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Jet Table Saws

Today Jet is recognized around the world as one of the premier manufacturers of professional quality woodworking equipment, but they didn’t start out that way. Back in 1958 a man named Leslie Sussman was on a flight from Seattle to Tokyo when the inspiration for the name Jet came to him and his early airline parts business was born. By the 1970s Jet had evolved into a premier supplier of metalworking machinery and the move to woodworking equipment came in the 1980s. While Jet was one of the first manufacturers of woodworking equipment to begin importing products from overseas, in the 1990s they began to design and produce their own products, adding teams of engineers both in the U.S. and abroad.

Today Jet is part of the WMH Tool Group, an international conglomerate that includes another world-class manufacturer of woodworking equipment – Powermatic. The end result is buyers of Jet equipment benefit from Powermatic’s “gold standard” technological innovations found in the Powermatic PM2000 series of table saws. These revolutionary design features include the accu-fence system & rout-r-lift. While the table saw is universally recognized as an essential home improvement tool, many homeowners shy away from Jet products because of price. However, Jet has table saw models within the price range of most hobbyists and homeowners as well as professional woodworkers. Let’s look at a few of their most popular offerings.

The Jet 708301K JWTS 10JF Table Saw

If you ran across this model in a woodworking discussion forum and then tried to find a place to buy it you’ve discovered that it has been replaced by a newer model – the Jet7083071K JWTS 10PF. And if you’ve searched for table saws from some of the other major manufacturers you’ll find this is a recurring problem. In today’s highly competitive woodworking equipment market, manufacturers are constantly seeking to “tweak” their models to both improve them and keep up with the competition. This is not unique to Jet – the highly rated Ridgid TS3660 is no longer available at Home Depot stores in the U.S., but still available in Canada. In the case of this Jet model, reviews of the original micro glide rip fence were not exactly glowing, with some experts going so far as to suggest trashing the fence and replacing it with an aftermarket product. The newer JWTS 10PF now has the newer Jet Xacta fence system. While early reviews on this fence were also not uniformly positive, Jet appears to have corrected the mounting problem that led to the complaints.

Both the original 10JF and the newer 10PF come equipped with a 1.5 HP motor with a healthy 4,000 RPMs making this a saw that will get through most stock quicker than some competitive models. The table itself is cast iron as is the arbor housing for the blade, but the included extension wing s are made of steel, which some reviewers have found difficult to true up with the table. Although classed as a contractor saw, this model weighs a substantial 260 pounds which has the advantage of reducing vibration and adding the kind of stability found in more expensive models. As you know, heavier saws give more accuracy in cutting. Perhaps because of the weight, one of the most frequently purchased accessories for this saw is a universal mobile base. The saw has a dust collection system mounted under the cabinet with a large 4 inch exhaust port. Another accessory frequently purchase for this saw is the JW1044 reducer which should allow you to hook up your shop vac but according to many reviewers, it doesn’t! The JW1044 is female at both ends so without a coupler, it won’t work. Try the JW1000 instead.

You can buy Jet Table Saws online from Sears.com as well as other sites, but if you would like to “touch and feel” before you buy, see if there is a Woodcraft outlet in your local area as they stock them in their stores.