jet planer/moulder for $500? Good deal or no?

if it close enough that you can go check it out and see what kind of shape it is in, it may be worth it, you can always negotiate with the seller, the new ones run from just over $900 to over $1200, so $ 500 does not seem to be a bad price, depending on its’ condition, it’s the motor and working parts you need to worry about, not so much the cosmetics.

-- Smitty!!!

my only other worry is that i won’t be able put a spiral cutter on it… but it will be my xmas present if i want it:)

you need to research further to see if that machine can be converted to spiral head, but don’t take too long, you might miss out on a good deal, I have gotten by without spiral, mostly because of cost, and most times it has worked out without it, just take lighter passes, and watch grain direction closely, use that money for something you need more, later on you can upgrade if you feel it is necessary.

-- Smitty!!!

i am in the same predicament as last time, i am stuck at work until monday, so i won’t be able to get it until then anyway.

Im assuming a similar model (if not the same) just sold here @ auction for around $650.

Shelly
I think this would be a better buy at around $350,as far as a spiral head is concerned I would invest in a planner that comes with a spiral head because adding one to and old planner (if it’s even possible to do with this planner) is not a good investment. Even though this is a floor model planner (my choice over lunch box styles) this planner has to be at least 10 years old. If you buy it at full price plus add a inexpensive spiral head to it ,you will have around $800-$900 in it ,that’s half way there to a new and much better planner.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/15-3-HP-220V-Planer-with-Spiral-Cutterhead/G0453Z

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

A new one right now is around 1100.00 So 500 would be in line by looking at the pics…. A lot can be said about a piece of equipment on just how it looks….. How well it was taken care of…. If your looking for a spirial head for it I do know Jet does not have one and my guess it would cost about 1k for an aftermarket….. I am sure you could get this Jet on CL for 425-450 do not be afraid to offer that… Have them start it up for you and plane a piece of wood…. just so you know it works and what condition the knives are in…... Ask for the manual and also have them pop the hood off and just do a visual…. ask for where the grease zerks are if any on that model…. Even if you had to pay 500 for it if all checks out well it would be a decent price….. I see a dust collector in the back ground so ask them why are they getting rid of it? Just guage what response you get…. I myself would never sell someone anything I would not buy myself, but there are more out there who just do not care either….

Are you after a planer/moulder type machine or just a planer? If just a planer with spirial head Steel City has one for around 650.00, I am sure there are others as well….. Spirial head in my opinion is the way to go just because of ease of replacing a cutter vs getting the whole knife reground and on the jet alone a new set of knives is over 100 bucks…..

I have a Woodmaster 725 planer/spirial cutter very good machine…. The spirial head was 1600.00 alone
W&H planer/moulder excellent well made machine
Kentwood 609x moulder I love making mouldings….....

-- What we do in life will Echo through Eternity........

I think a1Jim has a good point. No point in putting mag wheels on an old beater of a car. Also, a cheap spiral head might be more hassle than it’s worth.

-- Dwight - "Free legal advice available - contact Dewey, Cheetam & Howe""

If you’re going to spend on retrofitting planers for carbide
insert heads… well, a 13” JET would not be the planer
I’d want to put that kind of dough into.

.... kind of like putting a $3k interior into a ‘89 Camry.

If you’re set on upgrading an older planer to a spiral
head, get something finer than a JET, I’d say.

That said, I use straight blades and grind them in
house with a Makita wetstone grinder and I get
very acceptable cuts on most boards with the
sharp knives. They stay adequately sharp for
quite a lot of planing too.