Rod Cochran
Member
Time to upgrade from my trusty Ryobi table saw to a more substantial tool. I wanted to buy the JET but could not justify it to myself as I only do this wood working as a hobby rather than a living. 
The machine is basically the same as the SIP albeit with a 30mm arbor rather than 25.
Main cast iron table with the usual cast iron right hand extension is joined by 4 bolts. The bolts supplied are 20mm and are insufficient for the job they have to do. This is because the tread is only 15mm. The main bed is 9mm thick and the right hand extension another 8mm. Add to this a 1mm washer and a bit of roughness to the unfinished back of the extension and you are lucky if you are 5mm into the main table. Not enough for the weight it is supporting (cantilevered as it is). Someone somewhere is going to lean on one of these and get an unpleasant supprise ouch!
The tables were half a milimeter out of flush.The instructions suggest "tapping" the top with a hammer and some wood to line them up! Do not like the idea of bashing cast iron so I dilled out an extra millimeter on the holes. :?
The sliding table is a beefy bolt on. Not something easily removed. The two main rails support the table via 9 bearings. Two sets of three on the top rail and one set of three on the bottom. Setting this up is a bit of a task with numerous hex bolts and nuts you can adjust.I still have not got it quite as I would wish. A large turnip file was pressed into service to file away a small area of spacer where one of the top bearings fouled.
Anyway after about six hour and some swearing I have tried my first cuts. :evil: .
Reasonably quite motor. three inch cut at 90 degrees and a fair blade though not in my opinion as good as a freud.
Rise and tilt very smooth and a big improvement over scheppach's rather crude tilt adjuster. The first attempt at squaring a rough piece of timber was spot on as you I hope can see.
The mitre fence running in the ploughed slots could be a little tighter. Lateral movement giving a potential error of maybe 1/2a degree. An extra 2 thousanths on the guide rail would sort this.
The lateral fence took some time to set up on the sliding table and this initial set up could be improved. The main rip fence is OK although the "micro" adjustment is not that micro. The rack and teeth need to be finer.
Overall though its fine. Sure its not engineered to post war standards and you do need some engineering skill to "adjust" bits and pieces but it works.You may note I have put it on a carriage for ease of moving it around (it weighs in a 500 pounds) this means the end leg support no longer has enough travel on it to reach the floor. Chocked it up for now but will buy some threaded bar later.
Overall it does represent very good value for your money £590 + vat.
I went to the shop expecting to leave with a Jet or scheppach and left with a Fox. Next year I may well be sawing away thinking of the Jet but truth is that is like buying a Festool when a Dewatt will do.Do not know if I have the picture thing quite right. 8)
[url=http://m1.freeshare.us/view/?138fs163893.jpg]
The machine is basically the same as the SIP albeit with a 30mm arbor rather than 25.
Main cast iron table with the usual cast iron right hand extension is joined by 4 bolts. The bolts supplied are 20mm and are insufficient for the job they have to do. This is because the tread is only 15mm. The main bed is 9mm thick and the right hand extension another 8mm. Add to this a 1mm washer and a bit of roughness to the unfinished back of the extension and you are lucky if you are 5mm into the main table. Not enough for the weight it is supporting (cantilevered as it is). Someone somewhere is going to lean on one of these and get an unpleasant supprise ouch!
The tables were half a milimeter out of flush.The instructions suggest "tapping" the top with a hammer and some wood to line them up! Do not like the idea of bashing cast iron so I dilled out an extra millimeter on the holes. :?
The sliding table is a beefy bolt on. Not something easily removed. The two main rails support the table via 9 bearings. Two sets of three on the top rail and one set of three on the bottom. Setting this up is a bit of a task with numerous hex bolts and nuts you can adjust.I still have not got it quite as I would wish. A large turnip file was pressed into service to file away a small area of spacer where one of the top bearings fouled.
Anyway after about six hour and some swearing I have tried my first cuts. :evil: .
Reasonably quite motor. three inch cut at 90 degrees and a fair blade though not in my opinion as good as a freud.
Rise and tilt very smooth and a big improvement over scheppach's rather crude tilt adjuster. The first attempt at squaring a rough piece of timber was spot on as you I hope can see.
The mitre fence running in the ploughed slots could be a little tighter. Lateral movement giving a potential error of maybe 1/2a degree. An extra 2 thousanths on the guide rail would sort this.
The lateral fence took some time to set up on the sliding table and this initial set up could be improved. The main rip fence is OK although the "micro" adjustment is not that micro. The rack and teeth need to be finer.
Overall though its fine. Sure its not engineered to post war standards and you do need some engineering skill to "adjust" bits and pieces but it works.You may note I have put it on a carriage for ease of moving it around (it weighs in a 500 pounds) this means the end leg support no longer has enough travel on it to reach the floor. Chocked it up for now but will buy some threaded bar later.
Overall it does represent very good value for your money £590 + vat.
I went to the shop expecting to leave with a Jet or scheppach and left with a Fox. Next year I may well be sawing away thinking of the Jet but truth is that is like buying a Festool when a Dewatt will do.Do not know if I have the picture thing quite right.
8)
[url=http://m1.freeshare.us/view/?138fs163893.jpg]
