Band saw question

[Rick Potter]

Anyone have the new Jet JWBS 14SF band saw? I have not been able to read much about it. I am comparing it to a Laguna 14" SUV. The two are priced about the same.

I have a Delta 14" with the riser kit, and am looking for a saw a bit more heavy duty, larger table, better fence, etc. I do not resaw very often, but want to keep the option open for occasional future use. I am more likely to use it for bandsaw boxes, and that sort of thing. I have looked at heavier duty band saws like the old Delta 20", but backed away, because it would be overkill for me. I have been bouncing this situation around for several years, and with the marathon kitchen building almost finished, I can finally start looking at things I actually WANT to build.

Truth be told, I want to thin the herd. Right now, I have 3 14" Delta's. One is loaned out for years to my brother, one is an old one I use for general use, and one has the riser kit and a resaw blade on it, and hardly gets used. I also have a 3 wheel 16" Delta I don't use anymore, which will be sold, plus a band saw for the Shopsmith I don't use, plus a band saw for the Total Shop (Shopsmith on steroids) I don't use. Whew!

Yup, gotta thin the herd, so I can walk through the shop.

Thanks

Edit: Put the right number on the Jet saw.

[John K Jordan]

Right now, I have 3 14" Delta's... plus... plus...

You sound like me! Five bandsaws here, some for wood, some for metal.

I too have a Delta with riser that I've used for quite a bit of resawing, but some years back I bought an 18" Rikon and don't use the Delta much now. Both will handle the same height but what I like a lot about the Rikon is the ability to crosscut 18". I use this capacity often when slicing up green wood for turning blanks and when whacking something too thick for the sliding miter saw. The dust collection is a lot better on the Rikon too, especially since I added a dust around the lower bearings under the table. And the blades seem to stay sharp longer - this makes sense to me since there are more teeth to do the same amount of cutting so each tooth gets less total wear. The only downside of more teeth is sharpening takes longer! (I usually sharpen a blade once or twice.)

Sorry, I don't know anything about the Jet.

JKJ

[Ben Rivel]

Wow if you have several bandsaws you arent using and want to sell why dont you sell them all and upgrade to something really nice like a Hammer, Felder or MiniMax? Something not made in China. I can recommend the N4400 (think its on sale right now still for the holidays). Buy one good, well built one and itll last you many years.

[Andy Fox]

You could make or buy a table and fence for your current bandsaw.

If you use small blades, think about how the guides on a new saw will work out.

[Allan Speers]

You sound like me! Five bandsaws here, some for wood, some for metal.

I too have a Delta with riser that I've used for quite a bit of resawing, but some years back I bought an 18" Rikon and don't use the Delta much now. Both will handle the same height but what I like a lot about the Rikon is the ability to crosscut 18". I use this capacity often when slicing up green wood for turning blanks and when whacking something too thick for the sliding miter saw. The dust collection is a lot better on the Rikon too, especially since I added a dust around the lower bearings under the table. And the blades seem to stay sharp longer - this makes sense to me since there are more teeth to do the same amount of cutting so each tooth gets less total wear. The only downside of more teeth is sharpening takes longer! (I usually sharpen a blade once or twice.)

JKJ

Yep. earlier this year I went from a very nice Delta X5 14" / riser to a Grizzly 21". I did it mainly because I wanted ore resaw height (14.5" vs 12") but so far have not even used that capacity. - But having te MUCH larger table is just wonderful. Also, the table on my Griz is much lower to the ground, which I really like, being only 5' 8" tall. Plus the Jet's "1 HP" motor is probably really around 3/4 HP, which is pretty marginal if you'r cutting it's maximum resaw capacity.

As good as the new Laguna 14" appears to be, I don't see it as a significant upgrade from a well-pimped Delta 14". For $1800, you could easily find a very nice 17" - 18" with a much bigger table and more horsepower. I suppose if crosscutting on the BS is not that important to you, then you could get the Laguna and build hinged infeed-outfeed support, which then lowers the footprint when not in use. - But you still have a table at 35.5", which IMO is not optimal.

As for the new Jet, I don't see that model listed anywhere, including Jet's home site. If you mean the Jet JWBS 14DXPRO, I wouldn't even consider it, vs the Laguna. The Laguna includes a brake, and a MUCH better guidepost. Of course, it's almost twice the price, too.

[Rick Potter]

Sorry guys,

Put the wrong number on the Jet saw. It is the steel frame 14 SF.

What I want is a saw for general purpose. If I get a larger saw, most seem to have a low table for resawing, which I will seldom do. My saw table is about 44 inches high, and it fits me just fine. I want a good solid saw, with a good fence, guides, large table, etc. The Delta I use all the time has a home made 24X24 table on it, and I love it, but I lose the miter slot and the rudimentary fence because of it. I know I could make another, or extend the table around the edges, but I would still have a 1/2HP saw. I even bought one of those corner tables Carter sold to enlarge the table, but whenever I moved the saw, I had to readjust it, so it got sold.

I am hoping to find a nice heavier duty saw for regular band saw use, cutting curves, cutting toe kicks, band saw boxes, and the occasional resaw. If I sell most of the ones I have, I should be able to afford a good one, if they exist.

If they don't, I guess I will have to redo my Delta.

For a long while I got into buying and selling tools, and ended up being a tool junky. I am gradually selling off stuff I don't use, and trying to improve on the ones I do use. So....anyone seen a Jet 14SF....Amazon has a 1 1/2HP for $1599 delivered, and a 3HP SF3 for $1799 delivered.

PS: Crap, I was moving stuff in the shop around and found another saw...my dad's Ryobi band saw with the 1 1/2" blade, made for resawing. Only problem is, it only resaws 6" high. Forgot I had it.