So you've found an entire block of condemned Victorian houses, and the mayor has given you exclusive rights to the flooring in exchange for--oh, let's just say--a bit of support in his re-election campaign. With that still two years off, the only problem facing you now is removing the random pits, warps, and other blemishes of this salvage-lumber gold mine. For professional tasks that mock portable planers' capabilities, Jet's 15-inch enclosed-stand model gives you smooth surfaces as long as you keep it fed. Powered by a completely enclosed, 3-horsepower induction motor, it efficiently converts 230 volts into 13,500 cuts per minute at 4,500 rpm. The positive gear drive system adjusts depth quickly, and, with its smooth-cranking hand wheel, you can slice up to 1/8 of an inch off boards as large as 15 inches wide and 6 inches thick. Infeed and outfeed tables use three industrial steel rollers each to ensure smooth transfer from the planer's nonslip serrated intake all the way through the knives. You'll appreciate features like the smaller return rollers on top for handling large planks and the magnetic safety switch that prevents the machine from automatically turning on after power outages. Set on four heavy-duty, cam-lock casters, it easily rolls into position and stays where you place it. Go on and take the offer to gut those houses this year. --Justin Paul
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Excellent reliability and craftsmanship:
I purchased the Jet 15" Planer after many trips to my local cabinet shop. After initially being up in the air over which planer to purchase, Jet, Powermatic, grizzly, or delta. I was able to obtain several excellent recommendation for the Jet and Powermatic planers (for those of you who may not know Jet bought out Powermatic) and not a single negative one. Everyone I talked to especially liked the way the planer knives were set using jack screws and the quality of the castings. This greatly reduces the... more info
Excellent machine with some minor flaws:
The machine is excellent. It produces smooth snipe-free boards. The out-feed rollers are cheap and out-of-round requiring you to adjust the outfeeds "lower" than the main table. The wheels in the bottom only allow the machine to roll in and out and are NOT a substitute for a mobile base. Be warned, that if you want to turn this machine in your shop, you will need to buy an mobile base. Jet could have easily added one outboard pivoting roller to solve this usability glitch.
great workmanship:
The JET 15 inch planner was delevered approximatly one week after I placed my order. Be prepared to have a couple of strong friends when you unpack this heavy machine. It comes shipped on its side, so you must lift it up. In my case the truck driver was just as anxious as I was to see what we had. He helped me get the machine on its feet. I was missing one of the rollers, the extra set of blades was bent, and the pulley guard was also bent in the shipping. I called JET and had all the missing and damaged... more info
Great Planer for the Money:
This is a great planer, once I got it up and running. There is a minimum of snipe, which is only noticable on short boards. The infeed and outfeed rollers do a great job of holding up the ends of the boards. You must be careful not to get a finger between a roller and the approaching board. I have planed many board feet of white ash and the knives are holding up well. It will comfortably take off about 1mm at a time in hardwoods. You definitly need a dust collector.
I downrated this to four stars because... more info
