Jet Table Saw

[chopnhack]

There is a chance I can pick up a dark side saw for $150, tell me what you think:



Can anyone id the model and rough age of the saw? Also, the blade guard is missing, is this a model that can be retrofitted with a splitter or riving knife?

Thanks in advance!

[jussi]

Saw would have to be designed to have a riving knife to accept one which I doubt that one was. You can however get a BORK which mimics a riving knife.

I don't know the model and am no expert but I'd surprised if you couldn't get a replacement splitter from Jet. At worse you can use a MJ splitter.

[toolguy1000]

i wouldn't go near any walter meier group products (jet, powermatic, wilton). long on promise and short on delivery. most of those older jets were right tilts, not really up to current standards. also, if you need any technical support from jet, you are mostly on your own as their tech support is just so disappointingly sub par.

[Knottscott]

$150 for that saw is a steal if it's in good working condition. The fence and motor are worth at least that...the rest of the saw is a bonus, so there's really little downside risk. It looks profitable as a parts saw if you don't like the way it performs. (no reason you shouldn't though) Those saws were very similar to the recent Grizzly G0444Z/G0575, GI, Bridgewood, Woodtek, and PM64a contractor saws, which all came from the Mao Shan plant in Taiwan AFAIK. It was a very popular design, so parts really shouldn't be a problem. If you want it, I wouldn't hesitate long because at that price it's likely to go fast.

Age is probably late 90's...IIRC, the color changed around 2000.

I think the BORK will fit that saw. Or as Jussi suggests, teh MJ Splitter will work too.

[Stytooner]

With Jets, model numbers don't mean alot as far as blade guards and mounting brackets go.
I think they may finish out stock of older model blade guards on newer models before fitting the newer stock on them. I have seen this time and again.
I do make splitters and guards for some of these, but not others. The tell is under the throat plate. Without that, I wouldn't be able to know one way or the other.
The Bork may work, but it currently lacks a guard. If you did fit a Bork on there, you could fab up a cover using an overarm mount. Several popular sets of plans.

You won't be able to fit a true riving knife to it though. Not without a complete redesign of the trunnions.

[JSUPreston]

Not sure about the concerns others have, since I've never used Jet tools, but for the price, I would think it's worth it just for the fence and rails.

[chopnhack]

Agreed, the fence and rails alone look like they may be worth the money. I set up an appointment to see it 1st thing Friday. The seller claims that it runs real well and is only being sold because they upgraded to a PM. I learned that the aux. table is actually a downdraft table complete with 4" connection for DC and the mobile base is included. Are there any resources I can study before I go to check out the saw, a what to look for, etc. of the various parts. I intended to go with a straight edge and a piece of wood, perhaps to do a 4 cut to check how accurate the saw cuts? What are your thoughts?

[Shep]

Agreed, the fence and rails alone look like they may be worth the money. I set up an appointment to see it 1st thing Friday. The seller claims that it runs real well and is only being sold because they upgraded to a PM. I learned that the aux. table is actually a downdraft table complete with 4" connection for DC and the mobile base is included. Are there any resources I can study before I go to check out the saw, a what to look for, etc. of the various parts. I intended to go with a straight edge and a piece of wood, perhaps to do a 4 cut to check how accurate the saw cuts? What are your thoughts?

I like the idea of a downdraft table attached to the wing. Makes it more functional that way.

[jussi]

Agreed, the fence and rails alone look like they may be worth the money. I set up an appointment to see it 1st thing Friday. The seller claims that it runs real well and is only being sold because they upgraded to a PM. I learned that the aux. table is actually a downdraft table complete with 4" connection for DC and the mobile base is included. Are there any resources I can study before I go to check out the saw, a what to look for, etc. of the various parts. I intended to go with a straight edge and a piece of wood, perhaps to do a 4 cut to check how accurate the saw cuts? What are your thoughts?

Use the straight edge to check the flatness of the main table or wings by themselves. Not necessarily the entire top because most saws, including new ones, need shimming to get them dead flat across.

I'd bring a trusty square and see if the blade can be adjusted 90 to the table using the wheels. And if the stops get you to 90 and 45. If not, ask how hard it is to calibrate.

Check to see the arbor moves up and down and tilts freely.

If you have a dial indicator that mounts on a miter gauge I'd bring that to check how parallel the blade blade is to miter slot and fence. If you don't have one, then a good ruler with small markings will work. This can also be adjusted though, so def not a deal breaker.

See how tight the fence clamps and how much deflection it has at the end. But considering it's a Bies or Bies clone you should be good.

That's all I can think of. GL

[mpc]

Like any saw test, look for slop:
* miter assembly in the slot
* saw unplugged, grab the blade and try wiggling it side to side and up-down to see if the arbor bearings are sloppy or not. Usually bearings aren't expensive to replace if you can do the work yourself so this isn't a show-stopper.

Check table flatness from front to back.

mpc

[chopnhack]

Thanks for the tips fellas, tomorrow may be the day I go to the dark side!

My list to check so far:

1. Listen to the motor running, and let it run a few minutes to check for heat buildup .

2. Check tilt, raise/lower for smoothness. Check gears for chipped or missing teeth

3. Grab blade and check side to side play.

4. Check for wobble/parallel of blade.

5. Check table for flatness.

6. Miter gauge fit.

7. Rip fence locking and parallel to blade/miter slot.

8. Check trunnions.

9. Take belt off to check motor and arbor bearings with no load.

10. Sight rails.

11. Five sided cut method

As we add more maybe we can make a sticky out of it for folks shopping for used saws.

[sweensdv]

Don't let #6 be a deal killer. OEM miter gauges can be quite sloppy sometimes.

[LarryG]

Don't let #6 be a deal killer.

Nor #7. With a Biese-type fence, the locking and parallel-to-miter-slot adjustments are easily made.

It would be a good idea to check the rip fence for straightness along its own length, however. If the fence tube is straight, it can be adjusted to make it parallel to the miter slots at all points.

[chopnhack]

Good news all, I am now officially a darksider! The saw checked out, as far as I could tell. The only thing I could find was after taking the belt off, the arbor for the blade was snug and didnt wiggle, spun freely, however as it was spinning down I heard what I thought to be some scratchy noise. Not really a deal breaker because I let the saw run for 3 minutes or so and there were no bearing noise or squealing. The blade was some crappy throw away from delta, hss with alternate sides ground to a sharp edge, surprisingly it cut the plywood I brought with ease. I did the five cut test, and on the fifth cut I noticed some taper. I will have to repeat and judge whether it was the miter gauge or the blade is not truly parallel to the top (the ply extended past the start of the miter gauge so I dont know how much error was introduced because of starting off of the miter slot). The saw looks in remarkable shape with no rust. It was owned by an older man who upgraded to a PM. The mobile base looks to be original equipment from JET (same color) and works well. The previous owner installed a belly pan and duct for dust collection. The downdraft table wasn't installed flush on both sides of the rails and gave a bent appearance to the rails in the pic. Also included were the spud wrench, dado, zctp, standard plate. The fence system is the exacta, I believe 52". The miter slots where T style. Do most folks use t style gauges with these slots or just go with universal miter gauges?

Some pics to follow, but the saw wont be set up right away. Still making room in the shop.

[Shep]

Welcome to the darkside