10" Jet planer/jointer combo machine

[Ken Lehn]

I am new to this forum. Looking for some advice. I have intentions of building a cedar strip boat. I recently got plans off the internet from Sandy Point Boatworks for their 20' freighter canoe. I do a little woodworking, but I didn't own a planer or a jointer so I bought the 10" Jet combo machine mentioned in the title. I just got it unpacked and I don't even have it completely assembled yet. I was hoping that some of you guys have some experience with this machine. The reviews online are mixed. I probably should have spent the extra for two machines, but budget is too tight. I'm not making fine furniture. I should be able to get some 3/4 by 3/8 strips out of it. I would appreciate any input about this machine.....

Thanks in advance,
Ken

[Jim Becker]

I believe there are a few members who have the 12" version of the Jet, including a fellow local to me. I did see his a number of years ago and it seemed like a nice machine. I would hope that the 10" version was similar in that respect.

I don't personally embrace the "separates are better" thing as an absolute and am a very happy Euro J/P combo owner and user, although mine is a bit bigger than yours.

[Jim Chan]

Hi Ken,
This was also my first jointer/planer when I started woodworking. It might be good enough for the purposes of your canoe build, given that you'll be bending the strips over a form and perhaps don't need them dead straight, but I'd definitely recommend getting separates in the long run if you have space and budget.

For myself, I unfortunately didn't have a good experience with this machine. The 12" jet mentioned above isn't a good comparison to the 10" (JJP-10BTOS); it's in a completely different league in terms of build quality and price. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I would say the 10" combo machine is borderline useless for jointing operations. First, the tables are much too short to be useful for any sort of longer lumber (and I mean, I had difficulty getting anything over 2' straight). As I recall, I was never really able to get the tables properly aligned, and it basically always left boards slightly bowed. The lack of stiffness in the aluminum tables also did not help. Secondly, the switch between jointer/planer operations is pretty inconvenient on this machine given the dust chute. It requires you to reset your planer table height each time. This becomes frustrating and requires you to really plan out your operations to make sure all the boards are the same thickness. It also means lots of cranking, which gets old fast. Third, the machine was very loud, like a tornado siren! Almost unbearable even with ear protection. There was no way I could use the machine at night time without disturbing the neighbors. When I had this machine, I honestly gave up and found it much easier to get boards flat with handplanes and used it only as a planer, which sort of defeated the purpose of the combo function. The planer part also sniped badly on my unit. I also seem to recall the knives getting knicked after only a few boards. The knives are seemingly softer than other machines I've used.

As you can imagine, I got rid of that machine within a year or two, and ended up finding used (but nearly new) separates on craigslist: 8" grizzly jointer and a woodmaster 718 planer. I upgraded both with helical heads. Obviously, this is in a different price range, but it was worth it. I now enjoy the process of milling stock, whereas with the jjp-10 it was frustrating. Everything is always perfectly flat and square. The helical heads also improve the finish quality and they are quiet enough to not need ear protection (though I still do). Even without the helical heads, the straight blades of these machines were far less loud than the jjp-10. I love being able to use either function without having to make any adjustments to the machines, definitely more efficient. The carbide bits of the helical heads also last forever.

Sorry I don't have better things to say about the JJP-10. If you still can, I would recommend returning it and getting a dewalt lunchbox planer and a used jointer on CL. You'll be happier.

[Rich Taylor]

While I cannot comment on this particular device, I too looked at the combo units before going completely CL on a Chinese clone of an old Delta 8" jointer and 11" Ryobi lunchbox planer. I had to do some rehab on both, but am very happy with the results. I would love to replace the straight knives with helical heads on the jointer, but the cost is prohibitive for a hobbyist. The planer is not worth the cost for sure.... Thanks to Mr. Chan for the review!

[Steve Wurster]

I'll second Jim's take. I had the 8" Jet combo unit for a number of years, and it was not a quality machine. The jointer tables were impossible to align. The planer table was not coplanar with the jointer tables, which means after you align the knives with the jointer tables you find out your planed boards are tapered across their width. I ended up jamming a piece of wood under the jointer infeed table to keep them in decent alignment (and thus blocking the planer outfeed), and using a lunchbox planer with a sled for face jointing. The jointer fence was so bad that I gave up on edge jointing as well and would just use a jig on my table saw.

Just under a year ago I upgraded to a Hammer A3-31 J/P. What a world of difference! I still actually have the 8" Jet sitting in the corner of the basement; one of these days I'll probably just stick it out at the curb for someone else to mess with.

[Jim Becker]

Jim C, thanks for the clarification that the 10" isn't a good comparison to the 12" unit. Much appreciated.