Steel City or Jet

I’ve exhausted myself with comparative reviews and articles on tool manufacturers. The conclusion I’ve made is that if you’re buying Jet, Powermatic, or General, you rarely miss. If you are buying Grizzly, Delta, Ridgid, King, Steel City, you will miss a little more often, but still pretty rare. If you are buying Craftsman or others in that “Was once good, but now not so much,” category, then you miss a little more often yet, but still can get the job done.

Steel City makes a good tool. I’ve looked at them. There is absolutely nothing about them that is innovative…well, they have a granite top on some models, so I take that back…They havn’t build a new mousetrap. The basic mechanics of their tools is the same as everyone elses. They have some manufacturing issues in terms of quality control, which does not make them separate and distinct from anyone else.

As far as I can tell, you mostly get what you pay for. If it’s less expensive, you tend to increase the chance of getting a lemon. If it’s more expensive, you don’t eliminate your chance of getting a lemon…you just reduce it a bit.

Steel City is still small enough that you might get a great customer service experience with them, which is worth a lot these days.

I’m sure I’ve been no help at all.

Cheers!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I haven’t had any experience with either of them two.

Another new one to look at is the new RIKON table saw.

It looks pretty good, & has some nice features.

I bought there band saw, & Like it. It’s very well constructed.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

In November, I bought the Steel City 10inch- 3hp saw to replace a 15+ y old 8 in craftsman. I was able to assemble it in 3 hrs by myself (used an outfeed roller to help support the table wings which were heavy). I had no problem getting the table level and found that the blade parallel to the slots without requiring an adjustment. I bought the industrial fence which is actually better than the deluxe fence. It too was right on to the limit of my caliper directly from the box. I chose the Steel City based on friends recommendation for quality and it fitting the space I have and my price range. The several small projects I’ve made so far have had better cuts, tighter fitting joints and overall better than anything I was able to produce in the past.

About a year and a half ago, maybe two years, I was in the same boat, looking for yet another table saw. I looked at all that I could find local and have owned some of the lower to mid range models. I looked at the Steel City table saws along with jet, grizzly, powermatic, and delta. I considered General but I couldn’t find one local to look at. I think Tom summed it up quite well although I would probably divide the crop slightly different, probably putting Jet in with the mix of Delta, Grizzly, and Steel City.

I’m not really a huge fan of Grizzly, having owned a 1023 that I was not happy with, but a lot of guys on Lumberjocks own Grizzly saws and seem to be very happy with them. Without other’s feedback I would have rated Grizzly lower based on my own experience. Probably a case of getting one of the lemons.

When I looked I couldn’t find anything particularly horrible or great with Steel City, other than the price. At the time Steel City was offering a few hundred bucks discount on what was already a pretty good price. Looking at the design, fit and finish, I’d say the Steel City looked every bit as well made as the Jet. The milling on the table of the Jet was cleaner, fewer visible milling marks, but the Jet table had some obvious casting voids that had been welded and reground.

Steel City is still new but so far I haven’t heard anything that would turn me off from them.

I had a 14” jet bandsaw for a couple of years and upgraded a few months ago to the Steel City 14”. I was actually looking to move to the Powermatic for the features, but I found the Steel City to have the same features as the Powermatic, but for $200 less. If you buy the Jet, add roller guides and quick tension release options, it will be about the same price as the Steel City. I’m sold on the quality of Steel City and intend to purchase more of their products.

-- I don't make mistakes, only design changes....

Steel City is ex employees of Delta, and they have shown nice improvements in their tools. Their drill press has an innovative way of setting the depth and will move 6”. It also hgas a 3/4 hp motor and comes with the laser guides. I think that it is a great tool. Better than the Jet. I do prefer the new delta drill press since the table can tilt both forward as well as side to side. If you check out Steel City’s mortiser too you will see that they have improved greatly on its structure and function. Overall, I think that their products are good.

I dont own any of their tools, but I have checked them out and will if my current equipment ever craps out on me.

-- making sawdust....

I have not experienced the Steel City tools, but I hear they are decent quality and price. I was thinking about the sliding table saw that Dick showed in his link. I am thinking that would be a nice way to go. I hear Rikon tools are good. A lot of feedback on here about their band saws, but not much on the table saws.

My experience with the Ridgid table saw says it is a pretty good tool. There are probably better, but it has a good price too.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

OK, this is the second time my poor Jet bandsaw has been bashed in the past couple of months and I must say something (of course, it’s not like me to not to say it…LOL) Anyway, I have a Jet 14” with riser, quick release, bearing guides, and timberwolf blades and it works exceptionally. I used a steel city 14” and the Woodworks show here in Richmond this fall and it was…OK. The table wasn’t milled as nice, and the finish was not as nice, but it did the job. Don’t know what blades they used but the cut was not as good. They jabbed me about my Jet there (of course they were supporting their sponsor) too. In the end you have to buy what is going to make you happy and that’s what really counts. I bet the Steel City equipment would last just as long and work just as well with the proper care…Me I really like my Powermatic/Jet equipment always works well and is built to last.

-- Jim Hallada, Chesterfield, VA

Hi Guys;

Due to the ezee-feed business I am always tracking tool quality, (particularly table saws), as well as customer service issues due to people wanting my recommendations.

A recent, lengthy conversation with a friend who owns a couple Woodcraft stores was based around this topic.

We wandered back into his warehouse where we checked out the various brands of table saws. His feelings were Saw Stop was number one in quality. Number two was Steel City.

The crating around the steel city saw was very impressive. I doubt they get many returned machines due to shipping damage, unlike both Jet and Delta.

Also based on his experience with manufacturers, those two units stood head and shoulders above Powermatic, and Jet, both of which are owned by the same company and Delta, regarding customer service.

He had a very poor opinion all three of these companies, due to problems with units sold to his customer base, but more importantly to some is the very bad service he receives as a retailer. Imagine what the small shop owner or hobbyist woodworker can expect.

He couldn’t say enough about the customer service from Saw Stop and Steel City. As mentioned above, Steel City was created by former executives of both Delta and Jet, with the idea to take the short comings of these two companies and fix them.

He also sells General machines, but has nothing good to say about the company, regarding customer service, and plenty of bad experiences

Powermatic is considered by many to be a high quality machine. My own personal experience has not lived up to this reputation. A mortiser I purchased had a table / fence machined out of cast iron, which was considerably out of square.

The powermatic 66 which is a great saw, unless you have skylights. The shinny polished surface will blind you in a heartbeat. Fortunately they’ve stopped doing that with their new model.

My model 209 20” planer ran for about five minutes after being delivered, before the motor seized up. They wanted me to bring the motor to them for repairs! After much screaming they brought me a new machine. The rollers built into the base for portability collapsed after a very short period of time from the weight of the machine. Between that and a large noise from belt slap I’m less than impressed. I was told the belt slap is normal due to the high torque of the motor. I could have bought a much cheaper machine had I wanted to deal with these problems.

The Jet machines I own have performed well and have been trouble free, as have most of the Delta machines I own. Unfortunately competition in the marketplace have forced them to lessen the quality to stay competitive.

I am regularly asked to recommend woodworking machines, and have been steering people to the Steel City units. I have had a number of people contact me after their purchase to thank me for steering them in that direction. None were disappointed.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

I would not buy Rikon. My local woodcraft had their bandsaws for sale and most of them were returned by customers who had a list of problems. I looked at them and it didn’t take long to see the problems.

I have a grizzley table saw and jointer and a powermatic band saw with a riser block. I thought about a laguna, but then I saw the price. OUCH. My powermatic works great and resaws perfectly. The powermatic already comes with all the add ons that you will eventually buy for the jet like the carter guides and the like. Jet is good, but the powermatic line is better. I am also impressed with all the changes in their table saws. The price is high, but if oyu can afford it, it is worth looking into.

-- making sawdust....

Greta info Lee. I too am thinking of upgrading my table saw. My BOSCH is a good saw but I want to make the jump to a hybrid from a contractor saw. I also want a 50” fence. I too, have exhausted myself reading reviews on all the hybrid style saws. Until recently not everyone made one, now they all do. I really was leaning twords the General International. It rated high with Fine Woodworking. But I recently read a review of all the top companys hybrid table saws and the Steel City hybrid with the granite top was the reviewers choice…. everything was aligned perfectly right out of the box. They loved the dead flat granite top and it had excellent power, 110V motor and good dust collection. I have to admit I am now leaning twords the Steel City. I like the whole granite top idea, and it is still in the $1000 range even with the granite.

-- Women love me.....trees fear me

My other cabinet saw besides my new Sawstop is a Jet 50” left tilt cabinet saw. It is around 10 years old and other than some wear pieces on the fence I havent had a single problem with it. It used to see daily use and has cut out 100’s of cabinet jobs. I own a Jet jointer,drill press, mortiser and 14” bandsaw. I like them all and would heartily recommend them.

-- http://www.jgcw.biz

Hi guys, one more bit of information I read here needs to be corrected:

Jet & Powermatic = WMH Group
Delta & Porter Cable = Same Company

Someone said Jet was same as Delta/Porter Cable….NOT TRUE!

Just wanted to clear that up so no one is confused :>)

-- Jim Hallada, Chesterfield, VA

Thanks for the info, Lee.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

This is some great info guys. Thanks. How about any experience with an 8-inch Jointer. I’ve been looking at this size jointer for a while, and no matter who I talk to at the stores, I get different answers on paralellogram vs. non-paralellogram. Also how about the Steel City version vs. the others.

I have the grizzly and want the same one with the spiral cutterhead. Mine is 8” and I am truly glad not to have a 6” model.

-- making sawdust....

Hi Brad Nailor – David:

If it were me, I would would try to find a used cabinet saw. For pretty much the same money you could get a serious saw.

Many guys buying saw stop saws trade in their cabinet saw, so you may find some in very good condition.

A good place to check would be a large volume saw stop dealer. Some accept trade-ins to increase there sales. I was told about a dealer in the midwest that has a warehouse full of Unisaws, which were traded in, but I can’t recall who told me that. They were supposed to be the largest saw stop dealer in the country. Maybe that will help in tracking them down.

The hybrid saw may turn out to be a disappointment, in that they are underpowered for many things.

The castings (trunions) are not as heavy which leads to more vibrations.

The same conversation with the Woodcraft guy reveal he and his salespeople try to steer people away from buying them.

Something to consider. Good luck with your purchase.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com