Well, I Finally.......(long)

[Mike Leonard]

...got the go ahead to purchase some new tools. The first one being a new tablesaw. I have been nursing my old Craftsman 10" Contractor saw along now for way too long. I had been considering the G1023 but after much deliberating and number crunching have decided that the JET Left Tilt with the 50" fence, Router Lift and Bosch Router is the way to go. I also looked at the Bridgewood and the General but think that for the money the JET Router Lift package is hard to beat. Any comments?

Second, a Mini Lathe. After reading all the postings about you guys with the turning fever I have just got to give it a try. Maybe I am just a lemming and am willing to follow you off that cliff. Again, JET gets the nod here. Although, I was recently at the Wilke web site and saw the Bridgewood 616 Mini Lathe on sale for 129.95. If nothing else the price is tempting for entry level into this madness. But, I do not believe the Bridgewood has the features and expandability of the JET. The Bridgewood is VS but JET is coming out with a 1014VS. Again, any comments or suggestions?

I have also been lusting after a benchtop Mortising machine. I like the fact that the ShopFox is 3/4 hp but am not sure of ShopFox's quality/reputation and I have not been able to find one locally to put my hands on it. The ShopFox has a spindle speed of 3,450 versus the others at 1,725. Having never used a Mortiser before I do not know if this is a positive or a negative. Other candidates are the JET and General. I read the Workbench mag review on benchtop Mortisers and JET got the Top Value award and the Delta 14-651 got Editors Choice. I just have not been entirely satisfied with the quality of the Delta tools I own so I am a little gun shy.

Currently own:
Craftsman 10" Tablesaw(tired) w/ home built router table attached
Grizzly G0555 14" Bandsaw w/6" riser
Powermatic 54A Jointer
Dewalt 12 1/2" Planer
Dewalt 12" CMS
Delta 12" Benchtop DP (gift)
Delta 16" VS Scroll Saw
Grizzly G1013 1"x42" - 8" Disc Combo Sander (gift)
Jet 1100 Dust Collector w/canister

I also see a JET Benchtop OSS on the horizon.

Although, JET seems to come up alot in this long posting, I have not read any real negative comments about their equipment and I am pleased with my DC. As you can see I am not dedicated to one brand. A hard lesson I have learned is "Buy right and buy once".

Suggestions/Comments?
Thanks for taking the time to read my rambling.

[Jim Becker]

The nice thing about buying tools is that you have a number of choices for quality and color! I've been more than happy with my Jet tools and pleased that I chose them. The Jet mortiser, is a good one, although the General has a few more features if I recall properly. I prefer the slower spindle speed, myself, as there is some friction generated when the bit in the chisel "wanders" during the stress of the cut. Slower speed means less heat. Heat is your enemy, especially on the steel used for the chisels. (Don't forget to buy the honing cones from Lee Valley to get those chisels sharp and keep them that way)

[Monte Milanuk]

FWIW, I believe WorkBench magazine recently did a review of various mortiser machines in that range. I think the Jet did OK, but the 'winner' overall was the Delta. Actually, the Delta seemed to have pretty much everything they were looking for in every category IIRC. Might be worth checking to see if you can find a copy of the magazine still on the stands (it was the last issue out) or order a copy otherwise. Had some other articles on setting up and sharpening hollow chisel mortisers that might be useful to you as well.

HTH,

Monte

[Lloyd Robins]

I, too, like my Jet tools. I have the 12" bandsaw, the 10" contractors saw, and the 6" jointer. The last thing that I got from Delta left me very unsatisfied with their customer service, but on the whole their products have been okay. If you are looking for a new Jet OSS there is one currently listed on ebay. It says that it is new and is running about $100 off of retail. It has about an hour to run. I am currently broke (used my tool budget of a few months on a Festool purchase and a Knight plane.) Good luck.