Customer Reviews

JET 708458K JJ-8CS 8-Inch 2 Horsepower Jointer, 230-Volt 1 Phase

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I recently purchased the 8" jointer from jet after a good deal of research. When it arrived, the finish was o.k. It looked good, except for the front of the machine which was quite rough and had not been ground down after casting. Otherwise, it is a great looking tool.
I finally got it put together and wired up (about four hours total). I turned it on and it jumped to life. When I say jumped, I mean it started abruptly with a jerk, instead of smoothly and gradually. It also sputtered as it turned off. Upon further inspection and after smelling burning rubber, I opened it back up to have a look. There were black shavings all over the back of the machine, which turned out to be the belt.
I called the Jet service number. The guy told me to take apart the motor to tighten a set screw that was supposed to have been factory set. Very time consuming. That wasn't the problem. I called back and he told me to readjust all the pulleys and belts, which I had already done before calling. I did it again and that wasn't the problem either. He said he would send out a local Jet rep to look at it. Well that was four weeks ago. Not only was no rep sent out, the original service rep whom I had spoken with stopped returning my calls, would not answer repeated messages, and basically ignored me for a month. Finally, I got fed up and left a message in no uncertain terms that he needed to call me back that day because I needed this thing to work. It was jurting my business and it had been over a month. I said if they would not help me, then I wanted to return the machine. Only then did he get in touch with a local rep.
This guy called me the same day. I told him about the chunky motor and the black shavings. Guess what, he told me that the engine performance was normal and the belt could continue grinding itself away until it finds it's "natural position" - for up to a year. I find both of these things hard to beleive. At this point, however, because of the month of unreturned calls, it was apparently too late to get a refund or a new motor from Jet. You would think such a well known company would make more of an effort to satisfy it's customers.
I also own a Powermatic 66 saw, a Record lathe, a Craftsman bandsaw and a Rugged planer. None of the other tools in my furniture shop start or stop roughly at all, only the jet. I feel that I have now exhausted all of my options and am stuck with a tool that is slowly grinding itself away and service techs that could not care less. If I had it to do over, I would have gone with the Delta.

Overall this is a great machine and I am glad to add this one to my woodworking tools. Putting it together is not easy, just the top weighs about 350 lbs. and you will need some help carrying this thing on top the stand. After securing in place everything should be easy with the exception of the belts which was not preset very well at least in my machine, so I have to loosen the motor mount base and slide for adjustment. It's like working in your car's motor. The manual wiring diagram did not match the motor wire color coding, so I have to call Jet for help, they are very helpful and will explain everything so you could hook it up. I don't blame them for not giving a male plug cord end since there's a lot of plug pattern to guess from. You will need to wire the shop for 240V. I am very happy with the machine, it works very well, and the long bed is really a good choice if you have the space.

Make sure that you're manual's model# and picture match, and then, BEFORE you start putting it together, you need to check that all the wiring for your motor is finished and installed like it is in the instruction manual!!! It is a great tool, that performs and the fit and finish are excellent, BUT, ours was not wired as the manual said, so it got put together, and then we realized that there was no hardwiring (cord and plug),to the motor. For the price, I think that Jet should update the manual AND, at least,send the necessary cord and plug. I did not call Jet, so I don't know for sure why our jointer arrived without any wiring. The 4 stars is due to the above, the jointer itself has already proven that Jet was a good choice.

I order this item on 1/4/06. The item is shipped in two boxs. One box is P/N 708458J, and the other is 708458S. After six weeks I have received two of the 708458J and none of the 708458S. After six follow up calls, I ended up with someone named Sumit S. (He would not let ne know his last name) in India. When I asked for his supervirsor, he say he was the hightest, and I could not go any highter.
I have purchased the same item from ROCKER for $85 more and can walk into the store if I have a problem.

This is a great jointer, just don't purchase from AMAZON.COM, because it has on customer service.

Nothing but praise for Jet's support and quality of the product. I purchased the Jointer in December and finished my workshop in March. After I installed the Jointer, I realized that one of the parts was damaged during shipping. I called Amazon and they couldn't help me because it was past 45 days and referred me to two local repair shops. After many unaswered calls, I finally called Jet directly. They said no problem and shipped the replacement part.

Make sure you have someone to help you put the Jointer together, it is heavy. Directions were easy to follow and made sense. High praise for this product and company.

I expected a lot more from Jet. Here are the problems that I had:

1.) the jointer had a CROOK at the end of the infeed table. That's unimaginable but it's true!
2.) the top of the cabinet had several DENTS on ALL FOUR CORNERS of its top. It looked as though someone used a HAMMER to shape out the corners of the cabinet.

I was so dissappointed with the finish of my jointer since I spent so much time and research debating on which one to buy.

That said, I'll be packing it up to exchange it for a new one.

I give "fit and finish" ONE star. I'll save my performance review for after I receive my replacement.

The machine is a pleasure to use, it set up easily, just need a extra pair of hands to lift the machine onto the furnished base, connecting it electrically was a snap. The machine is smooth operating with the mag starter and has made my work milling 12 foot long stock much more accurate and easier then the machine it replaced. It is a great value to my shop. WOW!

I bought this jointer to replace my Jet 6" shortbed. It took several hours to assemble. Instructions were straight forward except for the wiring diagram. Fortunately for me, I have several other Jet pieces of equipment that I have already wired up for 220 voltage and therefore I had no problems. It works great thus far.

I have owned and used the Jet jointer for over 3 years and I'm delighted with the results. This thing is built like a tank and provides the stability you need to do heavy jointer work. Others have commented on the rough edges of this machine and they're right. Jet wasted no time making the unit pretty but they invested heavily in the areas that matter. The machining on the tables and fence is flawless. The adjustments are easy to use and work great. The table raising mechanisms are tight but smooth with no play. The cutter head is easily accessible and knife adjustments are easy especially if you buy a magnetic Jointer Pal. Yeah, it jerks when it starts but that's the result of a ton of horsepower taking the cutter head to top speed instantly. The dust collection works well. I use this jointer to taper table legs all the time. This requires a 3/8' to 1/2" cut in a single pass. The Jet takes it in stride. All my jointed edges are perfectly square and sharp every time. I love this machine! So why not 5 stars? My only complaint is the fence height. I think an 8" jointer should have a higher fence but the one on this machine is the same as on a 6" version. Despite this 1 drawback, I highly recommend this machine. BTW I also recommend getting a set of magtech magnetic finger boards for guiding your work. There is no way to use regular finger boards because the irregular edges of the machine don't accommodate clamps very well.

If you're wondering about setup and assembly, I got good news and bad news. The good news...the Jet is set up at the factory quite well. Final adjustments are minor. The bad news...this thing weighs a ton. You'll need a strong friend to help unpack and assemble. The manual is weak but you'll get through it with some common sense applied.

If you're wondering about buying a Delta, my neighbor has one and, after using mine, he always says he's sorry he didn't get the Jet.

Great product, but make sure you have a 220 volt wiring supply source as mine was only 110 and i had to get
an electrician in to install a new breaker box...which cost me near $1K!!! So YIKES!! my mistake.