JET 708476 Model JJP-12HH 12-Inch Planer/Jointer with Helical Cutterhead

[Kent Chasson]

I have the JJP-12 with HH. If you are looking to save space and money, it's a great way to go. If you are looking for something solid and precise, I would not recommend it. The jointer tables are designed to be lightweight and make the change over easy. Mine were far from flat to begin with and they do not stay true.

That said, it is good enough for 98% of what most people probably use it for. And I love the HH. Change over is very quick.

Dust collection is not great but some mods can help.

[Alan Lightstone]

About the only thing I could complain about is that the chip collection in jointer mode isn't great and I end up with a pile on the planer bed. My friend's Minimax does the exact same thing though.

My Laguna does the same thing.

[Rick Prosser]

I also have the JJP-12 with HH. I had nothing, and this seemed to be the best bang for the buck in my price range.

I have had to replace the motor (overheating), and a capacitor after replacing the motor. Jet was quick to replace the motor at no cost, and I swapped out the cap. Seems to be working fine now.

I looked at reviews comparing with the Griz, and although most of them seemed to be evenly rated, most went with the Jet.

The thing that helped me finalize my decision was the removal of the Griz fence for changeover, and the guard for the jointer. I never liked the operation of the pork-chop design, and the euro-design works well for me.

[Matt Meiser]

The thing that helped me finalize my decision was the removal of the Griz fence for changeover, and the guard for the jointer. I never liked the operation of the pork-chop design, and the euro-design works well for me.

That was the deciding factor for me as well.

[jonathan eagle]

Jonathan, if you're going to continue using a separate planer, why get a combo machine? Why not a 12" jointer? Just curious. One thing for those considering a combo machine to keep in mind. With a separate planer you can leave the planer set for depth so that if you need to plane an additional piece after planing most of the stock for a project, the planer's depth may still be where it was for the other pieces. With a combo machine lowering the planer table to use the jointer will change the planer's depth setting. I would recommend a digital readout on the planer bed. That way you can plane to say, .75", lower the planer bed to use the jointer and move the planer bed back to .75" repeatably. Might save some fussin' and cussin'.

These are good questions. I prefer separete tools as many do. The size of the beds for a "real 12" jointer would have been just too large for my shop. (I would have prefered a standalone jointer with SCH). I felt that if I had an important piece of wood I would use the planer on the JP, rather than the straight blades on the planer. I am firmly in the SCH court having used both the stright blades and now the SCH head of the grizzly. FWW has also reviewed the heads of various SCH and found by head to head testing that the grizzly SCH to be virtually as good as the others. Having tried the JP planer and having to lift the fence on the grizzly, I wouldn't want to do that all the time. I find that this would be a real problem without a nice setup with a shelf nearby. The tables on the grizzly are wonderful, smooth and flat. The 5HP is a real plus as well. (Nothing is perfect. My Hammer BS with a non-standard miter slot for instance. But I happened to have an old benchtop TS whose miter fit!)
Jonathan

[Seth Runkle]

While I am picking up on an older thread here, I find the discussion equally as relevant today. A question for anyone who's had different models -- what about customer service? I continue to hear that Grizzly is about as bad as they come, and Jet is, conversely, very customer oriented. Look, I get the sale folks are nice in all companies, but if I have a real problem that can't be solved by myself or with the help of one of their technical experts after I already have bought it, I expect a solid company to make things right. The horror stories with Grizzly are palpable. Any thoughts on this topic?

[Prashun Patel]

I do not share the grisly grizzly stories. I experience their tools and service to be fine.