Thread: The $1000 Table-Saw

Going purely on what I've read of the machine and owning the odd piece of Jet gear I would be having a very close look at the $1040 saw. It sounds like good value from the supplier with a ruputation for quality control.

John.

John,
I was recently in a similar situation - wanting to spend around $1,000 and only have 10A power available.

I bought the JET JWTS-10LFR as an upgrade from a Triton WC and are as happy as a pig in .......

Flat tables, quiet motor (that Triton saw screaaaaams), greater cutting depth, takes a dado, 'rea' mite slot/gauge, great fence, tilting arbour.......It's all good!

On a mobile base with a router table in the wings...beautiful.

I know there are better saws around but for the price/quality/performance I am one happy camper!

Glenn

Go on a tour of the woodwork places in brissy
be on the lookout for:
A fence that sits 90deg to the table
A fence that pulls up paralel to the blade
A dead flat cast iron top
Adjusters that look and feel solid
Blade that will set at 90deg to table and even have a bit more back tilt

Take a straight edge and a set square with you and check em out closely. You will soon find the one for you

there are plenty of saws <$1000 the lower the price the more things you will find less than perfect.

At that price you will find a nice saw - good luck and have fun.
BTW have you discounted getting a bandsaw?

Then buy the one you just checked, because the one in the crate is not necessarily anything like it!

Originally Posted by Glenn_M

John,
I was recently in a similar situation - wanting to spend around $1,000 and only have 10A power available.

I bought the JET JWTS-10LFR as an upgrade from a Triton WC and are as happy as a pig in .......

Flat tables, quiet motor (that Triton saw screaaaaams), greater cutting depth, takes a dado, 'rea' mite slot/gauge, great fence, tilting arbour.......It's all good!

On a mobile base with a router table in the wings...beautiful.

I know there are better saws around but for the price/quality/performance I am one happy camper!

Glenn

Glenn, does the blade on this one tilt right or left?

Have you put some 90-100mm hardwood through this saw, how did the 1.5hp motor cope?

Originally Posted by old_picker

BTW have you discounted getting a bandsaw?

No its still on my short list

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Glenn, does the blade on this one tilt right or left?

Have you put some 90-100mm hardwood through this saw, how did the 1.5hp motor cope?


Then buy the one you just checked, because the one in the crate is not necessarily anything like it!

Good points

Originally Posted by Big Shed

Glenn, does the blade on this one tilt right or left?

Have you put some 90-100mm hardwood through this saw, how did the 1.5hp motor cope?

Tilts right. Max depth of cut is about 80mm. Fed it some 75mm Vic Ash without problem. I've not used a3+hp table saw to compare it to so I'm not sure how to comment. If I shove 75mm hardwood through it them I'm sure it could complain but it cut it as fast as I wanted.

I only have me old 2400W Triton to compare it to. Haven't noticed a deacrease in power.

I guess you'd need to physically try a few machines to know for sure.

Glenn

Thanks Glenn.

A good friend of mine has a Jet Contractor saw and uses it quite heavily, has had it for the past 6 mths or so, and loves it. he reckons its the ants pants. nice smooth quiet and accurate, it is definitely a good solid saw.

you would not regret a purchase of this sort... he actually got a $100 blade thrown in for free

John

I have had my current tablesaw for about 12 years now. It is a Carba-tec KS-12K. It is a current model and still $995. For this you get a 12" blade capacity (the saw comes without a blade) and 2 hp. The top is cast iron with cast iron wings. All-in-all a very, very solid machine. The fence is a little old fashioned in that it is not a T-bar but a twin-rail. It has always served me well, is easy to adjust, solid and accurate, and I have not been motivated to change it. I rip and crosscut hardwoods all the time on this saw. The motor copes OK, but I may swap it out for a 3 hp at some future date.

http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/ind..._450_3080_3130

I bought mine with the optional extra, then available (not sure now), which was a sliding table. This is an exceptional piece of engineering as it is very accurate - I used to unbolt the sliding table for storage and re-attach it when needed. It never required more than a minute or two to set up (quite unlike the Triton crappy thingie). Now it is up permanently, and it takes up very little room. I think that the sliding table was about $350 extra.

Wild Dingo has his eyes on my set up, and I think that his cost more than double mine.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Hi John,

I can only recommend going to the shops rather than analysing on the internet or in brochures. I had a hot list of table saws last year, then visited the shops and was quite disappointed at the quality. Fences not square, tables not solid etc etc, so much so that I bought a decent scms and put a tablesaw in the plans for the future. I only tend to suffer on ripping timber, but with a decent cs, guide and a little bit of planing I make up the difference. Maybe in a few years I will buy a better table saw - around the $1300 gets you the 10" one from carbatec which is solid.

Good luck, buying new machinery is always fun!!

Tom

Here are the max tolerances listed by Gary Rogowski in a FWW article:

Table saw flatness over 24" x 36": 8 - 9 thou
Arbour: 1 thou runout

Clearly the mitre slot needs to be parallel with the blade and can be checked with a combination square. Ditto the fence but I have read that opening out slightly at the rear can help stop burning and marking of sheet materials. No tolerances are given in the article.

Figures are also listed for a jointer.

Source: G. Rogowski 'Tune-up kit for machines: three basic tools to get you started', reprinted in Powertool Basics, 2007, Taunton Press

Originally Posted by derekcohen

John

I have had my current tablesaw for about 12 years now. It is a Carba-tec KS-12K. It is a current model and still $995. For this you get a 12" blade capacity (the saw comes without a blade) and 2 hp. The top is cast iron with cast iron wings. All-in-all a very, very solid machine. The fence is a little old fashioned in that it is not a T-bar but a twin-rail. It has always served me well, is easy to adjust, solid and accurate, and I have not been motivated to change it.

Derek

John,
I have the same saw as Derek and I bought it in 1995.
It has done a power of work over that time, and is everything that Derek says it is.
I am happy with the 2HP motor and I don't see myself ever needing another table saw.
I paid more than $995 when I bought it and those were in the days when a dollar was woth a lot more.
If you can score one of these today for $995, then I would jump at it.
Happy shopping
SG