I have an opportunity to buy a Jet planer/molder that is in very good condition. It's two-speed feed rate (10fpm/20fpm) 1 1/2HP motor 115V/230V Max thickness 6 1/8" Max cutting 1/16" 3 knives Planing width 14"
Any comments on this? How would it compare to a modern portable planer? Any horror stories?
I have it. I haven't tried it as a molding cutter, but it's a huge upgrade to a portable planer. You can take off 1/8 inch in one pass (maybe not on full width, but no problem on a board 6" wide) , which I wouldn't try on a portable. It's been a big timesaver. I'm kicking myself for not buying a full sized planer years ago.
It has a built in mobile base. While it's not as good as some of the normal mobile bases, it does the job, and it's a nice feature that saves you some money.
When the infeed/outfeed rollers are properly adjusted, you get no snipe at all. I still hold the ends of a long board, but the roller supports are nice.
Thanks. It's had little use, but has been sitting unused for 6 years (the husband bought it in 2000). I haven't seen it (it's a 2-hour drive) so I'm trying to give the widow a fair price for it.
Any estimates on the value range?
Some people will probably tell you that a used tool should only go for about 30-35% of new value, but I guess I disagree. If it's had little use and is in good shape (table not rusted, outside looks good).. I'd say 600-700 would be a fair price, since it's about 1000 new. (that includes the discount for the 4 hour round trip, LOL.. If it was local, I'd say 750). If the guy had some molding cutters to go with it (in good condition), I'd give her more for those.. It kind of depends if I could use the profiles or not. IMO, a name brand like Jet should retain more resale.
Are you thinking of buying it, or are you acting as an advisor to help her sell it?
Searching the completed items on ebay is also a good guage of what the used price is, although I imagine this isn't an item that comes up for sale often.
I'd like to buy it if I can afford it.
As for your suggestion - I'd probably save my money up and spend $936 on Amazon for a new Jet planer than spend $700 for a planer with rust and no warranty and who knows what else...
But that's just me.
[snip]
Another question - if I have one of these, do I need a thickness planer?
I'd be using it to make thin stock for boxes. I have a bandsaw, but the surface is rough after resawing. It would be for occasional use.
I've had one for about 5 years and it was an upgrade from a Dewalt bench top. I've got the version with the closed base, feed rollers and built in mobile base. The induction motor alone is a big improvement as it doesn't scream at you like the universal motor of the bench top machine. It's never bogged down with moderate cuts even on wide boards.
I've been happy with the machine and haven't felt a need for a bigger one. It was worth it to me to do the upgrade.
I paid $750 when I bought it but the street price went up about $100 about that time and $850-$900 was pretty common. As I recall the price had been pretty stable for a few years before that so use that as a guide.
John
Ok, I didn't know it was rusty.. that definitely takes the value down.. I thought it was in pristine condition.
To me, a warrantee isn't very useful, other than returning an out of the box failure. Most manufacturers either don't stand behind their warrantee or make you jump through too many hoops and stall too much to make the warrantee really worth anything.
I guess I don't understand.. it was my understanding that this machine is a thickness planer.
If your primary use is cleaning up thin bandsawn pieces, you might be better off with a drum sander. I'm not sure how thin the boards can go before the planer tears them up. I know I've seen articles where people put thin stock on a sled and run it through the planer, but I've never tried it.
Sorry, I want to make it clear that the above is just my opinion, not a slam on you for wanting a warrantee. It's just in my opinion, a warrantee isn't worth that big of a premium vs a lightly used tool in perfect condition.
Also, FYI, Amazon no longer does free shipping on big tools. It will cost you an extra $149 to ship it, so you might be better off buying it locally if you go the new route.
I'm not an expert in this, but I am talking about the Jet JPM-13CS. I see people talk about thickness planers, as if they are different from planers.
(Reading some more via the web.)
Ah. A joiner is also called a Joiner/planer because it can flatten one side.
A thickness planer has an adjustable thickness setting to ensure the two faces are parallel.
So the Jet planer/moulder is also a thickness planer as it has the upper guide. Got it.
I've used a portable planer to make 12" by 12" by 1/4" boards. That's my only experience.
As for the comment about rust - it has been sitting unused and untouched and neglected for 5 years. Since the trip will take 5 hours round trip, I don't know the exact condition.
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