BS pre-Gloat with PICS!

[Tom LaRussa]

I'm gettin' a Grizz!

G0555 Ultimate Bandsaw, that is...

Just placed the order for the saw, the 6" riser block kit, the light with magnetic base, and, (from Highland Hardware), the 7" resaw fence.

Here are some pics, (I think -- assuming I did this right), of what the stuff should all look like when it gets here -- So stay off my back, Pic Patrol! :D

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations, Tom. A new tool is always cause for celebration...and pictures, even if from the "catalog" are a perfect way to start the party! (Be sure and post real ones when the new baby arrives)

[Tyler Howell]

Tom,
That riser makes all the differense in the world for those of us that don't have the monster machines. It's a two person job so plan ahead or get out the block and tackle.
Enjoy

;)

[William Hall]

Congratulations on your pending arrival. I have the same setup and I believe you will really enjoy it. Make sure you purchase a proper blade for it (I like Timberwolf). Don't even try the one that comes with the riser kit... you will not be happy.

I am very interested in the resaw fence that you are getting. Please let us know how that fence performs on the G0555, after you have had some fun with it.

William Hall

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi Tom, That's a nice pre gloat but I don't think it's legal at SMC. I think the rules say you need actual pictures of your machine once it arrives and not pictures from a catalogue. I mean just think of it: Anybody could just take a pic from a book and say they got this bandsaw, table saw, etc. It would be too easy to lie. :)

But seriously enjoy the new machine; it looks like a real winner. Alan in Md.

[Chris Padilla]

Nice, Tom...we'll take the catalog pics but the jury is still out until we see it in your shop! :D

Now, let's talk blades, Tom! Timberwolf? Lennox?

[Kent Cori]

Tom,

Congratulations on your new addition to the family. I have my Griz set up with the riser block, a similar light and a Timberwolf blade. I really love the combination and I'm sure you will too.

A few weeks ago I substituted an Iturra high tension spring (3/4 x 3 1/2) for the original that came with the Griz. The difference in blade tracking was very evident. For $14.50, it was a great investment. If you don't already have an Iturra catalog, you can call them at 888-722-7078 for a free copy. It is not only a catalog but chock full of technical information as well. I highly recommend it.

I too will be looking forward to a report on the resaw fence and how you mount it to the Griz. As always, real life, in place photos are a basic necessity here! :)

BTW, I have no affiliation with Iturra, I'm just a very satisfied customer.

[Tom LaRussa]

Tom,
That riser makes all the differense in the world for those of us that don't have the monster machines. It's a two person job so plan ahead or get out the block and tackle.
Enjoy

;)
Tyler,

I'll be sure to have my nephew, the moose, over the day my baby is due to arrive. He went with me to pick up my first table saw -- a Craftsman contractor model. I had disconnected the motor and stand and had just gone back to the car to get another wrench so I could remove the cast iron wings when I hear my nephew say, "Where do you want it?", at which point I turned around to see him standing there holding the saw in a bear hug -- cast iron wings still attached. :eek:

BTW, congratulations to the "talented and precious" one on beginning her career in medicine -- at PENN no less! -- and to you as well, (for raising her).

:)

Tom

[Tom LaRussa]

Congratulations on your pending arrival. I have the same setup and I believe you will really enjoy it. Make sure you purchase a proper blade for it (I like Timberwolf). Don't even try the one that comes with the riser kit... you will not be happy.

I am very interested in the resaw fence that you are getting. Please let us know how that fence performs on the G0555, after you have had some fun with it.

William Hall
Oh, I'll definitely be shopping for blades -- probably have them in hand long before the saw arrives. You're not the first Grizz owner who has warned me about the quality of the standard blade. Still, I figure what the heck, it will give me something to use for cutting plastic for shop jigs -- dust collection parts, blade guards, and the like.

The resaw fence arrived today. It's a much heftier casting than it looks in pictures. I'm also impressed/happy that they include with it two knurled brass nuts and four 1/4" bolts -- two each in two different lengths -- so that it will be easy to hook it up to any T-Track type of stuff.

I'll let everybody know how it performs ASAP.

[Tom LaRussa]

Hi Tom, That's a nice pre gloat but I don't think it's legal at SMC.
Oh-oh!

I guess I'll have to stall for time until it arrives...

Uh...

Um...

So, anybody heard the one about the priest, the stripper, and the sheep?

;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congrats Tom!

[Tom LaRussa]

Now, let's talk blades, Tom! Timberwolf? Lennox?
I'm glad you asked. That's the $64 question, isn't it?

On the one hand, I don't have a proper blade tension gauge, and the budget is beyond busted, so I'm not likely to acquire one anytime soon. For this reason, and because many of their users seem quite happy with them, I'm pulled toward Timberwolf.

On the other hand, Luis Iturra says -- without explicitly naming the company -- that Suffolk's claims about the silicon steel composition of its Timberwolf blades making them able to run at half the tension is pure hokum. Not that I have mistaken Mr. Iturra for a deity or anything, but he certainly knows a heck of a lot more about bandsaws than I ever will.

I have given some thought to what types of blades I'd like to have in the collection. I'd like:


a blade that will rip wet hardwoods, (don't ask me where I'm going to get the wet hardwoods to rip, I'm still working on that);
a blade for resawing hardwoods, and capable of producing veneer or at least thin slices;
a general knock-around blade for everyday cutting of wood -- I want to use the bandsaw for many of the day-to-day chores for which I now fire up the table saw;
a scrub blade for cutting plastic & aluminum (for jigs and such) -- I figure on using the stock blade for this.
So, I wonder if all you 'Creekers have any opinions on the Timberwolf vs "normal" blades controversy? :rolleyes:

Note: In reality I figure this issue may well have been done to death, so I'm prepared to search the archives for my answers if nobody feels like revisiting the issue.

:)

Tom

[Tom LaRussa]

Tom,

Congratulations on your new addition to the family. I have my Griz set up with the riser block, a similar light and a Timberwolf blade. I really love the combination and I'm sure you will too.

A few weeks ago I substituted an Iturra high tension spring (3/4 x 3 1/2) for the original that came with the Griz. The difference in blade tracking was very evident. For $14.50, it was a great investment. If you don't already have an Iturra catalog, you can call them at 888-722-7078 for a free copy. It is not only a catalog but chock full of technical information as well. I highly recommend it.


Thanks Kent,

I've been thinking about the Iturra spring, so it's really nice to hear from a satisfied user.

BTW, do you have any good local sources for wood? (By local I mean within about a day's drive of Tampa.) My preferences run along these lines:

I must be allow to paw through the piles to find my own wood;
I'd really, really prefer air dried lumber;
If I can't have air dried, I'd be quite happy with wet stuff.
Anything like that in Florida that you know of?

Speaking of wet wood... I can't help noticing that every time we have a storm -- which seems to be pretty darn often -- a whole lot of trees come crashing down all over the place. Do you know anybody who has successfully snagged any of this downed wood for personal use?