Ridgid Bandsaw BS1400

[Steve Southwood]

Is this a good bandsaw to own? Thinking about picking one up during the sale.

[Caleb Larru]

Is this a good bandsaw to own? Thinking about picking one up during the sale.

I used one once, it vibrated worse than washing a load of towels that have been put on one side of the washer. I then went and bought the Grizzly 14".

In fairness to Ridgid tools they make some good ones. I had read some reviews on the bandsaw so I decided to try it. I wasn't very impressed with this one though. I do have their drill press and love it.

[Dave Sweeney]

The bandsaw is not one of Ridgid's better efforts.

[Lance Norris]

Well... here we go again. First, let me say that there is tons of info at Ridgids forum. I own the BS14002(ORANGE). Its a fine saw, with a little work. Yes, it does suffer from hit and miss quality control. Fixing its problems(if it has them) is simple. Not all of these saws have vibration issues. The vibration problems come from wheels that need balancing, drive belts that have memory from being in the box under tension too long, and flex in the stand. Your saw may have all or none of these issues. Mine didnt have any vibration problems. Like I said above, if you have to tweek and tune the saw, its all simple stuff. If you dont mind playing around a bit, you will end up with a good, medium duty saw for less than just about all the other similar 14" Delta style cast iron saws. It has a 3/4 horse motor, so it wont be a resaw monster, but with a sharp blade and a slow feed rate, it will resaw just fine. I havent found anything that is cheaply made, or wont hold up for a long time. The fact that its basically an exact clone of the Delta, replacement and aftermarket parts are easily available if you would ever need something. Sure, there are smoother bandsaws right out of the box, but they are more money. If you are on a budget, and dont mind getting your hands a bit dirty, its a fine saw that will serve you for a long time.

[Mike Langford]

I agree with with Lance....They are great bandsaw for the money!
Mine never had any vibrating problems either.....just minor set-up tweaking and it's ready to go.
I bought mine from Home Depot in 2001 (?) and have never had a problem with it (suppose to have a lifetime warranty)

I use it nowdays with a thin blade (3/16-1/4) to cut curved items....I have a Jet I use for resawing (got a fantastic deal on it from a SMC member!)

Is this a good bandsaw to own?......I say yes!

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[David Hostetler]

The Ridgid BS1400 is a very basic 3/4 HP 14" Taiwan build band saw. If you look at he pics from Mike Langford it should be pretty obvious that these things are all basically variants of the same saw...

The big differences are going to be the stand, motor, and accessories like blade guides, addition or not of light, addition or not of various fences, final machining, belts etc...

The BS1400 has a pretty flex prone stand, which tends to make it prone to vibration problems that can be caused by a funky belt or a slightly out of balance wheel set.

For the money the BS1400 is no better than the Central Machinery 32208, and in some ways is not up to that particular level. (32208 has a 4 speed pulley setup, where the BS1400 is single speed only. ) and even though the 32208 motor lists at 1HP, and the BS1400 lists 3/4, I am not saying the 32208 rating is accurate. (3/4 is more like it).

If you find a smokin' deal on a used one, say $150.00 or so, hop on it. But if you are going to spend even close to retail on one, I would buy a 32208 on sale with a 20% off coupon, OR save up the extra bucks and get a Grizz GO555x. Stronger motor, nice guides, good fence, good strong stand, etc...

[Steve Southwood]

Thanks for the replys. I guess I will put on my thinking cap and do the math.

[Larry Edgerton]

My brother has one. I would say if you can buy it for $20, pull the motor off and take the rest to the scrap yard and then it would not be too bad of a deal.

Junk is Junk! Whats to think about. You can find a used older Delta or similar for $250 or so and then you have something worth keeping.

[Myk Rian]

Do you plan on adding a riser block. Make sure one is available before you buy.

[Mike Gager]

i have the ridgid saw and have no complaints

seems like a good saw to me

[Ray Dockrey]

I actually went through two of these before I gave up. They both vibrated something awful but when I got the second one you could watch the upper half flex up and down as the blade moved. I finally gave up and ended up with the G0555. If the Ridgid could be found on sale or clearance then I think it would be worth trying. But at regular retail to me there are better options.

[glenn bradley]

This saw seems to be hit and miss. Discuss your concerns with your local BORG. If you can return it if all is not well then all you will have lost is a little time and effort.

I picked up a used C-man bandsaw for $100 that served me well (with some tweaking) for a couple years. Sometimes if you can't go in big it pays to buy what you know will be replaced. Use it till you get your moneys worth and then move on.

[Mike Wellner]

Look for a used US made Delta 14" bandsaw older than 8 years.

[Joe Von Kaenel]

Steve,


I have a Ridgid 1400 BS and it is a pretty decent saw. My complaint is accessories. The fences have been on back order since Nov 2008, the miter gauge is very hard to find and the riser block is way more expensive than the Grizzly. That being said, the Grizzly riser fits the Ridgid saw, there are nice after market fences like the Kreg fence and Grizzly also makes a miter gauge that will work with the saw.

Joe

[Myk Rian]

Look for a used US made Delta 14" bandsaw older than 8 years.
That's what I did. Found a beauty on CL and put a riser on it.

[Julian Nicks]

I own this saw and it was ok out of the box, but definitely needed some upgrades. I tuned it up, added carter bearing guides, a link belt, added a grizzly 6" riser block kit, then added a 1 1/2 hp motor to it that I got off of clist for $20. This saw works very well now, and can resaw 12" without a problem even through white oak.

For the money, there are other options out there, and for the money and time I invested in upgrades, I should have bought a 17" grizzly.

[Steve Southwood]

Ok from what I have read here and ridgid forum, giving this a pass. No need to buy something to work on. Thanks for the info.

[Ted Illi]

Their junk to say the least!

[Grant Vanbokklen]

We have one of these at work. It get abused and have for nearly 6yrs now. It runs fine. All it needs is a good blade. If the price is right I say get one.

But really an older Delta would be a good call used off Craigslist if your going to spend the money and can play the waiting game waiting for one to be listed. Or maybe eBay.

[Tri Hoang]

I would recommend getting the Delta 14" or the Grizzly 14". The current orange Rigid model has pretty bad quality control with vibration being one. The stand is light weight. By the time you spend money replacing the tires, guide blocks, link belt, and add a fence...the cost would add up to a nicer saw.