G0513x2 owners…any regret in not going bigger?

[Josh Rudolph]

I know this has been asked before, but it was also a while ago and everyone has now had longer to have put their saws through it’s paces and find it strengths and weaknesses.

In the interest of me only buying once…you guys that bought the G0513x2, do any of you wish you would have went bigger?
Not necessarily for more resaw capacity, because 12” is pretty big. I know I don’t have anything bigger than that, that I plan on resawing (at least not now). I am mainly asking about the rack and pinion table option.

I am back and forth between the G0513x2 and the G0514x2. My draw towards the G0514x2 is the rack and pinion table. It makes sense to me, but in reality, how much of an added feature would it be? I do plan on making lumber from some of those firewood pieces that are just too nice to burn! J However I don’t plan on throwing 3-4 logs up the thing and resawing.

The throat capacity is a nice to have but not necessary. Regardless of the throat size, I will always need just a couple more inches.

The extra horse in the motor…again it is nice, but I think with good blades and proper feed rate, the 2 HP can do anything the 3HP can. Magnetic switch…nice to have, also not a necessity to me. Foot Brake, if you had it, would you use it? I know it would get used occasionally, but is it worth the price difference?

Between the 2 saws all other features are the same. What are some of the weaknesses you have found in the G0513x2?

Obviously money is another factor with the purchase…the G0514x2 is real close to the top of my price range. I would still buy some blades and a mobile base. This drives me back to the G0513x2.

Any insight and opinions is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Josh

[Chris Allen]

I don't really have much insight to add, except that I was in your same shoes. Went back and forth with the decision. I ended up with the 514x2. Bigger is always better, right? :D

Good luck.

[Barry Vabeach]

Josh, I can't help much, I was looking at a 14 inch entry level delta and went to the 513x2 - which is quite a jump up . At the time, I remember thinking that the Grizzly lineup was pretty scary to my wallet - they would offer a 14 inch, then an ultimate 14, and for only a few dollars more you could buy the entry level 17, and then only a few dollars more could get you the upper level 17, then only a few more than that, you got the entry 19 and so on and there was no obvious stopping point. For a few weeks after I got it, I was worried that I should have gone bigger, but in retrospect it was the right size for me. I don't see a need for the foot brake, the few times I wanted to stop the blade quickly, I just feed some scrap into it to slow down the blade. A little more rip capacity would be great, but that would be true of everything up to a 36 inch bandsaw. I don't find that the saw is under powered, and I have resawn 10 inch cherry and walnut. I haven't looked at the 14x2 or the manual, but I am not sure what you mean by rack and pinion table. The webpage says Rack and pinion upper guide adjustment for the 14 but doesn't list that feature on the 13. I don't know exactly what that is, the 13x2 has a handwheel and a gear for adjusting the height of the upper guide and the manual refers to that part as a rack, plus my version of the manual covers the 13 and 14 fence parts are in one diagram so I assume they are the same. You might want to call Grizzly and see what features the 14 has that the 13 doesn't. The main weaknesses I saw on the 13 ( which are likely present on the 14) is the handle placement on the fence - if you are ripping wood, you can't unlock the handle without lifting the wood up ( I moved the handle ) and the need to use allen wrench to adjust the bearing guides ( I made tool free adjusters ) When doing your budget, a bandsaw is not as bad as some tools in terms of cost of tool v. cost of blades, but do factor is some money for blades - a decent bimetal will cost in the neighborhood of 40 to 50 . Either way, I am sure you will be happy with your Grizzly.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I purchased the G513X2. No regrets on going larger. Oh wait a minute, I did go larger. I was original checking out the G0555X with riser. After seeing how much tension it takes to make the Timberwolf 3/4" 0.032" thick blade work, I'm glad I opted for the G513X2 based on the comments here.

Both the G513x2 and G514x2 have the same table adjustment mechanism (geared). I tried once to tilt my G513x2 table to 45 degrees and couldn't get it there. I only spent enough time looking at it to know that something was hitting, but not enough time to figure what or how to fix it. I instead opted to learn how to true my table saw at 45 degrees (again thanks to fellow 'creekers).
So as far as I can see the differences between the two machines is 2 vs 3HP, 16 vs 18" throat, and a foot brake on the G514X2. I haven't tried to resaw 12" yet, but with a Timberwolf 1/2" 6 tpi blade the G513x2 cut right through 8" mahogany.

The magnetic switch would be nice if you ever blow a circuit breaker, but in the interest of conserving electricity, I can go without. Now, the brake I wish I had! Foot brake (G514X2) or electric (G513X2B or G514X2B), I don't think I'd care. It takes forever for the blade to stop on the G513x2. Since the bandsaw can't tell the difference between wood and fingers, it means I often do something else while I wait for the saw to stop.

[Chris Holder]

I also purchased the G0513X2 about a year ago, and could not be happier. I have yet to tackle a project where I would need something bigger. One thing to consider is that with 17" of clearance, you are getting into the range of the work being to big to easily move through the equipment, and with projects that size, it is often easier to move the tool to the workpiece (i.e. a good jigsaw). Vertically, the cast iron wheels and 3 HP motor give more power than you could need to resaw. I too think bigger is most always better, but you have to decide what gives you the most return for your money.

[glenn bradley]

G0513X here. No regrets. I have yet to tilt the table on this saw or my 10". I tilted the table on my old 12" a few times so R&P is nice but not missed for me. I have never wished for a brake on my bandsaw although one on my router table would be nice ;-)

I would like to run a 3HP machine to see if the difference is noticeable. My 2HP machine has done great on 8" to 10" tall beech, white oak, maple, walnut and cherry. Being a fan of raw horsepower in cars, tools and stereos (ar, ar, arrr) I am just curious if the HP difference would make me go hmmmm?

[Irwin Fletcher]

G0513X2 here. No regrets--especially given the fact that Microsoft ponied up 25% of the price with the Cashback program last year.

[Jason Beam]

G0513x2 here, absolutely no regrets. The only thing I wish it had was the motor brake that came out about 2 months after I bought mine. It takes a full 20 seconds to spin down once i hit the OFF button. I'd prefer it stop sooner, but that's such a minor problem. And since the new model has a motor brake, it may well be possible to retrofit.

Bigger? nope. Bigger to me has little to do with throat depth. I rarely find myself needing to cut curves bigger than my Jet 14" saw could handle so the 17" was really not much of a benefit for me. Bigger, to me, would mean more resaw capacity. But by the time you get to more than 12" resaw, the price is quite a ways up and while I'd like to resaw the 15" wide cherry boards I have in one piece, I'd also like to stay married! :D

[Wade Lippman]

I don't really have much insight to add, except that I was in your same shoes. Went back and forth with the decision. I ended up with the 514x2. Bigger is always better, right? :D

Good luck.

+1 If you are going to spend the money for 17" you might as well get the 19". The bigger motor is really nice.

[Gary McKown]

I was similarly torn a year or so ago while standing among the sea of bandsaws at the Muncy store. The 0513X2 sure looked tiny next to its bigger brothers, but I took one look at total weight, height, and footprint, and bought the smaller one. Then I got it home and into the smallish basement workshop, where it looks HUGE. The larger one would have fit, but only after taking up more precious floor space.

No regrets, the 0513X2 does anything I have wanted to do. Mine does not have the R&P table - no biggie for the once or twice a year I might tilt it. The blade brake would have been nice, though.

Note: the Shopfox mobile base is marginally adequate (after Griz sent replacement casters) for the smaller saw. If you get the 0514, for sure buy or make a better base.

[Gary Kvasnicka]

I don't really have much insight to add, except that I was in your same shoes. Went back and forth with the decision. I ended up with the 514x2. Bigger is always better, right? :D

Good luck.

Same here, I am very happy with my 514X2. Glad for once I am not wondering if I should have got the other one.:D

[Rick Moyer]

IIRC, the 0514x2 has the bear ears in the wheels. How much are THEY worth to you??:D

[Jason Beam]

The 513x2 has bear ears in the wheels, too, now. So that's not a choice anymore :P

[Chris Padilla]

Bigger? nope. Bigger to me has little to do with throat depth. I rarely find myself needing to cut curves bigger than my Jet 14" saw could handle so the 17" was really not much of a benefit for me. Bigger, to me, would mean more resaw capacity. But by the time you get to more than 12" resaw, the price is quite a ways up and while I'd like to resaw the 15" wide cherry boards I have in one piece, I'd also like to stay married! :D

Bring those boards west and south along with a dozen KKs and my MM20 will chew right through 'em! :D

[Jason Beam]

Almost woulda done that, Chris. I couldn't bring myself to cut up that cherry at all so I will use 'em for the solid top for my entertainment center instead :D

[Dave Avery]

no regrets.....

[John Keeton]

Would do it again!

[Russ Massery]

No regrets here. Would buy again in a heartbeat.

[Scott T Smith]

I recently purchased a 513XB2 and have been impressed by it. This was a replacement machine for a 7.5hp 24" Grizz that was BBQ'd in a shop fire last summer.

The guides, blade tensioner, and brake are much better on the 513 than my old saw. Also, the smaller saw is much more versatile for a lot of activities because it will accept a narrower blade.

Both had magnetic switches (which I'm a big believer in for safety reasons), so that was a wash.

For the most part, I've been pleased with the decision, but I thought long and hard about one of the higher HP machines.

I bought a horizontal resaw at the same time, so I will not need to use the 513 for resawing (which is what clinched my decison to purchase the smaller saw).

[Andrew Joiner]

Hi Scott, Wow a horizontal resaw! Those look amazing. What do you make?

[Scott T Smith]

Hi Scott, Wow a horizontal resaw! Those look amazing. What do you make?

Andrew, I'm setting up a business to manufacture and sell extremely wide plank (up to 20") KD quartersawn oak, and the resaw will be used for making 1/8" veneer for resale. It will be an internet business, www.quartersawnoak.com (http://www.quartersawnoak.com), and I plan on selling S2S, S4S, veneer, ultra-wide plank flooring and wainscotting, with a lot of selections for bookmatched, side matched, log matched and tree matched material. There will be some unique aspects to my business model which I can't share yet, but I'm looking forward to launching the biz later this year.

I've been milling and drying locally for several years, and am fortunate to be able to mill logs up to 60" in diameter. There are not a huge number of the large logs available, but enough to keep me busy for an upscale niche market. I can produce true, 16" wide quartersawn boards from a 40" log with no pithwood in them.

I attended the IWF show in Atlanta this past year, and tried out the 16" horizontal resaw Grizz at the show. It's a very nice machine, and I was impressed by the quality. Horizontal resaws beats the heck out of vertical, IMO. The one that I purchased is well designed and manufactured.

[glenn bradley]

IIRC, the 0514x2 has the bear ears in the wheels. How much are THEY worth to you??:D


The 513x2 has bear ears in the wheels, too, now. So that's not a choice anymore :P

Man, just when you thought the anguish was over . . .

[Andrew Joiner]

Good for you Scott. What a business. Sounds like fun.

[Cary Falk]

I have the 513x2 and I am happy with it. I debated the 514 but it was more than I wanted to spend. I wanted it more for the 3hp than the size. I have not needed more than 2hp yet.

[Burt Alcantara]

During the CashBack hysteria, I looked hard at the 513 & 514. The reason I went with the 514X2 was table size and weight. My main use is making blanks for turning. Sometimes, I heave some pretty heavy blanks on the saw. I've almost overturned my 14" a number of times and believe me, that's a scary situation.

I use the foot brake all the time and feel it is a necessary "accessory." I have yet to use the rack and pinion. I don't know if I ever will. Trunions? They are so small that I can't see the big deal about cast vs steel, but that's just an inexperienced turner talking.

I like the fact that I can put any log that I can lift to the table up on the saw and cut it with no issues, no deflection, no stalling. If I had to do it over I'd opt for something with 16" cutting capacity. Probably stick with the Griz because it's a little less expensive then the MM16 but I like the small footprint of the MM16 (yeah, at 500+ lbs).

Burt

[Josh Rudolph]

Thanks guys for all of the replies. Your inputs are all greatly appreciated.

Right now I am planning on ordering the 17", just don't see how the bigger saw would serve me better (famous last words I know). Now I need to figure out the opportune time to buy. Cashback is at 10% or do I hold out a little longer? :D

Don't know how much longer I can hold out to be honest. 10% back and free shipping, hard to wait with a savings pushing $250.

Thanks,
Josh

[Jason Beam]

I'd absolutely jump on it now, myself. Cashback was 25% when I bought mine, but i maxed out at $200 cashback and I paid shipping (can't remember how much now, but could look it up). I'd go for it while the free shipping is still going.

[Ed Moehlenpah]

I thought you gave that up after working on my cyclone!

[Brian Kincaid]

G0566 21" saw here. No regrets. Maybe not helpful :D

Brian