Man am I unhappy!!!!

[keith]

I'll try to make this rant short! I picked up a new Jet18 bandsaw at the woodworkers warehouse(WW) on Sat.(i realize this would make many people happy, but i'm picky) I got the saw home and set it up. The fit and finish were very good. The saw looks really nice. I was very disappointed to see that the whole upper wheel housing flexes with any(i'm talking two fingers here) pressure. The same with the blade guides(mounted solid to the upper wheel housing. When you tension the blade the housing flexes towards the table. Basically the upper wheel and the blade guide are bolted to the side of the wheel housing without much support. I suspect that the saw could be tuned to cut nicely,but I like to get a "warm tingly" feeling of using a quality tool,not one I have to fuss with. I'm not a Jet basher! I have a 3hp jet cabinet saw and love it. The rant problem comes in here. As we all know WW is bankrupt and will not accept any returns, Jet will not take the saw from me directly,only from a distributor. I knew that I could not go back to WW, but I thought I was safe with Jet as I had great support on the cabinet saw. THE BOTTOM LINE IS I HOSED UP AND SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT A MM16. The good part is that I payed the same price as I would have for a 14" with a riser block- and the saw is more capable. I suspect after I calm down things will look up! Thanks for reading-Keith

[Bay Area Dave]

I was warned away from the Jet's by a local equipment salesman after a very bad experience with the Delta. Too bad you didn't read my posts a while back covering the issue with the Jets flimsy construction, especially how the guides will move to the rear under the slightest pressure.

dave

keith wrote:

[Bob S.]

Keith,

If you live in NY - you can return it right now! See the sign posted at each store in NY. If not in NY, contact your Attorney Generals office and see if they have any special provisions in-place. NY made WWW liquidator honor the gift certificates and allow purchases to be returned that were purchased within the last 30 days.

The guy at the store may not be aware of any state laws that cover liquidation's so don't go to him and ask.

Bob S.

[Rob]

I have a Jet 18" that I have used extensively and am very happy with it.

With the exception of the mobile base, it is a fine saw.

Rob

[John Grossbohlin]

Ditto...

My 18" Jet saw has done what I've asked of it but the three wheeled mobile base should be avoided... too unstable.

John

[keith]

Those of you that are happy with the Jet-Do you think that my saw is missing some bracing or somthing? My upper wheel housing has nothing in it but the angles that hold the upper wheel mech. and the blade guide.The Delta has a large pc of angle and a couple pcs of flat stock braces, Jet offered to send someone to the house, but I figured it was a waste of time. Thanks Keith PS I want to like the saw, i bought a new Gates V belt and some timberwolf blades(have not tried them yet) NOTE to BAD- I must have missed your comments-the many that i saw were good,I did see a couple that said the motor needed replacement.

[Bay Area Dave]

I spent a considerable amount of time scrutinizing the Jet line at a local WW equipment store, armed with some caveats from the salesman who knew of my concerns with the Delta that I just returned. The problem with the flimsy construction of the frame is pretty hard to overlook. I didn't send as much time with the larger units like yours; I was looking primarily at their 16". It was quite a disappointment to see for myself why the salesman warned me away from them, and believe me, he would have loved to make a sale. When I first laid eyes on the 16" I expected from its size, that it would be beefy but instead I followed his advice a grabbed the upper guide in my hand and pushed with modest pressure. It moved backwards a LOT! He gained a lot of respect in my eyes for pointing out the problem.

I'm not much for keeping stuff that doesn't work well for me; it goes back for a refund. YMMV.

dave

keith wrote: