, or judicial decision that simply replacing parts cannot void a warranty automatically. There is some requirement on the part of the manufacturer (warranty holder) to show that the parts caused the damage. ie: If you put aftermarket brakes on your car and the fuel injectors fail, they can't say your warranty is voided.

I'm from Canada, but googled it and found the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which says in part:


No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumers using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name... (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)).



I know that lots of aftermarket parts suppliers note this regarding their parts voiding a car warranty : http://www.sema.org/Main/SemaOrgHome.aspx?ID=50100

Having said this, I'm not a lawyer, and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems that it would be hard to deny a claim for a faulty casting just because you installed a aftermarket helical head (or something similarly unrelated).

Rob

[Dave MacArthur]

Welcome Rob, great first post! Good points, and I am completely in agreement with the philosophy of those points. Just to present the alternate view though, on a jointer/planer, there is really only one moving part which creates stresses on the machine, the cutter head. I think it could and would be reasonably argued by any company in court, that the primary cause of any failures would be metal fatigue and various vibrations or un-engineered-for forces, caused by changing the cutterhead. As you can see up above from Jet, merely changing the cutterhead to a shelix does INDEED cause unacceptable issues for a machine, and those issues happen in one single planing pass! What other un-found issues might arise from more subtle forces that act over hundreds or thousands of uses? It's one thing to change the air filter on your car, it's another thing to replace the engine with a tractor engine.

If manufacturers were held responsible for warranting unlimited user changes to critical systems, they would all be in court next week and out of business next year. But I DO love that warranty act, and will whip that out next time it serves me! ;)

Again, welcome, and thanks for the interesting post!
Dave

[Paul B. Cresti]

Not sure what the driving force behind wanting a helical head on a Jet....if price is an issue OK I can understand BUT if you want to get something that you know will work then simply get a Euro j/p with a Tersa head.

If the bed is wide enough you can skew the board as you cross the cutter head and..presto...you get a shearing cut. Changing blades .... Tersa is so fast and easy that it will make your head spin...or should I say make your cutter head spin..

Notice I have not said one single thing about brands. I am staying out of that, many of you know what I like, but in reality they all work well from the reports I have heard. Oh one more thing many are concerned about bed lengths....I simple use rollers to support really long boards (only to hold them) in jointing mode and in planing mode I use nothing other than my hands. I do not get any real snipe in planing mode except if I allow the really long board to bounce.

If it still bothers you to have longer beds then you can add extenders to ANY of these machines. Aigner makes aluminum extensions with connection accessories that can be used ony any machine....this is not proprietary to any brand period so do not let the fact that some companies offer them for sale cloud that. This also goes for many other accessories offered by Euro manufacturers.

[Matt Day]

Why can't they simply slow down the infeed rollers enough to allow the cutterhead to be in synch? Seems like a simply fix to me that could probably be modified for the current models out there. Maybe I'm oversimplifying it though.

[Andy Pratt]

Paul, thanks for the heads up on the extensions being available for all machines, that definitely changes things a little and makes the JET/Grizzly more attractive.

Andy

[Don Abele]

Why can't they simply slow down the infeed rollers enough to allow the cutterhead to be in synch? Seems like a simply fix to me that could probably be modified for the current models out there. Maybe I'm oversimplifying it though.

Matt, I thought the same thing myself...as well as why not use a variable rate unit that senses bogging and slows down the feed rate (just like on my Jet 22/44 drum sander). Of course, they have a whole slew of engineers that work for them and I'm sure they've thought of that and there's a reason they didn't go that route.

Be well,

Doc

[Don Abele]

Aigner makes aluminum extensions with connection accessories that can be used ony any machine.

Paul, do you have a link to their website. I couldn't find it through Google.

One of things I don't like about any of the J/P combos is the bed length. Extensions would be nice, especially on the outfeed side of the planer.

Be well,

Doc

[Paul B. Cresti]

used to be able to see some of their stuff through the Martin site

http://www.martin-usa.com/

[Paul B. Cresti]

here is a site that has some for sale....you can see one of the extensions on the bottom...but beware they are not the cheapest and they have some really nice stuff

http://www.machines4wood.com/mall/tplsearchstore.cfm


type in Aigner in search field

[Jim Becker]

The Aigner products are also available through Mini Max at this point to the best of my knowledge, although they are not on the web site.

[Daniel Horne]

So has anyone heard lately if it will be possible up upgrade and existing JJP-12 to a JJP-12HH when it becomes available? It would almost seem like the amount of time that its taking them come out with a helical head version would imply they are having to make enough changes where an upgrade may not be possible, but thats pure speculation on my part.

[Curt Harms]

So has anyone heard lately if it will be possible up upgrade and existing JJP-12 to a JJP-12HH when it becomes available? It would almost seem like the amount of time that its taking them come out with a helical head version would imply they are having to make enough changes where an upgrade may not be possible, but thats pure speculation on my part.

Curiosity got the better of me so I took a couple covers off. Due to the design of the planer feed roll drive mechanism, changing the feed speed would not be trivial. It's a series of flat belt, gears, and roller chain. Either a driver would have to get smaller or the driven would have to get bigger. There's no room for either in the present configuration that I can see. I did email Byrd just to see what they had to say. They have drawings and have heads in stock. They claim to have sold several and have had no negative feedback. Remember this machine has been for sale in the EU for a some time so there may well be some usage history with the Byrd head. Not definitive I know but it might be worth talking to Byrd if you've got $1,000+ laying around.

Curt

Edit: I guess someone with more time, money and fabrication ability than sense could come up with a really slick planer feed drive. There's probably room in the base for either a jackshaft or, better yet, an electrically variable speed drive like a VFD setup in place of the existing flat belt.

[Barry Vabeach]

Doc and Matt, I have the Jet and the rollers are driven by a chain and gear assembly. It would seem to me they could supply a different size gears and that would change the effective feed rate of the planer - though I don't know how tough that would be for the user to swap out the gears. I will say that the current results of the planer are excellent - I have never used a helix head, but this planer did a gerat job on a few peices of cherry I ran through it - I had run them through my Dewalt 733 and got a ton of ugly tearout - none with the Jet.

[Don Abele]

When I last spoke to Byrd, they said they would have a head available but ONLY the head. They don't sell anything else. They also make it clear that they don't warranty that the head will work or cause damage to the machine.

Jet on the other hand, made it clear that changing out the head would void the warranty. They were also very clear that just changing the head WOULD cause damage to the machine.

Jet also indicated that their production model of the JJP-12 with a helical head would be a while in coming since it was having to be completely redesigned. I truly don't understand that, but, what they is coming true. Here it is, October, and they still have not announced it's production.

While I would have loved to have held out for a helical head, I'm glad I purchased my Hammer when I did. If I would have waited, my 100+ year old factory reclaimed oak would still be sitting in it's raw form, rather than as milled, ready to use stock.

Be well,

Doc

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Looking at the online manual, it appears that pulley "K" can be made a little larger to further reduce feed roller speed. Even a 1" dia increase looks like it would yield a 10 to 15% feed speed reduction. However, I'm only an armchair engineer looking at a pic.

-Jeff :)

[Andy Pratt]

Just got an email back from JET customer service, JJP-12 with a helical head "should be available in 1st quarter 2009 with a price around $2799"

I already bought another machine, just wanted to pass this on to anyone still on the fence, this sounds a little more promising than "sometime in the next year"

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I just sent Jet/WMH an email too. The representative said:
"Thank you for writing. At this time, there are no plans to sell this machine with a spiral cutterhead."

Go figure...Jeff :)

[Curt Harms]

I wonder what damage would result as a result of changing the cutterhead? I did see in another thread about the DeWalt 735/byrd combo that the Byrd head appeared to take more power. That sort of surprised me, I'd have thought a shearing cotinuous cutting action would take less power than the "chop-chop-chop" action of straight knives but perhaps not. Other than power consumption, what else would be vulnerable?

[jason lambert]

When I asked a jet rep I was told they where delayed till at least midyear next year and the price is going to be over 3k by the time it is released because of price increases.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I'm guessing the new head may just be a spiral that makes small chops vs. shear cuts like a helical Byrd head. However, if a helical head on a 12" portable planer works with a reduced cut depth, one would think that it would work on a 12" stationary with a 'real' 3hp induction motor.

Jason, if the spiral version is over $3K, that's close to an 80% increase over pricing offered earlier this year on the non-spiral model. That's a big increase and makes me wonder if I should just get the current version, or stay with my old 6" jointer and portable planer combo and hope for the best.

-Jeff :)

[jason lambert]

That what I was told, but pricing is not fixed yet. Who knows with this economy things could get better. Anyhow after he told me, I gave up on the Jet. Besides look hard at it before you buy it it has sme major falws that I was hoping would get worked out along with adding the spiral cutter head (could be causing the delays). Like no adjustment on the plainer table you need to adjust the blades to the table then the top to the blades we found out that was pretty much impossable. Hopefully they will put some head or plainer table adjustments on the next version and a way to attach extension tables. For now I don't want to but I think I need to stick with seprates.

[Curt Harms]

.... Like no adjustment on the plainer table you need to adjust the blades to the table then the top to the blades we found out that was pretty much impossable. Hopefully they will put some head or plainer table adjustments on the next version ....

Page 17 of the Jet manual details exactly how to adjust the table to the blades. I haven't tried it yet, .01" difference between between the left and right side of a 10" piece doesn't warrant planer table adjustment:). We'll see after knife replacement. At my current usage level, that may be years:o.

HTH

Curt

[Chris Padilla]

If it still bothers you to have longer beds then you can add extenders to ANY of these machines. Aigner makes aluminum extensions with connection accessories that can be used ony any machine....this is not proprietary to any brand period so do not let the fact that some companies offer them for sale cloud that. This also goes for many other accessories offered by Euro manufacturers.

Interesting. I just picked up some extra INCRA rail in order to make some extension beds for both the J/P and for my bandsaw. I plan to create a thread about it.

A while ago, Woodpeckers made extension beds (outfeed tables) for table saws that had a nice quick-attach bracket that fit the Incra rails.

After staring at this 10' plank of rough walnut that I need to S4S and slice veneers from, I began staring at my outfeed tables on my TS and wondering how I could adapt them to work on my J/P and bandsaw.

A quick email to Incra told me they sell their rails and in any size you want so I have a couple rails arriving this week some time. Should be a fun weekend! :D

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I just visited a local machinery store near my home and they had the Jet J/P combo on the floor. Its the first time I've actually seen it. I was impressed with the quality and ease of changeover from jointer to planer, and vice versa.

I expressed my desire to the salesman about a spiral or helical head. It was the only thing holding me back from buying. He called the Jet rep and was not able to find out anything definitive. The rep did say he has gotten other inquiries for a spiral/helical head option on this machine, but with the recent down turn in the economy, development of new products will (or has) likely cooled off.

I wonder if the motor's 'bogging down' is happening with a full depth cut of 1/8". If so, I would have no problem with a maximum depth of 1/16" if it means it reduces motor strain significantly.

Oh well. Maybe I'm over exagerating the benefit of a spiral/helical head and I should just buy the machine with straight knives?

Jeff :)

[Scott Rollins]

I installed a byrd head on my 6" jointer last week and it definately bogs down on a heavy cut. But the finish is so much better and the bogging down encourages me to slow down.:D

[Curt Harms]

I installed a byrd head on my 6" jointer last week and it definately bogs down on a heavy cut. But the finish is so much better and the bogging down encourages me to slow down.:D

I suspect the problem would come in planing mode. It's easy to vary feed rate when jointing. It doesn't look easy on the Jet to vary/reduce the planer feed rate. I'm sure if it were easy it'd have already been done;). I emailed Byrd about their head. They claim to have sold some of their spiral heads to Jet J/P owners (model # is different on the ones sold in Europe)with no negative feed back. Jet says an aftermarket cutterhead WILL damage the machine so who knows. I was quoted $1000+ for the 12" head. I don't want a spiral head that bad even without the risk of voiding the warranty.

Curt

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Curt,
I was going to request a quote from Byrd, but you are well ahead of me.

I agree, $1,000+ for a shelix head is a lot of ching. Especially considering the whole machine is currently selling for $2,000. I would have to do some serious thinking to come up with a justification. Perhaps one way to look at it: We would be buying a helical head for a jointer and a planer. That's only $500 each. :rolleyes:

I imagine that the depth of cut can offset the fixed feed rate while planing? As far as the warranty, I'd be willing to take the risk. However, if another part failed that is unrelated to the cutter head (like a fracture in the hinge casting, or the knob came off on the crank handle), I doubt the warranty would be void. Besides, does Jet come out to your house to inspect the machine? Even if I have to pay for a replacement part (including the motor which appears to have a generic NEMA mount), so be it.

See...I told you I could talk myself into it!

-Jeff :)

[Chuck Tringo]

Curt,
I was going to request a quote from Byrd, but you are well ahead of me.

I agree, $1,000+ for a shelix head is a lot of ching. Especially considering the whole machine is currently selling for $2,000. I would have to do some serious thinking to come up with a justification. Perhaps one way to look at it: We would be buying a helical head for a jointer and a planer. That's only $500 each. :rolleyes:

I imagine that the depth of cut can offset the fixed feed rate while planing? As far as the warranty, I'd be willing to take the risk. However, if another part failed that is unrelated to the cutter head (like a fracture in the hinge casting, or the knob came off on the crank handle), I doubt the warranty would be void. Besides, does Jet come out to your house to inspect the machine? Even if I have to pay for a replacement part (including the motor which appears to have a generic NEMA mount), so be it.

See...I told you I could talk myself into it!

-Jeff :)


That alone would push me to the grizzly, its less than $2500 to your door with a spiral head installed. Now all i need to do is win the lottery.....:p

[Jeffrey Makiel]

The Grizzly sure is attractive, but I see a few things that are a bit of a turn off for me...

1. The machine is not as compact because of the rack & pinion fence which prohibits it from being placed up against a wall;

2. I don't like the idea of having to remove the fence and the guard during every conversion;

3. It requires a 30A outlet which I don't have. But, perhaps this is what it takes to spin a spiral head.

On the other hand, I don't cherish the thought of taking apart a brand new machine (i.e., the Jet) to install a non-stock cutterhead. I have heard rumor that Grizzly may offer a 10" jointer/planer model. Does anyone know anything about this rumor?

-Jeff :)

[Scott Myers]

I've been looking at the various combo machines too. The one thing I don't like about the ones I have looked at (in the price range I have considered) is that the feed rate in planer mode is one speed (20 FPM typ), which seems a bit too high to me. This is unlike the dedicated planers, which usually have 2 speeds (16" FPM low speed and some other high speed). I understand that in order to get the prices down on these units, that they decide to make a trade off and just give them one speed. But for the home hobbyist (which I assume is the target market for these units), most would run them in low speed anyway if they did have 2 speeds, or at least I would think so. So by having a 16 fpm rate, you would think they could handle the helical head. But who knows? Perhaps there is more to it than that, but I wouldn't know what.

Could this be the reason the Grizzly unit is 5 HP, so it can handle the helical head?

[Matt Benton]

I just bought a JJP-12, and inquired about the helical head. I was told it will be available "after 1st quarter 2009". They also confirmed that adding the Byrd will void the warranty...

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Matt,
How do you like your new machine?
-Jeff

[Gary Venable]

I was looking for some info on the JJP-12 on the Jet site and I noticed it's not there. All they have under jointer/planner is the smaller 10" and 8".

http://woodworking.jettools.com/Results.aspx?cat=2560693

-Gary

[Matt Benton]

Jeff,

So far, so good. I just got it last week, and am in the middle of setting up a 2-car garage shop in our new house. I got it off the pallet last night and fired it up, but haven't cut anything yet. I plan on posting a review once I get some time on it...

The fence, although aluminum, seems like it will be quite sufficient. As others have posted, it is easy to adjust and locks down tight.

I sold my Unisaw to fund this purchase, as I'm moving to a bandsaw-centric shop. Without the TS, I had to have a jointer for edging (and I could tell the planer sled was going to get old quickly for face jointing). For me, the opportunity to have a 12" jointer, as well as save space in a small shop was more than I could pass up.

Matt

[Matt Benton]

Gary,

They have it under "Jointers". They definitely need to move it...

http://woodworking.jettools.com/Products.aspx?Part=708475

[Barry Vabeach]

Matt, I bought the Jet JP12 a few months ago. It has some real pluses, and a few minor quibles. It is very compact, the fence is pretty nice, and the change over is one of the best I have seen. You may want to look at one before you buy it - they have a different surface on the tables then you are used to - it is hard to describe but the surface has ridges, it is not flat like other jointers - though it works fine. Negatives - the planer table is way too short, I had a longer table on my benchtop planer - they could have made rollers or extensions pretty easily, IMHO, so that the wood wouldn't fall to the ground as it comes out. ( The Jet table is about 21 inches long, the Grizzly is about 23 ) The instruction manual does a poor job of explaining how to set the tables coplanar. Overall, I think it is an excellent machine - when I bought it, it was much cheaper than the Grizzly straight knife equivalent. If your purchase price is in the neighborhood of $2,200, then I would look long and hard at the Grizzly spiral head 12 inch - the spiral head is a great advantage in not having to set knives. The downsides are the grizzly takes up a little more room and the changeover doesn't seem to be as easy. If money is tight and you can wait, I heard Grizzly may be coming out with a 10 inch combo - possibly with the spiral head, but I don't know when.

[Matt Benton]

Barry,

Thanks for the review, but I already bought mine a few weeks ago.

I had it delivered for about 1700...

Matt

[Dick Strauss]

How expensive can it be for Jet to add a 1/6 hp variable speed DC motor and controller to the Jet J/P like Woodmaster does for their 712/718 planers? Another option would be for Jet to follow Woodmaster's lead and use a 5 hp motor instead of a 3 hp model (though it draws 30A which might be a problem for some).

I'd think there would be an easy fix but maybe I'm missing something here????

FYI-I have no connection to Woodmaster though I do think they make a good product.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

The Jet JJP-12 has one motor for the cutterhead and feed rollers. I'm guessing that a variable speed motor just serving the feed rollers would require a massive re-design and significantly add to the cost of the machine. It's likely that Jet has a target price of $2,000 for this machine. Further, in our current economic slump, I bet companies will be very cautious with their investments of new developments.

I came across an internet review on a pre-production Jet JJP-12 that apparently had a helical head in it. However, the link within the article to Jet's website for this machine no longer exists. :(

I also received a quote from Byrd for a helical head. It was $1,095 without bearings. The homeowner would have to install it. The machine is currently $2,000 (including a $100 rebate and delivery). That puts this machine over $3,100 which is entering Hammer A3-31 territory. On a positive note, Byrd said that this machine performs "wonderfully" with the helical head. Go figure.

-Jeff :)

[Barry Vabeach]

Matt, thats a good price - how do you like it?

[Barry Vabeach]

Matt, good score - how do you like it?

[Matt Benton]

Jeff,

With people putting Byrd heads in a portable planer with a universal motor, adding one to the Jet may not be that far fetched (although I admit to being apprehensive about it myself).

[Curt Harms]

Jeff,

With people putting Byrd heads in a portable planer with a universal motor, adding one to the Jet may not be that far fetched (although I admit to being apprehensive about it myself).

If a universal motor can power a Byrd head---only thought I had is a universal motor can produce more than rated power-for a while at least:eek:. I had a thought like Dick about a separate feed motor but probably a major attraction of this machine, bang for the buck, would diminish. If you're gonna spend around $3K, might as well go Euro.

Looking at the existing planer feed roll drive mechanism I don't see much opportunity to slow the feed rate by changing pulley/sprocket/gear size. There's room in the base for a jackshaft speed reduction mechanism to drive the feed rolls. I have no idea what it would cost Jet to add such a mechanism or what impact adding such a mechanism would have on serviceability. I'm also not a mechanical engineer so there may be an economical solution. If there is, I suspect Jet would like to hear about it.:)

[Jeffrey Makiel]

At 220V, the Jet has a 12.5A motor and the Grizzly has a 25A motor That's quite a difference. Also, a 12.5A motor designated as 3HP is possibly stretching the soup a little. But that's nothing new with non-industrial motor ratings these days.

Perhaps a bigger motor can be provided. An engineering analysis of the drive trane would likely need to be done to see if the power can be reliably delivered to the cutterhead (e.g., belt size & quantity, minimum pulley diameter, etc.). However, it may be an issue of cost again. Also, a bigger motor may also mean breaching the 20A electrical circuit requirement which can be a deal killer for some.

My name is Jeff, and I sit on a fence. :)

[Matt Benton]

Jeff,

I sat on that fence for a short while as well. One thing that makes things easier for me is that i went from no jointer to a 12" jointer, so I'm not spending much time looking back.

I too was going between the Grizzly and Jet, and for me, the difference was in not feeling I needed a spiral cutterhead (at least not right now). I'm just getting started with woodworking, and I think the straight knives will work, at least for now...

[Curt Harms]

At 220V, the Jet has a 12.5A motor and the Grizzly has a 25A motor That's quite a difference. Also, a 12.5A motor designated as 3HP is possibly stretching the soup a little. But that's nothing new with non-industrial motor ratings these days.
<snip>

My name is Jeff, and I sit on a fence. :)

Ah So! I didn't recall that the Grizz units were 5 H.P. The Jet is 3 H.P. That could explain the difference.

[Dick Strauss]

Strangely enough...the variable speed DC motor makes the spiral carbide head a moot point for planing figured woods (but not for longevity and ease of changing inserts vs blades). I found that I could plane the curliest of hard maple on a neighbor's WM712 with no tearout after finding the right (albeit slow) speed. I had no luck planing curly maple on my friend's 15" Delta planer (even with freshly sharpened knives).

I'd be willing to pay extra for such a feature on a J/P combo!

[Arnold E Schnitzer]

A friend advises me to avoid the combo machines that use a single cutterhead because when you flip it from jointer to planer (or the opposite), things go out of alignment. He says every time you switch you will need to realign the machine. I say that a company like Jet would not market a machine with such an obvious flaw. Comments?

[Matt Benton]

He says every time you switch you will need to realign the machine.

I wonder which machines your friend has actually used, and for how long...

[Steve Rozmiarek]

A friend advises me to avoid the combo machines that use a single cutterhead because when you flip it from jointer to planer (or the opposite), things go out of alignment. He says every time you switch you will need to realign the machine. I say that a company like Jet would not market a machine with such an obvious flaw. Comments?

Arnold, no offense to your friend, but he's not correct. There are many combo users, me included, and to date, I have not seen even one report of this happening.

[Chris Padilla]

A friend advises me to avoid the combo machines that use a single cutterhead because when you flip it from jointer to planer (or the opposite), things go out of alignment. He says every time you switch you will need to realign the machine. I say that a company like Jet would not market a machine with such an obvious flaw. Comments?

I can only speak to my Minimax J/P combo machine but switching back and forth, I have no issues with any alignments whatsoever.

The cutterhead is stationary as you know and the planer bed is what raises up and down so there are no alignment issues there.

For the jointer portion, I can see how one might think that the cutterhead may not line up but proper engineering of stops and security points make this a moot point. My jointer bed portion is fine....

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Here's an article in Woodshop News on the proposed new Grizzly 10" jointer/planer that was mentioned earlier in this thread...

http://www.woodshopnews.com/index.php/tools-machines/18-tools-a-machines/497812-grizzly-adds-10q-combo-jointerplaner

The jointer tables are only 41", which is 7" less than my current 6" jointer. The article only mentions straight knives with no option for a spiral cutterhead (at least, not yet). The price is around $1,200.

Very interesting. Given the price point, I see this as a strong alternative to a stand alone 6" jointer and portable planer. Optional jointer extension tables would be very desirable though.

-Jeff :)

[Curt Harms]

A friend advises me to avoid the combo machines that use a single cutterhead because when you flip it from jointer to planer (or the opposite), things go out of alignment. He says every time you switch you will need to realign the machine. I say that a company like Jet would not market a machine with such an obvious flaw. Comments?

The only time I could see this being an issue is with knife changes. If the knife to cutterhead orientation were to change in "slope". i.e. one side of all 3 knives extending out of the cutterhead further than the other end of the knives, it would require realigning either the knives or planer bed. I haven't changed my knives yet so I have no experience. Does anyone make a jig shaped like a "U" where the ends of the "U" rest on the cutterhead and the curve of the "U" has a dial indicator? Such a gadget would reference off the cutterhead instead of off the outfeed table. Referencing off the outfeed table is fine as long as the outfeed table and planer bed are exactly parallel side to side. Because the outfeed table moves, it seems like it could shift a tiny bit. The cutterhead is very unlikely to move at all barring bearing failure, it seems like. Just thinking out loud here.


Curt

[Jeffrey Makiel]

I just sent Jet a follow up email again as to whether Jet is considering a spiral head for the JJP-12. This time, Jet reponded that they intend to introduce the JJP-12 with a spiral head sometime during the first quarter of 2009.

I'm ready.

-Jeff :)