Jet 18 Bandsaw?

[Rob Price]

I have a Jet Pro 14” (with the riser built in) and in theory it can resaw 11” but the 1.25HP motor isn’t quite there. It also bogs down with big bowl blanks. I’d like to upgrade. Debating whether to sell or keep the 14”.

I’m hoping Jet runs their Father’s Day sale again this year. Anyone have experience with their 18”? I see they upgraded the frame recently to stiffen it up. I like the idea of tool less guide adjustments. I like the bigger table. I know Grizzly has similar machines but not with the 16” resaw like the Jet. And I don’t like how grizzly does the thrust bearing. I’m willing to pay a little more for the Jet.

I see Laguna has a similar 18” saw.

[Van Huskey]

The Rikon 10-347 is probably the best bang for the buck in the ~2K price range new. It would be my first choice then the Laguna BX18.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have an older Jet 18" bandsaw with 10" resaw capacity and it is a huge step up from the old Rockwell 14" saw I used before. I got it used at an estate auction for $320 a few years ago and have been very happy with it. I build banjos and other stringed instruments mostly, so I am not running high volumes of wood through the saw, but once I got everything adjusted it has been very solid and accurate and that's what I really need.

[Art Tripp]

I have the Laguna 18BX and truly love it. I began my search for a 14" bandsaw and the more research I did and the more saws I had a chance to see and touch in person the more I began gravitating toward the 18BX - even though it wasn't even on the radar when I first started looking.

The features I like include the guide system and after using the Laguna guides, I have no desire to ever use the bearing guides of other manufacturers (though at some point I may add a Carter Stabilizer and a blade smaller than my 1/4" to fill the gap between my scroll saw and band saw). I like the dust collection ports both coming out on the same side of the machine and they are more out of the way than saws with dust ports on two different sides. The brake is a great feature and is very handy to stop the blade much quicker than waiting for it to come to a stop on it's own and saves a lot of waiting time to clear items or readjust for a different cut, and additionally it can be great safety feature in comparison to letting a blade silently spin on it's own and inadvertent contact with a blade you didn't realize was still quietly moving. The spacious table size is a plus, as is the cutting capabilities, the saw is of good quality and it has plenty of power for most any cutting needs.

Interestingly, one of the dealers had an 18" Jet sitting on the floor earlier in my search and my initial impression was that the saw was 'too big' for my needs and I never gave it much thought, but size wise the Jet and Laguna aren't really that far apart though my search evolved to larger.

Overall, a Laguna, Jet, Rikon, Powermatic & Grizzly (possibly others) offer a relatively good quality product, and in many ways it comes down to what individual features each particular user likes most. I purchased my saw during a sale my dealer was having and in addition they had the saw in stock which saved me the standard $75 delivery charge (it was much easier to load it in my pick-up and back it into my shop to the spot it would be used, than the hassle of delivery with my 2,000 ft driveway).

To increase your overall capabilities and convenience, having a 14" and 18" saw in the shop can merit some consideration, particularly if you go back and forth between different projects and don't want to spend time changing between different blades.

[John Patric]

I have the Jet JWBS-18Q bandsaw, I bought it April 2014. The saw cuts 2mm (5/64”) veneers in 200mm (7 7/8”) stock (height). I use Lennox Tri-master blades on the saw.

I have had two issues with my saw to date, the first was out the box, the upper guide bracket did not sit square to the blade therefore the blade guides could not be positioned close enough to be effective. I found the cause and fixed it myself.

The second issue was the bearings on the upper wheel failed after about 18 months of ownership. I removed the wheel and had it replaced by the agents.

Otherwise I have been happy with the saw, it has cut everything I have thrown at it without an issue. Also my choices in this part of the world were pretty slim, It was a choice between Jet or Hammer.

[Rob Price]

I guess both the Jet and Rikon are relatively new. I can’t find any third party reviews or videos.

My 220 circuit is 20A, think it could handle a 4 HP motor? I have some 3HP tools that run just fine. I’m only running one tool at a time.

I shy away from the Laguna 1yr warranty. Where are they cutting corners to the point where they don’t think it will last?

I don’t like the lack of a foot brake on the Jet. I don’t see that on any of their new saws which surprises me in today’s world where you can be sued for not offering a specific safety feature after someone looses a finger doing stupid stuff.

The Rikon ends up a few hundred more with shipping assuming the Jet sale is the same as the last several years but they are close.

[Van Huskey]

I guess both the Jet and Rikon are relatively new. I can’t find any third party reviews or videos.

My 220 circuit is 20A, think it could handle a 4 HP motor? I have some 3HP tools that run just fine. I’m only running one tool at a time.

I shy away from the Laguna 1yr warranty. Where are they cutting corners to the point where they don’t think it will last?

I don’t like the lack of a foot brake on the Jet. I don’t see that on any of their new saws which surprises me in today’s world where you can be sued for not offering a specific safety feature after someone looses a finger doing stupid stuff.

The Rikon ends up a few hundred more with shipping assuming the Jet sale is the same as the last several years but they are close.

I wouldn't worry too much about being an "early adopter" as both saws are basically evolutions of previous saws.

The motor on the Rikon is probably about 15-16 FLA. I doubt there would ever be an issue on a 20A circuit.

Warranty periods should never be used to determine quality. A Hyundai engine is warrantied for 40% longer than a Toyota or Honda, do you think that has a direct relationship to quality or longevity? The vast majority of machine warranty claims will be for infant mortality.

I like foot brakes and they do have use as a safety device but by and large, on bandsaws, they are considered a matter of convenience/speed.

Not sure what numbers you are seeing on the Rikon and whether you are looking at the 3hp Jet but the prices should be very similar and Rikon almost always has several 10% off sales a year so even on sale they should still remain very similar.

Honestly, in the current 18/19" bandsaw market the Jet is slightly over priced given its power and features.

[Rob Price]

I thought I’d close the loop. Kept looking for reviews on the current Rikon/Jet/Laguna saws and all I could find were two folks who had issues with the Laguna out of the box. One guy took several months to get parts. I hear what you’re saying about the warranty but it’s still a factor for me. Laguna out. No one has the Rikon in stock. I played with a 10-340 (I think) at a Woodcraft and it seemed fine. The plastic knobs on the bearing adjustment felt like an odd choice but otherwise I’m sure it’s a great saw.

Craft Supplies ran a 15% off the Jet making it the cheapest of the 3 shipped which sealed the deal. Gets here in a couple days. I’ll post first impressions when I get it up and running.

[Mike Heidrick]

Very excited for you Rob. I own a jet 16 for my small saw and I really like it. Its pretty simple machine.

[Charlie Hinton]

Very interested in knowing how well you like the new Jet.

[Rob Price]

I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly put it through its paces but I got it all assembled and made a couple of test cuts. Overall, I am very happy with it, fit and finish is what you would expect. I do like the tool less bearing adjustments, although it is still pretty cramped under the table, I would have liked to seen longer or bigger knobs. Even better would be a larger insert that you could remove and look at the bearings from above. In particular, the bottom thrust bearing knob is very hard to get to between the table tilt locking knob and the table tilt hand wheel. Speaking of which I do like the gear mechanism to tilt the table, seems like it will be easier to make fine tuned adjustments, although it is a small knob in a tight location, a bigger hand wheel could’ve been helpful here.

Straightforward process to align the table with the blade. Straightforward process to align the fence with the blade. One common complaint I see on a lot of these rip fences is the rip fence is not square to the table. It was easy to loosen one of the screws holding on the bar and adjust until the fence is perfectly square to the table.

The table is as flat as my straight edge, which is not a super precise straight edge but flat enough for bandsaw work certainly.

Of course the included blade is crap. I tried a quick resaw of a 10 inch wide walnut board and it immediately started smoking. I ordered several blades from Carter products but they are not here yet. My wood slicer blade from Highland workworking, just down the road, got here yesterday and so I tried that and it split the walnut cleanly and precisely.

The blade guard does obscure my view of the bearings when it is around 4 inches off the table top. I am fairly tall, 6 foot six which is part of it but I wish the window was bigger.

Hoping to cut a few bowl blanks when the Greenwood blades get here but overall I am very happy with my initial impressions. I do wish it had a brake, it takes a long time to stop.

I will post some pictures later but I am on my phone and trying to post pictures from a phone is incredibly frustrating.

[Zachary Hoyt]

The first thing I did when I got my Jet 18" from an auction locally was to make a foot for it out of 8x8s and 2x rough cut scraps I had on hand. It now sits 10" off the floor, as I recall, and is much more comfortable for me as a 7 foot tall operator. The only other person who has used the saw since I've had it is about 6 feet tall so the extra height is not a big problem, but I suppose it would be if I was sharing the saw with a much shorter person. I don't have it on a mobile base as I never have had to move it. I suppose I would want a bigger footprint if I was running really long heavy pieces through the saw, but most of what I cut on it is 3 feet long or less so tipping is not a problem.
Zach

[Rob Price]

I’ll close the loop for now- finally got to cut some on the saw. I don’t have any resaw projects for a while but I did split some green 12-14” walnut logs and 10-12” hickory logs and it just cuts like butter. Using the Carter products 3/8” greenwood blade. Never thought about bogging down. So much faster and cleaner than the chainsaw. I’ve got a perfectly flat face to mount a faceplate on and start turning.

Im glad I bought the 18”. I contemplated the 15” but I really like the bigger table dealing with these heavy blanks.

Dust collection works surprisingly well. Very little dust in the lower cabinet.

I’m a very happy camper.