Jet Band Saw - unknown model number

[david mcintyre]

Would anyone happen to know about this Jet band saw?

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The ad says it's a 14" and it comes with a 4" throat extension and deluxe guide. Elderly gentleman is selling and they are moving to FL. Says he never used it much, same as the guy he bought it from. Would it be worth $550?
Sincerely, Dave.

[Dave Cav]

Looks like a pretty old Delta clone. You can get a new Grizzly for that kind of money. It wouldn't be worth anywhere near $500 to me.

[Ken Platt]

That looks like the one I have - model JWBS-14cs. Idm not sure what you mean by a "throat extension" , but it looks to have a nice aftermarket fence, upgraded guides, as well as being on wheels, always nice. It looks to be in good shape. I've been using mine for something like 15 years, still runs just fine. It takes a 6" riser to get you a 12 inch resaw capacity, although it's underpowered for that. Jet, to me, is a brand name tool equal to any other brand name (Rikon, etc). As Dave pointed out, though, the price seems a bit high vs the Grizzly line, but I would put this saw somewhere between their "Ultimate" and "Extreme" 14 " saws, which gets you to maybe around $700 as the comp price (before shipping). I'd think it a decent purchase if it's in good shape (you need to see it running, of course) if the guy would come down on the price a bit. Just my $.02

Ken

[cody michael]

I have the same saw with a 6 inch riser. I think I paid 200$ but that was like 10 years ago. it has served me well, general bandsaw use and cutting out turning blanks. I think 500 over priced but tool prices have also seemed to be going up lately

[Bryan Lisowski]

It looks similar to the guy I bought my planer from and he was asking $350. His had a lot of miles, but still ran smooth and had no rust. I would have bought, but already had the grizzly.

[Peter Kuhlman]

Looks near identical to my white colored Jet. Some years ago they changed the color but the saws stayed mostly the same. You can add a 6" riser to that if needing more height. I think all the options for the current 14" Jet saws will fit that like guides, quick tension release, tension spring, etc. I have the white one and upgraded the motor to 2hp with guides and quick tension release. Very nice saw but not perfect. Wish they came with a heavier more precise adjustable upper blade guard/guide system as my main complaint.

[Mike Cutler]

Uhmmm,no, it's not worth $550.00.
It's a mid 90's Jet 14" bandsaw. They made a zillion of them. They're not a bad machine, but there's nothing really special about it either. The fence looks aftermarket, and I'm not sure about the guides. Jet switched to cool blocks as OEM, but I forget when.
Depending on when it was purchased, it may have been not been much more new than what he asking 20 years later, maybe even less. The equivalent Delta has a better lower guide setup.

$300-$350 tops, only because of that fence, and that I personally like the 14" Jet bandsaw. Mine has been a pretty solid performer for me.

[Jim Becker]

That's a pre-2000 Jet 14" bandsaw...pretty "standard" setup, quite frankly. But I agree that the asking price is too high since new of comparable or better quality are available for that money or slightly more. For $300, perhaps, but not $550. I sold a later version of that same saw for something like $300-350 if I recall back in 2004 when I bought my MM16.

[Steve Reich]

It looks identical to the one that I bought off Craigslist two years ago. Mine did not have risers, a fence, tires, or a mobile base and required a lot of cleaning (the owner, who had acquired it from someone else, was not a woodworker and used it once to cut up some animal that he had hunted). I only paid $200.00 and then bought a few upgrades such as urethane tires, link belt, some good blades, and created a bigger shop made table with a fence. It's been a good machine, but I don't use a band saw that much, and am still learning how to use it, quite frankly. With that said, even though the one that you are looking at is in much better condition than mine when I bought it, I think that $550 is far too much. I'd offer $275 and see if he'll maybe settle for $325. Anything over that, as the others have indicated, is too much. My view of the machine is very similar to what Mike Cutler expressed above. If the seller doesn't budge, I'd recommend that you keep looking. Bandsaws of that quality pop up on Craigslist frequently, and you can get a good machine for $300.00 or less.

[david mcintyre]

Thanks so much everybody. Great information. I've been looking for a used bandsaw for a few months now but not really seeing anything worthwhile that's priced right. I'm going to go look at it today with the intention that I will not buy but I'll see what he has to say. Also, want to look at all the other stuff he's getting rid of. See if there's anything interesting.
Sincerely, Dave.