Customer Reviews

JET 708531 JWP-16OS 16-Inch 3-Horsepower Open Stand Planer, 230-Volt 1-Phase

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

 

 

First off, this is a GREAT planer. Specific things:

It comes with a 4" dust hood that works well, as long as your dust collector is off the left side of the machine. Reversible, or even rear-exit, would have been nicer.

Second, this thing takes forever to assemble. I spent about 12 hours putting it together. Part of this is because it is incredibly heavy. If you have an engine hoist, forklift, or Neanderthal available, you'll be fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend trying to lift it with two people.. it really needs four.

I ended up removing the motor to lighten it up a little. That helped, but added a 3-4 hours to the assembly process.

Third, delivery was a little sketchy. I couldn't get it delivered for free without a liftgate. If you've got a loading dock, consider yourself lucky.

Fourth, why not include a power plug? It comes with a ~5 ft cord, no plug. Delta's Unisaw is twice the price, but it comes with a long enough cord and plug.

Random thoughts:

The stand is sturdy enough. I'm sure some people would prefer an enclosed stand, but it isn't currently available.

The infeed and outfeed rollers are very sturdy, and are adjustable for up/down and the angle of feed. This is helpful in case they are warped for some reason.

Conclusion- great planer, the assembly process should be simplified, and it is HEAVY! The bill of lading said 573 pounds; Amazon says 396 pounds. It's probably somewhere between the two.

I have been running the Jet 16" planer for just two days and shredded six V-belts.

The machine came out of the box well tuned and solid. The manual was very detailed and well written except for an error in the V-belt tension adjustment section. Assembly was easy, although I could have used a 240 V plug at the end of the power cord.

My problems with the machine came when I started feeding in my rough cut Douglas Fir lumber. I have a large supply of wide stock (1x15 inches). A few hours into running my lumber I started to experience stalls and a lack of power. Looking over the machine showed a plume of fine black dust coming from the V-belt housing. The three belts were badly worn.

The motor is mounted on top of the blade and roller assembly. The only means of adjusting the belt tension is to move the heavy motor up and try to tighten the bolts, a two man operation. The bolts are easy to reach but dificult to accurateley adjust. There is no self adjustment and a large margin of error epecially as the belts heat up.

The next day after installing new belts and a call to Jet's tech support number I tried to get to work again. (The manual has an error in describing how to tighten the V-belts.) Sadly, the second days results were the same as the first with less that three hours of machine use the V-belts were shredded.

So far Jet has not been able to offer fix other than sanding down the cast belt drive wheels. Perhaps the wide stock is to much for machine? This is a new model to the market so I can't be sure if the issue is with my machine or the design.

However, I can't wait to find out, I will return the 16" Jet and look for a planer with a better drive system.

I just got my new jet 16' planer and as in the previous review set up was somewhat time consuming, and the machine is very heavy. I have only run a few pieces of pine and maple stock through it with mixed results. My initial opinion is that this is tool that will take more fine tuning then I normally would have to do and more experience in order to get the results I expect. On the plus side this planer will really hog some lumber. I tested the power of the planer by running a 9 inch wide piece of hard maple (the widest I had on hand) and the planer never hesitated. The height adjustment is clear and easy to read and adjustment is quick and easy. One more feature that I am impressed with is the four handles that slid into the base. These handles were helpful when assembling the planer and later on when moving it around my shop. The mobile base is a must with the size limitation I have in my shop

I bought this planer in February of 2006 and since then I have run approximately 100 bf of walnut, 200 bf of cherry, and 100 bf of oak through it. I have not used any other type of planer recently, so my only point of comparison is the 12 inch Delta finishing planer that I still use for small, quick tasks. I have nothing but good things to say about the Jet. I have a small shop in my garage, so space is an issue. I bought the Jet mobile base for it and rolls out of the way very easy. It also has plenty of power, even for the few boards that were 12 inches wide. Additionally, I thought the instructions were quite clear; it took me approximately 2 hours total to completely assemble and I spent probably another hour adjusting the infeed and discharge tables. You will need at least two persons to lift the cutter head on to the stand, four is better. Also, I've found that it is necessary to use a dust collector with this machine. Chips will occassionally plug the chute without one. I use a Delta AP-400, which is about as cheap as you can go, and I've never had a plugging problem when it is used. My only complaint, and it's minor, is even though I've spent time adjusting the tables, I still get some small snipe now and then. One quick pass through the finishing planer takes care of it though. I would give it five stars if this wasn't a factor. Finally, I'm the kind of guy that researches a product to death before buying. I've found with this planer it pays to watch the price at Amazon. When I was looking around, the price varied from just under $900 to around $550. Jet had a rebate going at the time and I think I paid a little under $500 with free shipping. I haven't tracked the price since I bought it, but it might be something to keep in mind. Hope this review helped.

I have owned this planer for a little over a year. I have planed many thousands of feet and exhausted 4 sets of blades. I had access to a hoist for assemble as this baby is a tank. Unless you can dead lift several hundred pounds don't even consider it.

Sharpening, changing and setting knifes is pretty easy. Top access is nice. Included jig works well.

I have tried many things but this machine just has some snipe. Not all the time but certain boards just have snipe. I completely understand why but it seems impossible to eliminate it completely. I have spent a lot of time with feeler gauges and digital calipers adjusting and fiddling trying to get it right. A Note to jet here: come on include some pre-cut calibration blocks with the thing. Having to make my own was just annoying given the price of this machine.

It's the noisiest machine in my shop so much so I replaced the stock head with a Byrd tool SHELIX head. It was expensive at 1K but this machine is quiet and has virtually no tear out. It's not for everybody as the cost is large but I would recommend it. In the long run it has saved me money and time sharpening and replacing straight knifes.

It comes in a 30x30x30 wooden box. You need a forklift to remove from truck. Weight was 531 lbs. All parts and instructions were complete. Very easy to assemble. It is a horse of a planer, you will need help in putting it on stand. If you have a small shop, I suggest heavy duty mobile base sold by Jet. As far as planing, I have planed black walnut, pine, and maple and it does a great job. It requires 20 amp 230 volt circuit and you need own male plug. Great product.