Going to buy a bandsaw, but which one? thoughts?

[andrew zukewycz]

i am going to buy a bandsaw, i have been using a radial arm chop saw and it just isnt good for what i need it to do.

i like to cut small logs down and make bowls and such, so i am wondering which bandsaw ( for around 1k$) would be best for me.

heres 2 that i am looking at. both jet.

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/708749B-p-bandsaws.html

http://www.woodworkerssource.com/710116K-p-bandsaws.html

any input would really help,

thx,
zuke

[Cary Falk]

For sawing down logs I don't see the point in the 14". The 16" only has a 10" resaw capacity. Have you looked ate the Grizzzly G0513 and G0514 series? They are great bandsaws.

[andrew zukewycz]

im just not sure how expensive shipping would be. none of their showrooms are close to phx.

[Caspar Hauser]

im just not sure how expensive shipping would be. none of their showrooms are close to phx.

According to the adverts the shipping is $100 for the 14" and $110 for the 16".

[Guy Belleman]

this would be the saw to get: http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-2-HP-Extreme-Series-Bandsaw-w-Cast-Iron-Trunnion-Brake-/G0513X2B

this is a whole lot of saw for the money, and one that you will be happy with. If the budget is good for a little more, then go for the next larger model. I had a 14" for years. Just not enough saw. Now I have the older version of the G0513X and love the saw. It has some nice features that I didn't think important when buying, but now would not be without them.

Good luck.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Hmm, I live near Albuquerque, but when I'm interested in machinery I look at the Phoenix Craigslist. It looks like there are at least 10 bandsaws there now including a grizzly 1023 for $500 and a minimax 18 for $1000.

[andrew zukewycz]

bill, i have been searching the phx area craigslist for a while. waiting for the best deal to come across... then a friend told me to be weary of used bandsaws because you cant be certain if there is a problem with it, and potentially the repairs can be very expensive.

so i had planned on just purchasing new and letting the credit card take the hit.

is there any specific ones that stick out on the craigslist? or just the grizzly one? and why is the grizzly one better than the jet one? is it preference or does it have something to do with ease of use or manufacturing abilities?

thx

[Cary Falk]

and why is the grizzly one better than the jet one? is it preference or does it have something to do with ease of use or manufacturing abilities?

thx
for the same price of the 16" Jet($1099), the Grizzly G0513x2($1089) gives you:
extra 1/2 hp
CI wheels
rack an pinion table adjustment
extra 1" throat clearance
a fence
a 17x23 table vs 17x17
12" resaw vs 10"
blade tension and tracking windows

I think the Bing cashback is still at 8% for Ebay purchases. The E-Bay Grizzly team will put on on there for you if you ask. I have Jet and Grizzly tools. Grizzly is every bit as good as Jet. I have the G0513X2 and it is a great saw.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Of the used equipment, I'd be more confident of buying a bandsaw than many others because they're basically very simple and you can do a good job of checking them out. Assuming you have no experience with bandsaws, start here:
1. buy a copy of Mark Duginsky's book on bandsaws
2. Look at your local stores and ask for some bandsaw demos of good saws (woodcraft in phoenix? others?) Make sure you get demos and get a feel as to what they sound like, how much vibration, etc. Other friends with saws?
3. Ask about specific models from the Craigs list listings on this forum, you'll almost always find someone with that specific saw! You can also check with manufacturers on availability of parts, etc. Prices will probably be a bit higher listed than you can expect to pay, but my rule of thumb is that used equipment should be 40-60% of new or new equivalent.
4. Visit the saws of interest but make sure you see them running, cutting wood. For bandsaws, if you've zipped through the book above, you can take a long straightedge and check how good the alignment is...
5. The primary wear point on most bandsaws is probably the tires and they last years and you can get custom ones for just about any saw.

I picked out the Grizzly 1073 and the minimax 18 inch with a quick scan of the list, I think the powermatic sounds a bit high priced. The minimax is a lot older but probably retailed about $2k (and see the ravings about euro machinery elsewhere in this forum). probably worth looking at. Considering the cost of new replacement maybe you could get the grizzly as low as $400?

Now here in albuquerque all I've been seeing is things like a Rigid bandsaw with the table mount broken ("needs a little welding") at about 90% of new! That's a joke!

I've sometimes suspected there is so much equipment in Phoenix because of all of the retirees moving in and unloading equipment. On any given day there is at least 10 times as many listings as locally. Last year I drove down and bought a 25 year old Unisaw with ext table, etc for $500, well worth the trip.

Good hunting!


bill, i have been searching the phx area craigslist for a while. waiting for the best deal to come across... then a friend told me to be weary of used bandsaws because you cant be certain if there is a problem with it, and potentially the repairs can be very expensive.

so i had planned on just purchasing new and letting the credit card take the hit.

is there any specific ones that stick out on the craigslist? or just the grizzly one? and why is the grizzly one better than the jet one? is it preference or does it have something to do with ease of use or manufacturing abilities?

thx

[Richard Dragin]

Have you seen any of the other band saw threads here and on the other popular woodworking forum? Seems like a lot of these threads lately and the overwhelming responses have been for the Griz and particularly for the 513x2.

[Stephen Edwards]

im just not sure how expensive shipping would be. none of their showrooms are close to phx.

On the Grizzly website they list they shipping price for every machine. It doesn't matter where you live, the shipping price for each machine will be the same. For example, if you live 80 miles or 800 miles from a Griz warehouse it's going to cost the same same shipping charge for a particular machine.

[andrew zukewycz]

good info,

thx to all,

ill post when i pick something up... now armed with this info it might be another week or so.

thx again
zuke

[Van Huskey]

First Toolsplus has the best prices I have found on Jet stuff plus 6.50 delivery.

Second not a fan of the 14 or 16 Jet, I do however like the 3hp version of the 18" Jet, but that is about $1450 shipped.

In the 14" budget range I like the Rikon better than the Grizzlys.

In the 17-18 inch range the Griz is a good choice BUT, the Rikon 18" is going on sale a Woodcraft next month for $999 and they are having a 10% off Rikon sale later in the month, I was told I could get the 10% off of the $999 price via presell starting in the next week or so. At ~$800 even with tax I would pick the Rikon over the Griz as well.

[Joseph Tarantino]

andrew..you might be interested in this:

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=4695159&page=2&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

the original poster has both a grizz and "another" saw that is supposed to be from a retailer known for inexpensive, but sometimes really cheap, junk. but there may also be a sleeping value here. FWIW.

[Mark Neidinger]

How does this work? I don't understand how you get the second 10%.



In the 17-18 inch range the Griz is a good choice BUT, the Rikon 18" is going on sale a Woodcraft next month for $999 and they are having a 10% off Rikon sale later in the month, I was told I could get the 10% off of the $999 price via presell starting in the next week or so. At ~$800 even with tax I would pick the Rikon over the Griz as well.

[Van Huskey]

How does this work? I don't understand how you get the second 10%.


This is how I understand it as explained by a WC employee.

The bandsaw is on sale (will be in the flyer) all month (Feb).

Woodcraft is having a sale on all Rikon some sort of winter clearance I think they called it for 3-4 days around the 25 or so of February they said you could take that 10% off the flyer sales price. They further said they could start pre-saling that price 35 days prior to the beginning of the sale, which makes it right around now.

The second clearance sale I gathered is national HOWEVER I am not sure of this and did not verify it. I think it probably would take some discussion to get the price early as they would likely have to check and double check but it would be worth it. Hope this explains it and helps.

[Paul Johnstone]

In the 17-18 inch range the Griz is a good choice BUT, the Rikon 18" is going on sale a Woodcraft next month for $999 and they are having a 10% off Rikon sale later in the month, I was told I could get the 10% off of the $999 price via presell starting in the next week or so. At ~$800 even with tax I would pick the Rikon over the Griz as well.

I have the Rikon 18" as well. I am pretty sure it is 12" of resaw.
It has cast iron wheels, and IMO is better than the Jet BS you posted.
I like Jet, and have several of their tools, but in this case, it's really hard to beat the Rikon 18" when it goes on sale for that. Plus if you have a local woodcraft, you are supporting them and don't have to pay shipping.

[Van Huskey]

I have the Rikon 18" as well. I am pretty sure it is 12" of resaw.
It has cast iron wheels, and IMO is better than the Jet BS you posted.
I like Jet, and have several of their tools, but in this case, it's really hard to beat the Rikon 18" when it goes on sale for that. Plus if you have a local woodcraft, you are supporting them and don't have to pay shipping.


I also really like the Rikon but I do like the new Jet 18" with 3hp better, at the usual price of $1300 for the Rikon plus either tax or shipping I much prefer the Jet which can be had for $1460 shipped so only a $70 or less dfference for me. For my use the deal breaker for the Rikon at regular price is it wll not take a 1/8" blade, the Jet does. At under $1000 for the Rikon that leaves me plenty of money to have a smaller BS just for my 1/8" use.