TS Question: Proshop (JET), Woodtek or Craftsman

[Tim Allaire]

My next major purchase is an upgraded TS. I have narrowed my selection to three. First, all three are within the $700 range (I was looking around 700-800) Woodtek (which I had not previously heard of) is a hybrid with a decent looking fence and iron cast wings. The Proshop (of course JET) is probably the most popular. The Craftsman (contractor style) is coming in third due to my love-hate relationship with Sears.

My shop is small and I only have things prewired for 120 (which may change in future years). Can anyone give me some help? Who would have thought this is such a drawn out decision. (now going on three weeks)

Please any help would be appreciated. (thanks for the previous help for those that contributed previously to my "tablesaw suggestions" thread)

Tim

[Thom Sturgill]

I'm not at all familiar with the Woodtek, but I looked hard at Craftsman (same love/hate) and bought the Jet. I have been happy with the Jet and probably would have been with the craftsman. I did buy the craftsman pro 14" bandsaw and am very pleased with it.

I thought the craftsman base was awful small and one review complained about the outfeed table being awkward. It does have a good fence (bese), but so does the Jet (bese clone). The motors are the same size (1.75hp), and the craftsman is heavier (>400lbs vs ~350lbs) due to the cast iron outfeed piece. The Jet came in about $100 cheaper even with delivery costs (craftsman would have been free if I picked up at a local store).

[scott spencer]

Hi Tim - Craftsman hasn't offered a traditional contractor saw since ~ 2004 when they introduced their current line of hybrid saws....aka "zipcode" saws. Are you referring to the 22114 hybrid?

The Jet looks like a really nice saw to me. It gets good reviews, and has a well designed one-piece carriage trunnion assembly. The only downside I see is that the trunnions are table mounted and will be harder to reach to align.

The Woodtek is very similar the GI 50-220 and the Sunhill. It has a similar trunnion setup to the Jet with similar drawbacks. It also has a nifty digital bevel gauge. The Woodtek isn't as well known, and will likely have lower resale value should you ever want to sell.

If the Craftsman is a 22114, it's made by Orion, who is owned by Steel City. It'll have cabinet mounted trunnions which are easy to reach and easy to align. It has pretty much the same guts as the more expensive 22124, but features a more modest aluminum fence. The 22124 has been a good saw for me (and others), but if it boils down to a choice between the 22114, the Jet and the Woodtek, I'd prefer the steel Biese type fences on the Jet or Woodtek....in my case, I'd likely go with the Jet....just my preference. If I could get nice sale deal on a 22124, I'd buy it again (or the similar Steel City 35601 with 5 yr warranty).

[Scott D Johnson]

I bought the craftsman 22104 (for around $450, discontinued, I believe) and added a Biesemeyer fence and rail (Amazon $225, need to look for the deal, not the normal price). I am satisfied with it.

[Bas Pluim]

Tim, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. I looked at the Craftsman
22414, JET ProShop, Woodtek etc. All have minor pros and cons. Thom mentioned the outfeed table. The Woodtek is a lesser known brand, so if you ever want to sell it, that might be factor. The Jet requires four knobs to be loosened to access the inside of the saw. Notice how small all these issues are!

I purchased the Jet ProShop (w/ cast iron wings) a couple of months ago, and I've been very happy with it. I picked it because (a) the fence is incredible and (b) it was on sale. It came prewired for 110V, but I had a 220V outlet available (originally planned on buying a 3HP cabinet saw). Rewiring was very straightforward, no more difficult than wiring a light fixture.

So, pick the one that has the features you find important. I didn't really care for the Woodteks digital readout, but I love the Jet's arbor lock so you only need one wrench. But, since I have a small shop, I probably would have liked a small outfeed table like the Craftsman has. But, that's something I can add later myself.

[John Barber]

I think the Hybrid Woodtek got the nod in the latest fine woodworking magazine.

[Shawn Green]

The Jet has a 5 year warranty and you can get 2 free parallel clamps with purchase... Check the promotions on the Jet site.

[Jim Thiel]

I'll vouch for the woodtek also, but only to the extent that I have their 15" planer, not the TS. I've had no problems with the machine, and fine CS to boot.

Jim

[Ray Meche]

If you can find the room you are almost in price to a Grizzly G1023. I was thinking contractor years ago and ended up with the 1023SLWX. I couldn't be happier price/performance. It's a little large for my shop/garage but I would do it again in a heartbeat.