Hi,
Looking at the Jet 14″ Bandsaw and was wondering if there is a discernable difference between the 1hp and the 1 1/4 hp. I intend on getting the riser block and would love to be able to resaw up to 12″ on occasion but is the extra 1/4hp a necessity?
Thanks,
Eric
Replies
This is tricky territory because a lot of manufacturers find ways to obscure the true horsepower of their motors. The two motors could be identical. Search around on the web for explanations of other motor information such as service factor before making your choice.
Pete
Cirept,
I got the bigger motor with mine and I'd wished I'd gotten an even bigger motor.. Too many times power was lacking.. Too much power and the blade spins on the rubber tires, but that's never happened to me...
There are two discernible differences between the JWBS-14CS (1 hp) and JWBS-14DX (1-1/4 hp) besides horsepower. The DX has nine-spoke wheels (versus six for the CS) and has quick release blade tensioning. The increase in horsepower is slight; when resawing 12", the more relevant question would be a 14" or 16" or larger.
Recomend that you save your money and buy a MiniMax instead. They are every bit of the bandsaw that Jet and Delta say they are and secretly wish that they could be. I know that the MM's are a bit pricy, superior Italian machinery tends to be that way ( think Ferrarri, Campagnolo ). I had a 1 1/2 hp Jet 18", what a piece of c---. I tried to live with it after plunking down the $1100, real hard to return stuff bought online. I hated so many things on that "machine". Finally had to replace it, did my research right the next time. Took advantage of MM's lay-away plan, and have been absolutely thrilled with what I have now. If you are at all serious then spend the money for a real machine. I have also used other Jet and Delta bandsaws, I think that they all suck. But that is just my humble opinion.
Edited 6/21/2006 2:07 am ET by BigK
What exactly did you dislike about the Jet? How is the MM that much better for my purposes?
Thanks
The list of dislikes was pretty long for that tool. The tension adjustment on that saw was really difficult, I suspect that the threads were poorly cut, and you had to crank the handwheel quite a ways to acheive tension. The tension spring had to be replaced. The new spring did help but I still could not get enough tension for some blades. Once the blade was tensioned I had to use a large set of pump pliers to adjust the tracking. The adjustments for the lower guides were impossible to get to, especially the thrust bearing. And 1 1/2 hp is totally inadequate for resawing. A bandsaw with adequate hp will allow a much faster feed rate that results in a superior resaw result, there is less waste lost to cleaning up the cut. By comparison my MiniMax is a dream to tension; about 2 turns of the handwheel that you can almost spin with an index finger. All of the adjustments are smooth and tight, and they stay adjusted where you set them. There is no comparison between a 3.6hp saw and a 1 1/2hp saw, trust me on that one. And yes, I also cut very intricate curves using a 1/4" blade with no problems. I just think that the MiniMax bandsaw is what the Jet andDelta claim to be and wish that they were, both brands either 14" or 18". The comparison is of two extremes in quality of manufacturing and design.
BigK
Sorry to jump in here, but I had none of the issues you did.. Maybe that's the real issue the lower priced ones have variable quaity control and minimal checking at the factory?
Your discription of the Minimax sounds nice however.. But I wonder if I would feel OK about plunking a down one of my big timbers on it and carving away? Would it feel like hauling home a sheet of plywood in a Rolls Royce?
Perhaps you would be more comfortable plunking that big timber onto one of those little 3-wheeled bandsaws for your carving. At least that way you wouldn't have to worry about being out of your comfort zone. Personally, I am going to defer to the larger, more "appropriate" machine for the task. Thank you.
I also have the Jet 18" saw and have had no significant problems with it. I'm a hobbyist and were the saw 'mission-critical' for me to make a living, I would probably invest in a better saw.Adjusting the lower blade guides is a real pain on this saw. There had to be a better way to lay this out.My opinion is probably colored somewhat by the fact I paid $700.00 for a floor model. Whether or not you need a 'better' saw is probably largely related to how much you plan to use it, for what purpose and how much time you're willing to devote to setting up for a cut.I'm not familar with the smaller Jet saw. I only chimed in because I didn't want you the think that a Jet saw was incapable of getting the job done.Matt
Eric,
I have had the Jet 14" 1 HP saw for a couple of years and find that it is plenty powerful for my needs. I have the riser block and have resawn boards up to around 9 or 10 " with no problems. I did make a couple of upgrades to the saw: Carter Quick Release, Iturra spring, and link belts but out of the box it was fine. Just make sure to use the proper blade for what you want to do (the Carter quick release makes it real easy to change blades) and tension the blade properly.
Having said that, I would always get more power if I could - arrgh! There was only the 1 HP version when I bought mine.
John L
Only 1 HP? I have an idea that might be pretty cheap: get a 3HP router, or better yet a 6.5HP Shop Vac, and rig the motor in that to your bandsaw. This way, you'll only spend less than $200, you'll have over 6 times the power, and you only need a standard 15A electrical outlet.
These shopvac and router motors have amazing HP ratings; I don't know why these machinery companies still use such crappy, underpowered, inefficient motors. How efficient is the motor in those overpriced Minimaxes? A 6.5 HP shopvac motor is at least 269% efficient, if you do the math!!!
(Disclaimer for the humor-impaired: This post contains elements of sarcasm.)
'This post contains elements of sarcasm'
I really couldn't tell. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
'This post contains elements of sarcasm'LOL ... I think all do!
The $1100 Jet was the tool that was overpriced. It was a struggle to use and performed poorly while it performed. It broke the lower axle while still under waurantee, took 3 1/2 weeks to get it resolved under waurantee. And my shop ground to a halt as I was in the middle of a paying job at the time. I will gladly pay $2000 for a machine that is a joy to use and customer service that is second to none after paying $1100 for cr-- and no customer service.
269% efficient
Now that's too funny. It'll give me a chuckle next time I'm asked to give 110% on a project. :)My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
If your JET will take a LENZOX 1 INCH BLADE 3 TOOTH per inch..
Ya can resaw ANYTHING with some practice!
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