JET JWBS-18QT 18-Inch 1-3/4 HP 1Ph Band Saw
Source:Tools and Materials
Band Saws:
Again, as with a lot of my workworking tools, I have had a number of Band Saws over the course of my woodworking career. I started with a little Sears Craftsman 12″ and graduated to a 18″ Delta-Rockwell. I have finally settled in on the JET JWBS-18QT 18-Inch 1-3/4 HP 1Ph Band Saw, which is the one I current have in my shop.
This Band Saw handles all of my re-sawing needs, allowing me to buy lumber stock, and saving substantial amounts of cash. I’m sure that I have paid for this machine many times over, over the few years that I have had it.
Designed to meet the demands of serious woodworkers, the Jet JWBS-18QT 18-Inch 3 HP 1Ph Band Saw with Quick Tensioning Lever impresses me with its innovative triangular design frame. This gives you precision and stability for control you can count on. This bandsaw features an exclusive quick-release, precision T-square style rip fence and a three position quick tensioner to accommodate a wide variety of jobs.
Guitar Making Tasks:
Re-sawing Tops, Back & Sides
Easily Sawing Neck Scarf Joints
Re-sawing Fretboards from Ebony or Rosewood Lumber
Cutting Bracewood From Lumber of Log Flitches
Sawing Headpiece Thicknesses and Contours
Make All My Jigs Guitar Specialty Tools and Forms
Cutting Head and Tail Blocks
Cutting Braces to Shape, Including Crowns
Rough-Cutting Neck to Size
Rough-Cutting Heel, Foot and Dovetail Joints for Necks
Cutting Purfling and Binding Materials
Slicing Rosettes
Cutting Bone Saddles and Nuts
Cutting Lining
Cutting Kerfs In Linings
Tool Cautions:
Not too many cautions to worry about with this tool. Just make sure you have a great blade. I use nothing but the Wood Slicer Blades from Highland Hardware. With proper Band Saw setup I can slice wood the thickness of veneer for an 8″ thick piece of wood. Notice I said “with proper Band Saw setup”? That is the other caution you have to be aware of with these tempermental pieces of equipment.
The ease of setup is one of the best things I like best about my Jet. I can lock the blade in with little movement either laterally or longitudinally. The JWBS-18QT offers time-saving features, including a tool-less, independently adjustable ball bearing guide system for quick and easy adjustments and smooth operation, and a single knob tracking adjustment to simplify the blade tracking process.
How To Operate The Tool:
As with all band saws, do not force the wood through the saw – never do this. You will wind up with an overheated blade, that dulls quickly, drifting in your cut, and ruined stock.
The 19″ square cast iron table and the versatility of the fence system gives you a lot of flexibility for cutting options.
Additional Shop Operations:
This tool can save you tons of time and money. You won’t have to get your work done elsewhere for such projects as molds, jigs, tools etc. You can make them all in the comfort of your own shop. The JWBS-18QT will pay you back in no time.
Alternative Band Saws I Like:
JET JWBS-16B 16-Inch 1-1/2 HP 1Ph 115-Volt Wood Band Saw. While this saw does not have quite the capacity of the 18″ model,the JET – 16B will handle just about any guitar making, mold making chore you can throw at it. It is several hundred dollars less and if you are on a tight budget, this may be the ticket for you.
Technical Details for the JET JWBS – 16B:
Triangular design provides superior column rigidity
10-Inch resaw capacity for cutting large pieces of wood, slicing veneers, cutting book matched panels
17-Inch by 17-Inch cast iron table supports your work material
Adjustable rear support for wider-Feet print and more stability
Precision computer balanced wheels eliminate vibration for accurate blade tracking
Again My Advice is to go with the Wood Slicer Blades
DELTA 28-206 Professional 14-Inch. I haven’t had one of these saw personally, but a luthier friend of mine has one and has been using it for years very successfully. I had the big brother to this saw, being the 18″ model, I was a bit disappointed with the quality of the guides and the adjusting mechanism. This forced me to unload the saw and pick up the Jet that I now have.
Delta 14″ Main Features: The Last Word: Please Share Your Experiences: Tags: band saws, delta band saw, grizzly band saw, guitar making tools, guitar tools, powermatic band saw
1 HP, 120-volt band saw creates clean curve and bevel cuts for hobbyist woodworkers
13-3/4-inch throat capacity handles stock up to 6-1/4 inches thick
Comes with a 16-by-16-inch table with a 45-degree tilt range
Measures 65.5 X 31 X 17 inches; weighs 201 pounds, and comes with a 16-by-16-inch operating table
Includes band saw, stand, blade guides, platinum wood blade, and manual
The band saw is, in my opinion the second most used and needed too for the guitar workshop. It comes right in behind the 6×48 stationary belt sander and preferably at the same time. If you can’t swing the big jet or the medium sized one, then certainly save about half the money and go for the 14″ Delta. The Delta 28-206 can do some re-sawing for you , especially with the extension added to increase the cutting depth, but don’t expect more than casual use for this purpose. The Delta 28-206 will easily handle about 80 to 90% of your cutting jobs with ease.
Do you have a favorite Shop Tool you would like to share with us? Just write a comment and we would all love to hear about it. I’m sure there are other tools that I have not touched upon that are equal in quality to my own experiences.
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