Jet JJ-6 Jointer

[Rich P]

I have a line on a machine that appears to be in good shape and is within 10 minutes of home. Asking price is $125 which seems very fair to me. No idea how old it is. Any inputs on this machine would be appreciated.

[LCHIEN]

jet of course is a very reputable power tool-maker
i think they've sold that model for some time with variants
JJ-6OS and JJ-6CS (open stand and closed stand) and maybe some others. I think its a desirable model and $125 would probably be a great bargain if it was in good shape.
You can see the current models on Amazon.

Mostly iron, not a lot to go wrong with a jointer that can't be fixed fairly easily barring bed damage from being dropped and cracking the casting.
The motor should run smoothly without excess noise, the infeed bed should take some effort but move smoothly, the fence should adjust in, out, angle. safety cover should rotate easily.
It'll weigh over 200 lbs. Wouldn't worry about the age if everything worked OK.

[Rich P]

Loring, Thanks for the info. This is (I think) an older style that has the fence extending to the front of the infeed table, similar to the older Delta machine I have seen. Here is a photo.

I'll probably go ahead and pick this puppy up. I think is is at least a good as the Delta machine on closeout a Lowe's and I think the longer fence is a good feature.

[Knottscott]

That is an oldie. The newer JJ6CS is considerably different....most notibly is the change to a center mounted fence vs a side mounted fence. It's certainly worth a look. Let us know how you make out.

[LCHIEN]

Loring, Thanks for the info. This is (I think) an older style that has the fence extending to the front of the infeed table, similar to the older Delta machine I have seen. Here is a photo.

I'll probably go ahead and pick this puppy up. I think is is at least a good as the Delta machine on closeout a Lowe's and I think the longer fence is a good feature.

That is very different... not really sure its a jet, even an old one - not the proper color schemes, design etc. Are you sure he's not saying its "like a Jet JJ-6"? Significantly less substantial than the Delta JT-360... you can tell from the base and the casting. May not be bad for $125 but if you can get the Delta for around $200, that would be my preference.

[Rich P]

This may be a REALLY OLD version of their machine. It belonged to the owner's father, so not really sure how old. It seems very well built(in Taiwan according to the badge), very heavy and (based on the fit, finish and mounting holes) the stand appears to have been made for this machine. There is no dust collection chute (just a square opening in the top of the base, so I'm also in process of adding one.

I think it is too old and too well made to be some sort of knock-off but I could be wrong of course.

Machine ran well and everything worked fine except for the guard which I have just finished adjusting (spring tip had broken off).

Attached are some additional photos of the badging, in case anyone is interested. I'll take some shots of the underside while I have it visible and post if anyone wants to see it.

For "a buck 25" so far I'm hopefull.

[sweensdv]

That jointer looks to be in remarkable shape. For $125 I'd grab that up before it gets away. Some of the import stuff from years back is much higher quality than todays import stuff. The fence is a little old style but once you have it setup properly you probably won't move it very often anyways. I think it was sometime in the late 90's that Jet switched from that color scheme to the current cream color.

[LCHIEN]

ok, maybe you got a gem there. Real old Jet, for sure.

[LCHIEN]

That jointer looks to be in remarkable shape. For $125 I'd grab that up before it gets away. Some of the import stuff from years back is much higher quality than todays import stuff. The fence is a little old style but once you have it setup properly you probably won't move it very often anyways. I think it was sometime in the late 90's that Jet switched from that color scheme to the current cream color.

this one's just gray-painted, looks to be original and not a user paint job.
Jet went through a puke-blue color scheme for a number of years and then the current cream. Don't know the years, though. Both hte logo and color scheme date to before my awareness of Jet tools.

[Rich P]

So far so good...

Spent most of yesterday (good break from a back-breaker landscaping project) cleaning and inspecting my new (old) toy. I don't think this puppy has been used too much. Didn't look like the knives had ever been sharpened..still had the factory striations on the bevels.

Paint on the tool itself is original with some scrapes...not from use but probably from being used as a place to set things down. Underside was actually painted at the factory with primer. Checked the user wiring and found that ground was disconnected in the On/Off switch...fixed.

Just goes to show if you pick up a used tool be sure to check out everything.

Sent an email to Jet and (surprise) got a response within 8 hours. Rep says they switched from "blue" to "white" in 1998/99...funny I thought their current logo was red/black. FYI, the "logo" on the tool looks like a jet fighter on front profile within a circle. Will post a close up soon (if anyone cares...).

Loring, I'm not sure of the difference between "puke blue" and "barf white" but do you think it may have something to do with the aliens I've heard about that are sneaking over the border from Roswell into Lubock? If so, do you have any photos?

Meanwhile, the motor on this puppy will run 110/220 but I'm going to need some help with the "Taiwanese" schematics. Will post a photo when I finish swinging the pick in the garden.

Thank to all for the inputs.

[LCHIEN]

jet history says they used blue green orange and white paint schemes at various times since the 80s for woodworking tools... nothing about gray, tho.

example of an old "blue" jet bandsaw.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/JETFIFTY/R96dBe...ikeinshop4.jpg

[Hoover]

Well the cream white dated from 1998 or 1999 is not an absolute. I have a Jet tablesaw born on date of 2001 and it is blue. Costco special, I guess Costco ordered some Jet saws in the blue color for a special sale.

[goodbenito]

i am looking at purchasing a used jet that looks a lot like yours- could i ask a few questions?

[woodinville guy]

Digging up an old thread but today I picked up a jj-6 that I think is from 1984 based on the date on the motor. I payed $250 for it, I think it was a decent deal. Not sure what all the knobs are for, did you get a manual? Mine also doesn't look like there is anyway to hook up dust collection(any ideas?). The table looks to be in good shape, I just need to sharpen the blades, I wonder if the blades are the same as the ones for the current version.

Here are pics:

[Pappy]

Dave, the two big hand wheels are to adjust the height of the infeed and outfeed tables. Teh smalle knobs underneath are to lock them in position so the don't move from vibration.

There should also be some set screws along the keyways to adjust the level of the tables.