Customer Reviews

JET 708668PK JTAS-10XL50-5/1 10-Inch Left Tilt 5 Horsepower 10-Inch Cabinet Saw with 50-Inch Xacta II Fence, 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, Table Board, and Legs, 230-Volt 1 Phase

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It took a lot of thought to talk myself into this saw. Having retired out of a large woodworking business (I sold it) my last table saw came from Germany, weighed 2 tons and cost $16,000. I had to adjust my expectations before feeling good about buying a saw at a tenth of the price. JET has been in the business a while now but I can remember when their products first came on the market no one thought they could build a good tool at the prices they were asking. But they did. And they are still doing it.

Facing a major remodel I justified the price of this saw against the price of professionally made cabinets. Throwing in my labor for free (I do consider it fun!) the price was easily justified. I wanted a saw that would not limit my designs or my material selections. I could have done with the three horsepower version - but thinking back I don't ever recall regrets buying more horsepower but I do recall regrets when I bought less. The motor pulls close to 20 amps at 230 volts. It won't run on 115v power. Be sure you have 230v power available. Because I was planning to do all of the panel work myself I also bought a stock feeder and built two different sorts of outfeed tables. With this set up and the five horsepower I had a saw that would not be out of place in too many commercial job shop environments. Don't forget to wear safety glasses with this tool. JET made the guard work well enough that you have no excuse not to use it.

The left tilt is very handy for panel cutting. Those of you used to right tilts will have to make a few adjustments, but they are intuitive. The tilt and elevation mechanisms worked very smoothly and the dust collection provisions were good. While the saw required no adjustment to the squaring expect to spend some time adjusting the riving knife and blade guard. The fence is a dream and is fair competition with a Biesemeyer. I check it's accuracy often, and in 8 months have never found it to be off. Expect to spend some time aligning the cast table extension. While the main table is beveled at the front edge the extension is not. I have not decided if this anomaly was intentional or if it effects the operation of the saw. My sense of order would have made the extension beveled as well. The arbor is quiet, accurate and strong. Blade changing ease is average for saws such as these. The 50" extension is almost mandatory for panel work and is worth it. Even without a discount.
When the saw arrived the packaging showed a lot of thought. If you purchase this saw for your garage, be sure you have someone to help you move it around. Also, you might consider purchasing a mobile base and install it while you are setting up.

I have owned the other 5 hp saw listed at the time of the review (by Powermatic) and know it to be of true quality. However I consider the JET a 5 star machine as it compares well at almost $'s less.

I had contemplated buying a table saw for several years to augment my aging and growling radial arm saw in my home shop. I compared Jet, Delta and Powermatic at tool dealers and liked the Jet the best, even though it is the least expensive. I had originally planned on buying the 3hp model, but, being the "King of Overkill" and listening to several of my woodworking buddies harp, "you can never have too much horsepower," I ordered the 5hp model. I'm glad I did!

The saw arrived on a pallet, covered with a strapped on double walled cardboard box covering it. Just cut the straps and lift off the box. Four bolts hold the saw base on the pallet, and I had to prop the pallet up on 2x4's to get the wrenches on the bolts and nuts. A little awkward, but that is the only real difficulty you'll face unpacking it.

I assembled the saw tables and fence in a couple of hours. I used a framing square to align the extension tables and held them with Vise-Grip C-Clamps as I tightened the bolts. The resulting table surface is dead-flat! I am really impressed with the quality of workmanship on the cast iron parts. After assembling the fence, it only took about five minutes to square it to the miter grooves. The arbor measured out perfectly square with an inside caliper. I am going to borrow a dial indicator to get a really accurate check.

The blade comes up to speed virtually instantly, a big change from my old 2hp radial arm saw. I have only used it for a week, but I can't see any problems with it at all. The extra horsepower keeps the blade at full speed in 1" ash.

Like the previous reviewer, I was able to justify the cost of the saw by comparing the cost of quality, ready-made cabinets with that of the tools and free rough-cut ash wood from my wife's Uncle. We'll have our cabinets and I get to keep the tools!

Absolutely great saw. I've had it for a year now. Before I bought this saw, I used a Delta 10" contractor's saw for a lot of years. I liked that saw and cut a LOT of wood with it, but the 1-1/2 hp motor was a bit on the weak side. When it was time, I knew I wanted a Cabinet-type saw with a lot of power. The only saws that I really considered were the Powermatic, Delta and Jet. I did a lot of research to determine which was the best saw. The cheapest was definitely the Jet with the Powermatic being, by far, the most expensive. With the amount of money that I was spending, I didn't have a problem paying more if I felt that I was getting more for the money. With all that said, I chose the Jet, and I have not been disappointed in the least. This machine is a monster. You can shove a piece of 2" oak through it as fast as the blade will allow with no motor bogging. As far as fit and finish go, it's beautiful. Shipping was great. Everything arrived in perfect condition. Set-up was quick and easy once I had all the correct parts. This leads me to the only downfall to my experience. The hardware to set up the fence, (bolts, nuts, and washers), were missing. I did not want to wait a week for Jet to send them to me, so I went to the local Home Depot and purchased the items for about $4. Everything else went smoothly. Though the missing items were frustrating at the time, I certainly would not downgrade my rating after using this great saw. The one thing that I would recommend is to buy the Delta mobile base. It is built well and much easier to use than most of the other bases available. The Delta base fits the Jet saw like it was made for it.

After owning a Jet cabinet saw I purchased this in May 2006. The speed limit switch broke in 11/2006 and once again in 1/07. The last time I was told that I was receiving a new motor. This has yet to happen. Jet's customer service is horrible. The Tech I spoke with lied about his extension number. I tried him back today and you are put into the main wait lobby. After I finally go through (17 minutes) I was hung up on. Every additional call yielded this number did not connect.

This has cost me any savings I could have made by purchasing from Amazon. I am in the process of purchasing another saw because this one is a lemon. I will be forced to purchase a replacement from a local vendor charging an absolute premium after Hurricane Katrina. I will not be purchasing a Jet or Powermatic. This is a shame because the first Jet saw and a previous Powermatic were graet machines. I just have a feeling that this will be a long term relationship that I do not want to be involved in.

This saw has gone out at the worst possible time. We are dead in the water without a saw operational.

Unless you are the type of person that enjoys abuse, DO NOT PURCAHSE THIS SAW!

I recently ordered the Xacta 5HP single phase 50" Jet table saw. When it arrived all the pieces were correct and still in very good condition. The assembly was relatively easy with no so-called user modifications. I double checked all the angles and there was no need for adjustments. I have cut Oak, Maple, Cherry and Black Walnut and this saw cuts through rip cuts like butter. For those contemplating purchasing one, I upgraded an existing circuit breaker to 40Amps from 30Amps and have had no issues with start up or overload during operation. The only low side I can find so far, the dust collection could use some improvement, but my collector will suck most of the dust out of the pedastal. The freight carrier who delivered it was ABF and their service was outstanding. They scheduled the delivery with me and updated the drivers whereabouts on the day of delivery. Once he was at my residence, they lift gated and pallet jacked it into my shop where I specified. The delivery fee was well worth it. Very happy with this purchase and product.

This is my third table saw in twenty plus years. I've had it for a few years now.
There have been other saws that where used but, they belonged to my friend/employer.
This saw is SOLID, My use is varied. over the years, primarily restoration and cabinet work. All those other saws pointed to this setup. Five HP, absolutely! Hard woods "like butter". My first was a Sears cable- drive contractors, second a Taiwan Delta knock off, contractors ( still have).
I added the Incra Jig TS, having used them for years and appreciate their precision.
Workmanship is slick, the cast Iron polished. Jet, has endeared me with their products and customer service with prior experiences, so I knew that was a given.
Shipping, via FedEx Freight with a hydraulic tailgate made this heavy delivery a breeze. A moblile base gives you options in the shop.
Now, I can forget about it, in a good way, knowing that it's very very capable. Now its the projects, design, and of course the wood.

Bud

I liked how this saw was heavy and stable and it cut beautifully...for the 15 minutes that the motor lasted. Burned out before I got through cutting up one sheet of plywood.

I understand that these things happen and WMH and ToolCrib/Amazon were very good to order a replacement motor for me. However, since it's coming from Taiwan, it would have taken 2-1/2 months to get here. Again, WMH and ToolCrib stepped up and agreed to pay for shipping the saw back to ToolCrib/Amazon for a full refund well after the standard 30-day return policy. So service wasn't the issue, it's the availability of replacement parts that is the concern.

So I ordered a Powermatic to replace the Jet (hey, you've got to upgrade whenever possible, right?)

Also, the documentation that comes with Powermatic and Jet are pretty scarce in the details. It's important to note that these 5HP beasts pull alot of amperage. WMH recommends a 40amp breaker for both the Jet and the Powermatic. This necessitates an 8-guage wire from breaker to outlet. Pretty beefy, but it sure beats a fire...

All in all, although disappointed in the downtime, to be fair to the Jet, it's a nice saw that really does a good job. The service is good too. I'd like to think that this is an isolated incident, and given the other reviews, that's very likely. So take this with a grain of salt if you need to, just be aware of the wiring needs that aren't plainly spelled out in the manuals and be aware that if you do have issues, you'll likely get good service, but it may be a LONG time before you get your saw fixed.

In all my years of woodworking I never saw a better saw for the money. Every setting and adjustment was 100% accurate. I am very pleased with it