Jet 14DXPRO VS Makita LB1200F 14' Bandsaws

[Matthew N. Masail]

Hi everyone, I'm new here, my name is Matthew and I'm 24, I'm a classical guitar player and armature woodworker, so far I've only built a few
Items for my home and for Family, all came out really well (not at the levels I see here of course). I have very little tools and I'm getting it all together now to become serious.
So I'm shopping for my first band saw, I'll mostly be building furniture and musical instruments, eventually focusing mostly on classical guitars, but I'd like to get a machine that I will not have to replace or worry about. I live in Israel so my options are quite limited, and the two models on top are
what I've narrowed it down to. I suspect the Jet will be more expensive (still waiting for an answer) but I think the 12' resaw capacity is probably worth it. I would love to hear opinions on which way to go. as the Jet would be a custom order I can get pretty much any model I'd like from them.

Also, is this fence worth buying ? http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11304
(http://www.rockler.com/c/kreg-miter-gauge-fences-guides.cfm)
Thanks and it's nice to be here!
Matthew

[Bill White]

I find the Kreg items to be of good quality. What about parts and service In Israel? Do you have adequate electrical service in your shop? Standard voltage? Good blades are a must for your type work. Can ya get them?
I am not familiar with the Makita BS, but other Makita items I have are excellent.
Oh, and welcome to the fray.
Bill

[david brum]

I think you're right about the Makita lacking resaw capacity. 165mm ( 6 1/2") is pretty short for a saw that doesn't appear to have the ability to add a riser. It will probably leave you frustrated and you'll want to upgrade. It looks like a well designed saw otherwise, although we haven't seen any in the states. I doubt that Makita wants to shoehorn another bandsaw into the already crowded US market.

By contrast, the Jet is an old, proven design with some nice add-on features. Saws like that were the mainstay of US hobbyist shops until recently when bigger saws became affordable. 12" resaw height is probably plenty for most people.

You might want to try the stock fence before you upgrade to the Kreg. Whereas Kreg fences are nice, they are fiddly. The micro-adjust is accurate but requires disassembly whenever the fence is removed (at least mine did). Most people buy them to equip a bandsaw which didn't come with a fence originally.

As a final thought, have you priced 17-18" band saws? In the US, they are comparably priced to the Jet 14" saw, and have a lot more capacity.

[Van Huskey]

Not knowing about the availability of other saws in your area I will stick to what you have listed. The Jet is a "clone" of the venerable cast iron Delta 14" saw that has been around for over 70 years and there are TONS of upgrades available if the bug hits. My choice would be the Jet or a similar Delta clone. As with any tool I suggest you USE it before deciding on what/how you want to upgrade it. Often the upgrades you think you need before you buy a machine drop pretty far down the priority list once you actually use it. The first thing to do would be to buy the best blades you can for the tasks you plan to perform with the saw. For bandsaws often a shop built fence designed around your needs for a fence is the best way to go, not only in price but function as well.

[Matthew N. Masail]

Thanks for the replies, I'm pretty sure I can get good blades, I work for a company building decks and hot tubs and stuff and we can get really nice blades for our huge bandsaw. I ask about the fence because the Jet doesn’t come with one but I think I will build my own as Van recommended. I've just been informed that the model is not available, only the ones that sell in Europe are, so I need to see if I can get one with 12' resaw.... the 18' models are almost double the price, and I'm paying about 1500$US for the 14'.... in any case I understand that being limited to 6' is not a good idea... can you please tell me what the difference is between a 18' model and a 14' one? can they both handle then delicate blades for intricate work?

[Van Huskey]

Some saws work better with small (1/8-3/16") blades better than others, it helps to know the exact model you are looking at. If the 14" saw you are looking at is a Jet or other clone of a 14" Delta cast iron saw you can add a riser block to 99% of them to increase the resaw height from 6 to 12 inches.

Can you get Hammer (part of the Felder group) there? If so I wonder what the price on a N4400 is, it is a much better saw than the ones you are looking at and under $2,000 in the US.

[Matthew N. Masail]

I sent an email asking if I can get Hammer, but I expect to be rebuked.... I was thrilled to find out that I could get Jet.
I asked for a list of models I could get, so far I know this one is available, although not attractively priced
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17085
would this be a good machine with a raiser block?

I can also get saws by Scheppach, but I don't have a good feeling about them.

[Van Huskey]

I sent an email asking if I can get Hammer, but I expect to be rebuked.... I was thrilled to find out that I could get Jet.
I asked for a list of models I could get, so far I know this one is available, although not attractively priced
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17085
would this be a good machine with a raiser block?

I can also get saws by Scheppach, but I don't have a good feeling about them.





That Jet is again a version of the Delta cast iron saw, in general all the new ones are VERY similar and that is a solid choice and riser block kits are readily available at least in North America. Are any of the Italian saws available, they are extremely well made (best in the world) and although they command a premium here the price difference may not be as large there considering the premium on Jet machines.

[Matthew N. Masail]

The Scheppach are actually reasonably priced here, considering, I can get this one
http://www.woodworkersinstitute.com/page.asp?p=521
(http://www.woodworkersinstitute.com/page.asp?p=521 f)for 1800$ and I suspect I might be able to get it for less. a better choice?

[Matthew N. Masail]

I see Scheppach is German, sorry my mistake. as far as I can find and I've been looking for quite a while and ones I mentioned are the only ones I know of.
Thank you for the help.

[Van Huskey]

I have never been hands on with a Scheppach they exist here but tend to be rare. If I understand correctly the Jet you mentioned second (not the deluxe) was going to run you $1500 and the riser block here is 75-100 so there maybe close to $200?? Based on the pictures and the written portion of the review you linked to I would go for the Scheppach because based on what I gather the cost difference will be less than $200 maybe even less than $100. The difference between 10" and 12" of resaw isn't a big deal PLUS the Jet is going to have a hard time resawing over 9 inches in most hardwood with only 1hp. The Scheppach has 2 hp which makes me much happier when used for resawing. Further the Scheppach reviewed has a built in mobile base which could be a useful value added feature if you need to move the saw.

[Matthew N. Masail]

Thank you so much. I may have found a 1 year old Scheppach for sale, just need to see how much he wants for it. just goes to show if you try hard enough until you ears bleed g-d might just smile on you (-: (i know it sound crazy, but sourcing good tool here for decent prices is hard)

[Van Huskey]

I can't imagine dealing with the lack of availability you have there! Good luck with your quest.

[Matthew N. Masail]

Thank you so much. I have been offer a 1 year old Scheppach, the one reviewed second hand for 1270$us, I think I might just go for it.

[Van Huskey]

Given what you have said about price and availability I would say it sounds like a good deal, with the obvious caveat of checking it out thoroughly.

[Matthew N. Masail]

are there specific things i should check, something that might be hidden? lately I have thought about moving to the US largely because the availability issue with tools and wood, my wife is from NJ so it might even happen.