Today, things change a lot faster than they used to. Specifications change, new models are constantly being introduced, innovative product are available that didn't even exist just 5 years ago. That's the reason you may see more than one review on a particular machine. If the manufacturer significantly changes the specifications on a machine then I may opt to do a new review. Of course the changes will have to be really significant for that to happen.
In my experience the best gauge of how well a machine works is listen to what people who actually own and use the machine say. I'll have to say the overall reviews for the Jet JWBS 14CS are great. When asked to rate their overall satisfaction with the bandsaw, nearly 50% rated it 5 out of 5 stars and over 50% rated it 4 out of 5 stars. In my experience anytime you can get multiple (25 or more) reviews and over 50% of them are 4 stars or better, then the machine is a good one.
So what were some of the points brought up by owners:
Assembly is very easy due to the owners manual actually having pictures to assist you in the assembly.
From unpacking the saw to cutting the first piece of wood took less than 2 hours.
The saw "cuts like butter through even tough wood". The saw runs quietly and the cuts are straight and it will not take long for this saw to become the favorite tool in your shop. The resawing capabilities are great and the saw will pay for itself quickly by making your own veneers. The included fence and miter gauge are excellent quality. The wheels are balanced and the saw runs very smooth and out of the box the wheels were adjusted co-planer.
Was there any complaints? Sure. For example one user made the point that adjusting the motor belt tension was difficult to do single handed and suggested that a helper be available for making the adjustment. Fortunately the adjustment is most likely and one time adjustment. Personally, I have never had to readjust the belt on my Jet Bandsaw.
For me, that minor irritation is more than offset by how easy the saw is to replace the blade. Without adding an additional top, the blades replacement is a snap. Open the doors, loosen the guides and the blade will slip off and there's a slot in the table the blade will slip through. Couldn't be easier. And since the blade runs from top to bottom, the teeth should be installed down. Haste makes waste. At some point in time nearly every woodworker installs the blade on a bandsaw backwards and the blade on a circular saw backwards at least once.
And while we are on the bandsaw blades topic. This bandsaw handles blade sizes from 1/8" all the way up to 3/4". You can do some serious resawing with a 3/4" blade. A very nice feature is the blade tensioning system for the Jet JWBS 14CS. If you have ever tried to properly adjust the tension on some other brands of bandsaws then you probably came away with scrapped knuckles and left a few curse words in the process. This is definitely not the case with this bandsaw. The blade tension knob is convenient and unobstructed and easy to turn. There is also a blade tensioning gauge too. Keep in mind that the blade tensioning gauge is for 'normal' blades. Some high end blade manufacturers (like the one I use) recommend that you do not go by the tensioning gauge and instead have their own methods to properly adjust the tension on their blades. Generally this means a lot less tension than shown on the gauge.
Adjusting the blade tracking is remarkably easy with this saw. Open the upper door, loosen a wing nut and spin the wheel by hand while watching the blade track on the wheel. Adjust a know until the blade is tracking in the center of the wheel and then tighten the wing nut. That's it. In my experience with my Jet bandsaw, I have never had to re adjust the tracking except when I change blades. The saw is that stable and balanced.
Unlike most of the competition, the Jet JWBS 14CS comes with a high quality fence too. It is extremely stable with the use to 2 steel rails which secure it to the table in front and in back. If you have ever used a bandsaw with a flimsy fence to resaw then you know what a disaster it can be. A flimsy fence will not keep the wood at the exact distance from the blade while cutting a long piece. The result is a resawn piece of wood that gets thicker and thicker as you cut through.
If you are sitting on the fence wondering which bandsaw to buy, the fence and miter gauge alone should be enough to push you to the Jet JWBS 14CS bandsaw.
One owner said it best "Can't praise the quality (of the saw) or the cuts enough. Buy it! You WILL NOT regret it!.
The majority of customer reviews for the
JET JWBS 14DXPRO or the Jet JWBS 14dx are four stars or higher. That is a testament to just how good this bandsaw really is. The actual model number from Jet is 14DXPR.
Since the saw is pretty heavy you will most likely need a buddy to help you assemble it. Otherwise you will end up having to lift the top section and place it on the base and that means lifting about 200 pounds. For me I used a 'come along' attached to the ceiling of my shop and then placed straps around the top section to lift it. It was a bit of a pain but I didn't have to wait until I could get a friend to help me.
As I have stated in just about all my bandsaw reviews, the blade that comes with the bandsaw is really not that great in quality and you will need to order some good bandsaw blades.
If you are a stickler about precision then you will not be using the fence that comes with the saw. There's really nothing wrong with it for most cuts but if you expect to get the most out of your Jet JWBS14DX then you should buy an after market bandsaw table. There are a number of them available. Since I do a lot of slicing of really thin veneer strips I opted for an after market table and I'm glad I did.
The adjustments are simple and easy to do. Tensioning of the blade as well as blade tracking are pretty simple too. Some reviews say changing the blade is simple, and it is, but it's still a bit of a pain in the behind. This is not a knock on this bandsaw, it's that way on all bandsaws.
Blade guides adjustment is a bit slow and you have to use a little trial and error. I have adjusted blade guides and then when I start the saw the guides aren't adjusted correctly. Take your time and make sure the blade guides are properly adjusted. This, in my opinion, is one of the main reasons that people receive poor performance from their equipment, improper set up.
I have used Carter Roller guides for years and would never use anything else. And, yes, I even have them on one of my current Jet Bandsaws too.
One user made the following comments which pretty much sum up the Jet JWBS 14DXPRO:
"I wanted a quality product that current users held in high regard" You can't beat Jet products for the number of features they have vs. the price.
"I wanted a band saw that was easy to operate". Pretty much says it all.
"I wanted a saw that could do both "heavy duty" chores, and be able to
drop back to the more delicate cuts without having to go through
too many alterations". About the only alteration you will need is that you will have to change the blade for making tight curve cuts.
The JET JWBS 14DXPR is a great mid price range saw and it has some of the same capabilities as bandsaws costing much more money.
If you are old enough to have any gray hair at all then you have probably had one of those "Why didn't I think of that" moments.
When I first say the InlayRazor I had one of those moments. For me, it's just the most recent of those moments, I have had them in the past and expect to have them in the future too. Moving on.....
If you have been into woodworking for any length of time then you have most likely at some point attempted to make inlay. For me, I have tried it a number of times and always ended up buying the 'store bought" inlay veneer strips and ended up using those. Invariably the people who see the finished product are impressed but to me the inlay looks just like the inlay I see in other items. It's kind of like when you remodel a room in your house and everyone who sees it say it looks fantastic, but you, on the other hand, only see that one miter joint that was not quite closed when you walk into the room.
As far as inlay, I have tried to make my own with miserable results. Until I saw the InlayRazor. This thing is like magic when it comes to making precise and unique inlays. Simple to operate and you can even design your own custom inlay designs too. The results are nothing short of remarkable.
The concept is simple. It uses double sided razor blades to make the cutters. Double sided blades are thin, flexible and incredibly sharp. The kit comes standard with four pre-made cutters (s-shaped, arched, straight and cornered). The 'cornered' is not really a corner but more of a "V" shape. The great thing is that you can make your own designs too and they include a video showing you exactly how to do it.
Operation is simple and easy to master. You start by cutting your dado at what every width you want, then you cut another dado in another piece (scrap soft woods works great for this). You will use the scrap piece to 'set up' the inlay. By cutting two pieces you know that if the inlay fits perfectly in your scrap piece, it will fit perfect in your other piece too.
You clamp the InlayRazor to your workbench or table. You secure the cutting block (with the double edged razor in it) to the arm and from there you simply press down on the wood piece you are using for the inlay (1/16" thick of so). Apply a little pressure and you will hear a satisfying 'pop'. That means the piece is cut. You can go cut pieces in seconds and they fit perfectly with one another. You can alternate types of wood for some striking color combinations and you can alter the angle of the cutter blades up to 60 degree either left or right too so you can end up with some very striking and unusual veneer patterns.
I really can't do this device justice just using words so here's a video to show you how this tool works. Trust me you will be impressed.
In my shop my bandsaw is the one machine I know I couldn't live without. I have asked friends what they consider the most important machine in their shop and the answer varies from table saw to bandsaw. For me, since a bandsaw can rip lumber and crosscut I feel it can more do the job of a table saw than a table saw can do a bandsaws job. Anyway, moving on......
If you are looking for a nice high quality bandsaw for your small commercial or your home hobby shop the Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw is the perfect fit for you. This is a high quality machine built to last a long time and it has some really nice features too.
I haver personally used the bandsaw and am speaking from experience.
If you do buy this bandsaw then I would recommend that you buy a Carter roller guide kit to go on it too. For my shop I need some precision curves cut and the roller guides are a life saver when it comes to accuracy. That means less re-work and less touch up so more profit for me. Don't get me wrong, I would recommend the roller guides be used on ANY bandsaw, not just this one.
The Grizzly G0555 14" bandsaw has everything you need in a bandsaw and nothing you don't. In years past the Grizzly reputation suffered. They made good products at great prices but their quality did not seem to be consistent. They changed this by going to a ISO 9001 approved factory. I won't bore you with the details but in order to achieve and maintain an ISO9001 certification you have to meet some extremely stringent quality guidelines. The quality from any ISO9001 factory is guaranteed to be consistently high.
Fit and finish on this bandsaw is excellent too. The one I used was mounted in a movable frame for moving around the shop and to me it appeared to be a little top heavy but that was due to the way it was mounted and not the bandsaw itself.
It has a 1 horsepower motor and operates from standard 120VAC. Although the motor can be rewired to operate from 240VAC too. Standard 1725rpm motor. One feature that I really like is the 2 speed operation. You can set the saw to operate at blade speeds of both 1500 feet per minute and 3200 feet per minute. So if you are having to cut something that needs a slower speed to keep from heating up (like aluminum for example) the slower speed comes in really handy. And no you can't simply slow the feed rate down and accomplish the same thing. All that will do is allow the blade to heat the edges and create some real problems for you.
It comes standard with a 3/8" blade and like most other bandsaw manufacturers blades it's not of extremely high quality. I would recommend you not even used the blade that comes with it and go ahead a buy some higher quality bandsaw blades. There is a world of difference between using a bandsaw like the G0555 with a low quality blade and a high quality blade. Trust me, the difference is amazing. Buying cheap bandsaw blades will not save you money.
Along those lines, even though the G0555 comes standard with a 6" maximum cutting height I would recommend you opt for the riser block option. That will really extend the capacity of your bandsaw. Of course raising the height will make it a little more top heavy and the standard blade that comes with the saw will not work with the riser block.
The table size is 14" by 14" and it comes with a miter gauge too. For my tablesaws, I opt to install a larger base on them. That gives me more support and also give me an adjustable fence so I can make precision high quality repetitive cuts.
This saw can be used to cut some really thin wood strips to use as veneer but you will have to take a little extra time in the set up if you want to slice 1/16" veneer slices. Impossible without a good fence and a good blade regardless of the bandsaw you are using.
Bandsaws aren't cheap but they are one of the more reasonable costing machine you will buy for your shop. As always, only do business with companies that have been in business for a while and who protect your credit card information too.
You can buy the Grizzly G0555 bandsaw here with confidence. Great prices and great service too.
If you are looking at the
Powermatic 209HH Planer then you obviously know what you are doing and are in some sort of commercial wood working business. This is one heck of a planer. Since it's a 20" planer it's not something your will find in your local hobbyist shop. Let's start with the fact that it will handle 20" wide and 8" thick lumber. For it's size it is fairly quiet and the manufacturer says that's due to their use of helical four sided cutter blades.
The finish is really great and you will have minimal touch up work to do after planing lumber using the 209HH planer. Like other machines built for commercial use this one is heavy and weighs in at a hefty 800 pounds. This is a machine designed for production runs. Lumber is fed at two speeds (25 feet per minute and 31 feet per minute) and is operator selectable. Speed adjustments mean more production because you can select the proper speed depending on the type of lumber being planed and the amount of wood being removed. They even include a gear to change the feed rate to 16 feet per minute and 20 feet per minute. That really makes it a 4 speed planer but since it requires a gear change (simple to do) it really is a 2 speed planer.
Heavy duty all the way with a cast iron frame (that is where a lot of the 800 pounds comes from). Designed for really heavy lumber it puts all of the emphasis in the right places. Things like a oil bath gear box and a nice precision ground smooth polished table and the extension wings are nicely finished, long and flat too.
You can take off nearly 1/4" of wood in a single pass (actually 3/32") and it will handle lumber as short as 6.75" too. How many times have you needed to plane a short board but your existing planer couldn't safely handle it? Not a problem with the 209HH.
The dust port is 5" (a step up from their standard 4" port) and you will need a dust collection system capable of 900 cubic feet per minute. A planer this size can take a lot of wood off very quickly so that's why it's necessary for the oversized dust port.
The cutterhead spins at 5000rpm and produces extremely smooth finishes. This is accomplished with a 3 phase, 220VAC, 5 horsepower motor.
While not extremely large you will need to check to be sure you have room in your shop for this machine. Physically it is 26" long and a little over 36.5" wide. At a little over 41.25 inches high it makes it the right height for easily feeding lumber.
Commercial machines are expensive and you should only buy from companies that are secure and have been around for a while. With those things in mind you can
buy Powermatic 209HH Planer here.
If you are looking for information on the
Powermatic 54HH Jointer then you probably already have a jointer and are looking to replace or upgrade the one you already have. If you don't already have a jointer and are looking at the 54HH then you have decided to buy a jointer that is a step above the "hobbyist" grade jointers.
The 54HH is a good quiet six inch jointer. If you have ever been around a jointer in operation then you know how loud they can be, Powermatic designed to operate with less noise. A quieter operation and an absolutely superior finish are reasons enough to buy this jointer. The jointer blade design gives you double the work at the same price. That's because the jointer knives are double sided so when one gets dull (or more likely nicked) you can just reverse the blade and keep going. I wish the jointer I have in my shop was this way. Mine uses standard single sided blades.
Set up is pretty quick with this machine since it has preset stops at ninety degrees and forty five degrees. If you are like most people, these 2 settings will account for over 90% of the jointing you will be doing. The fence is nice too. It's over 3' long and gives good support for jointing long pieces. You will like having a fence this long even on short pieces too. It's nice to be able to have the entire board edge supported when jointing.
The 54HH comes standard with a four inch dust port so it is easy to connect up to a shop dust collection system. The manufacturer recommends a minimum of 800 cubic feet per minute for dust collection. Probably more than your standard shop vac can offer. The nice thing about a jointer is that they don't throw off the really fine dust particles like some other machines so operating them without dust collection has never been a problem for me.
The steel frame makes this jointer pretty heavy as it weighs in at over 300 pounds. You will find the extra weight useful when jointing long boards. I have used lighter jointers in the past and when jointing long boards the jointer actually slid on the floor. That creates problems with the cuts as well as presenting a safety hazard. That is NO problem with this jointer.
The finish is great due to its 4 bladed cutting action and at 6000 rpm. Nice finish and quiet operation too. It uses a standard 120VAc motor so no special shop wiring is required.
When buying online you should stick with companies you know and trust, especially when buying online (something I almost always do these days) be sure the website is secure and protects your credit card information.
Grizzly G0555 Bandsaw
