Jet JTS250S vs Sheppach TS2500X - Comparison Report

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Adam

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Here is my comparison of the Jet JTS250S vs Sheppach TS2500X. Firstly thanks to Dave Thomas (manager at 'Homewood' in Worthing), who patiently spent a couple of hours with me whilst I examined every last nut and bolt of the two saws. Also he was full of good advice so I'll be placing my order there next week. (As I would like to support my local woodworking shop and his price (which is cheaper than Rutlands) - by the way also includes delivery and setup - 'proper' setup that is - Jester - it's a shame this wasn't your local shop eh? :) )

Anyway onto my review..... these comments are personal opinion based!

First of all, both saws seemed pretty solid and there was no twist of flex in either machine, they were both at a suitable height for working - the 'on/off' switch on the Jet was better placed for using your knees to switch off - and it could be mounted in two places, but they both were acceptable.
Height adjustment (bringing the blade up to a maximum 82mm on both) was done with a handwheel - on the Sheppach this was mounted on the front face as you look at the saw - and on the left face on the Jet. I definitely found it easier on the Sheppach as you didn't need to reach around the side. Both mechanisms were precise and smooth.
I won't go into the left tilt vs the right tilt argument except to say that the handwheel on the Sheppach was very poor - the weight of the motor caused it to endstop as soon as the retaining bolt was slackened - the Jet didn't move unless you adjusted it. In reality I don't think either was a problem, as provided you held onto the Sheppach it was able to be just as finely adjusted as the Jet. Both mechanisms were smooth and accurate and although most people set the angle using a square the dial on the Sheppach was much easier to read and set the angle against.
A dust extraction port on the Sheppach riving knife cover was a well planned idea, as was the quick removal option, unlike the Jet on which you had to completely remove the bolt before the cover could be removed. The Sheppach won hands down for ease-of-use. So... that brings me onto the subject of riving knifes themselves. Once again the 'Doh!' points are awarded to Jet and the slap on the back goes to Sheppach. Basically, the Sheppach riving knife does not rise proud of the blade, so you can still perform trenching cuts with the knife in place. Also, the blade and riving knife can be completely withdrawn below the table surface - so you are left with a nice flat surface - in a small workshop like mine - sometimes you need the extra space when doing glue-ups. The Jet however, cannot perform trenching cuts with the knife on, as it sits proud by about 10-20mm. This could be 'removed' with a hacksaw and file - but why didn't they do this to start with? Also the Jet riving knife does not withdraw below the surface of the table - it's sits proud by 10-20mm. Get me that hacksaw someone! So no using the saw table for anything else.
Changing the blade appeared to be simpler on the Jet, as all the screws were on the top surface - it seemed to be a much more fiddly procedure on the Sheppach - however, the surface remained flat on the Sheppach right up to the gap for the blade, on the Jet however the removable plate sat slightly below the working surface - enough space for a bit of wood to flex into. Again, I'm sure someone will come up with a simple fix - a thin piece of plastic glued on might be sufficient.
I was looking at the option that had a right hand table and a sliding carriage on both saws, so I'll start on those next.
The right hand fence on both could be removed at re-attached at a 90 degree angle, for making tight cuts close to the blade. The locking lever on the Jet was much more solid than the Sheppach, but the Jet was let down by a poor 'micro-adjustment' thumbwheel - which was quite difficult to use - once set up, with some lubricant this might not be a problem. The Sheppach was easy to adjust to sub-mm accuracy. I especially like the fact that the fence continued on the Sheppach onto the (fold-downable) right hand table extension, this had an option for fine-tuning, so would remain its accuracy once properly setup. The Jet had a permanently attached right hand extension and would not be good for a small workshop where space is at a premium.
The sliding carriages appeared smooth and easy to use on both. The Jet was limited in taking large sheets or lengths as it had no facility to extend and significant distance - the Sheppach however, already had a much longer fence, and it extended a further metre. This was a simple thing, but increases the functionality of the table significantly.
To conclude then.....
I think the Sheppach gets the "best saw" award from me. It's a clever design and the little extra things significantly increases it's functionality. Microadjustments seemed to be available for everything that moved. So... once set-up it should be able to be quickly make an angled cut, and then move it back to it's original settings.
The Jet was 'almost' there, but just lacked those finishing touches, possibly because some of the money must have gone into that cast-iron. Whilst on that subject, Dave did point out that unless the saw it used daily, or protected with nasty grease/oils, or lives in a moisture-free workshop, it will start to rust. Being as I do most of my woodworking in fits and bursts, an aluminium table is actually preferable to me. Also, the sliding carriage and right hand table could be removed from the Sheppach so it's much more suited to a space limited workshop - like mine. The Jet had a huge metal bar across the front face which cannot be adjusted - so unless you have a very large workshop - it's going to cause problems.
So.... Men_at_NMA, look out for that order from Homewood next week, and make sure it's packaged up properly :shock: , I'll be keeping this forum and our friends back at Woodworking on MSN informed on how good the service and delivery is.... (OK I know it's via a distributor but nonetheless......)

Catch ya laters...

A_L
 
Hi A_L,

You've certainly done your homework and it's good to see you've made an informed decision. Your subsequent purchase will certainly suit your needs.
One small point: I'm a big cast iron fan and care and looking after cast iron tables does not present a problem, simply use wax or PTFE on the surface once a month.
Hope delivery and setup goes well.

Rgds

Noel
 
Well, after spending so long making my decision, and (hopefully) having completed a pretty thorough back-to-back comparison, I thought it was a useful post for anyone who can't easily test them side-by-side. I think in reality either saw will by perfect for most people, it really came down to silly little things as there was so little to differentiate.

A
 
Hi A_L

Thanks for taking the time to post the review. It is excellent.

I think in reality either saw will by perfect for most people, it really came down to silly little things as there was so little to differentiate.

Yes, I would have to agree that both will do an excellent job.

Cheers
Neil
 
Just thought I'd bring this note over from the UKwoodworking forum....

"just a foot note,,,what do sheppack,sheppach, scheppachk, sceppaci, sheepack, sherperk, sherpacke, all got in common???? they are all pronunciations of SCHEPPACH pronounced shep as in the dead Blue Peter dog and pack as in pack up your troubles in your old kit bag. " Men_at_NMA


I actually copied the spelling off the Rutlands website to make sure I got it right, never occured to me to check their spelling!!! Doh!

So SCHEPPACH it is then!
 
Hi A_L

asleitch":1islr79m said:
"just a foot note,,,what do sheppack,sheppach, scheppachk, sceppaci, sheepack, sherperk, sherpacke, all got in common???? they are all pronunciations of SCHEPPACH.

You don't get that problem with JET!!! :wink: :wink: :wink:

Cheers
Neil
 
Great review A_L..

Homewood is my local shop aswell :) When I move away into the 'aircraft hanger' I'm going to upgrade my TS2000 to a bigger saw. The Jet is on the list, now that I know theres one just down the road I can go have a look :D
 
I'd be surprised if you'd get enough of enough of an improvement on the Jet over the Scheppach to be worth the cost upgrade?

A_L
 
Can't manage the price of either saws but a super review nevertheless AL :)
 
Having talked to them on the phone, we realised I wasn't around on any of there preferred delivery dates, - so offered me the same evening (which was last Friday).... how pleased was I!!! Good job I'd been clearing space in the workshop. They popped over straight from work and carried it into the workshop.

Very good service. Now I just need a planer thicknesser.....

A_L
 
asleitch":1zv06wxg said:
Having talked to them on the phone, we realised I wasn't around on any of there preferred delivery dates, - so offered me the same evening (which was last Friday).... how pleased was I!!! Good job I'd been clearing space in the workshop. They popped over straight from work and carried it into the workshop.

Now that is service. Would they like to open a branch in Notingham? :wink: :wink:

Cheers

Neil
 
Well, I wired everything up last night, fitted up the extractor hose, and pressed "on" - then nothing, OK, I admit, I fitted it with a 10amp fuse as thats all I had, so I nicked a 13 amp fuse out me router, and "WhoooooooooOOOOOSSSSHHHH". It is so quiet - I can't believe it. Having it on a wooden floor, which is carpeted probably helps. It cut through some strips of plywood like butter. And the extractor worked faultlessly also.
In my original post, I noted access to the blade on the Jet seemed easier than on the Scheppach, I now retract this statement, the Scheppach is very very easy, I was looking at the wrong bolts! Once you have removed the panel, you have great acess for swapping blades etc. This is a big bonus - especially given my concerns on the small recess on the Jet allowing things to 'flap' slightly due to lack of support.
There was one small error in the instructions on the Extractor, about how to ground all the bits (e.g. chip bag, dust bag, and the hose) and I gave a quick call to NMA and they sorted me out in 20 seconds, and faxed through the modified drawing I was missing, and apologised for it not being included in the first place.
I need to build a little out-house on the workshop to put the extractor in, as I don't really have space for it inside, and I finally installed an electric (oil) radiator to keep me warm, so just need to find some spare evenings and with my bargain pile of oak I just got, I'm ready to go!!!

......all I need now is a bigger workshop........
 
Changing the blade appeared to be simpler on the Jet, as all the screws were on the top surface - it seemed to be a much more fiddly procedure on the Sheppach - however, the surface remained flat on the Sheppach right up to the gap for the blade, on the Jet however the removable plate sat slightly below the working surface - enough space for a bit of wood to flex into. Again, I'm sure someone will come up with a simple fix - a thin piece of plastic glued on might be sufficient.
Same problem with my old sole plate.
Solved by cutting strips from an old sky TV card & attaching under the sole plate with double sided sticky.
Blue Peter to the rescue again. :lol:
 
Having had the Scheppach for a bit now, I now realise it's actually really easy to change the blade, simpler than on the Jet in fact. You also get a lot easier access. I was just a bit to stupid to work out how to do it when I was in the shop :oops: .

Adam
 
Hi dewy, just spotted your mail - the Jet removable plate has grub screws built in so it can be adjusted perfectly true to the working surface.
Cheers
Nick
Jet



Dewy":afeqfepw said:
Changing the blade appeared to be simpler on the Jet, as all the screws were on the top surface - it seemed to be a much more fiddly procedure on the Sheppach - however, the surface remained flat on the Sheppach right up to the gap for the blade, on the Jet however the removable plate sat slightly below the working surface - enough space for a bit of wood to flex into. Again, I'm sure someone will come up with a simple fix - a thin piece of plastic glued on might be sufficient.
Same problem with my old sole plate.
Solved by cutting strips from an old sky TV card & attaching under the sole plate with double sided sticky.
Blue Peter to the rescue again. :lol:
 
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