A flat-out great combo
Jet JPJ-12BHH 12” Planer/Jointer with Helical Head
UTILITY: High
FEATURES: Medium-High
PRICE: $5,599.99, #184282
FEATURES:
- Max. planing depth 8 3⁄4”
- Max. single-pass cutting depth 5⁄32”
- Planer feed rate 16 or 26 fpm
- Jointer table 55 × 12 1⁄32”
- Planer table 25 × 12 1⁄32”
A flat face and square corner are the foundation of most woodworking, and the best way to establish those are a jointer and planer. But in my shop, as in most, floor space is at a premium. So when it came time to replace my 12” planer and increase my jointing capacity, Jet’s combination jointer/planer became the obvious choice. For just a little more floor space than my previous 6” jointer occupied—and certainly less than that used by the jointer and a separate planer-on-stand—I’ve got all the squaring and straightening of both tools in a solid, powerful package.
Straight out of the box (or off the pallet), the jointer’s 12”-wide tables were flat and coplanar. Though should it need adjustments in the future, the parallelogram bed design makes that process easy and accurate, while also minimizing the gap between the tables and cutter head.
The extruded aluminum fence is solid and sizeable, measuring more than 43 inches long and almost 6 inches high. Its 6” travel and positive stops at 45 and 90 degrees are pretty standard for a jointer of this size. More unique is the spacer that flips down for face-jointing, discouraging face-jointing close to the fence, sparing from double-duty those blade inserts that do the brunt of the edge-jointing work.
Converting the jointer to planer mode is straightforward, if not simple. Unlock the table at the two quick-release handles and pivot it up—no need to remove the fence. While there are springs to help, the cast iron table is still heavy going up or coming down. Once upright, a flip tab keeps it from falling.
The 4” dust collection port is part of a flip-over hood (shown mid-flip, above) that sits beneath the cutter head in jointer mode and above it in planer mode. When flipping the hood, the dust hose tends to catch on the jointer tables’s support leg. Gaining clearance for the hood to return to jointer mode means lowering the planer table almost 7” below the cutter head—a lot of cranking when the handwheel adjusts the table 5/32” per rotation. That wheel is large and easily accessible, if a little low; less convenient, the gauge and rule showing the planer’s depth is below and behind the table, meaning you have to bend pretty far over to read it. But with the table riding on four stout screw legs, that ruler reads true and accurate, and can be recalibrated when necessary.
Despite these few shortcomings, Jet’s combo machine produces excellent results: straight square edges, and smooth, flat faces on boards up to 12” wide. Like all machines with segmented cutter heads, the depth of cut is somewhat limited, but the 230V, 15 amp, 3 HP motor delivers plenty of power. And the 42 carbide cutters have four cutting edges each, meaning you’ll surface a lot of board feet before replacing them, while their helical configuration ensures smooth cuts. For the money and the shop square-footage, this is a powerful 1-2 punch.
Derek Richmond, Tester
BOW PRODUCTS
XTENDER FENCE
Bow’s auxiliary, clamp-on fence system is designed to enhance the capabilities of the stock fences on both bandsaws and table saws. The 5” tall fence is available in three lengths: 24, 36, and 46”. T-tracks accept featherboards and other accessories, including optional infeed and outfeed supports (shown). Fits most fences.
bow-products.com, $80-$150
JESSEM
WEEKEND WARRIOR
The Canadian company introduces the first entry level router setup made entirely in North America. Includes JessEm’s Rout-R-Top, Rout-R-Fence II, and steel router stand. Just add your router, and a plate or lift, then get to routing.
woodcraft.com, $549.99, #189199
ARBORTECH
MINI CARVER
Shape, sculpt, and even sand with this angle grinder package. Grinder features variable speed from 6,000-18,000 RPM. The extension arm houses a dust extraction chute and a quick-change head that accepts 50mm Mini Pro carving blade, rubber-backed flexible sanding pad, and other tool heads.
woodcraft.com, $279.99, #181192
