As I wrote earlier, my new 14" JET bandsaw arrived with the wheels about
1/4" out of plane, though the saw cut well. However, the blade was not
square to the table in the direction of cut. I created a web page to
show the JET tech what was going on.
See:
http://www.eclipsme.com/bandsaw.htm
The tech thought that the riser block may have been machined badly,
which I didn't believe as the saw had the problem before I put the riser
block in. However, he offered to send me a new one, which I accepted.
Sure enough, there was no improvement, but I took the opportunity of
having 2 riser blocks to experiment on one.
As mentioned here, I though of cutting off the pins to allow me to
adjust the upper part of the saw, but somebody on this group (sorry, I
don't remember who) pointed out that it could be dangerous if the bolt
loosened for any reason as there would be nothing to stop the upper part
of the saw from twisting around the bolt.
So instead, I drilled new locater holes in the riser block 1/4" offset.
after installing it so the upper part is now 1/4" further back than
originally, the wheels are ever so close to being coplaner, the blade is
square, and I just re-sawed some 5" southern yellow pine into 1/8"
veneers, plus or minus 1/16" (thicknesses from 1/16 - 3/16") which I
considered very good indeed. The surface is also much cleaner than I had
before, though that could be due to better guide setup.
I don't have any idea why the saw was designed this way, but I am very
happy with the solution. I can recommend this saw to others, but with
the caveat that you may want to either perform the same modification, or
perhaps shim the bottom wheel out. BTW - tech okeyed shimming, and
promised it wouldn't affect the warranty. I was concerned about the
wheel riding 1/4" further out on the shaft, with added wear. Anyway, I
am now happy with what I have.
Thank you for everyone's suggestions.
Harvey
Harvey
Harvey, my hat is off to you. I would never have had the patience to
do what you did, nor would I feel like it was my responisibilty to make
a usable saw out of a brand new piece of equipment. I would expect
that much from HF, but not from Jet.
Shame on Jet for letting you do that, too. Have they no pride? HF
tools are sometimes "kit tools" but NOT Jet. In the old days, it was
"take the tool back where you bought it and we will authorized an
exchange for a new one". Jet did that for me twice when they were
working the kinks our of their mini lathe, and they replaced an entire
drill press for one of my friends.
Of all the humiliation.... I cannot believe you did this, or had to do
this, or were talking to someone so far out of the game that you needed
to do this:
<<I created a web page to show the JET tech what was going on. >>
Good for you that you got what you wanted. I might still be fighting
that fight (and NO DOUBT losing it), and would never be satisfied after
that as I would think I found only the obvious stuff that was not
right. Jet is lucky to have you for a customer.
And as for Jet... shame on them.
Robert
eclipsme wrote:
<<But humiliation? Nah! Why would I be humiliated. Perhaps JET, but not
me.
<<Thanks,
<<Harvey
I was not clear. There should be no sense of humiliation on your part.
ONLY on Jet's. As Swingman pointed out, Jet claims to have designed
the saw this way, out of alignment. To me, this makes as much sense as
saying that GM designed cars with their front ends out of alignment.
They may have, but it sure wasn't for our benefit.
And the humiliating part was that you had to take pictures and talk to
some nitwit about a problem that is apparently quite well known. They
were unable, unaware, or too stupid to grasp this problem which again
has obviously been around long enough for the woodworking community to
have their own workaround available.
I would be terribly embarassed if one of my clients showed me how to
flash a chimney properly or how to cope molding. Humiliation wouldn't
cover it for me.
I am not averse to setting up or tuning up a machine. That is
expected; it is a long way from China. But to the extent you had to do
it would be too much time and downright annoyance.
Robert
"Paul Thorsted" wrote in message
> Does Iturra Design have a website? Cannot find one with a search. If not,
> how you get the catalog?
Inexplicably no, but give them a call and ask them to send you the catalog:
1-888-722-7078
It is a resource that every owner of a 14" Jet, Delta, or Grizzly, who is
interested in getting the maximum benefit from their saw, should take
advantage of.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05
Swingman wrote:
> "Paul Thorsted" wrote in message
>
>> Does Iturra Design have a website? Cannot find one with a search. If not,
>> how you get the catalog?
>
> Inexplicably no, but give them a call and ask them to send you the catalog:
>
> 1-888-722-7078
>
> It is a resource that every owner of a 14" Jet, Delta, or Grizzly, who is
> interested in getting the maximum benefit from their saw, should take
> advantage of.
>
OK. Just left a message in their machine.
Thanks,
Harvey
eclipsme wrote:
> Swingman wrote:
[get the Iturra catalog, snipped]
> Actually, when you first mentioned this, I did order the catalog, by
> email, but have received nothing. Perhaps I should look up the phone
> number and order by phone.
It took awhile when I ordered it, as well. There was something about
either a move or spring holiday, can't remember, but it does arrive
eventually. :)
er
--
email not valid
[email protected] wrote:
> Harvey, my hat is off to you. I would never have had the patience to
> do what you did, nor would I feel like it was my responisibilty to make
> a usable saw out of a brand new piece of equipment. I would expect
> that much from HF, but not from Jet.
>
> Shame on Jet for letting you do that, too. Have they no pride? HF
> tools are sometimes "kit tools" but NOT Jet. In the old days, it was
> "take the tool back where you bought it and we will authorized an
> exchange for a new one". Jet did that for me twice when they were
> working the kinks our of their mini lathe, and they replaced an entire
> drill press for one of my friends.
>
> Of all the humiliation.... I cannot believe you did this, or had to do
> this, or were talking to someone so far out of the game that you needed
> to do this:
>
> <<I created a web page to show the JET tech what was going on. >>
>
> Good for you that you got what you wanted. I might still be fighting
> that fight (and NO DOUBT losing it), and would never be satisfied after
> that as I would think I found only the obvious stuff that was not
> right. Jet is lucky to have you for a customer.
>
> And as for Jet... shame on them.
>
> Robert
>
In all fairness to JET, I never asked for a replacement, so will never
know if that was an option. Also, I am certainly not the first to have
to modify a factory saw to bring it into acceptable specs. Stories
abound referring to all teh major manufacturers.
OTOH, I really wasn't looking forward to having to send this saw back,
etc. (mail order) Also, I had little faith that another saw would be
much different. I do not see anything on this saw that indicated it was
anything but how the factory made it, which I must agree with you on -
shame on JET. It seems so easy to design a band saw with coplaner
wheels. Why would this arrive off. Perhaps it was a defect. I guess I
will never know.
In researching the saw, I was struck but how many similar complaints I
read about pretty much all the saws, from not being coplaner to poorly
machined tables, to heavy vibrations. It seems obvious, I suppose, but
quality of construction has taken a back seat to low production costs.
Still, it seems to me that locating holes 1/4" from where they are
currently does not increase manufacturing costs, so yes, shame on JET
for this. still, trying to be fair (not sure why) the fit and finish on
everything else was excellent.
Given the above, the reviews of the JET by users, almost exclusively
were 5 star, vs only *mostly* 5 star for others like Grizzly and Delta.
In the end, it seemed that the advise I got from one reviewer made sense
- of these saws, pick the one with the lowest price. They all have their
special features, and in the end they pretty much even out. I think the
review was in Fine Woodworking a few months ago.
But humiliation? Nah! Why would I be humiliated. Perhaps JET, but not me.
Thanks,
Harvey
I just saw this new thread after my last post in the original.
Glad to hear you are pleased with your saw now.
Regards,
Charlie
"eclipsme" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> As I wrote earlier, my new 14" JET bandsaw arrived with the wheels about
> 1/4" out of plane, though the saw cut well. However, the blade was not
> square to the table in the direction of cut. I created a web page to show
> the JET tech what was going on.
>
> See:
>
> http://www.eclipsme.com/bandsaw.htm
>
> The tech thought that the riser block may have been machined badly, which
> I didn't believe as the saw had the problem before I put the riser block
> in. However, he offered to send me a new one, which I accepted.
>
> Sure enough, there was no improvement, but I took the opportunity of
> having 2 riser blocks to experiment on one.
>
> As mentioned here, I though of cutting off the pins to allow me to adjust
> the upper part of the saw, but somebody on this group (sorry, I don't
> remember who) pointed out that it could be dangerous if the bolt loosened
> for any reason as there would be nothing to stop the upper part of the saw
> from twisting around the bolt.
>
> So instead, I drilled new locater holes in the riser block 1/4" offset.
> after installing it so the upper part is now 1/4" further back than
> originally, the wheels are ever so close to being coplaner, the blade is
> square, and I just re-sawed some 5" southern yellow pine into 1/8"
> veneers, plus or minus 1/16" (thicknesses from 1/16 - 3/16") which I
> considered very good indeed. The surface is also much cleaner than I had
> before, though that could be due to better guide setup.
>
> I don't have any idea why the saw was designed this way, but I am very
> happy with the solution. I can recommend this saw to others, but with the
> caveat that you may want to either perform the same modification, or
> perhaps shim the bottom wheel out. BTW - tech okeyed shimming, and
> promised it wouldn't affect the warranty. I was concerned about the wheel
> riding 1/4" further out on the shaft, with added wear. Anyway, I am now
> happy with what I have.
>
> Thank you for everyone's suggestions.
>
> Harvey
>
> Harvey
"eclipsme" wrote in message
> I don't have any idea why the saw was designed this way, but I am very
> happy with the solution.
Once again, Jet claims they designed the saw this way. Whether or not it is
just an excuse for sloppy casting and assembly, it is apparently a known
problem with those who deal in modern 14" bandsaws. I was warned about it
four or five years ago when I went to upgrade from an older Craftsman.
>I can recommend this saw to others, but with
> the caveat that you may want to either perform the same modification, or
> perhaps shim the bottom wheel out. BTW - tech okeyed shimming, and
> promised it wouldn't affect the warranty. I was concerned about the
> wheel riding 1/4" further out on the shaft, with added wear. Anyway, I
> am now happy with what I have.
And again, shimming the bottom wheel on the Jet is what Louis Iturra of
Iturra Design recommends to overcome Jet's "design" ... everything you
mention is covered in his "catalog", plus much more, and would have saved
you some time.
Now that you've 'rebuilt the wheel' so to speak, and once again, do yourself
a favor and get the Iturra "catalog" ... if you own a 14" Delta, Grizzly, or
Jet, you will learn more about your saw than you know now, even after your
modification.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05
On Sun, 30 Apr 2006 09:34:15 -0500, Swingman wrote:
> "eclipsme" wrote in message
>
>> I don't have any idea why the saw was designed this way, but I am very
>> happy with the solution.
>
> Once again, Jet claims they designed the saw this way. Whether or not it is
> just an excuse for sloppy casting and assembly, it is apparently a known
> problem with those who deal in modern 14" bandsaws. I was warned about it
> four or five years ago when I went to upgrade from an older Craftsman.
>
>>I can recommend this saw to others, but with
>> the caveat that you may want to either perform the same modification, or
>> perhaps shim the bottom wheel out. BTW - tech okeyed shimming, and
>> promised it wouldn't affect the warranty. I was concerned about the
>> wheel riding 1/4" further out on the shaft, with added wear. Anyway, I
>> am now happy with what I have.
>
> And again, shimming the bottom wheel on the Jet is what Louis Iturra of
> Iturra Design recommends to overcome Jet's "design" ... everything you
> mention is covered in his "catalog", plus much more, and would have saved
> you some time.
>
> Now that you've 'rebuilt the wheel' so to speak, and once again, do yourself
> a favor and get the Iturra "catalog" ... if you own a 14" Delta, Grizzly, or
> Jet, you will learn more about your saw than you know now, even after your
> modification.
Does Iturra Design have a website? Cannot find one with a search. If not,
how you get the catalog?
Swingman wrote:
> "eclipsme" wrote in message
>
>> I don't have any idea why the saw was designed this way, but I am very
>> happy with the solution.
>
> Once again, Jet claims they designed the saw this way. Whether or not it is
> just an excuse for sloppy casting and assembly, it is apparently a known
> problem with those who deal in modern 14" bandsaws. I was warned about it
> four or five years ago when I went to upgrade from an older Craftsman.
>
>> I can recommend this saw to others, but with
>> the caveat that you may want to either perform the same modification, or
>> perhaps shim the bottom wheel out. BTW - tech okeyed shimming, and
>> promised it wouldn't affect the warranty. I was concerned about the
>> wheel riding 1/4" further out on the shaft, with added wear. Anyway, I
>> am now happy with what I have.
>
> And again, shimming the bottom wheel on the Jet is what Louis Iturra of
> Iturra Design recommends to overcome Jet's "design" ... everything you
> mention is covered in his "catalog", plus much more, and would have saved
> you some time.
>
> Now that you've 'rebuilt the wheel' so to speak, and once again, do yourself
> a favor and get the Iturra "catalog" ... if you own a 14" Delta, Grizzly, or
> Jet, you will learn more about your saw than you know now, even after your
> modification.
>
Actually, when you first mentioned this, I did order the catalog, by
email, but have received nothing. Perhaps I should look up the phone
number and order by phone.
Thanks,
Harvey