Customer Reviews

JET 708777K JWSS-10SPF Supersaw 10-Inch Left Tilt 1-3/4 Horsepower Intermediate Saw with 30-Inch Xacta Fence, Sliding Table, and 2 Cast Iron Extension Wings, 115/230-Volt 1 Phase

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This review will compare the Jet (Supersaw) & Dewalt (746) Hybrid table saws. I spent a lot of time researching this saw, as many people do, and am writing this because I never felt there was enough info out there. As an intro, I was upgrading this saw from the Dewalt portable table saw (744) which I used for a few years including through the construction of a rather large addition on our house. It was a good tool and I was always impressed by the performance of such a small saw. I cut lots of wood with that saw, including many full sheets of plywood and some hardwood. However, I wanted something more accurate and decided to upgrade.

I settled on wanting a hybrid saw pretty quick. I personally think the market will move in this direction. It was compact which is perfect for my small shop (garage) as well as 110v (even though I have 220v available). I also considered the contractor style, but it seemed they were actually larger when stored as the motor hangs off the back. Therefore it was just a choice between the Jet and Dewalt. I scoured the net reading everything I could find. I also searched the newsstand and purchased everything that compared the two saws. Most net articles were not very objective effectively saying "I bought this one and don't regret it - it's the best." And the printed reviews were just advertising. I spent way too much money on Fine Woodworking and American Woodworker magazines to have such superficial reviews. I didn't know how lacking they were at the time, but the reviews are just pretty pictures. Save your money and don't buy these as neither magazine gives a thorough or objective review. I suppose they are pressured into neutral reviews by the makers (advertisers), but that doesn't help us much and it sure makes for a waste of our money!

After much research, I finally settled on the Dewalt saw. I bought it at the local WoodCraft store and I'm glad I did (thanks guys) because I ultimately decided to return the Dewalt for the Jet. Both are pretty good saws, but have their advantages and disadvantages. Overall, I prefer the Jet for the reasons explained below.

Assembly: Both saws were packed well enough to ship and protect, but the Jet was packed better. The Jet manual was better than the Dewalt. It was better quality (paper, binding, etc) as well as clarity. When you assemble the saws, you see a HUGE difference in design style. The Jet is so simple to put together and can easily be done in an evening (few hours) even if you are pretty picky as I am. The Dewalt is a complex design and takes much (3 times) longer. It comes with tons of nuts and bolts, requires disassembly to install the sliding table, etc. It is clear here that Jet put much more thought into this aspect of the engineering. Dewalt really missed the boat on this one and needs to rework their design.

Fit & Finish: Again a HUGE difference with Jet being the clear winner. First impression is better and then as you dig deeper the Jet looks even better. When you look at the specifications, it appears they are about the same weight but that is misleading. I think the main table and trunion assembly on the Jet is quite a bit heavier than the Dewalt. Of course, once you add the 100lbs of nuts and bolts the Dewalt is more comparable. The surface finish (grind) is better (finer) on the Jet than the Dewalt. The Jet looks great, the Dewalt looks fair. The Jet table is also flatter than the Dewalt being about 0.007 inches out in one corner vs. the Dewalt being out 0.008 inches in many places (potato chipped). Both sliding table castings were of lesser quality than the main table. Both were slightly pitted and rusted, although the Jet was still finished better. The Jet table was flat within 0.005in and the Dewalt was flat within 0.017in. The better fit and finish is throughout the entire machine and my numbers here don't convey well enough how much better the Jet is than the Dewalt in this area.

Sliding Table: Again the Jet is a better design. The rollers appear better with 4 rows of balls per slide vs the Dewalt's two rows. Both tables flex if you push on the left edge, but the Dewalt flexes much more. It's not stiff at all. Jet made a mistake here by not incorporating another miter gauge slot in the table though. I think the issue is not just more machining operations, but more complex setup as there is a need to align the rollers to this slot.

Fence: I didn't have an opportunity to play with the Dewalt as much as I have played with the Jet. However, this is one area where the Dewalt clearly shines. I personally thought their rack and pinion design on the 744 was very clever and would have worked well scaled up. The new Dewalt fence clamp assembly (head) rides on two long parallel contact pads that run the width of the head parallel to the round front rail. These are located at about 10 & 2 o'clock from vertical (12) and are made of hard plastic. This allows the fence to ride on the round rail while keeping parallel to the blade. When you lock it in place, a cam clamps in two locations from the bottom (6 o'clock). It is stiff, stable and repeatable with a moment arm as wide as the clamp assembly. Their fence is pretty simple being a steel tube with an extruded aluminum face and I think Dewalt could have done better with it. The Jet fence is a different design entirely, and follows more traditional designs. The front rail on the Jet is great being both a structural piece as well as a guide. The clamp is a 3-point contact (T-style) with two sets of pads (softer plastic) on one side and a center mounted cast clamp in the center. There are a few problems with this design. First the stiffness of the fence is more directly proportional to the clamp pressure than the Dewalt (ie not dual cam). Second, the resulting moment arm is only half the width of the clamp head vs the Dewalt full width. The resulting fence stiffness is comparable between the two with Dewalt being slightly better (I didn't measure) as the Dewalt fence is not as stiff as the Jet extruded aluminum I think. Third is how the Jet clamp pulls down on the fence thereby providing a downward pressure on the rear floating slide. At first this seems like a great idea but in reality it is a big problem. The Jet fence locates repeatably within 0.001-0.002 inches front to back which is good. However if you flex the back side, it sticks out of position and won't center itself due to the friction (sticktion) between the rear plastic floating slide and rail. It sticks out of position between +0.010 and -0.005 inches depending on the direction you flex the fence. I tried many lubricants (oil, silicone, wax) but they didn't help much and in some cases made it worse. A relatively simple fix would be for Jet to replace the locating clamp with one that clamped with horizontal pressure instead of upward pressure. This would eliminate the rear stiction problem as there would be no downward pressure at the back of the fence. It would also stiffen the fence as more pressure would go to keeping it straight. Another small fix may be to flatten the plastic pads with a sanding block so that more surface area contacts the extruded rail. I called the service department to see if this was being pursued, but not many people have called in yet.

Miter Gauge: Dewalt wins here too as their miter gauge is great, being a copy of the Osborne I think. The Jet gauge is just junk in comparison. There are tons of parts, unlike the rest of the saw, and many of them are loose so if you remove it things will get lost. In addition, it isn't repeatable as they rely on the threads on the handles to locate the assembly rather than a shoulder or other locating boss. It can vary (rotate) in position as much as 0.028 inches across the width of the sliding table. This is less than 1 degree, but still significant. As if that isn't enough, even if you do take the time to find all the parts, install it and square it to the table, all the knobs get in the way of each other.

Mobile Base & Stability: The Jet is a more stable saw in most respects. Dewalt needs to rework their saw as it isn't stable. You really do need the stabilizing legs on the side of the saw to keep it from tipping over! Their mobile base is well built, but the sliding table makes it tippy. You have to locate the swivel caster to the side as they show on their web page because if located toward the front or back the saw tips over (or tries) when you push the swivel caster down.

Operation: Both are smooth and quiet but Jet wins here.

Dust Collection: I like the idea of Jet's enclosed cabinet, but it is unrealistic to expect everyone to have dust collection. The metal bottom (or the lower part of it) should be removable so dust falls to the floor as an option.

Guard: Jet's looks quite a bit better, but honestly I haven't used either. Dewalt's is exactly the same as on their portable 744 saw.

Summary: I wanted to like the Dewalt better but didn't. Both saws are disappointing in that they could have gotten is right. Jet is closer though I think, although it is always a matter of opinion.

I recently clicked my way to table saw "almost heaven" on Amazon.com. My previous saw was a 10" Inca tilt table saw. Bottom line it for you? The Supersaw compares very favorably with the best Swiss technology. Sure, there are a couple of shortcomings (fence), but the all cast-iron construction gives quiet and smooth operation that has to be heard to be believed. Smoooooooth (except for the fence)

The sliding table makes me smile each time I use it. It's relatively easy to setup with the shim kit provided. Easy, except for mounting it on the table all by yourself, wouldn't recommend that unless you're too excited to wait for a friend to come over and help.
The miter assembly consists of a sliding fence, a hold down, and a flip stop. It is slick and well built, no cost cutting here (unlike the fence).

Pluses:
The work surface is the perfect size, big enough for all of my work, yet not too bulky. Throw a cloth and plywood on when not in use, makes a great workbench. The saw moves around easily on the Jet Industrial Duty Mobile Base (only 25 bucks after the Jet $50 rebate) while staying VERY stable.
I'm using the Freud 50 tooth combo blade. If you make a smooth feed, there is no sanding required. This blade does chip veneered plywood, but that could be due to the junk fence.

Minuses:
The fence is not flat, not even close. Laid it on the table for use as a straight edge as instructed in the manual; rocks like a hobbyhorse. Contacted Jet, they told me I had to go through Amazon for a warranty replacement. I told them that's fine, I'll just send the whole saw back to Amazon. Then Jet said they'd send me a new fence. However, they're backordered 5 weeks.
The original fence (which I'm using because I can't wait five weeks) appears to be impossible to lock down solidly. When you push lightly on the rear of the fence, it creaks, moves, and stays there. It feels like something is loose, but I checked everything. I starting to think this is not a good fence.
The right table extension has a sharp 90 degree edge on the front, but it ought to match the nice bevel on the main table.
And a very minor problem: the miter assembly has a right angle hold-down bolt for use when the blade is laid all the way over at 45 deg. The threads were defective, Jet sent a new one.

The blade-guard-splitter-anti-kick-back is where every American style saw falls down, I guess. I'm too accustomed to the Swiss style overhead guard with no anti-kickback, that's a sweet setup.

The anti-kick-back-pawls on the Jet are sharp enough to cut you, and the spring is built for STRONG, I hate it almost as much as the fence.

Overall, I love this saw, especially the sliding table. At this price, I am willing to put up with the fence, or replace it with a Unifence.

If you have a Supersaw, or you're just considering one, join the Yahoo Supersaw Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supersaw

This saw is obviously a copy of the Dewalt table saw. I took a close look at it recently, and here are some observations:

1. Rather than improve upon older Jet tablesaws by making the XActa fence micro-adjustable, Jet decided to create a new fence. The fence is a step backward--hard to adjust parallel to the blade, and not as rigid as the XActa.

2. The sliding table is excellent, although rather small. Operation is very smooth, but you'll have trouble using it on large panels (such as a 4x8 sheet of plywood). If you do a lot of crosscutting, and don't have sliding compound miter saw, this sliding table might be reason enough to take the plunge.

3. The motor is slightly more powerful than the contractor models, but not up to par with cabinet saws. A "super saw" should have a "super" motor--at least as an option.

Overall, I'd say it's an acceptable copy of Dewalt's innovative saw. But I wouldn't buy one now--I'd wait a year and let others shake the bugs out first. The fence really needs improvement, and I'd like to see an even more powerful motor.

If I were to use one word to describe this saw is SOLID. The next word would be precise. I got my Super Saw a week after Thanksgiving. Assembly was easy even for a single person. Although the sliding table wing was heavy. Set-up did take the greater part of a day to include a mobile base but after that it was smooth sailing. I was a bit disapointed that the way Jet beats DW's ... price is by not including a saw blade A bit underhanded for my taste but hey it is a slightly better saw than the DeWalt. So I got a Freud thin kerf 40 tooth blade. The combination is pure heaven. Cuts are precise and clean. The mitter works perfectly as delivered. The blade angles are exact. The micro-adjustment on the fence is not so precise I have to check and adjust with a measuring tape but the fence is true and parallel. Power is more than enough.

I look forward to years of solid performance as I know this saw is very capable to deliver.

I recently purchased a Jet Supersaw with 30 inch rails and a sliding table. A lot of the threads on woodworking forums complain about the fence. Then there are the purists who believe everybody should own a Unisaw, or a PM66, but in any case a true cabinet saw. Here is my opinion after having used the saw for the past 5 weeks.

The fence is accurate, precise and has maintained its alignment with quite heavy use. The play on the back end of the fence that is often sighted does not come into play while in use and does not interfere in anyway with getting a precise cut. The sliding table is easy to set up. I have a small shop and really appreciate the convenience and precision that the sliding table provides in a small package, i.e. it is much smaller than European sliding tables - but I don't have room for them. The dust collection is excellent with the fully enclosed cabinet. The right wing and the sliding table are cast iron. This thing is massive, yet I can move it easily using the Delta universal mobile base. I am 52 and I happen to like the magnified crosshair on the fence. Maybe younger folks with better eyes don't like it, but just wait and you will find it helpful in later years. I have already started making jigs that take advantage of the built-in T-slots on the fence. The adjustable switch is neat, although you have to get on the floor and look up in order to move it. I think it would be a great enhancement to make it moveable without tools. I have made some rip cuts on both hardwood and softwoods using a $50 CMT blade that look like that came off of a planer and required no sanding. I have never used a splitter or pawls before owning this saw, but I have not had them off the saw yet. The split saw blade protector works great.

To summarize, it is massive and stable, precisely rips and crosscuts, good safety features, good fence, plenty powerfull enough for my needs, and excellent dust collection which was a priority for me . . . or at least my wife.

My thanks to all of the earlier JET Supersaw owners who commented about dust collection, breaking belts and sloppy fences. JET must have listened and fine tuned their Supersaw. The 30" Supersaw that was delivered to me recently has a dust chute that exits from the bottom of the cabinet, a fence that locks in place reliably, and, hopefully, a blade lifting belt that will be less prone to breaking. Fit and finish is much nicer than the equivalent Dewalt.

I assembled the saw with a cast iron router table between the saw table and the right extention table. I mounted my Incra Jig Ultra with holes I tapped in the right extention table and use it both for the router and for performing precision rips.

I have added a small shop-built sled using the handle from the miter guage to lock it to the sliding table, and a piece of UHMW in the miter slot. I attached a left and right rule to either side of the kerf for measuring accurately. It works well when cutting small stuff to size.

Overall, the Supersaw meets all of my expectations.

Greg

I bought this saw about 4 months ago to replace an older contractor saw I had been using for 10 years.

Over all it's a pretty good saw except,

Dust collection or I should say WHAT dust collection. The built in system is a joke. It consists of small slots cut into the bottom of the cabinet, a pan screwed to the bottom of the cabinet and a 4" collector port pulling through those slots to the pan. The slots are too small and to few to be efficient. As a result the cabinet fills up with saw dust and you have to open the cabinet door and force it through the slots. It's really bad when you make a lot of dado cuts.

I cut two holes in the bottom of the cabinet to facilitate dust extraction. It's better but not great. I checked with Jet on the warranty issues with cutting those hales and it was no problem.

The sliding table is no more than a toy. After installing and aligning it I found that when you slide the table all the way back the rear of it sags and with you push it all the way forward the front of it sags. When it sags at the ends of travel the other end rises up. It's too small to be of any real use except for small work.

The miter gauge never remains in alignment. When I rip stock you of course I need to remove the miter gauge assemble. Every time I removed and replaced the miter gauge assembly I had to realign it to the saw blade.

I sold the sliding table on eBay, bought a new cast iron left wing from Jet and the Osborne miter gauge and have been much happier.

Like I said over al it's a good saw but I would recommend you buy the Supersaw with out the sliding table.

Received Jet's 30" Super Saw with Sliding Table and have used it for about three months. If you have any reservations of getting the Slider - GET IT! Money well spent and great for panel cuting and it is as smooth as can be! Dust collection works great and motor ripped through oak with no noticeable loss of power. The only reason this saw doesn't get a 5 from me is I was rather disappointed in the paint job. Had a chip or two when I got it (no big deal), but seems everything I bump into it, there is a new one! Geez, they should include a bottle of touch up paint with it!

This is definitely a 3.5 to 4 table saw; a tool I use weekly. The power, cast iron table, great extension table and stability were all a DIY could ask for. This saw will meet my furniture making needs for years... EXCEPT...
The fence is no where near the qualilty of the VEGA fence on my old Powermatic 63; I will have to square it often. Also, it is VERY difficult to set the distance between the fence and blade as they use a magnifying "bubble" instead of a simple straight line guage. Setting the width of cut will be difficult.

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One year update on the Supersaw and JET:
1. Timing belt gave up 13 months after purchase. Jet provided a no additional cost replacement and I bought an extra one. This, for me, is a totally minor issue. Parts wear out, and a fiber belt is no different. Had fun learning how to replace the timing belt. Recommendations; buy replacement timing belt in advance (approx $7.00), and the setscrews that are installed on the shaft that raises and lowers the blade. Do yourself a big favor and call JET before you begin replacement (mention the setscrews) and they'll gladly walk you through this. The new belts will last longer as the original belts had a manufacturing flaw from a different vendor.

2. The fence is really excellent. Adjusts easily, is true, and yet holds its setting. The only issue for me is the bubble, which makes it difficult for me to get a consistently repeatable cut once I move the fence. Recommendation, buy a replacement plastic piece without the bubble (magnifier), and/or complete all cuts at the same fence setting before moving the fence. Most folks I've spoken with don't have this issue. It may be my eyes....

3. The splitter is excellent. Recommendation: Please use the splitter especially if you're just starting out as a woodworker. It's a nice piece of safety equipment.

4. JET Customer service is excellent. They are prompt, treat you with respect, are happy to chat with you about issues, and have a wealth of information they enjoy sharing. Give them a call before you purchase anything and I'm sure you'll agree.

5. Fifteen months after buying the Supersaw, I would definitely buy it again. And the Forrest Woodworker II Blade and most definitely, the sliding table. Don't buy the saw without the sliding table.