The switch on my Jointer/Plainer burned up!

[1Garageman]

I have a Jet Jointer/Plainer that I got in an auction several years ago and always wondered why it got sent back to the store, now I know why!

So I was getting ready run some wood through it last night and it all of the sudden wouldn't start. I ended up taking it apart to look at the On / Off switch and found out that inside there must of been a small melt down. I am wondering what caused that?? I also have to find a replacement switch. I wonder if I could just use a simple light switch?

 

[1Garageman]

Here is the electrical diagram. I wonder if Capacitor, or something else went bad?

 

[manwithtools]

Switch is worn out, $15 replacement from Jet. They switch the full voltage to the motor and have limited (few years) life. Replacements are cheap and readily available from Jet.

 

[metlmunchr]

Was the jointer made in Taiwan or in China? I've got a Taiwanese 6" Jet jointer I bought new about 25 yrs ago. It uses a push button switch and I've never had any problems with it. OTOH, any tools coming out of mainland China are highly likely to have switch problems at some point in time.

While most people would say its better to use a motor rated switch rather than a light switch which is rated for resistive rather than inductive loads, and I agree with that, I have to confess that I've got a 6 x 48 Delta belt sander that's been running on a light switch for 30+ years. If you use a light switch, buy a specification grade one rather than a residential grade switch.

Keep in mind that if you ever decide to switch the motor over to 240V you would have to change to a 2 pole switch as you need to break both hots on 240V for safety reasons. On 120V a single pole switch is okay but you need to make sure you wire it to break the hot rather than the neutral.

 

[Norcal]

Was the jointer made in Taiwan or in China? I've got a Taiwanese 6" Jet jointer I bought new about 25 yrs ago. It uses a push button switch and I've never had any problems with it. OTOH, any tools coming out of mainland China are highly likely to have switch problems at some point in time.

While most people would say its better to use a motor rated switch rather than a light switch which is rated for resistive rather than inductive loads, and I agree with that, I have to confess that I've got a 6 x 48 Delta belt sander that's been running on a light switch for 30+ years. If you use a light switch, buy a specification grade one rather than a residential grade switch.

Keep in mind that if you ever decide to switch the motor over to 240V you would have to change to a 2 pole switch as you need to break both hots on 240V for safety reasons. On 120V a single pole switch is okay but you need to make sure you wire it to break the hot rather than the neutral.




It is code compliant to use a single pole switch for 240V as long as it is not the disconnecting means, it is a very common practice on a lot of equipment.

 

[1Garageman]

There is no way I will ever want to switch it over to a 240V device. The manual says it has a 13 amp motor on it. So I will obviously have to see what kind of switches I have laying around the house. Or I might have to make a trip to Menards, or Home Depot

 

[dogdog]

It's just from arcing when u close the switch or turning it off, breaking contact ........
I had the exact same issue with the craftsman table saw....
I had an old thread of that same thing some where here... there were some very informative feed backs...


I just wire brush / light sand paper the arcing marks off.... reassemble and put some of those anti-oxident join compound to the contacts (it suppose to suppress the arcing) .... seems to work so far for me... I was thinking putting an MOVs to suppress these arcing but I think some one points out even those burns up after some time , so I didn't.... besides that, the housing on that table saw was tight....

 

[dogdog]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332512

This thread, very informative.... on some of the responses especially one external link provided.

This NoAlOx thing I decide to use. they sell in HD also.. so far so good but I only have few uses of the table saw since fixing the switch, so can't say definite. Probably some one is frowning their eye balls right now on this... but heck it works for me or at least just clean up the burn marks and re-assemble..... I don't think you needed a new switch, unless you want a new switch... the contact material is supposedly tungsten or something attached to copper...... unless those contact tips eroded or the housing melted..... I don't think you needed to replace the switch.

https://www.grainger.com/product/10...5812!&ef_id=WVajCwAABG4z8TX4:20170630191420:s

 

[dogdog]

The switch is a DPST... highly doubt HD have it, not sure about the other store.....

 

[manwithtools]

If you value your time at all, buying the replacement from Jet will be far cheaper and much less of a pain then anything you might whip up from the hardware store.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[Norcal]

If you value your time at all, buying the replacement from Jet will be far cheaper and much less of a pain then anything you might whip up from the hardware store.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Asian sourced electrical parts are the reason for this thread, they are pretty sh*tty quality.

 

[manwithtools]

"The jointer I bought several years ago at auction" is how the OP started this thread. Seems to me that might be the root cause of this thread....
These switches are limited lifetime and cheap to replace. The machines they are used on are plenty good for their cost.
Life is too short, replace the switch with one from Jet and move on.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[rharman]

Do yourself a favor and buy one of these from Rockler.

 

[Norcal]

Do yourself a favor and buy one of these from Rockler.

Still just Asian junk, that is unlikely to even have a UL, or other NRTL listing. Use a quality product & be done with it.

 

[manwithtools]

Hmm, looks like E195428 is it's UL certification number....

 

[sberry]

I have a 49 cent light switch on my paint fan, 1 hp, been working for 25 years. A couple of those years it ran daily. I have never had one burn out from a motor load, over the years have replaced half a dozen, on bathroom and hallways where they were running 100 watts, they simply wear out and they were not China "junk" . I don't think I have ever replaced a replacement. Same for recepts.

 

[6PTsocket]

If you look at his schematic there is a switch and a power switch. It appears that the first switch is actually part of the overload. The second switch is START STOP and apprars to be momentary there is a holding relay of sorts in that drawing. The double pole switches are the relay contacts. If you manually push it closed by the start button in the drawing, the relay coil will hold it. If you hit the stop button you push the contacts open. It is not the usual contactor setup but I see how it would work. A heavy duty double pole switch would replace it but the design is a common safety device. If the power fails the machine does not restart when.the power comes back on. Manually opening and closing a relay is bound to produce arcing. Just replace it. It is more than a simple switch.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I have a Jet Jointer/Plainer that I got in an auction several years ago and always wondered why it got sent back to the store, now I know why!

So I was getting ready run some wood through it last night and it all of the sudden wouldn't start. I ended up taking it apart to look at the On / Off switch and found out that inside there must of been a small melt down. I am wondering what caused that?? I also have to find a replacement switch. I wonder if I could just use a simple light switch?

If a simple light switch would suffice, I would use one of these and just drill the existing switch cover.

 

[MikeF2316]

The switch on my drill press melted the contacts when a drill grabbed and stalled the motor. It was only for a split second. I was able to get the old switch to work to finish the project, but I bought a new one from a tool supply place the next day. It was an exact replacement.

http://www.busybeetools.com/products/switch-rocker-sp-st-20-12a-125-250v-csa.html

 

[bubinga]

Do yourself a favor and buy one of these from Rockler.

Still just Asian junk, that is unlikely to even have a UL, or other NRTL listing. Use a quality product & be done with it.

Amazon has a $10.00 one, breaks both hot and neutral,
Has it's own relay, if you loose power, won't start till you push switch again.
Can't say how long it will list .
I have one here, but haven't hooked it up yet.

 

[6PTsocket]

Amazon has a $10.00 one, breaks both hot and neutral,
Has it's own relay, if you loose power, won't start till you push switch again.
Can't say how long it will list .
I have one here, but haven't hooked it up yet.

If you look at his wiring diagram, that appears to be what he has, a built in relay. The advantage of getting it from Jet may be that it fits without body work. It is hard to tell from the pictures how how his mounts. If it goes into a "standard" switch box cutout, the Rockler swotch should be a good replacement .

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

Was the jointer made in Taiwan or in China? I've got a Taiwanese 6" Jet jointer I bought new about 25 yrs ago. It uses a push button switch and I've never had any problems with it. OTOH, any tools coming out of mainland China are highly likely to have switch problems at some point in time.

While most people would say its better to use a motor rated switch rather than a light switch which is rated for resistive rather than inductive loads, and I agree with that, I have to confess that I've got a 6 x 48 Delta belt sander that's been running on a light switch for 30+ years. If you use a light switch, buy a specification grade one rather than a residential grade switch.

Keep in mind that if you ever decide to switch the motor over to 240V you would have to change to a 2 pole switch as you need to break both hots on 240V for safety reasons. On 120V a single pole switch is okay but you need to make sure you wire it to break the hot rather than the neutral.

Have you looked at the wiring diagram? That switch, like the one sold by Rockler, and others, has a built in relay. It is a holding relay. If power fails it drops out and the machine does not automatically come back on when the power does. It must be manually restarted. We had them plugged into the cords at work. Sure, a good 'spec' awitch will probably carry the load but that safety feature is lost. Also, the first single pole switch in the drawing is part of the overload device. The START STOP switch is double pole. It may not be necessary for 120 but it is wired that way.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[sberry]

I agree, if it is part of a safety feature replace it with the correct one.

 

[tarmy]

These are rated...from Amazon...

They are way better from a satety point...as if you bind something and are affraid to let go a knee or head **** shuts it off...ask me how I know...

 

[6PTsocket]

If you look at his wiring diagram, that appears to be what he has, a built in relay. The advantage of getting it from Jet may be that it fits without body work. It is hard to tell from the pictures how how his mounts. If it goes into a "standard" switch box cutout, the Rockler swotch should be a good replacement .

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

I stand corrected. The Rockler paddle switch is NOT magnetic. It says so right on their site. The Powertek paddle switch from Amazon, as well as a plain 2 push button version from the same company are magnetic and will not restart automatically after an outage.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[1Garageman]

I just called JET up and told them what happened. I spoke with a man who said they will send me another switch. So I filled out an email form and I will see what happens.