Jet 16" Bandsaw

Does this model use the older style blade guides? If so they are a constant mess to keep adjusted w/o twisting the small set screws off! I have replaced both of the backing bearing assy.s on my 18" (same component) and to adj the lower unit takes u to the edge in removing the desk top and then replacing it ..1.5 hp is min in cutting some hard maple 6-9" in height also.Don

I've had the 16" Jet for 16 months now. Just used it yesterday to resaw some 8" wide river birch boards using a 3/4" special Timberwolf resawing blade. No problem with power doing that. I've replace the standard blade guides with roller guides. Adjustment doesn't seem to be a problem with the roller guides.

The optional fence system seems to work well and I'm glad it came with the saw in the deal I got. The left hand side rail does get in the way of changing the blade just a little. Not enough to have to move anything, but it just requires a little more finesse in a tight space.

The biggest negative on the saw that I've heard is the small trunion size on the table. There just isn't enough clamping pressure on the locking mechanism to hold the table in place if you were to lean on it hard. I have to say this has yet to be a problem for me - even sawing

Dust collection is probably a weak point in my opinion. The standard 4" port keeps almost all the dust out of the internals of the cabinet and the small brushes keep the tires pretty clean, but the lower blade guide assembly just gets buried in saw dust during normal use because there is nothing to pull that stuff away from there. And, as luck would have it you can't easily get a vacuum hose in there unless it is a small hose or a crevice tool.

I haven't put a lot of hours on this saw, but I am plenty happy with what I got for the money. It does all I need so far, especially the extra cutting height over most of the 14" saws.

Paul Proffitt Suwanee, GA

The Carter rollers on my saw get pretty gunked and gummed from sawing green wood - to the point of packing sawdust on the contact surfaces, resulting in thumping, vibration and noise. Similar to rolling a ball in the snow to make a snowman.

Have you had any problems in this regard?

Though I haven't seen them advertised in the catalogs, you might want to see if they make ceramics for that saw. I know they make ones for the ubiquitous 14" saws.

My roller guides are from Jet, but probably are similar to the Carter ones. I've noticed some buildup on the rollers, but so far nothing that couldn't be wiped off easily. Definitely something to keep an eye on.

Thanks George, but my band saw came with the Carters from the factory and thus I don't have any of the guide hardware to use blocks. I once checked the replacement parts price to convert it to blocks but it carried a price of a hundred or two.