Looking at a Jet 708750B JWBS-18 - worth it?

[William Chain]

As title suggests, I have a shot at a Jet JWBS-18 bandsaw for $750. Pictures look to show the saw is in pristine shape but I haven’t gotten to see it in person yet. I know it’s 1-1/2hp, and wired for 115V, and it will come with a variety of blades. I know to look for the spine (triangular or not), and to look at trunnions (aluminum or cast iron), and to check wheels and guides. If it’s good runner, any knocks on it other than the 1-1/2hp being a bit underpowered? This would be a dedicated resaw machine, and I’d likely slap on a 3hp baldor and new guides at some point. Advice appreciated.

[John Patric]

I have the Jet JWBS18Q, this is the EC version which have the European blade guides (not sure what you call them but they are not the bearing guides). Mine has a 2hp motor and I have no difficulty running a 1" blade and resawing 10" stock. The only non-issue is having to adjust the motor to loosen or tighten the drive belt with the change of seasons.

The only issue I had with the saw was on delivery the blade guides were not square to the table, I noticed that the upper blade guide assembly as it attached to the blade guard was not mating flush with the blade guard. The cause of this is due to a channel at the back of the blade guard and when tightening the guide bracket to the blade guard the guide bracket is pulled into the channel. I used a washer as a temporary fix to fill the gap (this has become permanent :)) Hopefully the pics can explain it better.

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I paid the equivalent of $2400 for the saw so I think if it checks all your boxes I'd say its a bargain.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have a JWBS-18 with the square column and 1.5 or 1.75 motor, I can't recall which. It's been a good saw for me, I do resaw up to 9" sometimes but I am not running large amounts of material through it. I need precision more than speed when I resaw, since I'm mostly using it to build musical instruments. I keep a 1/2" 3 TPI blade in it at all times. The guides are something aftermarket, I think, and I am going to have to replace them sooner or later. Some of the bolts are stripped out of the castings, which seem to be something in the pot metal family. I bid $320 on this saw at an auction. I think that $750 might be a reasonable price on a private sale, especially for a newer model with the triangular spine.
Zach