Customer Reviews

Jet 414458 HVBS-56M 5-by-6-Inch 1/2 HP Horizontal/Vertical Bandsaw

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Problems on assembly:
1) Center hole on cast iron base @ both ends was not centered + did not line up to the leg cross brace. Fix: used air grinder to grind cross brace hole wider.
2) Instructions for the installing the adust. feet were vague. Just says use "provided hardware". Fix: used my incredible powers of observation and deduction to determine what goes where.
3) The leg cross brace opposite of motor has an interference problem w/switch box. Fix: ground the cross brace to form a notch to clear switch box.

Usage:
1) table for vertical cuts is flimsy. Only single support underneath - needs 2. could not level table since there is no adjustment.
2) Adjustment of eccentric bearing requires a thin wrench to fit between bearing + support casting.
3) The blade covering has to be put on "just right" otherwise interference with the stop bolt occurs.
4) When moving the miter vise plate, the hold down bolt interferes w/the screw that holds the scale strip. Loosening the bolt enough will get past the interference unless the angle you want is right where the interference occurs.

In general:
The motor has enough power for cuts. I've been cutting 4130 .125 steel and the motor never bogged down. Horizontal cuts is this machines best use. vertical cutting leaves a lot to be desired but this could be because the blade's tooth pitch did not match up to the metal type. But,as stated above, the table doesn't help.

I'm not a home improvement enthusiast. Don't know why Amazon put that there. (Stupid!) I'm a hobby machinist.

I compared several different Asian made 5x6 bandsaws. Don't believe it when someone tells you they're all the same.

The Jet was very easy to assemble and use. Very solid base. UL approved motor that is bigger than some other bandsaws have. Nice fit-and-finish.

Some other ones I checked on needed to have additional bracing added due to a flimsy base. I had read about some of the others having motors prone to overheating and meltdown.

Bought mine locally for $249.99. Don't understand how Amazon can charge a $70 premium. Around $250 seems to be everyone's prices except Amazon. $319.99! Ridiculous!

For what it does and the price it is a good value. Important to keep it maintained with periodic lubrication or it will seize and the blades is likely to break. Good idea to get at least one extra blade as they break without warning and long before the teeth are worn down. The cut-off switch works well so you can start it cutting and walk away to do something else.

For almost any length of stock you will need a separate support for it. Unfortunately the height of the cutting bed is lower than any roller stand I have found so I ended up putting the bandsaw on a couple pieces of OSB to raise it a couple of inches.

The stand is barely able to support the weight of the cast iron saw and is the real weak point of the bandsaw. A stronger and taller stand would be nice and it will be one my next projects. The stand that comes with the bandsaw is barely strong enough to support the wheels as the bandsaw is wheeled into position.

I looked at the grizzly and harbor frieght saws and then I saw a jet saw at my job,abviously heavier duty. But what i had noticed about the jet saws is they are more stockier build and heavier construction.I went to harbor frieght and the cover on the 4 by 6 was broken.I set this saw up in no time and had no troubles it cuts very nicely and timely,I am very pleased with it.

A real bummer! When I received the bandsaw a couple of small parts were missing and the blade guard and blade tension knob were badly damaged in shipping. Rather then going thru the hassle of returning it, I opted to contact the manufacturer and ask that the parts be replaced. The small missing parts were sent to me right away but the larger more important parts that had been damaged are still on backorder and I cannot use the saw util I get replacements. The guard could be jury rigged to work but, the blade tension knob makes the saw completely useless until it is replaced. The last time I contacted the manufacturer, they said they had a date of Mar 24, 2010 for them to receive the parts. After they receive them, who knows how long it will take for me to get them? I was further disgusted by the lack of any way to contact Amazon directly to discuss the problem with them. I think Amazon should make an effort to set up some sort of customer service contact, email or phone.

I've owned this saw for about 3 years now. At the time I was looking at buying a metal cutting chop saw, but I didn't like the "shower of sparks" thing, so I got this saw instead. I don't regret buying it at all.

The Pros:

- Good Value for the price (I paid $248 locally).
- Plenty of power
- Cuts are quiet enough so that I don't wake the neighbors when cutting steel in my garage at 2am.
- Good finish.
- Auto stop feature works great.
- Throw on a Lenox blade and it just keeps cutting, and cutting, and cutting, and...

The Cons:

- The vertical cutting table is flimsy garbage, which is actually where mine ended up. I use it strictly for horizontal cutting.
- I don't like the handle to wheel it around. It should be solid to the frame, not loose. The back wheels are not back far enough, so when wheeling it around, the saw will topple over backwards if you're tall and are not careful.
- Once you get it tuned, it cuts reasonably square, but the adjustments are crude and it takes a lot of fiddling to get it right. If you want to, say, rotate the back blade guide just a little bit clockwise, you have to loosen a bolt, which loosens the whole assembly, and messes up up your alignment. If I still own this saw when I buy a mill, I will make a custom set of blade guide adjustments for it.
- I wish you could move the moving blade guide closer to the fixed one when cutting small pieces.
- You'll need to rig up a support table (saw horse, etc.) to support anything longer than about 2 feet.
- Why oh why did they put a stupid plastic vice handle on the thing? It flexes and deforms to get the amount of clamping pressure you need to hold your piece solid.

Overall, it's a decent saw for the money and is so handy for it's role of cutting up stock for my welding hobby. I would definitely recommend it to a hobbyist that doesn't mind tinkering, but not to someone making a living off the saw.

The saw is a good deal for the price but it is a little crude in its design and construction. Lots of oil lube points and only a cover plate to remove and then tip the bandsaw on its size to drain the oil for example. The stand is incredibly flimsy and I added braces to mine which helped. Wheels are also small so the front legs can only be lifted slightly or the stand catches on the concrete.

Angle of cut can be adjusted but it consists of a piece of angled steel that is held in place by a bolt and there are no markings for reference. It can be a trial and error process to get a true 45 degree cut in a piece of metal.

Plenty of power and it is easy to change the blade out when it dulls or breaks. Good user manual provided in readable English which is unusual with power tools from any manufacturer these days.

Cut-off switch to stop the motor after the piece is cut all the way through so it can be left unattended which I like.

I bought this saw because I was tired of using my Recip saw for any metal cutting, and going through numerous blades. Overall it is an OK saw, but is definitely on the low end and a small saw.

Assembly
As with other Jet products that I have purchased, the instructions were vague in many areas, and you needed to stare at the pictures to see what they were really talking about. Comments like "use provided hardware" when you have a pile of bolts/nuts/pieces was not very helpful.
In the instructions it tells you to use two people to turn the head over after you put the legs on, was real. I did it myself but it took a lot of effort with a large, heavy, bulky piece that always wanted to spring open.

The Saw
When I got the saw in the upright position, I was very surprised how low the table was. It is 25" off the floor; it looks like it was designed for real short people. When using the saw I have to bend way down in a not-so comfortable position. Think about using a work surface 25" off the floor. The legs should be at least a foot longer.

The legs need more bracing, when moving the saw they wobble and bend a lot and are not very stable. When picking up the head to a vertical position, you have to be careful you do not let it pop up too quickly otherwise the front legs will come off the ground and almost tip over.

When cutting, the head/blade bounces up and down a lot and you end up with a jagged cut.

The vertical table attachment is sort of a kluge where you need different types of wrenches to attach it, and it is not very stable.

Bottom Line
I own several other Jet products, and they were all better constructed than this one. It did get the job done, but it is definitely not a heavy duty saw, and it is much smaller than you think. If you need more blades, you can get the cheaper at Home Depot or Lowes, for about 11 bucks.

Just bought the Jet Metal cutting bandsaw.Unpacked the saw and found that all of the parts were intact.I have to agree with other reviews of this saw that the stand leaves a lot to be desired.Got the saw put together and started cutting scraps of steel that was laying around the shop.Saw cut pretty well and true. I had purchased a spare Lenox Diemaster 2 blade and installed that to compare. What a difference that made. reduced cutting by alot. Very happy with the saw. Beats the chop saw that I had been using.

Great saw. Was shipped well, and looks to be over very good quality, and is very sturdy. I had looked at some of the "cheaper" brands from Northern Tool, Craftsman and Harbor Freight, and got this one for just a little more than what those cost. This one has a slightly large capacity (5x6 instead of 4x6), and also had a bigger motor. The wheels are also useful.

Makes great cuts, very straight, and very easy. The only thing I don't like about it is the low level of blade adjustment (for smaller cuts you should be able to move in the guides further, although I haven't seen an adverse affect yet), and the casting on one of my guides looks a little bit off. It's still functional, and I may try milling it out, but it works fine for now.