JET 708663MBK JTAS-10SXL50 10-Inch Left Tilt 3 Horsepower Cabinet Saw with 50-Inch Xacta II Fence, Mobile Base, 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, Table Board, and Legs, 230-Volt 1 Phase

by Jet

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

If you’re reading this review, we’d wager that you’re deciding between this saw and, for example, a Delta Unisaw. They’re both excellent saws, and you really can’t go wrong with either one. This Jet is usually costs a little less, but you won’t see any difference in performance.

That said, we’ll tell you what we like about this particular Jet. First, the table surface is enormous. The smooth-as-glass cast-iron table with two wings measures 27 by 40 inches, and the wood and laminate extension table gives you all the room you need to run out the 50-inch fence. The fence itself is a great feature: smooth riding, silky face, accurate to a hair, rock solid when locked down. The handwheels both turn easily without exertion, and the blade raises and lowers cleanly, without stuttering. The miter gauge runs without play in the T-slot, and beneath the table, inside the sturdy steel cabinet, we like the slant of the floor to help move sawdust to the 4-inch dust port.

There’s absolutely no shortage of power, and there’s virtually no vibration, even when ripping 8/4 stock. Its capacities are on par with its competitors, with a max depth of cut of 3-1/8 inches with the blade at 90 degrees and 2-1/8 inches with a 45-degree tilt to the left. Table depth in front of the blade is 12 inches, and you’ll find that’s a common dimension in this caliber of saw.

Now we’ll tell you what we didn’t like, but keep in mind: These are subjective. We’re not smitten with the fence’s magnified cursor readout – we found it slightly difficult to read. It’s something that could easily be modified, however. The mobile base could use some leveling feet, which again is something the end user could rectify pretty easily. And Jet, this is a higher-end saw. We think it ought to include a blade. Assembly’s no picnic, but that’s nothing to fault. You’ll know this saw inside and out by the time you’ve put it together.

Those quibbles aside, this is a classy saw, whether it’s for the professional, the smart beginner or the seasoned woodworker who wants power, accuracy and reliability. It’s really a joy to use. -- Kris Jensen-Van Heste

From the Manufacturer

Voted as the premiere cabinet saw in America by major woodworking magazines, the JET Xacta offers more features and options than any cabinet saw on the market. Featuring the 50-inch Commercial XACTA FENCE II, this saw offers unsurpassed precision cutting for flawless cabinetry. A wide stance trunnion design ensures perfect blade alignment. A large precision-ground 27- by 40-inch cast iron table with two extension wings means stable cutting of larger stock. Three matched V-belts deliver full power to the blade for faster, smoother cuts. And, a 4-inch dust port allows easy connection to dust collection systems.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 77 x 30 x 31 inches
• Shipping Weight: 397 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B00064NGUG
• Item model number: 708663MBK
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,095 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A pretty good package, but needs modification, April 17, 2005

By 

Christopher R. Ring (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JET 708663MBK JTAS-10SXL50 10-Inch Left Tilt 3 Horsepower Cabinet Saw with 50-Inch Xacta II Fence, Mobile Base, 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, Table Board, and Legs, 230-Volt 1 Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I've used the 10" Jet cabinet saw at work for about 5 years,(we also have a delta) and have been happy with it, so I recently bought this package for my home shop.
While the saw itself is as I expected, I have reservations about the new style fence. It is bulkier, the plastic liners are retained using a hidden key slot and welded studs instead of through-bolts causing it to be more difficult to use as a foundation for jigs, featherboards etc as the old style. The micro adjusting knob is a good idea, but the action is sloppy so it is frustrating to use. My biggest problem with this package though, is the base. It is flimsy, the extension table support in particular flexes drastically- in fact, the box indicates it is for use on the lighter contractor saws.
There are no leveling feet at all, that is, the saw is supported by the casters alone even when in use. Against my better judgment, I assembled the saw upon this base, but I will be replacing it soon. The base is way inappropriate for a saw of this caliber.
My peeves with the saw itself, both the older one I use at work, and the one I bought last week, are the transluscent fence surface makes it difficult to judge whether stock is fully contacting it, and the floor of the cabinet is not optimally contoured for dust collection. In fact, the floor of the cabinet is about 1" shy of two walls which I have duct taped on both saws. Vents on the motor cover are another source of vacuum leaks. Since our Delta Unisaw cover has no such vents, I taped over them too.

4/19/05.... Since I wrote the last review, I e-mailed amazon about replacing the provided mobile base whose extension base is inadequate for this saw. In fact, calling Jet, I found out the included base extension is intended for the lighter contractor saw. Amazon refused to exchange the base only, I would have to return the whole TS package (675.00 shipping). So I went to Harbor Freight and bought 4 clamps for 1.99 each. These are simple edge clamps that are intended to attach to bar clamps to force glueups flat while being clamped. I welded 2 of these to the base extention and 2 next to the swivel wheels on the mobile base itself creating adjustable leveling feet.
Now, I can level the saw, and its weight is evenly distributed by the levelers. It is worlds more stable. Luckily for me this was a quick, cheap and easy fix.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm pretty happy with this saw, September 28, 2005

By 

Kevin J. Post (Onalaska, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JET 708663MBK JTAS-10SXL50 10-Inch Left Tilt 3 Horsepower Cabinet Saw with 50-Inch Xacta II Fence, Mobile Base, 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, Table Board, and Legs, 230-Volt 1 Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

My saw arrived in good shape. The instructions were clear and the setup was uneventful. I mounted a new Oldham blade in the saw and made some test cuts. I was disappointed with the results and concluded that the alignment was off. I checked everything and found no problems with aligment. I changed to a used, dull Freud blade and got better results.

I'm writing this review after I've used the saw for about six months. I have since switched to a Forrest WWII blade. This saw has been a pleasure to use. It has plenty of power. It is relatively quiet with no vibration. The fence is rock-solid with no deflection.

I am a woodworking hobbyist. People have asked me why I need a tablesaw that costs so much money. I don't... However, this saw is such a pleasure to use, I don't regret spending the money.

There are several reasons I didn't give it 5 stars.

1) As mentioned by another reviewer, the mobile base included with this package is pretty weak.

2) There is too much space between the magnified cursor and the scale on the Xacta fence. Because of this distance, it was difficult to determine whether the fence was exactly where you wanted it to be. I fixed this by getting some longer screws and a few washers to use as spacers. Now the cursor is very close to the scale on the fence and I can tell at a glance whether the fence is positioned properly.

3) The paint job on the fence tube was poor. It looked like it had been dunked in a vat of paint rather than being sprayed or powder coated. I had to sand down some runs and sags in the paint and coat it with wax before the fence would run smoothly.

4) It has the same crappy blade guard and splitter that my Jet contractor saw had. For this much $$$, you would think they could provide something better. Consequently, it is never on the saw.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect - does what I want, February 2, 2005

By 

Amateur (McKinney, TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: JET 708663MBK JTAS-10SXL50 10-Inch Left Tilt 3 Horsepower Cabinet Saw with 50-Inch Xacta II Fence, Mobile Base, 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, Table Board, and Legs, 230-Volt 1 Phase (Tools & Home Improvement)

I just purchased this table saw and wanted to report that everything went perfectly, and assembled perfectly. Some comments:

This is one heavy package and my workshop is upstairs above the garage. I think I abused a friendship getting the thing upstairs.

The dust collection port for the left-tilt is on the left (short) side. For some reason, I thought it would be on the right (long) side since the saw was left-tilt. Therefore, I had to do some minor re-routing when it arrived.

The cast iron wings on my table were pretty well aligned and planar. The wooden extension was very difficult to get aligned. Alignment is important for various reasons, one of which is that it helps for the fence to slide evenly.

I wish that Jet would build in an automatic dust collection port that opened and closed in response to the electrical power of the saw. I know that you can buy these aftermarket, but it seems like it would be a pretty simple solution for Jet and it would be another nice "feature" to differentiate their product from some competitor's.

I know my title says that everything was perfect, but the mellamine extension table did have a knicked corner. But it is small and I don't care.

I have to resist not making the extension table an extension of my workbench. It's just so handy that things seem to pile up there.