Thread: 18" Bandsaw choices

I got the 18' carbatec one and I am very pleased with it, 5 year waranty as well. Good luck on getting carbatec down on price but you will almost get a blade thrown in for the price.

SB

i would go for the jet,even though you say maybe your a carbatec type of guy, i think they are a better built bandsaw......bob(the jet on ebay)
ps where on earth could you get a jet 18'' for $1800

i know they are $2150 for a new jet 18" from northwoods ,but still worth it....bob
'

$2150 is recommended retail they all came to 2K when asked what their price was. But your right they are still good value for the quality.
John

northwoods would not come down too much ......bob

I know Northwoods wouldn't come down much but Gregory Machinery were most accomodating they even threw in a spare blade, sorry you didn't sell yours Bob.
Cheers
John

PS Johns a very happy woodworker, new toys always make for a happy woodworker. From what I can tell so far the Jet is just a superior machine in build, finish and operation.
John

I've got the Carbatec 17" jobby and it has performed brilliantly over the past three years. Mostly I do resawing and ripping.

Originally Posted by chicka

I know Northwoods wouldn't come down much but Gregory Machinery were most accomodating they even threw in a spare blade, sorry you didn't sell yours Bob.
Cheers
John

PS Johns a very happy woodworker, new toys always make for a happy woodworker. From what I can tell so far the Jet is just a superior machine in build, finish and operation.
John

i,m glad i didnt sell mine, the guy i bought it off came round last week and said he forgot to give me these it was the fence,mitre thingy and about 15 blades of which 4 were bimetal.bob

Originally Posted by chicka

Hi All

I have searched the post and can't seem to get a clear answer to my problem.
I have been saving my pennies and researching, and am now in the position of being able to afford a new bandsaw, the choice of which I have narrowed down to 2. My main criteria is a depth of cut of 300mm for re-sawing. The choices are the Carbatec 17" or the Jet 18", I have been able to get the jet down to $1800 and haven't begun to bargain with Carbatec yet but their RRP is $1795. I should be able to screw Carbatec down a bit or at least get them to throw in some goodies. The question at the end of all this is, between the Jet and Carbatec is there a vast difference in build quality and the quality of the rip fence. If anybody can share their thoughts or experiences it would be greatly appeciated.

Cheers

John

When you screw someone, you usually finish up being screwed.
Its just great to get what you pay for.

Cheers
Edwards

Hi! Instead of starting a new thread on 18" BS I'll try here even though it appears abandoned...
As u guest I'm in the buyer’s seat, this will be my 1st wood BS & hopefully last my lifetime. I have trolled the web searching and comparing spec's and price with H&F, Carba-tec, Jet, Sherwood, Hammer and some others to obscure to mention. It’s all well and good with specs & pics, their such wonderful liars... You have to venture forth and see & feel to truly differentiate between the above. I am fortunate to live close to Brisbane and have just done that. What with the Bris Wood Expo & H&F's sale coming up on the same week-end I figure $$$ savings...
I was convinced the BP480/SBW-4800CE was for me until I inspected it. The built quality was disappointing; I then did a furious sweep-a-round to look at the rest and finally have decided on an 18" Jet... Chalk & Cheese. Really for ~$500 more outstanding quality, strength and 5yr warranty.
Now, the question which Jet 18"? I'm surprised at how many models are out there.
VBS-18MW, JWBS-18Q, JWBS-18DX-CE, JET-JWBS-18X have I missed any except the commercial units?
I'm after a 2-speed BS and the new JWBS-18Q is just the ticket I think? If anyone has any advise or experence with the JWBS-18Q now is a good time to give me any feedback because tomorrow it will be in the trailer on the way home.
Thanks.

Oh well, no feedback no worries, it was short notice? Never mind I reviewed my choice on the Jet JWBS-18Q still couldn’t fault my decision on it for quality and value. So nipped in picked it up, sitting in the shed The End... Oh, some day I might just un-crate it? No hurry it's now just another trophy in the shed... to -off the misses...

Congrats on the new bandsaw

I`m looking at the same model and am trying to decide between the Jet and the Carbatec 17"
I`ve been quoted a price in the high $2000`s for the Jet and the carbatec 17" will be allmost a grand cheaper.
Trying to decide if the jet is worth the extra grand or not.

Originally Posted by gooma

Congrats on the new bandsaw

I`m looking at the same model and am trying to decide between the Jet and the Carbatec 17"
I`ve been quoted a price in the high $2000`s for the Jet and the carbatec 17" will be allmost a grand cheaper.
Trying to decide if the jet is worth the extra grand or not.

Sorry I did not get back to you earlier, but that's another story I'm trying to fix...
I paid $2300 and got 3 extra blades thrown in at a value of around $120.
It was the second last one available in Queensland probably in Oz the first shipment from Jet Australia now 4 months ago just vanished. That’s how good they are, Jet Australian will not have any more till Feb-Mar 2010 and the price may or may not fall as the Oz dollar is supposed to go up in the New Year.
As for selecting the Jet, as I said the internet was great getting location, makes/models/specs but lousy showing quality in engineering.
I was so convinced in getting the Taiwanese BS model BP-480 (18”) from H&F until I saw it. I then immediately decided to compare the build/engineering quality of the Jet JWBS-18Q (18”) and a few others like the Carbatec SBW-4800CE (19”) which is almost identical to the BP-480.
This is what struck me; first as I’m retired I tend to feel sometimes too old, too cynical and grumpy when parting with money certainly one who doesn’t want to part with his hard earned money buying twice.
Now the other BS’s:
The handles were light, small, flimsy, stiff and some loose on shafts.
Post small, hollow, light, flimsy. Rack & pinion loose, teeth made from pressed narrow sheet plate (jet solid large cast iron full width Rack & pinion teeth).
Doors flimsy and misaligned/forced to close, sloppy weld on hinges.
Not all were cast Iron Wheels some were alloy. Jet’s wheels were Heavy Duty Cast Iron.
Some Safety Micro Switches did not have a protective shield and could be easily broken.
Bearing Blade Guides were difficult and inadequate to adjust unlike the Euro quick release and easy setup of the Jet (Jet’s guides looked sold heavy duty quality).
Post clearance and guide inside the top wheel cabinet appeared flimsy and touched the wheel when post raised fully in some models.
Paintwork poor and patchy in the corners and inside the cabinets.
Some Base’s were narrower, wonky and a Lighter gauge of steel.
The Jet was almost faultless in built, engineering, weld joints and paint work. I found only one disappointment the model displayed did not have a quick release lever. At that time I was unaware of the new Jet JWBS-18Q model which was practically sold out as soon as it hit the Australian docks 3 months earlier. The new models have an awesome 3 position quick release lever; normal, tension release and blade removal. And it’s big, did I say BIG and easy to use... As I said chalk and cheese, Jet has left its competition for dead.
The question was the $551 price difference... I thought about it for a while thinking of the worry about problems with fiddling with table alignment, guide alignment/maintenance, difficulty in blade tensioning and crappy wheels/handles/Rack & pinion teeth. I came to a decision it was just not worth the worry over trying to save $551. Now, when I walk, more like shuffle into the Shed I smile with pride and not a second though crosses my mind whether I made the right decision.
PS, the Carba-Tec 17" CE Bandsaw you mentioned is a lighter smaller BS and I compared it originally within the 16” BS range. I know H&F stopped sell their 17” model. Choosing the size of your new BS is a difficult and personal decision. As this was my first wood BS I hunted down all I could read from reviews, opinions and what people’s usage. I finally came to the conclusion 18” is the optimum size should you wish to resaw and whatever a 14”, 16”, 17” could do an 18” can do better. The final question is how serious do you want acute quality repeatable work from a BS without constant fiddling and maintenance and how much your prepared to sacrifice your hard earned savings. As I don’t smoke, drink, gamble and rarely go out because of my health issues. I was able to stretch the budget to buy my new Jet JWBS-18Q on my pension and don’t forget I waited for the Brisbane Wood Show/H&F Sale which also coincided with other Machinery shop sales in November...

Happy BS.



Cured...

For the little use my 18" Jet has had it is fantastic. The only issue I have had is myself and Pat did some re-sawing of Iron Bark telegraph poles and it spat the dummy when the motor got hot and kept tripping the circuit breaker. Everyone talks of blade drift but I have never seen it on the Jet and I am sure that is due to the bearing set up which is different to most from what I have seen. The blade actually rides against the race of the bearing not the side of it so is not pushed sideways by the bearing action as most saws are.