WoodCentral Exclusive: Jet Tools Sneak Peek 2002

A WoodCentral First Look JET Unveils New Tools A first look at new products for 2002 from Jet and Powermatic.

by Ellis Walentine

SEATTLE, June 20, 2002. The WMH Tool Group today unveiled the latest additions to their Jet and Powermatic woodworking machinery brands. In a special "sneak peek" presentation for woodworking editors at the Jet corporate headquarters, Jet and Powermatic product developers raised the curtain on an ambitious program to divide and conquer the market for competitively priced woodworking machinery.

Jet's woodworking product manager, John Otto, presented Jet's new offerings due out this fall, including evolutionary changes to their dust collection and bandsaw lines, as well as a new line of hybrid cabinet saws.

The SuperSaw™

The centerpiece of Jet's presentation was their new tablesaw line, dubbed the "SuperSawTM," a heavy-duty floor-model machine designed to compete with DeWalt's tablesaw, which has been on the market for several years. The Supersaw features a 1 3/4 HP motor, a totally enclosed base, left-tilting blade, cast-iron wings, a smooth-acting rip fence, and a protractor-style miter gauge.

It will be available in four models, with 30-in. and 52-in. rip capacities, and with or without a cast-iron sliding table. Street prices will range from about $849 for the basic model to $1299 for the 52-in. sliding-table model.

Other notable SuperSaw features include the best blade guard we've seen on an American tablesaw and an innovative OFF/ON switch, which can be positioned anywhere on the rip-fence rail. The blade guard has a three-point mount for adjustability, independently-acting 1/4-in.-thick Lexan side shields and anti-kickback pawls. The switch has an oversized OFF button and a green light to indicate that the saw is plugged in.

The SuperSaw's dual-voltage TEFC motor has both start and run capacitors and is pre-wired for 115-volt current. In our informal hands-on tests, the SuperSaw's poly-V belt drive easily powered a carbide-tipped combination blade through 2 1/2-in.-thick hardwood. And, because of its rigid motor mounting arrangement, the Supersaw was able to make 45-degree bevel cuts without the heeling tendency of a contractor's saw.

Dust Collection Equipment

The big news in Jet's new line of dust collectors is the introduction of filter canisters in place of the typical top filter bags found on most other self-contained dust collector units. All of Jet's new 1 1/2 HP, 2 HP and 3 HP dust collectors will feature canisters, and a canister retrofit kit (street price: $149) will be available for all dust collectors with a 20-in. diameter waistband, including competitors' models.

The canister unit consists of a pleated filter enclosed in a cylindrical metal framework that sits atop the circular sheet-metal waistband of the collector. The filter medium removes dust particles as small as 2 microns (standard filter bags are effective only to 30 microns) while its pleated design allows up to six times the amount of air flow as a filter bag. To keep the pleats from becoming clogged with fine dust, the canister unit has an internal flapper mechanism with external handles that you rotate occasionally to dislodge the dust pack. Jet expects the canisters to last 5 to 10 years in normal use.

Dust and chips fall into a disposable clear plastic bag, so you can keep an eye on the amount of chips and simply throw the bag away when full, without having to dump the dusty contents into another container for disposal. The plastic bag attaches quickly to the collector's waistband with a unique snap-ring connector that eliminates the clumsy, three-handed bag-changing routine typical of collectors that utilize a large hose-type clamp for this purpose.

Bandsaws

Jet also introduced three new versions of its popular European-style bandsaws. The latest 16-in., 18-in. and 20-in. models feature an improved five-bearing blade guide system (double bearings on each side of the blade and an and a one-piece, double-tapered column for added rigidity. The 16-in. Model JWBS-16 bandsaw has a 1 1/2 HP motor and a 10-in. resaw capacity. It will sell for around $800 without the bearing guides, rip fence or miter gauge, or around $850 with these accessories.

The 18-in Model JWBS-18, with a 1 1/2 HP motor and 10 1/4" resaw capacity, weighs around 350 lbs and will sell for around $1100, including the rip fence, miter gauge and 5-bearing blade guides. The 20-in. Model JWBS-20, weighing in at about 500 lbs., has a 2 HP motor and 12 1/4" resaw capacity.

Lathes

Expanding beyond its already successful line of small and mini lathes, Jet will introduce two new, heavier-duty lathes this fall, the Model JWL-1442 and the Model JWL-1642.

The JWL-1442 (above and right), with its 14-in. swing and 42 in. between centers, features a 1-HP motor and an eight-speed (450 - 3,000 rpm) Reeves-type drive. The headstock, which can be moved anywhere on the bed, also pivots 360 degrees. The floor-model JWL-1442 will sell for around $899, and the benchtop version for about $799.

The top-of-the-line JWL-1642 (headstock shown at left) has a 2-HP motor and an electronic variable-speed drive, with a speed range of 0 - 3200 rpm and digital speed readout. The JWL-1642 has a 16-in. swing and 42 in. between centers. The headstock doesn't pivot but it may be positioned anywhere along the lathe bed for improved access to your workpiece. At 410 lbs., the JWL-1642 weighs over twice as much as the JWL-1442.

Accessories

Jet will also be rolling out an extensive line of woodworking accessories this fall, including woodworking vises, anodized aluminum sash clamps, corner clamps to hold case parts while drilling and fastening, hand tools, drum sander sleeves and bandsaw blades.

Powermatic News

Powermatic's Director of Product Development, Scott Box, announced his division's plans to introduce ten new industrial-duty machines per year over the next three years, aimed primarily at the small- to mid-sized professional furniture and cabinet shop market. Offerings will include a new 24" planer, a 4.8 HP vertical panel saw, two new sliding-table panel saws and a line of dual-drum and wide-belt sanders designed to compete favorably with existing European industrial equipment.

Powermatic will continue to offer higher-end machines for the discerning amateur and small-shop-professional market, including a newly redesigned 14-in. bandsaw, two new electronic variable speed lathes, helical head jointers and a 22-in. planer/molder based on the venerable Foley Belsaw design.

All in all, Jet and Powermatic have signaled an aggressive campaign to raise the bar for quality woodworking machinery at competitive prices.