Order by 24/7 by web, contact our sales reps or call by phone.
What you need, when you need it, all in one place.
Most orders ship same day.
Advice and support from knowledgeable professionals.
Powermatic 1285 12" Jointer gives shops a 12 inch wide, long-bed machine built for handling heavy-duty work on substantial stock. The large 12 inch x 84 inch precision-ground cast iron table surface supports longer and wider boards, which matters when flattening faces and edges in one setup. A 3HP, 1Ph, 230V motor configuration, as identified in the product description, provides the power needed for continuous jointing in serious woodworking environments. The straight knife cutterhead described in the product name defines the core cutting action, shaping how the jointer removes material along the board length. The web description notes a helical cutterhead with 42 two-sided knife inserts, which changes the cutting geometry to distribute cuts across many small edges for a smoother cut path. Those two-sided inserts speed knife changes by allowing rotation instead of grinding, helping reduce machine downtime between runs. Together, these elements position the Powermatic 1285 as a shop-level jointer focused on capacity, flatness, and throughput.
This Powermatic 1285 jointer is identified as a 3HP, 1Ph, 230V unit, so it is set up around a single-phase 230 volt electrical supply common in many dedicated machine circuits. That voltage and horsepower pairing supports jointing wider, heavier boards at sustained feed rates without stalling the cutterhead. The cast iron table construction adds significant mass at the infeed and outfeed, which helps the machine sit solidly on the floor and resist vibration during operation. The rack-and-pinion adjustable cast iron fence assembly mounts along the table edge, letting the operator move the fence precisely across the table width while it stays supported by the robust casting. The overall 12 inch by 84 inch table footprint also influences floor placement, giving generous support length that matters when planning the machine layout in relation to infeed and outfeed space.
The Powermatic 1285 12" Jointer fits best where wide-face flattening and edge jointing of larger stock are routine tasks. Its large 12 inch x 84 inch precision-ground cast iron table surface provides the reference bed needed for straightening long boards in furniture and casework production. The full-size rabbeting ledge for rabbets up to 3/4 inch deep expands what the jointer can handle, allowing rabbeting operations on sizable workpieces without shifting to another machine. In a milling workflow, the helical cutterhead with 42 two-sided knife inserts, as noted in the web description, spreads cutting across many small edges, which produces a segmented cut that can leave surfaces closer to finish-ready off the jointer. Reduced noise from that cutter style also changes the environment around the machine, which can matter in smaller or shared production spaces. The rack-and-pinion adjustable cast iron fence assembly works along this workflow by keeping the fence movement controlled as material sizes change through the day.
The parallelogram design of the Powermatic 1285 tables keeps the table surfaces in close proximity to the cutterhead while they travel, which maintains consistent geometry between infeed, outfeed, and the cutter circle as depth-of-cut changes. Fast depth-of-cut adjustments from this parallelogram layout let an operator move from light jointing passes to more aggressive stock removal while keeping the relationship between tables and cutterhead stable. Table lips on both sides of the cutterhead aid in noise reduction by narrowing the openings around the cutter, which slightly shields the cutting action and contributes to a more controlled sound profile. The helical cutterhead with 42 two-sided knife inserts eliminates traditional knife adjustment steps, because each insert seats to a fixed position, so changing cutting edges becomes a repeatable rotation or swap instead of a manual alignment. That repeatable seating helps maintain a consistent cutting circle, which translates into flatter jointed surfaces and less variation between passes. The rack-and-pinion adjustable cast iron fence assembly positions the fence smoothly without play, so once a setting is dialed in, it stays steady along the entire jointing stroke, supporting square edges and accurate bevels.
The Powermatic 1285 12" Jointer has a large 12 inch x 84 inch precision-ground cast iron table surface, which supports jointing and flattening work across a 12 inch width on longer boards.
The helical cutterhead with 42 two-sided knife inserts reduces noise, eliminates knife adjustments, and speeds knife changes, so surface cuts and maintenance cycles both become more efficient.
The parallelogram design keeps tables close to the cutterhead while allowing fast depth-of-cut adjustments, which maintains accurate geometry between tables and cutterhead as settings change.
The rack-and-pinion adjustable cast iron fence assembly allows smooth fence positioning without play, supporting stable 90 degree and bevel settings for consistent edges.
The Powermatic 1285 jointer is described as 3HP, 1Ph, 230V, so it is built around a single-phase 230 volt power source delivering three horsepower to the cutterhead.
The full-size rabbeting ledge supports large workpieces for rabbets up to 3/4 inch deep, allowing substantial shoulder cuts directly on the jointer.
The Powermatic 1285 12" Jointer combines a 12 inch x 84 inch precision-ground cast iron table surface, helical cutterhead with 42 two-sided inserts, and parallelogram table design into one milling station. That combination supports flattening, edge jointing, and rabbeting up to 3/4 inch deep on substantial workpieces. With a 3HP, 1Ph, 230V configuration and a rack-and-pinion adjustable cast iron fence assembly, the machine is oriented toward steady, repeatable passes on demanding stock. For shops planning a jointer dedicated to wider material and heavier workloads, these verified features define how the Powermatic 1285 can be put to work.
Sold In: 1 Each
Quantity | Unit Price | Catalog | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sold in: 1 Set |  JP6400013 Mfr# PM9-6400013 | Powermatic Inserts for 1285 and PJ1696 30mm X 12mm X 1.5mm, SET/10 | ||||
Sold in: 1 Set |  JPPJ1696-011 Mfr# PM9-PJ1696-011 | WBSC - 3675 - JPPJ1696-011 |