Jet wet sharpener woes

[Gary Beasley]

The variable speed on my Jet sharpener seems to be going bad. The motor seems good, I disassembled it and found no wear or damage. At slower speeds it runs up and down the speed range, stops then starts again abruptly. I suspect it's the potentiometer under the knob thats got corrosion happening. Anyone ever have to work on this before? If I can find the correct replacement part it's no problem to swap it out but I'd like to be sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[randyrls]

Gary; The two key questions are Is it still in warranty? 2nd; how handy are you with electronic components and a soldering iron??

If it is in warranty, I would check with Jet. Their service is top notch... Come to think of it, I would still call them.

Have you done any look-see? Sealed pots are available from electronic suppliers like Digikey, but the price will be around $30. Look for one that is wire-wound they last longer but are more expensive.

Pots are normally spec'ed by whether the value changes in a linear or logarithmic curve, the value of the pot, and the wattage rating. The wattage is not so important if you go higher. The type of material under the wiper will be either composite or wire-wound.

Hope this helps....

 

[Gary Beasley]

We have a Frys that carries components in the area. The pot looked like a standard contruction, couldn't tell if it was wire wound or not. My bet the pot is linear, I'm told log pots are usually for audio applications. There no warranty, it's old and second hand though it's in decent condition considering.

 

[ssajn]

Jet has a 5 year warranty on their sharpener.
I had a problem with mine last year, it wouldn't turn on. Jet sent me a new switch that didn't help. They had a service tech pick it up and fix it. The problem was in a circuit board. While taking the wheel off to get to the board he broke the he broke the wheel.
The end result is, he replaced the board, replaced the wheel and cleaned up the shaft using new washers and nut. The total cost, $0 and I had it back within a week.
Anyone with a Jet sharpener I would recommend taking off the wheel every so often and cleaning off the shaft. The older sharpeners have a steel shaft.

 

[Gary Beasley]

So how would I figure out how old a second hand Jet is?

 

[Gary Beasley]

I was able to order a new speed control board from Jet at a very reasonable price, had everything I needed to fix it.