# horrible experience with new jet 1220vs :(



## edstreet (Jul 11, 2011)

I had a wilton mini for the past 5 years and turned some amazing things with it and recently the motor went up so I felt it was long over due that I buy a good quality high end lathe.  I heard great stuff about the jet's and so I bought a 1220vs.  It was delivered last week and what I was expecting is not even close to what I got.

What I got was lumpy metal what I think is casting flaws, tool marks on the bed which makes moving the tool rest and footer gritty, a tool caddy that I can bend easily with my fingers and will not last that long if I actually did put tools in there, the hand dial on the head was loose, the paint is already chipping off and blistering in many areas.

I put the belt on high speed and there is an insane amount of vibration on the entire unit but had no load on there either.  I put the face place on it with a 8" square x 2" thick block of zebra wood and marked a 2 1/2" ring and cut at most a 1/8" ring in the bottom center of it. I then went to take off the face plate when all hell broke loose.

I put the punch bar in the socket and turned it to the bed on the back side and locked the head with the nut. I think tried to twist off the face plate when it went SNAP, on the bottom under the head was a lock washer and a dome cap that was clearly broken.  I gave up and the next day I tried it again, this time the bar bent and still the face place is on there.

The face plate has *NO* slots or any cutouts to put tooling on to remove them like a wrench or the bar.  Neither does the spindle. 







  This is a face place with the tooling cutouts.






  This is a wrench that makes it easy to remove them.  This wrench is impossible to use with this model and when I mentioned that to the company I got no reply about it. 

This am I called the company I bought it from and they are sending me a return label and will exchange it, they also will inspect the one they send me and make sure it's not a lemon.  I called jet and the guy I spoke with was just a rude ass and honestly at this point I don't care to ever speak to them again.  He told me he didn't know what it was that broke and send him photo's.  I mentioned returning it and he said go ahead they would have to redo the head anyways.  Then he called me back and said they will *NOT* authorize a return on this because it's a warranty issue and told me to take it to this service center that was '20 miles away' (that 20 miles is more like 200 miles) 

When I ask him about the tool marks, the crap caddy and the paint all I got was that's just cosmetic, when I ask about the lumpy metal and possible casting flaws all I got was he didn't know what I was talking about.

Bottom line is I got a bad unit and the company is now telling me I cant exchange it even tho it's not a week old.










The knock out bar is clearly not treated 





every single bolt on the unit looks like this.  This is out of the box and it was never bumped, banked or the like.











you can even see spongy metal where the part broke off which is low quality parts.

The number I called in atlanta at the repair shop told me they use hammers to get the face place off with a very sharp blow.  If I could break these 2 things just by using hand pressure I would hate to see what would happen when a hammer was used.  I told him that I have seen higher quality tools from harbor freight than the one I got here.


----------



## Parson (Jul 11, 2011)

"I told him that I have seen higher quality tools from harbor freight than the one I got here."

That's quite a statement. HF has some of the cheapest stuff on the planet.

Jet, like every other shop tool manufacturer, has really taken a quality dump by moving their manufacturing to China.


----------



## Canadian_Kid (Jul 11, 2011)

I hope it works out  for you. Bad customer service really sucks and makes me never want to deal with a company again. You should see if you can get a different brand when you send the unit back. If you were given the name of the service person you were dealing with you could make a complaint to customer service. 

In the end sometimes you get a lemon and sometimes you get a a$$ for help, it just sucks when it happens on the same day.


----------



## edstreet (Jul 11, 2011)

Here is a faceplate with cutouts for a wrench.


----------



## sbell111 (Jul 11, 2011)

Parson said:


> > I told him that I have seen higher quality tools from harbor freight than the one I got here.
> 
> 
> That's quite a statement. HF has some of the cheapest stuff on the planet.
> ...


Perhaps, but most would agree that the OP would have been far better off with a HF 34706.


----------



## SDB777 (Jul 11, 2011)

Love my Jet 1220VS.  It's been a learning curve using it, but nothing the user manual doesn't cover.



Sorry your having difficulties with the functioning....maybe the user manual will give you what you are needing for instructions on taking things off(or putting them on) to the headstock.  I actually had to read mine too!

As far as the bumps and bangs(I'm thinking UPS had more to do with that then you might think), over-tightening of cheap screws usually will snap them.  Was someone using an impact wrench?



As far as Harbor Frieght.....well maybe you need to visit their store here in Central Arkansas to view the 'crap' they sell.



Did you allow the company to respond to your complaints prior to just trashing them?





Scott (interesting) B


----------



## edstreet (Jul 11, 2011)

SDB777 said:


> Love my Jet 1220VS.  It's been a learning curve using it, but nothing the user manual doesn't cover.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I used the method they described in the manual to remove the face plate.

I called jet this am along with the place I purchased it from.  Jet called me back a few hours later.

Oh I forgot to mention, the guy at the server center told me you are not paying for quality but you are paying for the availability of replacement parts. with jet you can get any part in over night.


----------



## Russianwolf (Jul 11, 2011)

Take the lathe back to the shop you bought it from as defective. Hopefully they'll take it.

Then call Grizzly. 

Some say they aren't as good, but I love my G0462 (and their newer lathes are looking better and better) and no one has ever complained about their customer service to my knowledge. They sent me a complete headstock assembly when the motor on mine didn't work out of the box with a return label for the bad one.


----------



## JimB (Jul 11, 2011)

The faceplate getting stuck can happen on any lathe and is becuase of the metal on metal contact. You do not need to hit it with a hammer to get it off. The first time this happened to me I was taking a bowl turning class. The instructor got a wood clamp (the kind that is made of wood with the two big screws to tighten it) and tihtened it on the faceplate. With the extra leverage and suprisingly good grip the faceplate came right of. You can also use one of those wrenches that looks like a big rubber band.

If you put a non-metal washer on your headstock you will not have this problem. You can buy them or just make one from a piece of cardbord (the type from a pad of paper) or even a piece of thick plastic like a milk jug.


----------



## jfoh (Jul 11, 2011)

I think that the point many are missing is your disgust  of buying what many here consider to be a high quality lathe and having multiple things wrong right off the bat. Not just that the lathe was not perfect but it was glaringly below what you were expecting for the cost. If it had been a HF item you would not have been that surprised.  

When you get customer service which does not meet your needs the problems only get worse. Had they told you to send it back and they would take care of it you would have been much happier. LL Bean has given me customer service that is hard to top for 40 years. Now Amazon is on my list of great customer service.  I had a problem with my Kindle DX and they sent me another unit at no charge. I sent the old one back but was told the it was up to me if I wanted to keep it I could.  Companies spend more on good customer relations than most of us understand but when you have a  good product and a loyal customer it is very easy to stay in business for decades.  I spend money where I get good service not where I get cheap prices. Life is too short to buy cheap crap, poorly made junk or put up with bad service. I let my wallet talk and my feet walk when I am not happy. I am sure many here do the same.


----------



## bitshird (Jul 11, 2011)

We have a Shop Fox 1758 I think it's a 16x42 in piece of crap, and their customer service rep sounds like the one you had, we also have a HF 34706 and it has never given us a moment of trouble.
 I think it's a sad statement about the customer service as the quality, after working on lathes and mills for way too many years, I'm saddened to see the quality of the what used to be good companies. And the poor excuse for customer service.


----------



## Chthulhu (Jul 11, 2011)

The dome-shaped thing appears to be the tip of your spindle index pin (see page 15 of your manual), item 98 in the parts list; item 96 is the E-ring (the parts list calls it a C-ring) that fell out with the broken-off piece. Is that the "nut" with which you locked the head? It isn't intended for locking the spindle against the amount of torque applied when removing the faceplate, which is why it broke. It will at least be easy to replace through the belt access cover.

The instructions (page 10) say "To remove the faceplate from the spindle, place knockout rod into hole A (Figure 5) and let it contact the bed of the lathe for leverage. Then unscrew the faceplate."

The rod should hit the bed at the front side of the lathe, by the way.


----------



## 1dweeb (Jul 11, 2011)

Oneway 1224 has never let me down. It cost more up front but the poor quality machines from jet were not worth the prices that I paid for them. I have had the low cost lathes and the premium one, I would take the premium one and never look back.


----------



## JimB (Jul 11, 2011)

Chthulhu said:


> The dome-shaped thing appears to be the tip of your spindle index pin (see page 15 of your manual), item 98 in the parts list; item 96 is the E-ring (the parts list calls it a C-ring) that fell out with the broken-off piece. Is that the "nut" with which you locked the head? It isn't intended for locking the spindle against the amount of torque applied when removing the faceplate, which is why it broke. It will at least be easy to replace through the belt access cover.
> 
> The instructions (page 10) say "To remove the faceplate from the spindle, place knockout rod into hole A (Figure 5) and let it contact the bed of the lathe for leverage. Then unscrew the faceplate."
> 
> ...


----------



## seamus7227 (Jul 11, 2011)

these posts that are ten feet wide are whats killin' me.  It appears to me that your supposedly brand new lathe has been used. take it back to the store where you bought it(with the receipt) and demand your money back.


----------



## edstreet (Jul 11, 2011)

Chthulhu said:


> The dome-shaped thing appears to be the tip of your spindle index pin (see page 15 of your manual), item 98 in the parts list; item 96 is the E-ring (the parts list calls it a C-ring) that fell out with the broken-off piece. Is that the "nut" with which you locked the head? It isn't intended for locking the spindle against the amount of torque applied when removing the faceplate, which is why it broke. It will at least be easy to replace through the belt access cover.
> 
> The instructions (page 10) say "To remove the faceplate from the spindle, place knockout rod into hole A (Figure 5) and let it contact the bed of the lathe for leverage. Then unscrew the faceplate."
> 
> The rod should hit the bed at the front side of the lathe, by the way.



I did all of that but the only thing I goofed on was the direction which is indeed clearly my fault.  I will try it tomorrow and see if I can indeed get the face plate off before sending it back.  You would think that of all the people I talked to today someone would have mentioned that.


----------



## Chthulhu (Jul 12, 2011)

You would be amazed at the number of people who have trouble figuring out which way to turn things. To me it's intuitive, but I've spent an awful lot of time repairing things broken by people for whom it isn't.


----------



## sbell111 (Jul 12, 2011)

edstreet said:


> Chthulhu said:
> 
> 
> > The dome-shaped thing appears to be the tip of your spindle index pin (see page 15 of your manual), item 98 in the parts list; item 96 is the E-ring (the parts list calls it a C-ring) that fell out with the broken-off piece. Is that the "nut" with which you locked the head? It isn't intended for locking the spindle against the amount of torque applied when removing the faceplate, which is why it broke. It will at least be easy to replace through the belt access cover.
> ...



The problem with customer service call centers is that the operators are taking calls about everything that Jet sells (and maybe what other, unrelated companies sell).  They are not necessarily particularly knowledgeable about lathes like many in this forum would be.


----------



## Don Wade (Jul 12, 2011)

If you used a credit card to buy the lathe you may have some recourse.

A Jet is a good lathe generally but not a high end lathe.  I have found them to be lacking in many areas.


----------



## edstreet (Jul 12, 2011)

Ok,  Just now while boxing it up to ship back I tried the get the face plate off again this time on the front of the bed and I put some pins in the face plate and wedged a bar in there and took my big hammer to it, it did not budge but the bar did bend again.  I am giving up on getting the face plate off.

What I am going to do is cut some wood washers to go on the next one and use them, also not use the stock face plate either.  I had a face plate stuck on my old wilton lathe long long ago but never had this much problems with it.  

There is something bad wrong with this.   The company I bought it from is sending me a return label to do an exchange. Tt should be here in the next day or 2 I hope/think.


On the bright side of things I bought a nova G3 chuck and it will be delivered today.


----------



## edstreet (Jul 12, 2011)

Don Wade said:


> If you used a credit card to buy the lathe you may have some recourse.
> 
> A Jet is a good lathe generally but not a high end lathe.  I have found them to be lacking in many areas.



Mind sharing what those areas are?


----------



## Don Wade (Jul 12, 2011)

Powermatic, Oneway, Bowlmaster, etc


----------



## ren-lathe (Jul 12, 2011)

Russianwolf said:


> Take the lathe back to the shop you bought it from as defective. Hopefully they'll take it.
> 
> Then call Grizzly.
> 
> Some say they aren't as good, but I love my G0462 (and their newer lathes are looking better and better) and no one has ever complained about their customer service to my knowledge. They sent me a complete headstock assembly when the motor on mine didn't work out of the box with a return label for the bad one.



It is a funny thing, I heard from several folks about how great grizzly's customer service is. Then usually I get told how grizzly replaced something that broke soon after it arrived or was already faulty when it got there. Every thing form bad motors to cracked ways.  Customer service may be great but When you get it it should be ready to go & last for years & if maintained properly _*without*_ needing service. I have 3 lathes one I have owned for forty years & other than a belt on it I have never had to replace anything on any. And I use my lathes usually turning 6 out of 7 nights. My fourth lathe is on the way. (He who dies with the most toys wins:wink It is a Robust. It is not an inexpensive lathe, but is very well built & well designed. I spoke directly with the owner of the company when I ordered it, he asked a number of questions to make sure I got exactly what I wanted. Also a major plus is it is made entirely in the U.S.


----------



## Russianwolf (Jul 12, 2011)

I have a lot of green in my shop, 8 tools all told and will get my ninth when its time for a new tablesaw. This is the only issue ive had. Bad windings happen in motors occasionally regardless of manufacturer. When you consider the cost difference, your Robust is ten times the cost of my griz, then yeah you should expect more.


----------



## workinforwood (Jul 14, 2011)

It sure sounds like you got a lemon. I love my jet mini vs. I would put up a big fight. This is not normal.

All that aside, as has been said you installed plate wrong. You must use a wood or plastic washer in between no matter what lathe it is.


----------



## edstreet (Jul 14, 2011)

Bet something like this would work


----------



## Richard Van Hulle (Jul 14, 2011)

I bought a Jet mini lathe through AMAZON and when I opened the box and reviewed the content I was not happy with what I saw. I called AMAZON and requested to return the item. No questions asked they gave me a return authorization and I sent it back. I couldn't believe it, but they paid the return shipping and gave me credit on my CC once they had the return and was satisfied with the return condition.

         Richard Van Hulle,   Aiken Pen & Pencil


----------



## LeeR (Jul 14, 2011)

1dweeb said:


> Oneway 1224 has never let me down. It cost more up front but the poor quality machines from jet were not worth the prices that I paid for them. I have had the low cost lathes and the premium one, I would take the premium one and never look back.


 
I bought my Rikon lathe last October, and bought it from Woodcraft on sale, so I got a good price. And I could see it immediately since I bought it at their store.

I also bought a Powermatic bandsaw from them, and again, there is a lot to be said for getting one locally and having the ability to exchange easily, if needed. I believe (but I am not 100% sure) that my bandsaw is from Taiwan, and have heard their quality is a little better than mainland China. 

That said, my next lathe is going to be a Oneway. I'll keep my Rikon, but if I cannot buy a USA tool, then one from Canada is fine by me. Go North America!


----------



## edstreet (Jul 14, 2011)

If you want to go down that road my wilton mini is an easy 6 years old, I bought it for $80 and it just now died.  I would like to get a oneway but I dont have the $$ right now now the shop space for it.


----------



## edstreet (Jul 20, 2011)

The replacement lathe arrived today.  I set it up and this one is very good.  The spindle does not vibrate like the first one did, it was horrible at the highest speed and would vibrate the entire lathe. 

The new one is tight and does not turn as easy as the first one, as I would expect any new equipment to be, the motor mount seems more solid and secure as well, this one is easier to move.  The paint is quite good and thicker by far, not flaking off.

My thinking is now the head is way wrong on the first one and it will have to be reworked and some serious cleanup done to it. 

I have yet to check if the tail and head lines up but I did put my new nova g3 chuck on it.


----------

