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I put it on a mobile base, as I need to move it occasionally to make room in my shop. There always is room for improvement.I agree that if the planer head moved rather than the table it would be easier to support long boards, but after using the planer, I regard this as a minor issue, as board support (at least on 8' boards) is very firm and solid.The first boards I planed were 3/4" white pine, 12" and 13-1/2" wide, for some cabinet doors. Excellent results. The Jet planer itself is a very substantial machine. I have placed 240V outlets all around my shop so every power tool that can run on 240V now does. Shipping was fast, the trucker arrived with a drop gate delivery truck, and I used my forklift to carry the pallet with the Jet into my shop. These are for a new ceiling in our remodeled bathroom, and the 5/16" thickness was fine. I will keep the Dewalt for lighter planing uses.
I also have used my friend's off-brand 12" bench planer which was definitely inferior to the Dewalt. I have a Delta 2-bag collector with an intervening collector barrel to catch most of the droppings, and this fills really fast. To this add a 12" Delta radial arm saw and a variety of quality hand power and manual tools and there is little I cannot do in my shop. Then on the bandsaw I resawed into two boards some 4" and 6" wide birch which I had rough sawn on my sawmill to 1-1/4" (1-1/8" dry).
I need more experience to discover best how to minimize what snipe there is. The resaw turned out a little wavy, and I planed these down to 5/16". I considered giving 5 stars, but I am very reluctant to give 5 stars to anyone. My shop is minimally equipped for the quantity of shavings emitted by this planer. I read all the reviews I could find for the Jet and other planers before deciding to purchase the Jet, and I am very satisfied. Which reminds me that everytime I try to cut corners on serious tools, I make a big mistake. Again, results were superb, and I especially noticed no to practically no snipe.
I used a jack and supports to lift it onto the mobile base, as I had no access to a second person. The planer obviously had been tipped over in transit, and one cover was cracked, but the planer itself was true in all respects -- a tribute to the substantial nature of this machine. A very good planer. While not an issue with the planer, it does slow production for me because of the need to very frequently empty the collector bag and barrel. Free shipping with Amazon was a definite plus. I called Jet on the cracked cover, and Jet sent sent me a replacement which arrived within one week.
If I had 3-phase available, I would have opted for the 3-phase model of this planer, but the single phase 230V (my shop voltage supply actually is a srong 240V) so far has had plenty of power and I have no complaint. A final word to the wise -- if a machine motor can be re-wired for 230-240V any you have it available, do it -- the performance improves markedly. Powerful, firm feed, and superb finish (which I would expect from new blades). It's biggest job so far was resawing the birch, which indicated the bandsaw may be under-powered as I had to saw quite slowly. Except for the mobile base, this is a two-person machine to move. My other planer experience is with my Dewalt 12-1/2" bench planer, which I have been very satisifed with in general, although it is no match for the Jet.
I had expected to have to file a claim with the truck company.I also have a Jet 10" table saw which now is about 10 years old -- a faithful, strong performer; a Jet 6" jointer with which I am very satisfied; and a Jet 18" bandsaw which is only two years old and frankly I have not used a lot, not because of the machine but because of limited applications so far. And a word to the manufacturers -- always supply motors that can be rewired for 240V operation.
The only thing that causes any problem is that the feed table raises and lowers with thickness adjustments (Rather than the cutter assembly).So I cannot easily build an outfeed table, since it too, would have to move with the planer table. A nice Planer from Jet.Arrives assembled, ready to use within minutes after arrival. Therefore, it is necessary to have two people planing large pieces. Cuts efficiently, I like the top rollers for moving your stock quickly back into feed. We milled Log Slabs one afternoon, taking just a few minutes from "chainsaw cut" down to "ready for final sanding".I have been very pleased with this planer, although it is not a daily use tool for me, I feel it has performed well. But, a good planer for the price.and free shipping. That makes it tough to beat.
Even with the plastic chip deflector I would highly recommend this machine for several reasons. Personally I think it should have been made of metal to avoid this problem as I think it will happen again.
It is already setup at the factory and I did not have to make any adjustments. Fortunately this beast comes fully assembled except for the infeed and outfeed table and arrived in excellent shape due to the good crating at the factory.
A large chip of wood flew up and hit the outbound chip deflector and broke it because it is made of plastic. Operation is intuitive and fit and finish on the machine is very nice.
The only problem I saw was on my first use. On the plus side, I called JET and they were very helpful and happy to send the replacement part without any argument.
First, it does a great job as a planer with a full 20" planing width (the blades are a little wider than 20"), second, I find it well assembled and a heavy duty machine, third, obviously great support after the sale, and fourth, I couldn't beat Amazon's price anywhere and you can't get any better deal than free freight especially since we are talking over 700 lbs.
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