Thread: Table saw advice - which Jet to buy

I agonized over which saw to buy for some time. It was also my first table saw.
The reviews for the JPS-10TS were fairly positive, you may have seen this one

JET ProShop Saw - NewWoodworker.com LLC

That is what I purchased and I am very happy. I have the unit on a mobile base and I like the solid fence. If I had more room I would have gone for optional longer rails.

Although only a novice in regards to things of lumber it does what I need and well.

Go for the best one you can afford, the CS1012 has a bigger motor & will take a 12" blade.

I have a much older 10" Jet Cabinet saw & I am happy with it but it would be nice if it took a bigger blade.

I posted in the other thread (Woodlee's) but the CS1012 is not a Jet. Great saw though and more than happy with mine.
I suggest you shop around though Gary Pye Woodturning :: Gary Pye Woodturning - GPW 10/12" Table Saw

I have the JET JPT-10TS, and if I had the choice again I'd buy something else.

Quality is nothing to write home about (cast extension tables not flat, but apparently "within spec" according to JET....), dust extraction is crap, fence not straight (I had to take it apart and shim it out) - you're just paying for the JET name IMHO.

The generic CS1012 saw looks like a better buy - either from GPW or whichever supplier corresponds with the state you're in. I presume Major Woodworking in Sydney now sell their own version of this saw too.

If I were you I'd have a think about whether a sliding table would be useful for crosscutting. If I got another saw I'd be looking for this feature - the sliding tables on cheaper saws can be a bit crappy, but I still think its a feature worth looking for.

Had my JPS 10 for over two years now, so far so good. It was an upgrade from my Triton setup which I found useful but eventually outgrew.

It’s a solid, grunty hybrid which has performed well over the time I’ve had it. However, if I had to choose over I’d have put more forethought into safety and considered a TS with a riving knife, i.e. a splitter that rises and falls with the blade.

Aside from assembly the saw was pretty much ready straight out of the box. Setting up the cast iron wings was a bit fiddly and I could have done with an extra pair of hands on several occasions. Assembly took me a couple of evenings from memory. The first thing I did, post-assembly, was make a wheel base from some leftover decking timber, makes moving the TS around the shop much easier.

Adjusting the trunnions some months back to sort out blade alignment was awkward. The manual recommends flipping the table on its top to access the bolts but this would mean flipping it back and forth to check when the alignment was finished, impractical given the weight of the TS. I left it upright and managed to align the blade eventually, after probably 1-2 hours.

Air moisture is an issue in Wellington and I find my cast iron tops needing a semi-regular scrub down to get rid of the rust and rub down with furniture wax.

If you’re going to plug a DC into the back of the saw you might also need to plug some of the holes in the base of the housing. I made a shroud to cover the centre trunnion and attached my DC to that instead which works fine apart from occasionally getting clogged up with larger chips which is easy enough to clean out. The shroud does make changing blades less hassle free though.

The blade out of the box is fine for ripping and rough work. I purchased a Freud combo blade and while it takes a little longer to cut it gives an excellent finish.

The fence on the Jet is superb, easy to setup, glides effortlessly and is rock solid when locked into place. The mitre gauge while fairly basic is good, and being able to adjust the play in the gauge slot is easy. The blade guard dust cover is basic and a bit of a nuisance at times tending to pivot on its nose with larger pieces of wood.

If you can have a play with both machines and see which one you prefer. The two things I'd like changed on the JPS 10 are the riving knife and blade cover with inbuilt dust extraction.

In response to the last post (GarethR):

I agree - a riving knife would be a HUGE improvement over the splitter. I'm not sure if any of the cheaper saws have this yet though.

Yup - trunnion adjustment is a pain. Like you, I read the manual and thought "What the...?" Luckily, by removing the dust port cover completely, it is just possible to reach in and get at the required bolts. Small hands needed......

Re. rust on the top, as well as using wax/G15/lanolin etc., it really helps to keep the saw covered with an old sheet when not in use. Leave the blade wound right up to hold the sheet off the table surface. Moisture condenses on sheet, not saw.

Sorry, but I'd disagree about the JET ripping blade that came with the saw - a piece of junk IMHO. A combo blade rips much better than the dedicated JET ripping blade !

Ditto the mitre gauge - replaced mine with an Incra, which made a huge difference to crosscut accuracy. I believe several other posters have done the same.

I note that the CS1012 is actually cheaper than the JET, but you have to add freight to the cost. The equivalent saw from MWE in Sydney is $1550 incidentally.

Originally Posted by NCArcher

I posted in the other thread (Woodlee's) but the CS1012 is not a Jet. ...

Oops, I didn't know that, it is on the Jet Tool Shop Townsville website....

In response to Post #8 (Mr Bush):

Thanks for the sheet idea, I'll give it a bash. I'd thought about doing something similar before as I noticed the development of a rust shadow under where my rip fence had been placed over one of the wings. I was worried though about placing a sheet directly over my table, but your idea of raising the blade is a good one. What sort of sheet would you recommend, cotton, plastic....? Do you find any specific wax, etc better for rust prevention over another?

I did mention the JET provided blade being enough for "rough" work. I'd never use the provided blade for anything more than cutting lumber which I might use for building a fence, framing, etc. I've wondered about having it sharpened though by a professional outfit, reckon it'd improve the quality of cut?

Have an Incra mitre guage too but I find myself using the JET guage more often than I expected, might be the handle that provides a better grip. As far as provided miter guages go it's not too shabby, IMO.

The CS1012 does have a fully adjustable riving knife. The only problem is because the saw can take a 12" blade the splitter is sized to suit a 12". It extends above the blade when using a 10". I will probably cut mine down or make a smaller one when i get around to it. I think Woodlee was going to make a smaller one out of brass.

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

Oops, I didn't know that, it is on the Jet Tool Shop Townsville website....

Taiwanese built I think. Rebadged by whoever sells it. Mine has GPW on the front

GarethR - a cotton sheet is best, e.g. old bedsheet, doona cover, etc.

I've used most of the different rust preventatives over the years, and they all work to some degree. For getting surface rust off, the best thing I've found is "Rust Remover" (i.e. phosphoric acid solution) sold at most auto shops under different brands and very cheap. Just be careful not to get it on aluminium - remove the fence before you start, wind the blade down, and try not to get any on the little black 'blade lock' button as it will remove the anodising ! Apply with 0000 steel wool, which removes the rust easily without taking lots of metal off.

After this, wipe the top down with WD40 or your solvent of choice, and give it a good buff with a clean cloth to remove all chemical residues until dry. Finally, apply a light coat of wax (Ubeaut Trad Wax is great for this), and give it a good buff. When covered with a cotton sheet you shouldn't need to do the rust removal bit very often - just give another coat of wax every few months.

I wouldn't waste any time on the JET blade. I get what you say about using it for rough though - maybe reclaimed timber where nails may be present? I just thought it was funny that a dedicated ripping blade produces a crappier cut quality than a jack-of-all-trades combo blade !

The JET mitre gauge I got with my saw has a design/quality fault that makes it unusable - you may have got a better one. I use the JET version on my bandsaw, which came with an even crappier mitre gauge as standard . Even the cheapest Incra gauge is a huge improvement in accuracy, when correctly adjusted for the mitre slot.

NCArcher - if the CS1012 has a proper rise/fall riving knife, that's a huge plus.

I've heavily modified the splitter on my JET saw (i.e. hacked lumps off it....), but these days I tend to just include a stubby splitter on my home-made zero clearance inserts. I also keep one zero clearance insert without splitter for use when making trenching cuts, etc.

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

NCArcher - if the CS1012 has a proper rise/fall riving knife, that's a huge plus.

I've heavily modified the splitter on my JET saw (i.e. hacked lumps off it....), but these days I tend to just include a stubby splitter on my home-made zero clearance inserts. I also keep one zero clearance insert without splitter for use when making trenching cuts, etc.

Sounds like you have the American version, the majority of Jets now are the Euro versions with the splitter rising with the blade, and better dust port (without the little holes like on yours) and the blade retracts beneath the table (I have never known that as an issue as they all retract under the top)

#12 Mr Brush

Thanks for the info on rust removal, TS is in need of a scrub down so I'll try your method below this weekend.

What design flaw does your stock mitre guage have? Unfortunately most stock mitre guages seem to be a pile of junk these days.

I've contemplated replacing the current splitter with a Triton-like splitter and dust guard. The guard alone would be easy to remove if it was getting in the way and it adds at least some above table dust extraction.