My best gloat yet - 14" bandsaw from freecycle

[Greg Scull]

So I have been stalking freecycle for a while now. To date I have got some files, a 4" jointer, a ShopSmith 10e and some other random things. To find said things you have to sort through hundreds of emails a day. I really don't recommend it, especially if you are in my area ;).

Well, today, while closing my email to go sit down at dinner I see the email :
"14" Ridgid band saw; .5 horsepower. Everything works, but the blade adjustment lever is broken; cast iron piece snapped in half. Maybe you can fix it?"

I emailed and they sent the address, and this 14" Ridgid came home with me. (FREE ! ! !)

Turns out the broken part is called the
824283 UPPER SHAFT/HINGE WHEEL ASM............... $17.15 - online price


I already have a 14" grizzly G1019 Bandsaw w/riser kit, cool blocks, new tires etc. but haven't bolted the kreg fence on it yet. Since the Grizzly table doesn't have side mounting holes.

Now i'm wondering .... should i swap the newer parts of the Ridgid (Tension adjustment knob and flatter table w/side mounting holes) with the old ones on the Grizzly, replace the broken part, and sell it ? I don't have room for two in my 2 car garage hobby shop.

Or use the Ridgid instead of the Grizzly?

Grizzly 3/4HP
Ridgid 3/4 HP


190910190911190912

or the Grizzly
190913

[Curt Harms]

Louis Iturra sells redesigned/beefed up upper wheel parts for 14" saws. If you decide to keep the Ridgid, I wonder if it would be worth a call to see if he has one that would fit?

[Greg Scull]

Hrm, I couldnt find a site or catalog for the Iturra stuff. I can try and call next week. Before I order the Ridgid part online. I'll have to wait to see it running to decide which I want to keep at this point.

The Grizzly has a very poor cut. I have checked the wheels, replaced the tires and has all new guide parts ( from the riser kit ) . Swapped out for a link belt. I am not sure what else I could do to it to get it to "Tune" up more. So if the Ridgid has a better cut it might be the deciding factor.

I'm guessing the upper wheel part would work for either saw, Since they are basically the exact same frame.

I need to also research if anyone makes one which has the quick release built in as a replacement.

[Myk Rian]

I picked up a C-man tilt top TS and 6" jointer from freecycle. Fellow decided he wasn't going to restore them.

[Bill Huber]

I think it goes like this YOU SUCK!!!

[Curt Harms]

Hrm, I couldnt find a site or catalog for the Iturra stuff. I can try and call next week. Before I order the Ridgid part online. I'll have to wait to see it running to decide which I want to keep at this point.

<snip>

I need to also research if anyone makes one which has the quick release built in as a replacement.

Iturra is old school--no web presence so far. Phone calls seem to work though. When I had a now-discontinued Griz model, I replaced the small tensioning knob with a 4" wheel which made it a whole lot easier to turn. Just turn the wheel a set number of turns to release tension, the same number of turns to reapply tension. I have seen retrofitted quick release mechanisms but have no idea about $$.

[David Hostetler]

I'd fix the Ridgid and sell it.

[Greg Scull]

I'd fix the Ridgid and sell it.

That was my initial reaction. But now that I know they are the same HP. I'm thinking I need to get it tuned up and see which one works better. The grizzly has been a good saw for me but is an older style from the Ridgid. The Grizzly's table is a little warped, and its adjustment mechanisms all use allen wrenches and the table needs drilling to take the kreg fence sitting in a box in the garage.

The ridgid has a newer round guide post which looks like it would be more adjustable and the sale of the grizzly would pay for the riser kit ( necessary since all my blades are 105") and adjusters use thumb screw type which is easier to tweak when needed.


I dont think either the old grizzly bandsaws nor the Ridgid are known for much in the way of quality but ... I guess the jury is still out.

[Russell Johnson]

Awesome find man. My wife watches freecycle alot but I've only gotten some scrap lumber.

[Matt Meiser]

Personally, I'd fix the Ridgid up and use the funds to get the Grizzly tuned up since the Grizzly has the riser. I think you'll find that while they are almost identical, there will be minor differences that preclude swapping just any part between the two. Or if you get lucky and there aren't put the best parts together and sell the other.

I once owned a no-name 14" saw and found that guides from the different brands were slightly different, including mounting holes, and the risers were different in the locations of the alignment pins.

[Brian Kincaid]

I'd fix them both up to working condition. Sell them both and buy a G0555X or a G0457 :)
-Brian

[Zahid Naqvi]

can someone edumecate me on what this freecycle thing is? Sounds like an interesting concept

[David Hostetler]

I dont think either the old grizzly bandsaws nor the Ridgid are known for much in the way of quality but ... I guess the jury is still out.

The quality of the Ridgid is rather hit or miss... The bases are a bit thin, but can be VERY easily braced, and on some of them, the wheels are quite out of balance. Tape weights fix this problem... Also even though Ridgid lists a riser kit for them, they are super hard to come by, most owners use a Grizzly riser kit...

I have a neighbor with one of them, if I can catch him I will see what model Grizz he got the riser for (he painted the block to match his saw, but the guard is BRIGHT red...)

On the PLUS side with the Ridgid, they do have nice fit and finish to them. The color scheme of Ridgid tools is really nice too. I quite like the Orange / gray of their stuff...

Given some attention you would have one heck of a machine...
#1. Brace the stand IF yours is one of the wobbly ones. You'd know when you move it, the ones that wobble do so with little effort.
#2. Fix the wheel adjuster piece with the Iturra replacement. Add an Iturra tension spring, or a Carter spring.
#3. While you are in it, replace the tires with Urethane tires.
#4. Add a lower wheel brush.
#5. Add the riser block kit.
#6. Add a link belt and tension the belt.
#7. Balance the wheels if it vibrates. (Again you'd know QUICK!)
#8. Add the fence.
#9. Keep digging around, and eventually replace the 3/4 HP motor for one with more oomph... I have a 1HP motor on my HF 14" band saw, it does okay at best resawing. I have a 1.5 HP Dayton motor to go into it, but it is 220V only, and I don't have my sub panel run yet...

Just out of curiosity, where did you find the part # / availability? I am interested in picking up a dust port from one of those to retrofit my HF band saw.

[Matt Meiser]

Too funny--when I had my no-name saw I bought a Ridgid riser kit for it. It was on clearance for something like $25 at the time and was the old look packaging but they must not have replaced it with new look packaging..

[Derek Gilmer]

can someone edumecate me on what this freecycle thing is? Sounds like an interesting concept
It is a yahoo group that emails out local free give aways or things people want.

http://www.freecycle.org/

[Greg Scull]

Just out of curiosity, where did you find the part # / availability? I am interested in picking up a dust port from one of those to retrofit my HF band saw.

I searched by the ridgid model #
After getting the part # from the schematic online I found 2 dealers selling parts online.

for the 2" dust port for the front of the saw its listed as
Part #: 823558
http://d3cmirsdb60x3h.cloudfront.net/schematics/ridgid/bs14002.big.pdf

Googling "823558 Rigid" yielded the first result $11.26 for the dust chute.

I had thought about doing this same mod on the grizzly but also have seen the the plastic 4" port added to the side of the lower wheel cover. I'm currently using a 4" pvc elbow which has large magnets holding it to the bottom of the saw table on the grizzly.