How much do the Grizzly bandsaws break down into smaller parts?

[Rick Cicciarelli]

I am looking at the G0513X2B 17" bandsaw. I would be putting it down in my basement but I see the shipping weight is 432 lbs. That would pose quite a challenge in getting it down the basement steps in one piece. I was wondering if anyone would know how much, if at all, these can be broken down into smaller components which could then be carried down the steps and assembled in the basement?

[Van Huskey]

I am looking at the G0513X2B 17" bandsaw. I would be putting it down in my basement but I see the shipping weight is 432 lbs. That would pose quite a challenge in getting it down the basement steps in one piece. I was wondering if anyone would know how much, if at all, these can be broken down into smaller components which could then be carried down the steps and assembled in the basement?

You could drop the table and motor fairly easily. Beyond that it gets a little harder, the wheels would be the next to go but for most situations I would take off the motor and table and work on dealing with it from there, or maybe not even bother with the motor. Just think about the problem for about 10 times as long as it will take to actually do it!

[Rich Noterman]

The saw is not bad to be carried down the stairs, last summer my brother and I carried my Grizzly 513 down the stairs. Take it off the pallet and we use a 2 wheeler to get in in the house, then he was on the bottom with the base and I took the top and went one step at a time. Just go slow its not that hard.

[John Coloccia]

As Van says, the motor comes right off. If I remember correctly, the table was not mounted on my 514X2, so there may be zero work there. The trunion adds weight and easily comes off. The wheels will come with off with one bolt. Since you're removing the motor, removing the bottom wheel is no biggie at this point. Finally, now that you have it all apart anyhow, replace the belt with a PowerTwist :)

[Joe Pack]

I have the 513 in my basement. A bit heavy, but not really too hard to take downstairs. The cast table comes off. The motor can be removed, but it is all bottom heavy, so sliding it down the stairs with an appliance dolly was no problem. I have had much more trouble with refrigerators.

[Curt Harms]

as opposed to a Bilco/bulkhead entry with cast concrete stairs? Think about how much weight will be on the stairs at one time. It might be worth some temporary posts or something to save a huge mess/possible injury.

[Alan Wright]

Ditto. I got the 514 last year and was concerned about getting it down into my basement. I have a finished basement on one side and the shop on the other, so to get it down to the shop, I have to get it down a "finished" stairway. The saw comes pretty much assembles, with the exception of the table, which is cast and quite heavy. In any event, I got a furniture dolly and between me and my friend,we had it in the shop in 10 minutes, with minimal effort. Shouldn't be as big a deal for you as you might imagine

[Dan Hintz]

I have a Jet 18", and I had an entirely different experience than others here, evidently :(

I took all small boxes down separately (table, accessories, etc.), as well as taking the motor and lower wheel off. I weighed everything out of curiosity, and got the machine down to around 300 pounds... 300 unwieldy pounds. It took a lot of grunting and groaning to get that thing in the basement between me and a neighbor shoving it around on some moving dollies.

I would prefer not to do that again. It may have been easier had I owned an upright dolly. Of course, I was moving mine from the driveway in the front yard to around the back of the house down a hill, but that's beside the point ;)

[David Castor]

The table on my 513X was not attached - just laying inside the shipping crate. The Fed Ex driver unloaded it using a standard 2-wheel hand truck since the pallet was too small for his pallet jack. But he struggled with it a bit.

I think with two strong guys, it shouldn't be too bad. I agree it is not as big a deal as a refrigerator. I had more trouble getting it off the pallet and onto the mobile base than moving it - but I was working solo.

[Curt Harms]

I took all small boxes down separately (table, accessories, etc.), as well as taking the motor and lower wheel off. I weighed everything out of curiosity, and got the machine down to around 300 pounds... 300 unwieldy pounds. It took a lot of grunting and groaning to get that thing in the basement between me and a neighbor shoving it around on some moving dollies.


Dan's experience is exactly why I went with a Rikon 10-325 (14" saw w/13" resaw) over the Griz 0513. At the time they were both within a few $ of one another. Don't forget that getting stuff down into the basement is the easy part.

[Rod Sheridan]

Diann and I moved my General International 17" band saw into the basement by ourselves, no problem.

I removed the two cast iron blade wheels, table and motor, as well as the two doors from the band saw.

We strapped band saw onto a two wheel dolly, and down the stairs it went, no different than moving the refridgerator down stairs.

Heavier stuff such as my saw/shaper and jointer/planer went down the stairs on a winched platform.

As for getting stuff back up stairs, the winch has an up/down button so unless I sprain my thumb I'll be OK.

The trick is to use mechanical help as much as possible.

A come-along doesn't cost much money, and doesn't get hurt or drop stuff.

Work smarter, not harder..........Rod.

[Dan Hintz]

as well as the two doors[/b] from the band saw.
D'oh! Should have thought about the doors... only a few pounds, but it would have made grabbing the huge thing by hand easier (handholds).