Thread: Jet 12: planer thicknesser JPT-310HH (or something else?)

I almost bought it last year, but decided to wait, not because of anything wrong with the machine, but just because of personal circumstances regarding my housing situation.

It looks like about the best thing you'll get at that price point. I haven't actually used the machine, but it's well reviewed.

I'll go ahead and tell you... you're gonna get some responses in this thread talking about the beds not being perfectly flat. Don't buy into this. It absolutely does not matter for the end product. if the cutter heads are flat (and they will be), it will produce a flat surface. I've used two jointers in my time. One was kind of the lower end of the 10" combo machine spectrum, and the other was a fifty or sixty year old beat up monster. Both produced flat boards, and having a slight dish to the infeed and outfeed tables was the least of their problems. I actually went into a retailer and put a high dollar square on the bed and, sure enough, there was a sliver of light shining under it in the middle of the outfeed table at one end, but, again, it does not matter. Some people are just super pedantic about machined flatness and it bothers them. If you're one of those people, you should consider a Hammer A3-31 machine. They're about $3-4000 MORE expensive with a helical cutter head though, so be prepared for that.

One person was talking about how the tables were not coplanar. This would be an issue, but seemed to be a one off with this machine. I haven't seen much about it anywhere else.

Good luck. I think it's probably a safe bet if you want the higher end of the hobby scale spectrum.
Cheers,
Luke

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

I almost bought it last year, but decided to wait, not because of anything wrong with the machine, but just because of personal circumstances regarding my housing situation.

It looks like about the best thing you'll get at that price point. I haven't actually used the machine, but it's well reviewed.

I'll go ahead and tell you... you're gonna get some responses in this thread talking about the beds not being perfectly flat. Don't buy into this. It absolutely does not matter for the end product. if the cutter heads are flat (and they will be), it will produce a flat surface. I've used two jointers in my time. One was kind of the lower end of the 10" combo machine spectrum, and the other was a fifty or sixty year old beat up monster. Both produced flat boards, and having a slight dish to the infeed and outfeed tables was the least of their problems. I actually went into a retailer and put a high dollar square on the bed and, sure enough, there was a sliver of light shining under it in the middle of the outfeed table at one end, but, again, it does not matter. Some people are just super pedantic about machined flatness and it bothers them. If you're one of those people, you should consider a Hammer A3-31 machine. They're about $3-4000 MORE expensive with a helical cutter head though, so be prepared for that.

One person was talking about how the tables were not coplanar. This would be an issue, but seemed to be a one off with this machine. I haven't seen much about it anywhere else.

Good luck. I think it's probably a safe bet if you want the higher end of the hobby scale spectrum.
Cheers,
Luke

thanks Luke, much appreciated

What Luke said......

They've been around a while, and probably the best package you'll get for the $$$. JET factory QA is a bit hit and miss, so expect to spend a little time tweaking the tables for coplanar, etc. after it arrives. This is actually a good way to get to know your machine, what adjustments it has, how to perform routine maintenance, etc.

I'm sure if you stumped up for the equivalent Hammer machine it would more likely be spot on out of the crate (or the distributor would have someone out to your premises to fix any issues), but you pay for the privilege....

I believe that genuine, impossible to fix issues (e.g warped beds, warped fence) are few and far between on this JET machine, in which case punt it back to JET for replacement parts.

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

What Luke said......

They've been around a while, and probably the best package you'll get for the $$$. JET factory QA is a bit hit and miss, so expect to spend a little time tweaking the tables for coplanar, etc. after it arrives. This is actually a good way to get to know your machine, what adjustments it has, how to perform routine maintenance, etc.

I'm sure if you stumped up for the equivalent Hammer machine it would more likely be spot on out of the crate (or the distributor would have someone out to your premises to fix any issues), but you pay for the privilege....

I believe that genuine, impossible to fix issues (e.g warped beds, warped fence) are few and far between on this JET machine, in which case punt it back to JET for replacement parts.

Thanks Basil, it does sound like it's the best (only) option around that price with the HH - spiral cutter heads.

It's intended to be a lead in machine that I hope will last me for a good long time while I try to set up a small business from home, as I'm spending too much time away from home with the contracting work that I do. I'm also considering the Hammer and Felder machines and am hoping I might be able to see them all up at the Timber show in Brissy next week to compare them.

If you can afford the Hammer machine I think it may be worth considering. You're going to get considerably better customer service and support, I believe it has a more powerful motor, and it's just kind of better in every way. You've stepped up from hobby scale to professional/industrial scale with that machine, and if you're trying to set off on your own and make a go at a small business I doubt you would miss that 3-4k down the road.

I think it may require a 20amp plug FYI.

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

If you can afford the Hammer machine I think it may be worth considering. You're going to get considerably better customer service and support, I believe it has a more powerful motor, and it's just kind of better in every way. You've stepped up from hobby scale to professional/industrial scale with that machine, and if you're trying to set off on your own and make a go at a small business I doubt you would miss that 3-4k down the road.

I think it may require a 20amp plug FYI.

Thanks Luke, I'm certainly going to have a very good look at the Hammer as I've read the reviews and comments on here elsewhere and that had been my original target - just a bit shy about spending too much money at the moment. I do have 20A plugs in my shed ready for power tools, so all good there.

I should add that I only have the standard cutterhead JPT310 (3-phase), which is now about 7 years old and has given no problems at all once set up. For keen hobbyist use JET will do the job just fine, although for tablesaws and bandsaws I'd go Laguna/Harvey in preference to JET these days. If you're looking to run a business, the Hammer/Felder might be worth the extra spend though.

A few years ago I seriously looked at upgrading my JPT-310 to the HH through buying a Shellix head. Given the cost, I eventually decided to get a JET Performax 16-32 drum sander instead for slightly less money. My rationale was that the helical head can handle most cranky timber without tearout, whereas the drum sander can handle absolutely anything (even burl....). The drum sander is also more convenient for working on really thin pieces (e.g. 2-3mm thick); I've done these on the JPT-310 with a sled with D/S tape to hold the work down, but the odd piece does explode and come flying back at you .

Given my time again I'd definitely have gone with the HH version of the JPT-310, but it didn't exist when I bought mine.

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

I should add that I only have the standard cutterhead JPT310 (3-phase), which is now about 7 years old and has given no problems at all once set up. For keen hobbyist use JET will do the job just fine, although for tablesaws and bandsaws I'd go Laguna/Harvey in preference to JET these days. If you're looking to run a business, the Hammer/Felder might be worth the extra spend though.

A few years ago I seriously looked at upgrading my JPT-310 to the HH through buying a Shellix head. Given the cost, I eventually decided to get a JET Performax 16-32 drum sander instead for slightly less money. My rationale was that the helical head can handle most cranky timber without tearout, whereas the drum sander can handle absolutely anything (even burl....). The drum sander is also more convenient for working on really thin pieces (e.g. 2-3mm thick); I've done these on the JPT-310 with a sled with D/S tape to hold the work down, but the odd piece does explode and come flying back at you .

Given my time again I'd definitely have gone with the HH version of the JPT-310, but it didn't exist when I bought mine.

Sadly I've become rather anti Laguna - (though not anti Gregory machinery I must add) - I bought a Laguna bandsaw and it just wasn't right, the frame was warped. Gregory Machinery replaced it but the replacement was just the same and, as I wanted this as my last bandsaw, I couldn't live with it so Gregmach took it back and fully refunded it. I just feel that the Laguna stuff that we get here (what I've seen anyway) is overpriced for the quality.

Hi Larks,
I agree with you about Laguna I bought a 8" HH jointer from Gregory machinery with a Fusion T/S after waiting for some times with delay they arrived with some damaged on jointer box
when I unpack it find out the fence mechanism was broken and a dent on out feed table after few email and some phone calls they told me I have to wait for parts to come from Laguna than they will tell me how to change the parts my self
I asked are they going to charge me full price ($4000) after all this the answer was yes, I asked for replacement he said, so I asked for my money back than I bought Powermatic 8" jointer from Carba - Tec nice machine happy with it
So I am anti Laguna too and no deal with Gregory machinery few things I wanted to get bought them on line from Amazon cost me less and got them faster then Gregory
Regards
Mehrdad

The Jet comes in at $4,200, and the Hammer, a superior machine in my view, is around $5,100, which would be suitable for a single user business workshop. Gregory Machinery sell a 300mm Woodman combo for $3,700, which appears to be a good machine. Maybe someone has one who can comment.
Let us know what you decide.
Greg

The Jet HH is ~$4200, but the Hammer with their HH is more in the realms of $7-8000. Quite a large step up and very much for the professional full time woodworker.

I was looking at both the Jet HH and the Woodman HH at the end of last year. They were $4000 and $3700 respectively. I read absolutely everything about the Jet on forums, and there was indeed quite a bit of negativity. However you have to realise that people are far more likely to complain about something than praise it. There was a bit of info on the Woodman, not much though, however it was positive. I visited Carbatec to check out the Jet, and there was quite a bit of a wait on getting one. Trend Timbers happened to be having their Open Day, so I checked out the Woodman and spoke to the Greg Mach rep. I came to the conclusion that both machines are basically identical, and you could get a dud with either one. If you do then you deal with it via the appropriate channels. I ended up going with the Woodman and 6 months on haven't had a single issue. I am not someone that gets out a micrometer to check things to the 0.001mm. I just want the tables to be aligned and the fence to be at 90 degrees, and it does that.

Originally Posted by Geevesmac

The Jet comes in at $4,200, and the Hammer, a superior machine in my view, is around $5,100, which would be suitable for a single user business workshop. Gregory Machinery sell a 300mm Woodman combo for $3,700, which appears to be a good machine. Maybe someone has one who can comment.
Let us know what you decide.
Greg

Originally Posted by Ghallahad

The Jet HH is ~$4200, but the Hammer with their HH is more in the realms of $7-8000. Quite a large step up and very much for the professional full time woodworker.

I was looking at both the Jet HH and the Woodman HH at the end of last year. They were $4000 and $3700 respectively. I read absolutely everything about the Jet on forums, and there was indeed quite a bit of negativity. However you have to realise that people are far more likely to complain about something than praise it. There was a bit of info on the Woodman, not much though, however it was positive. I visited Carbatec to check out the Jet, and there was quite a bit of a wait on getting one. Trend Timbers happened to be having their Open Day, so I checked out the Woodman and spoke to the Greg Mach rep. I came to the conclusion that both machines are basically identical, and you could get a dud with either one. If you do then you deal with it via the appropriate channels. I ended up going with the Woodman and 6 months on haven't had a single issue. I am not someone that gets out a micrometer to check things to the 0.001mm. I just want the tables to be aligned and the fence to be at 90 degrees, and it does that.

Thanks Greg and Galahad. The quote that I've received for the Hammer is $6068.00 (though that's the 3ph and I need the single ph and I don't yet know the difference in price), either way it's at least $1.9k more than the Jet - which isn't insignificant in my world at the moment. Hence my being torn between the value of the Jet/Woodman and stepping up to the Hammer.

I went up to Carbatec in Brissy today and had a good look at the Jet and I was reasonably impressed and couldn't fault the one on the floor. Aluminium fence has two bracing points and seems solid, the beds were flat and square and I like the ease with which it changes between jointer and thicknesses. I hope to see the Hammer sometime over the next couple of days and will drop into GregMach and check out the Woodman at the same time.......

Edited to add: Just got the updated price on the single phase Hammer which is +$190.00, so takes it to $6259.50

Bugger - now I'm in a bit of a pickle: I've now been to see the Jet, The Woodman and the Hammer.

There's no doubt that the Hammer is the superior machine and that the Woodman and the Jet are essentially the same machine (albeit the Woodman seems to have better beds) and both are of quite a decent quality that'd no doubt do the job for me (for a while), they are certainly high end hobbyist rather than small business.

But with a price gap of $2564.50, with the Woodman at $3695 and the Hammer at $6259.50, that difference is just a bit too substantial to ignore (the cost of putting down another slab to increase my workspace).......then theres an issue of delivery - end of July for the Hammer, three weeks for the Woodman, plenty available for Carbatec.......so I'm in a pickle -

I'd certainly prefer the Hammer so that I am unlikely to ever need to replace it and if it really was just an extra $1k or even $1.5k I'd not hesitate,.......but but but.......

That was basically my exact school of thought at the time of purchase. I would have LOVED the Hammer, and I may indeed buy one if I ever get to the stage of saving for one via selling furniture, but as an initial outlay it just wasn't justified. The $300 saving, immediate availability, and flat/smooth beds on the Woodman is what sold me.