I know, here I go again, but what do you guys know about the new Jet 16″ bandsaw? Is it too good to be true?
Here’s the deal – some of you may remember that I have had some trouble setting up my 14″ Delta. I finally gave up with Delta and went back to my dealer and complained. He agreed that I must have a lemon and talked to his Delta rep and decided to let me just bring it back and give me a new one. I don’t yet know if that means I have to take another of the same or if I will get a credit. If it’s the latter, I will be VERY tempted to pick up the new Jet 16″ for the same price. It looks fantastic. Any thoughts?
Replies
C D
When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a Jet fighter pilot. Maybe fly the J 16 into combat. Oh well, I had to take a different approach. Still have dreams of being a Jet fighter pilot, though. grin<> That answer your question from my point of view...
Luck...
sarge..jt
Cambelldust,
Sarge and I checked out the specs on the 16" Jet about a month ago...I thought it was a very good deal. Of course, Sarge kept on trying to sit on the cast iron table and turn the knobs...now I know why...lol.
BG
Still haven't found the EJECT button. Ha.... Yeah, still have dreams of a J16 or J18. Went ahead and bought a "cool" flight jacket though, just in case..he....
sarge..jt
I am looking at that saw as well. It has a 10" resaw capacity, 1 1/2 HP and seems to be built well enough for my limited use. Why don't you just go ahead and buy one and then let me know the REAL stuff about it?
Tom
Just to really confuse things, the 18 inch saw is only another two hundred bucks and comes with the roller guides ($149.00) and the rip fence (which the 16" doesn't) which I'm sure is at least another fifty bucks and are both upgrades I'd really want! Why is it that I start out looking at the Grizzly for under $400, and end up considering spending around $1,100? Stop the insanity!!!!
BDW13
You have solid points about the J18. My gripe with the big names is their high price should include the guides and rip-fence (even though I use a point fence, the fence is $79). The 18" does have a welded column which is a little more geared for re-saw. If you need a pure re-saw, this would probaly be the better buy in the long run.
Evening..
sarge..jt
I was looking at the 16 last night at my local Woodcrap store. It looks like it is all welded together as well. I bet this thing is hard to transport. Why does that make for better resawing? Is there some downside to getting this saw that I'm not seeing? The Delta with a riser block has a 12" resaw capacity. The Jet only has 10", but I'm thinking the odds that I would ever resaw over 10" are pretty slim. So far I'm not hearing a single drawback to the Jet saw. Anyone? Anyone?
I ask because I am notorious for obsessing over decisions like this and then making the wrong choice anyway.
Edited 12/6/2002 10:12:27 AM ET by CAMPBELLDUST
campbelldust,
Not much downside that I'm aware of, I almost jumped myself last month. However, I had a different set of issues...the TS or BS...but, i the near future i will find an excuse to probably buy one.
The only real issue is the 16" or 18 inch. The specs are very similar, the the $300 dollar differential is pretty much set off by the fense and rollar bearings...but only if those things are important to you. Some say a fense is pretty useless on a bandsaw...some do not.
I went down the dollar spiral myself last month and ended up with a Jet 18". I ordered it from amazon, it came with the rollers and the fence as mentioned. I just couldn't pass up the free shipping and no sales tax. I'm a weekend warrior so I don't have volumes of experience to draw from, but I am tickled pink with it so far. The manual was one of the best written I have seen. The set up for the rollers is straight forward and blade changes are a breeze. The original blade was not good so I purchased a 3/4" 3tpi aftermarket resaw blade and 1/4" blade for general work. The fit and finish of the machine are great as well as the action of the tilting table. If I had to do it over again I would. One thing to not if resawing is your main goal - the Jet 18" has less resaw capacity than a 14" with the riser block. I have done some resawing on this machine, with good results. I'm not sure I would ever have the need to resaw a full 12" wide board though. Best of luck!
Tom B.
CB
The advantage of a welded column is it is stronger than cast iron. If you are not commercial with a large portion of your B/S use in re-saw, it shouldn't even warrant consideration for the difference in price. You can re-saw up to 12" on the 14"'s with riser. Do you need that. If you're a turner and get a lot of logs for free, maybe. I have never had an occasion to re-saw that wide in 30 years. Some do.
For the same money as the Delta, I prefer the Jet 16". Yep, the Delta or Jet 14" can get you 12" re-saw with riser. The column weakens when you add a riser, also. The main question is, do you need 12" re-saw capacity.. Me..no. You..??
Both get the job done. For me, I just prefer the Jet..
Luck..
sarge..jt
I may end up with one. I need to find out if I get a credit for my other one or if I have to take a replacement. I'll let you know what I think of it if I get one.
Heck, for another couple of hundred I could get into one of those fancy foreign machines. It is an investment...might as well go for broke on the first roll.
Is this one of those 'dollar-death-spirals'? You know, the kind the Mrs. always seems to get into with her clothes, or shoes, or what-ever she's buying?
So many tools, so many decisions, so little cash,
Tom
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