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JET 708749 JWBS-16 16-Inch 1-1/2 Horsepower Woodworking Bandsaw with Guide Blocks, 115-Volt 1 Phase | List Price: $1,074.00
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Brand: Jet
Binding: Tools & Hardware
Features: - 16-inch band saw with a powerful 1-1/2 hp TEFC 115-volt motor
- 1-piece dual-tapered column design for greater rigidity and strength
- Precision computer balanced wheels; rack-and-pinion blade guide height adjustment
- Convenient block guides offer support and reduce friction
- 17-by 17-inch cast-iron table; weighs 310 pounds shipped; 1-year limited warranty
Cuts okay, but what a pain in the... [Posted on 2005-12-15]
I agree with all the good things said about this saw's power, smoothness, and quietness. BUT... the odd blade size means you'll pay more and have to special order - that's takes time.
But the real killer design flaw in this machine is the lower guide arrangement. It's virtually inaccesible, even with the special hex wrench Jet gives you (lose that puppy and you're SOL). The guide wheels secure with thumbscrews that an average hand can't reach without mangling your flesh, and there's so little room you can't wear gloves. The guide base flops all around and is hard to see and almost impossible to align properly. I've been using bandsaws for 40 years - so I KNOW it needn't take half an hour to change a blade, then another half hour to readjust it over and over.
If you change blades often, stay away!
Set-up Comments [Posted on 2006-02-24]
Overall, I need to get the fence and do some more serious cuts before making a final evaluation. From what I've seen so far, this machine does not meet my expectations.
The set-up was pretty straightforward. I did it myself in about three hours. Luckily, the local delivery came in a lift gate truck. The driver helped me take the crate, lift to vertical and open and inspect the unit. He also took the box, pallet and Styrofoam packing!
The tabletop had paint run-backs in the beveled surface. The top edges and blade channel had rough edges which required sanding down.
The tabletop is fairly flat from the neck side to the miter gauge slot, then it tapers down pretty substantially. This may need to be replaced -- see other comments.
You need two 14mm wrenches to secure the 90 degree stop.
The blade guard extends so low that it obscures your vision of the cut. I'll need to remove it, cut-off about 2" and reinstall.
Preliminary cuts were OK, but not overly impressive. The fence I ordered has not been delivered, but making cuts with a temporary fence indicated a noticeable blade drift, so resawing will need a bullnosed fence attachment -- this is contrary to one of the other reviewers.
The supplied blade is 3/4" wide 3.5TPI in mild steel. You should consider buying a blade for resawing and a narrower blade for curves.
Fantastic value! [Posted on 2006-04-08]
Airborn Freight delivered the saw right on time. With the help of a friend, had the saw uncrated, together and runing in just over 1 1/2 hours. This included installing the Jet fence that I ordered separately. The saw was in excellent condition, no scratches, dents or anything else. Resawed a 1/32 slice of 6" red oak with the factory blade. No problem other than very shallow blade marks. (This will probably be resolved when the 3/4" Wood Slicer is installed) I have a set of Carter Style Blade Guides ordered, but I'm not convinced that this may be neccessary. After reading some other negative comments about this saw, I checked it out very carefully. The table went on with no problem and was flatter than pee on a plate! Jet provided all the tools necessary for set-up other than a phillips screw driver and a square (for table set-up) Getting the protective coating off the table was no problem at all. I just soaked some paper shop towels in a citrus degreaser, and layed them on the table for about 10 minutes, then scraped off the stuff with a single edge razor blade. This saw is a fantastic value for the money and will do everything a somewhat serious woodworker would want.
For me, it was the perfect choice.... [Posted on 2007-10-08]
I did tons of research before selecting this saw. I looked at more expensive saws, ie Laguna etc, as well as similiar saws ie Grizzly, Delta etc....I had read lots of varying reports about the quality of Jet, some of which hinted that the machines were sometimes not well constructed...
Mine is great! It arrived very well packed, and despite some major drama getting it into the basement; it's all good. Quality was superb, not a scratch, and with all the requisite parts.
I did opt to order the Carter Bearings for this saw, which was a good move since the standard bearings scream "cheap". I highly recommend this saw, especially if you can get it with the free shipping....I am very pleased.
Excellent saw for the price [Posted on 2008-01-21]
The saw went together with no problems, but as a couple of other people noted, mine had a table that was far from flat. I called Jet, and they sent me a new table right away, and that one is well within spec for flatness. I was not impressed with the 3/4" blade supplied with the saw, so I ordered a "Woodslicer" from Highland Woodworking, which does a great job. I have resawed with no noticable blade drift, except one time when I forgot to tension the blade.
Since I have used the saw for a number of angled cuts, my biggest complaint is with the small trunions and angle scale for the table tilt, and difficulty of getting the table adjusted to the proper angle. I have a very inexpensive Craftsman 8" bandsaw that has a micrometer-type table angle adjustment so you can easily dial in the angle you need. I wish this saw had something like that.
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