Grizzly Bandsaw, 2 Brakes? GO513X2BF

[Wade Clark]

Just ordered this saw and wondered if anyone had any opinions about having both a foot brake and a motor brake. My Wife insisted it should be safer and I couldn't debate it having no experience with a bandsaw with any brake.Please tell me your experiences with this saw or other saws and brakes.
Thanks!
Wade

[Mark Engel]

I just got the G0514X2B. It does not have the foot brake. Wish it did. It does have the motor brake, which stops the blade within 3-5 seconds after hitting the stop switch. But, you have to use one hand to hit the stop switch.

The foot brake allows you to turn off the saw with both hands on the workpiece. The foot brake has a micro-switch that disconnects power from the motor allowing the motor brake to engage. Just one more way to get the blade to stop as quickly as possible.

The only reason that I got the G0514X2B instead of the G0514X2 was because the X2B was in stock. I would have preferred the foot brake to the motor brake, and both footbrake and motor brake as the best of both worlds. But, those choices were not available when I made my purchase decision.

IMHO, your wife wins this argument.

[Brian Hillyer]

I bought the 513x2bf with motor and foot brake. Both ways will stop the blade in 3-5 seconds. When I bought this it was cheaper than the 513x2. I have a Craftsman 12" bandsaw, so I really have nothing to compare this to. It is one mean cutting machine.

[Dave Lehnert]

I don't own the saw but my understanding is they each have the same motor brake. The foot brake is not like other saws. Think of the foot brake on the Grizzly as just another off switch.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Thad McCulloch]

Not quite the same as an off switch. Stepping on the foot brake on my 513X2F also applies drag to the lower wheel, depending on how hard you step on it.

[Wade Clark]

Thanks everybody, I can see the importance of both much more clearly now.
Mark, I read her your post and she had a great big smile, though she said it wasn't an arguement! Thanks! You made her day!

[John Coloccia]

There is a foot brake that disengages the motor and has a friction brake to stop the wheels, and an active brake that electrically stops the motor. My friction foot brake takes well over three seconds to stop the wheels unless I really stomp on it. Recently they have added a foot switch that activates the motor brake. Anyone who has the electronic brake can retrofit a foot switch if they want to. I have given some general guidance how to do this in previous posts, and any competant electrician could certainly wire this up for you as well. My personal preference would be the electronic brake with the foot switch.

[Mark Engel]

There is a foot brake that disengages the motor and has a friction brake to stop the wheels, and an active brake that electrically stops the motor. My friction foot brake takes well over three seconds to stop the wheels unless I really stomp on it. Recently they have added a foot switch that activates the motor brake. Anyone who has the electronic brake can retrofit a foot switch if they want to. I have given some general guidance how to do this in previous posts, and any competant electrician could certainly wire this up for you as well. My personal preference would be the electronic brake with the foot switch.

I saw one of your posts on the electric brake and couldn't remember where I saw it. That is something that I would like to add to my saw. Thanks for the tip.

[Fred Belknap]

I wonder how the motor brake works.  I see in the motors are the same hp rating but the one with the motor brake is listed as having less amps.  On the 17" G0513 the foot brake motor is rated at 10amps at 220 volts and the motor brake saw is listed at 8.7 amps.

[Jerome Hanby]

No clue on this particular model, but there is a "home made" electric brake project for the GWI Dewalt RAS. It basically switches out the AC and in a length electric heater element wire across the motor terminals.

[Wade Clark]

My saw almost passed me by! Grizzly shipped it Monday, got everything right. When they emailed the paperwork to the trucking company, the trucking company read my zip, 38456 (TN), as 28456 (NC). So they were going to deliver it 500 miles East of me! I spotted it in their tracking and called them. They said it was clearly their mistake, not Grizzly's, and we got it straitened out. I think I'll get to see my saw tomorrow!