JET 5" x 6" Metal Cutting Horizontal/Vertical Band Saw, 1/2 HP, 115/230V 1Ph (HVBS-56)

I bought the Jet Tools HVBS-56M bandsaw with Amazon free delivery, making it only just a little more that cheapest equivalent out there (not to name names, but you will see dozens of the cheaper competitor's product for sale on e-bay "for parts only"). The Jet product is very well made and easy to put together and adjust, with plenty of power for cutting most of the items you'll need to cut in a home shop. It is very limited as a table saw - the small bolt-on table seems to be an afterthought, but at this price, who cares?

I've used the saw on one real project so far. When I got it I did some test cuts on scrap metal and it worked well after I got it set up. The one real project I've done since then was with light gauge square steel tubing. I was welding the pieces together of course. Square cuts and inside dimensions were critical and the saw did very well. It made the job easy. Putting the saw together can be a might aggravating. For one thing there wasn't enough of the bolts to put the legs on. I had the right sized bolts in my shop so I was able to carry on but it was aggravating. And I agree with other reviews by the way. The legs really are of too light a gauge metal. I don't think I will have to reinforce them but they are a bit light. Back to assembly. The instructions aren't great. When they put the motor on the saw they let a hinge like motor/belt tension piece flop to the inside rather than the outside and it began to look like I was going to have to do some significant disassembly to get the thing freed up. I finally managed to get it out and finished putting it together. I found I had to do some creative bending and springing to get the automatic cut off piece to reliably shut off the switch at the end of a cut with out it interferring with the saw coming all the way down. The cutting table for the vertical is light gauge metal and oh yeah a couple of those screws were missing too. I haven't put the vertical cutting table on and I probably will not. That's not what I bought the saw for. I believe some reviewers reported holes not lining up, that sort of thing. I did not have that problem with my saw. So, in summary, I would say be prepared for some serious aggravation when putting the thing together and then once you've got it together and set up you'll have a good saw.

I have been quite happy with my other JET TOOLS (both wood and metal working), but this bandsaw has been a major disappointment. Maybe I got a lemon with this one? The build quality and fit/finish are VERY bad. The included table for vertical cutting is absolutely useless and mine came bent from shipping damage (but it was replaced). The base is flimsy. i cannot get the blade adjusted properly to make repeatable, accurate miter cuts. Even after just a few cuts, the blade is ruined (and I am not talking about the blade that shipped with it). I have spent hours with it, but nothing helps. The spring speed control does absolutely nothing. I bought this hoping it would be more precise than a simple abrasive cut off saw. Not for me. I have given up wasting time trying to get the alignment and settings perfect to get decent 45 and 90 degree cuts. I get that these sorts of tools require adjustments to function properly during initial set up, but the expectation is that they came nearly there when delivered.

This is a great product, very basic and easy to use. The directions could be a little better for the first time user but overall understandable. Packaging for this product is not to good, fortunately this product was ordered through Amazon and their customer service is the very best. Amazon issued a pick-up for the damaged bandsaw and shipped a new one immediately. The second one was damaged also but not as bad, Amazon gave me credit for the switch I replaced and my troubles. The Jet company sent a new replacement pulley for the damaged one. I would rate the customer service for both of these companies the very best! I have been using this saw for a few weeks and I love the way it works, nice clean cuts and I feel comfortable walking away while it cuts the steel. Amazon.com's customer service and Jet made this a good experience that could have gone very bad.