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I'm in the market to get a combo jointer/planer w/ spiral cutter head and am trying to decide between the Jet and the Laguna 12" machines. I ruled out the Grizzly because of the hassle with taking the fence on and off. Looking for people's experiences with these two machines, with service from the manufacturer, etc., before pulling the trigger.
Any advice is appreciated.
I had an MM FS30 before I got my Combo. The way the tops flip up is kind of awkward.
The Felder looks really cool the way the two tops flip up together.
Worth looking into.
http://www.hammerusa.com
I have the Jet 12" with spiral head, and except for Jet having to replace the overheating motor - has worked very well for me. Jet sent the replacement motor promptly, and I changed it myself. No issues since. This is the only J/P I have ever had, so I cannot compare with other models. I purchased the Jet over Griz due to not having to remove the fence, and the European style guard.
I'm glad Rick has had good luck with his combo, but there are a lot of complaints about the Jet, enough to have steered me away from it. While were on complaints, you might want to look into Laguna's track record. There's pages of bad news about them as a company. I would take Mike's advice and look at the Felder. I think they are currently having a sale.
+1 to the advice being given by Michael. Scott I recently purchased a Hammer A3 41 the 16" version of the A3 line. The A3 31 is the 12" equivalent. The fence does not have to be removed to lift the tables. The tables lift together as a single unit. The Silent Power Sprial Cutter Block is quite impressive both in finish and the significant noise reduction. I personally steered clear of Laguna in no small part due to some of the feedback I have found on the web including this forum. The Grizzly has a redesigned fence mounting similarly to the Hammer. You are correct that it still must be removed to convert the machine. This was a hassle I did not want to deal with either. I would highly recommend adding the Hammer A3 31 to your short list.
+1 on the A3-31 recommendation if you can swing it cost wise. I have the older model with a byrd head and I'm very happy with it.
I've owned the non-spiral head version of the Jet since they first came out and have been very pleased with it-no complaints here at all. I picked the Jet over the Grizzly due to the fence design/changeover time and the euro-style guard vs. the pork-chop style.
Wow, I like the look of the Hammer's ability to extend the table with the add on beds. Do they work well? Any issues with the wood on the outbound table catching an edge where the base table and the extension meet up?
The Hammer is about $600 more, on sale, than the price I can get the Jet for, so it really has to be a cut above to justify. But features like the longer bed may just do it. Oh, just discovered the $600 price difference is for the 3 knife version, not the spiral cutterhead. Suspect the price difference is going to put this out of range. Was already stretching wife's understanding of why I "needed" to upgrade my 8" jointer.
This is in the wrong part of the world but if you were able to arrange shipping Darren Brown's A3-31 is a very attractive deal IMO and he's looking to move it. I have the Jet JJP-12 with straight knives and it's been fine but I'm a hobbyist with light usage. I'm certain the Hammer has better fit & finish. At the time the Hammer was twice the price of the Jet so was not a consideration for me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Haddix
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?194633-Hammer-A3-31-2000-00
I bought one of the first Jet combo machines when they were released. Still have it and never had problems with it after running well over 1000 linear feet of material across or through it. The fence doesn't need to be removed to lift the tables and the tables lift together. Mine has the straight knives and has been a delight to use. I added an iGaging DRO to the planer table and this tool works great. I have no experience with the Hammer or Laguna machines, but I have only seen good reviews for the Hammer. Laguna not so much due to CS support issues.
f I was to buy again, I'd still get the Jet and might consider the Helical Head since FWW gave it excellent reviews.
I appreciate everybody's feedback. In the end, I went with the Jet. It is a Christmas present from the wife, so it is sitting in the garage, uncrated, but otherwise untouched.
Now, the surprising part of this happened during delivery. I'd been wondering when it was going to get shipped for a few days, and I get a knock on the door. You guessed it, there is an 18 wheeler delivery truck in my cul de sac to deliver the new toy. No notice it had shipped. No phone call to arrange delivery. They just show up at my door and I guess hope and pray I'm home. I don't know what I would have come home to if I had been out. A 600 pound crate in my driveway?
Luckily, I was home, the delivery guy was helpful and we got it into the garage/shop no problem. But...really? Not even a call first? And we are buried deep in our neighborhood, so getting that truck in and out had to be a major pain.
Anyone else had that experience with Jet delivery?
I picked mine up at the store, brought it home, and got it inside all by myself. You shouldn't have had any problems! :-)
Good machine. You'll enjoy it. Make sure you have good dust collection. Otherwise, it can get clogged up.
I was a pain with the shipper so knew it was coming. The outfit I bought mine from offered free delivery - still does AFAIK - and paid for residental lift gate service. Truck driver calls -- do I have an unloading dock? Huh??? I called the seller and explained, he was ....annoyed:rolleyes:. They took it back and returned the next day with a straight truck w/ lift gate. No problem after that. I made a few modifications to mine that have worked out well. One is a DRO which I think is a good idea on any combo machine. Need 4 pieces, plane 4 pieces, screw one piece up. Oops. It's nice to be able to set the planer bed to a specific depth without too much cut & try. I got an igaging 12" from Grizzly and it's been great, still on its original batteries.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Haddix
Another thing I did was to extend the ratcheting gadgets that tighten the fence. The theads are 8 mm. It turns out that I could tap threads into a 1/4" black pipe nipple :p. I raised the handles up so they can spin in a full circle without hitting the fence support structure. The ratcheting gadgets work okay, I like my setup better. I also made the fence so it will tilt 45 degrees either way from perpendicular to the bed. If I want to cut a bevel it seems to make sense to tip the top of the fence toward the beds, not away from. I didn't care for too small knob to lock the infeed table and had a larger wheel so drill and tap and there we go. Of course I like to tinker:D.
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Congrats, I think you'll really enjoy this machine. I must admit that the first time I used it to joint a wide board, I found it impressive and it seemed soooo much bigger than my 6" jointer, that it was very cool, yet kind of intimidating at the same time. I've come to really like the Euro style guard.
I noticed that it suddenly clogged up in planer mode after I installed my upgraded 3hp cyclone. Fortunately there was a thread I saw here that described the situation....and the simple and quick fix....so keep this in mind if you notice any thing.
Appreciate the advice. I am running a 2 HP cyclone, and this is about the closest machine to the vacuum, so not a long run. I'll keep my eye out and check out the thread if I run into issues.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Mahany