New tablesaw ?

[Tim Robert]

I'm in the market for a new tablesaw, currently looking at the Jet JPS30 and the Craftsman 22114. Both will be around $630. Am upgrading from a benchtop Jet. Both sales are done after Sunday. I know which ever I get I'll be happy with, but thought people more experienced than me might help me decide one way or another. Both saws get good reviews. The Craftsman advertises 25" rip capacity to the right while the Jet has 30". I'm not sure if it's possible (and easy) to move the rails on the Craftsman? The extra rip capacity of the Jet would be nice. Jet has a 5 yr warranty while the Craftsman is only 1yr.

I've been watching Craigslist for quite awhile and haven't seen much of anything.

Any thoughts?

[Greg Wittler]

I would probably go with the Jet, I don't have a Jet Table saw, but I have their 15" planer and I like it. If you end up going w/ the Craftsman, I believe that Sears has 14% cashback on Bing right now. Does the Craftsman Have the Granite Top? Not sure if I like that, I see myself hitting the side of the miter guage while in the slot and cracking a little piece off the top.

[keith ouellette]

I have the 3 hp jet exacta saw and its a real nice machine.

As to your question about the rails. I don't know how the one you are looking at is set up but I was able to move my rails down one set of bolts (about a foot) to give the fence extra capacity.

I would go with the jet especially because of the warranty.

[Pat Germain]

As a long-time owner of a Craftsman contractor saw, I would not recommend buying a Craftsman. There are many happy Craftsman TS owners out there. But I think the JET will be a better saw and have much better resale value should you decide to upgrade later.

If you do opt for the Craftsman saw, take a very hard look at it. Make sure it's compatible with aftermarket accessories and not just Sears accessories. For example, it should readily accept a Biesemeyer fence or Osborne miter gauge.

I worked with a Marine Corps Major who would constantly curse his Craftsman table saw because the miter gauge was absolute junk and no other miter gauge would fit it. (The miter slots had little half-moons in them.)

[John Coloccia]

http://www.craftsman.com/

Go there and ask yourself if anything about today's Craftsman screams "We're serious about your woodworking". I don't even think I have to talk about the last two Craftsman power tools I've owned as the website really does say it all.

That said, lots of folks are happy with their Craftsman woodworking tools, but I don't think they represent a particularly good value anymore. Their hand tools are a completely different story, unless they've starting slipping here too. I bought some screwdrivers from them several years ago. The metal has the consistency of warm cream cheese. I think their wrenches and sockets are still great, though, and their hand tool warranty takes care of the rest :)

[Tim Robert]

Pretty much decided on the Jet. Plus it's in stock so I can get it tomorrow. Thanks for the replies.

[Vince Shriver]

It looks to me like the Jet you're interested in is built like a cabinet saw. I can tell you if I had it to do all over, I would skip the contractors saw altogether and go for a good cabinet saw (or at least a hybrid). I see deals on craigs list, or even new from Grizzly for a few extra bucks. Dust collection, weight, adjustability, footprint, power - all much better with a cabinet saw. Table saw is probably your first and most important machine in the shop (at least in my opinion).

[keith micinski]

Uh, you may want to rethink that and go to Lowe's and get the delta 36-979. Well, I just checked and apparently Lowe's doesn't carry it any more. If you got this saw and the t-2 fence you are at 600. This saw is hands down the best contractor saw available. You could maybe even find a used unifence or Biesmeier for less. It's to bad Lowe's doesn't carry this any more, it is the best contractor's saw by a mile. Those crappy steel wings are terrible, it has a nice mobile base to.

[Mark Godlesky]

I have the Craftsman and have been pretty happy with it. It comes with a good blade. The fence and rails are aluminum extrusions. The fence has T slots which is nice, but it flexed a little. I had to shim the rails a little to get the two rail pieces to match up. You can slide the rails as far left or right as you like because they have T slots. I eventually upgraded to a Steel City fence and Incra miter gauge. I paid about $500 delivered.
I have never used the Jet but the 5 year warranty is nice and it looks like it has a better fence than the C-man.

One other thing, the splitter and guard on the C-man are easy to remove/install so I actually use it.

[Jim O'Dell]

From a quick look at the pictures, seems the Craftsman is a right tilt, and the Jet is a left tilt, if that makes any difference to you. Jet does look a little better. Keep watching Craigs List for some cast iron extensions to replace the stamped steel ones. Jim.

[scott spencer]

The 22114 is left tilt, it's made by Steel City's Orion division, it has cabinet mounted trunnions, cast iron table and wings, and has nothing to do with anything else with the Craftsman name. It's a well made saw that's well proven and well liked by users and owners....AFAIK, Orion also makes the Steel City hybrids, Ridgid R4511 hybrid, and the new General International 50-240GT. (Buy the saw, not the brand). The fence on that particular model is functional, but not overly nice IMO...it'd be something I'd want to change.

The Jet Proshop is a very nice hybrid IMO. Even though it has table mounted trunnions in this case, the fence is better IMO, and I like the one piece cast blade shroud design. Does this one have steel or cast iron wings?

Overall, in this case I think the Jet is a better buy at $630 than the 22114 even if it has steel wings. If you have 220v available, I'd give serious thought to a Grizzly G1023SL for $795 ($889 shipped). If don't have 220v, I'd still give the Grizzly G0478 and G0661 a look.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

It looks to me like the Jet you're interested in is built like a cabinet saw. I can tell you if I had it to do all over, I would skip the contractors saw altogether and go for a good cabinet saw (or at least a hybrid). I see deals on craigs list, or even new from Grizzly for a few extra bucks. Dust collection, weight, adjustability, footprint, power - all much better with a cabinet saw. Table saw is probably your first and most important machine in the shop (at least in my opinion).

Looking at the Jet manual the trunnion has a big difference from a cabinet saw. The trunnion is attached to the table not the cabinet. In this price range I would consider the Ridgid R4511 as well. The Ridgid has a table mounted trunnion and can be bought for ~400 using the friends and family mail-in rebate (if you can find a qualifying ridgid something for 1ct to push the price to 500$ before rebate :)).

[Russel Tauras]

I’ve owned the Craftsmen 22114 for about 1.5 years. It’s a great table saw for the money. I love its cabinet mounted trunnions and its cast iron leaves. The stock fence is OK and provides true cuts. Wait for the Craftsmen club price and you will get a great table saw for the price.

Russ

[scott spencer]

Looking at the Jet manual the trunnion has a big difference from a cabinet saw. The trunnion is attached to the table not the cabinet. In this price range I would consider the Ridgid R4511 as well. The Ridgid has a table mounted trunnion and can be bought for ~400 using the friends and family mail-in rebate (if you can find a qualifying ridgid something for 1ct to push the price to 500$ before rebate :)).

The Ridgid's trunnions are attached to the cabinet like the 22114's.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/r4511topview.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y203/hewood/sawparts/1-22124trunnion.jpg

[Bob Carreiro]

I also have the Craftsman and have for about two years now. My only gripe is the short arbor - can't use a dato set! The fence is not the greatest, but is OK in that it may require an occasional adjustment.

happy hunting,
Bob

[Carroll Courtney]

If it was me,and new or used did not matter I would take that 630. and look for a used Unisaw with either a 1hp or 3hp.Take all that you have save and apply it to a new Biesmeyer fence and you will never have to upgade again.Should you ever(if you loose your mine)have to sell it,people will be all over it the first day.Buying a icon such as the Unisaw does not depreciate over yrs of use,while the choices you posted does.Crapsman????:( Carroll
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=120499&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1244831763 (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=120499&d=1244831763)

[Salem Ganzhorn]

Thanks for the correction Scott, it is what I meant to say :)
And I would choose either the Craftsman or the Ridged over the Jet for this reason.
Salem

[scott spencer]

I also have the Craftsman and have for about two years now. My only gripe is the short arbor - can't use a dato set! The fence is not the greatest, but is OK in that it may require an occasional adjustment.

happy hunting,
Bob

Bob - The 22114's arbor is the same length as most others in this class. You should be able to fit a full 3/4" stack, possibly even a 13/16" stack if you leave the arbor washer off, which is a common practice that's approved by many manufacturers....you just need to be sure that threads come all the way through the arbor nut. One exception might be Freud's Dial Width SD608 that needs extra length for the hub. Most full cabinet saws have longer arbors than the hybrids and contractor saws.

Salem - I wondered if that's what you meant. :)

[Tim Robert]

Thanks for the opinions. I ended up getting the Jet. What a difference from the benchtop! Setup was straight forward, though leveling the extension wings wasn't the easier. Made some cuts, very nice. Fits in my little area fine.