JET 6-Inch Helical Jointer (JJ-6HHDX)

I will use this jointer in my home workshop. This is the second jointer I've owned and used. The jointer arrived in two boxes on a pallet, all of which were wrapped in plastic wrap. Neither of the boxes were damaged, nor were the contents. I did, however, find a couple of pieces of black plastic in the bag that held the power cord. Turns out an electrical bushing was broken during assembly. I assembled the jointer per the instructions without any issues. The only difference I found between the jointer and the instructions was in the fence control mechanism. The instructions showed two bolt holes for jointing and rabbeting operations, and my jointer featured an oblong slot. I was very pleased to find the surfaces on the fence, infeed table, and the outfeed table were all planar. I did, however, find two loose screws, each of which holds a carbide tooth in place in the helical cutter head. When I turned the jointer on, I heard a smooth running machine, and I was amazed by the results of edging my first 10 feet long board. I would highly recommend the six inch Jet jointer with the helical cutter head.

I bought this jointer last year from Amazon. So far it has been good with no serious operational problems. Yesterday I even partially jointed a huge chunk of 4x10" pine that is 3 inches wider than the cutterhead. The wood is tough yellow pine and the jointer cut through it just fine. I'll finish the board on a planer with a sled later. Delivery: this was the only area where there was trouble. The boxes arrived pretty mangled, but mostly intact. Noted box damage with driver. Driver was very helpful and brought all boxes down my short steep drive to the garage. During assembly I noticed a crack in the paint on the stand. Looking down into the dust chute I could see that the sheet metal had buckled due to the weight of the motor (which comes installed.) Obviously the pallet had been dropped at some point and the machine took a hit. I stopped assembly and called Jet. They asked where I bought it and when I said Amazon they just about hung up on me. She said call Amazon <click>. So I did and Amazon was very friendly and helpful. I think when you pay over a thousand bucks for something they give you the top tier support reps. I packed everything back up. After waiting a few days a new machine arrived and the old one was taken away. Just to be fair I have no doubt Jet will be very helpful if I have any warranty issues - they just didn't want to get involved in an Amazon shipping issue. Assembly: The new unit was in perfect condition and went together easily with some help from wifey to pick up the jointer to mount on the stand. We turned the box upside down and lifted it off so the heavy parts were situated properly for lifting. It all bolted up pretty well with a small amount of shifting and twisting to get bolt holes aligned. I could not get much leverage on the motor to tighten the belt, but it doesn't seem to have any issues being loose. Operation: The only real complaint I have with the machine itself is the fence adjusting bolt is very crude and takes a fair amount of fiddling to get it set right. I feel the bolt should be a much finer thread and really should have a knob and locking mechanism instead to having to use wrenches. Once you get is set it stays rock steady. I check the fence for square each time I use it - always dead on. I mounted the switch up high where it's easy to see and hit. The front table has a side protrusion which is there to help with rabbetting. That's nice, but it makes it harder to work with stock wider than the cutterhead. Some jointers tables have straight sides that let you make multiple passes with a wide board before moving to the planer. You can only make one pass with this jointer. Yes I know the manual warns against this, but it is the only convenient way to work with wider boards without ripping and glueing. I set the depth at 1/8" on the big chunk of pine and the machine cut right through - nice and flat. The helical head is amazing. Quiet, smooth and flat. I have put various types of wood through it and it just doesn't care what you throw at it. Smooth, fast, safe. And did I say quiet? The neighbors won't even know you are using it. I think for the price this is a very good jointer. A more expensive machine might provide a little more sophistication in settings, but really there is not much to complain about here. If you are on a budget and need a decent jointer this is your machine.

My old joiner was really old, like 50+ years old. It was a gift from a friend who upgraded to an eight inch joiner. I’ve used it over 25 years. The bearing are shot! I decided to up grade to a helical segmented cutters from the straight blades. There are no aftermarket helical cutters made for my old joiner. So I decided to buy a new joiner with helical cutter head. The reviews for the Jet 6” joiner swere really good so I bought one. It arrived in two boxes, one with the base and one with the joiner body. I fortunately have a hydraulic lifting cart and had the joiner body box put on it. I quickly made a rolling trolley for the base. I knew if I didn’t put it on wheels before assembling, I probably wouldn’t get around to it. Unpacked the joiner body box, pumped the lift to Matt the base, covered the base with some cardboard so not to scratch it, and slide the body onto the base. The tables were dead on coplaner and level, just above the cutter head. The fence it easy to adjust. The fence slid back and forth smoothly. Turning it on the first time, I noticed some vibrations. I’m going to try a segmented drive belt to see if we can eliminate the vibrations. It’s not a lot or enough to affect the cut but annoying anyway. As far as performance, it’s spot on great. My panels are gluing up with almost invisible joints. It goes through white oak easily and much quieter than the blade style of my old jointer. Still wear hearing protection. Dust extraction gets about 95% of the dust with some leaking out. I really like this machine for its ease of changing settings and great precise cuts. It’s worth the money.

Tool was delivered on time, and in excellent condition. Internal packaging materials were undamaged. I needed help to set the bed assembly onto the stand, but after that I was able to do the setup myself. Instructions weren't as detailed as they could have been, but were adequate to get the job done. Installing and aligning the v-belt took the most time. Probably would have gone faster with an extra pair of hands. Beds are machined dead flat. The helical cutter head was worth every dime of the extra cost; quiet and finish smooth. I would recommend this jointer to a friend. I purchase it again.