Where are the <$300 bandsaws?

[Luke Pighetti]

When I search on here for bandsaw threads, there are a lot of references to the older Rigids and other saws.

I cannot seem to find any worthy bandsaws nearby, and my previous landlord wont sell me the 10" old delta I used for ~3 years. My production has come to a standstill because of this issue and I can't stand for it anymore. The delta had a 6" resaw and the ability to install a riser block. I only need a 7" throat and a 4" resaw (although 6 or even 12 would be amazing), anything larger is pointless to me.

The big box stores dont seem to carry any bandsaws anymore. What gives?

What are my options? Craigslist is coming up short and I need to order something soon. Shelling out $600 for the grizzly is just too rich for my blood. Any suggestions?

All I'm doing is cutting 12" x 3" cross section mahogany into 1.5" x 6" x 3" chunks. Anything else can be done on my smaller (essentially a toy) bandsaw.

[John Lanciani]

Your location would help if you'd like people to help you find something...

[johnny means]

My question is, how much production have you lost by not buying the $600 Grizzly? Essentially we are taking about $300 here. You know what they say, "Cry once".

[Luke Pighetti]

I'm thinking of snagging the 10" rikon with amazon prime. All I meant about te pricing on the rigid is if you compare it to the grizzly it's kind of a no brainer. I'd buy the rikon now if I knew it could take a riser block. I dont think it can though. There is a 12" craftsman nearby (similar to the rigid) for about $200. That might be the way to go?

[Luke Pighetti]

Id pick up that grizzly ASAP except that it's a six hour drive from where I am located now. :(

[Harold Burrell]

You don't live near any bigger cities where you can find a used 14" on CL? I see them often. I bought an older one a while back for $150 and it has worked extremely well for me.

By the way...since you are already looking for a bandsaw, I would HIGHLY recommend at least a 14". If you have never used one you will not believe the difference between that and a smaller one.

[Bruce Page]

Folks, links to eBay are not allowed per the TOS. Links to Craigslist are only allowed in our Deals & Discounts forum.

Thanks

[Mike Heidrick]

Serch ebay for $0-$300 bandsaws. Sort by location.

[Luke Pighetti]

You don't live near any bigger cities where you can find a used 14" on CL? I see them often. I bought an older one a while back for $150 and it has worked extremely well for me.

By the way...since you are already looking for a bandsaw, I would HIGHLY recommend at least a 14". If you have never used one you will not believe the difference between that and a smaller one.

I used to live about 2 hours from Boston, but now I'm further north. Nearest city is still Boston but it's about 4.5 hours away. :(

[Matt Meiser]

You realize by the time you pay to crate a $300 machine and ship it by freight, its going to cost you at least a couple hundred bucks more right?

[Luke Pighetti]

You realize by the time you pay to crate a $300 machine and ship it by freight, its going to cost you at least a couple hundred bucks more right?

I figure this is the case, but I haven't seen the hard numbers yet so it's still an option worthy of consideration.

[Luke Pighetti]

Anyone know what it will cost to fix the Jet? Are parts still available for it? I have someone locally who will cut my stock now until I can get a bandsaw.

http://images.craigslist.org/5L65G25Kf3M53F43Jec9d05b93847ba4410c2.jpg

[Fred Belknap]

Wish you were a little closer I have a 16" grizzly that I would like to get out of my shop. I got a bigger Grizzly BS and don't use the smaller one except to pile stuff on.

[Mike OMelia]

http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G0580-14%2522-Bandsaw-HP/dp/B0007D2WS8/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1348000984&sr=1-4&keywords=grizzley+bandsaw

Check that out! And only $79 to ship. ( i hope that link was not a violation, if so, sorry)

Mike

[Butch Edwards]

Wish you were a little closer I have a 16" grizzly that I would like to get out of my shop. I got a bigger Grizzly BS and don't use the smaller one except to pile stuff on.
Fred..yer just a few miles off 79...great area... had a friend from there that was a school teacher here in Berkeley Co... some good folk down yer way!!!

[Kent A Bathurst]

Sorry, Luke, but I gotta tell you this...

4.5 hours north of Boston is, like, Plattsburgh or Skowhegan, or something. You live where you live, and all of that country is beautiful.

Get the Grizz Mike identified....delivered.

You are nibbling around the edges. You are asking great questions, but the answers are: That critter ain't out there, and there is no way to tell what it would cost to rehab the Jet, without seeing the Jet in person. While it may be dead simple and cheap, it is also very easy to drop a hundred or two on a piece of used machinery.

Best regards, and good luck............

Kent

[Anthony Diodati]

http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G0580-14%2522-Bandsaw-HP/dp/B0007D2WS8/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1348000984&sr=1-4&keywords=grizzley+bandsaw

Check that out! And only $79 to ship. ( i hope that link was not a violation, if so, sorry)

Mike
$30.00 cheaper
Sale Price:$395.00 & $79.00 to ship at the grizzly site.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Bandsaw-3-4-HP/G0580

[Luke Pighetti]

That's a nice price. Any reason good enough to spend an extra $125 on the Ultimate? (G0555)

[Matt Meiser]

25% more horsepower, ball bearing guides, blade quick release, better switch, nicer fence. The Polar Bear version (http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-1-HP-Bandsaw-Polar-Bear-Series-/G0555P) is only $100 more. Add any one of those items in the aftermarket and you'll eat up most of the savings going cheap.

[Butch Edwards]

That's a nice price. Any reason good enough to spend an extra $125 on the Ultimate? (G0555)
I have the 0555, and it's wonderful....I only wish I'd have added the 6" riser when I bought the thing....

[Kent A Bathurst]

That's a nice price. Any reason good enough to spend an extra $125 on the Ultimate? (G0555)

Heh-heh-heh..........welcome to our world.........

"Hmmmm...maybe I should just drop a few more bucks, and get the next better saw. That Kreg aftermarket fence sure looks nice. The riser block would be a big help. I could really use one of those mag base worklights also..........." :D :D

You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Heh-heh-heh..........welcome to our world.........

"Hmmmm...maybe I should just drop a few more bucks, and get the next better saw. That Kreg aftermarket fence sure looks nice. The riser block would be a big help. I could really use one of those mag base worklights also..........." :D :D

You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

Misery loves company.........and ask an addict how to kick the habit.......that is how I ended up with a Mini-Max MM-16.......LOL!

[Curt Harms]

Where are the <$300 band saws? Here's one. Don't know how long it'll last though. The copy sounds like it's the fence only but I doubt that's the case.

maine(dot)craigslist(dot)org/tls/3279720471.html

[Kent A Bathurst]

Misery loves company.........and ask an addict how to kick the habit.......that is how I ended up with a Mini-Max MM-16.......LOL!

Spoken like a true trooper.

Oh - BTW - I forgot the aftermarket tension crank handle, and the aftermarket tension quick-release bar, and the...............

[Mike Heidrick]

And all the add ons IS the reason NOT to buy a 14" and just get a 16"-17" day one and have a non-riser-extended solid frame :) Have you checked out the 17" line from Griz yet :)

[Kent A Bathurst]

Mike - yer no fun!! :D

Over more than a decade, my Delta 14" C-frame has gotten accessories, add-ons, Iturra upgrades, etc., etc. I even picked up a NIB Carter ETG for dirt cheap....... And - no doubt I could have gotten a good portion of the price of a 17" from all of that.

Resaws 8"+ QSWO just fine, as long as I pack a lunch.

But - the saw was inexpensive, right? Dude - get with the program, willya? :p

[Matt Meiser]

Yep, I put a bunch of money into tuning up my $250 14" Delta saw--guides, fence, larger motor, link belt, riser, etc, etc. Then I was offered a deal I couldn't refuse on a like-new Grizzly 17. Absolutely no comparison.

[Luke Pighetti]

I'm looking at this all wrong.

What's resale like on Grizzlys? If I can buy a 17" for $900 and resell it 3 years later for $600 I've only spent $300.

[Erik Tofstad]

Luke - parts for that Jet can be had easily. Many of those 14" bandsaws have interchangeable parts since they are basically built in the same factories in China and Taiwan and are nothing more than clones of a Delta 14". As a matter of fact my Grizzly G1019 is an exact spitting image of that Jet you have pictured (except the paint is green) and I'd bet the parts are interchangeable. Let me guess - the broken part is the Upper wheel shaft hinge? If so this part is $11.50 from Griz.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Luke - parts for that Jet can be had easily. Many of those 14" bandsaws have interchangeable parts since they are basically built in the same factories in China and Taiwan and are nothing more than clones of a Delta 14". As a matter of fact my Grizzly G1019 is an exact spitting image of that Jet you have pictured (except the paint is green) and I'd bet the parts are interchangeable. Let me guess - the broken part is the Upper wheel shaft hinge? If so this part is $11.50 from Griz.

Erik - you are right...........all of the cast iron C-frame saws are basic spin-offs of one another...I've always guessed that Delta/Rockwell was the original, but don't know. And - I have always assumed that you are right - if not final assembly, I've always assumed that the main casting, components, etc., all come from the same suppliers.

And - if that is, in fact, the broken part - you can get a better-designed, much "beefier" part from Iturra. I forget the price, but it ain't all that much more , considering that is traditionally the weak link.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I'm looking at this all wrong.

What's resale like on Grizzlys? If I can buy a 17" for $900 and resell it 3 years later for $600 I've only spent $300.


Dunno on the Grizz specifically, but reasonably new, good condition machines are usually passed around at 50% of current new price. Maybe as much as your 2/3 number @ $600....but that's kind of at the top end from my experience, and may take longer. Depends on how fast you want to be able to move it. And then, sometimes you will find that you just happened to drop your bait directly in front of a hungry fish, and it gets snapped up instantly.

If you can't find anything for sale in Bangor, what is your confidence level that there is a market for used saws there?

[Chad Bender]

The 10" Rikon/Craftsman model meets your requirements. I have one (craftsman version) and find it to be a great bargin. I've got a couple of timberwolf blades for it - I think 3TPI 1/2" & 6TPI 1/4" - and have no difficulty accurately resawing and cutting curves. The saw tracks quite well; no add on blocks or bearing, or special fences required.

It is certainly a little saw, with only 4.5" of resaw. But that seems to meet your specifications. The motor is small, so its not going to power through lots of 4" maple in a hurry, but it will do it if you take your time.

[David Hostetler]

Harbor Freight used to sell one, a fairly good one at that, the #32208, but it has been dropped entirely from their site. My local store still has a display of one though... Same basic saw as all the other Taiwan C frame saws, open frame motor can be an issue, but open up the base and blow it out with a compressor once a quarter and you are good to go... I got mine on sale for $299.00 and applied the 20% off coupon so it came out to something like $229.00 before tax and the extended warranty... Thing has been working flawless for me for about 4 years now though. No real need for that warranty...

The #96980 9" band saw gets good reviews from people that actually own and use them. I personally don't like a band saw that small, but it might fit the bill. It sure does look to be a lot better built than say the Skil, Ryobi, or the current Rockwell 9" band saws...

[John Lanciani]

The 10" Rikon is currently $199 from Highland... http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/rikon10bandsaw.aspx

[David Hostetler]

The 10" Rikon is currently $199 from Highland... http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/rikon10bandsaw.aspx

That is a REALLY good price on that saw... Good tip, thanks for posting that!

[John Lifer]

Not posting link, but there was a Delta 14" in Freyburg earlier in the week.... your not looking.

[Luke Pighetti]

Not posting link, but there was a Delta 14" in Freyburg earlier in the week.... your not looking.

Fryeburg is a good 3 hours from me. I dont' really have the time to work that distance right now.

I found a guy locally who will resaw all my stuff. I calculated that I'd have to do $60,000 in profit before it would pay off a $600 bandsaw when taking into consideration what he charges me. I'll be using him for now, but I have a little 9" toolkraft bandsaw I might try to do some things with for the time being. Perhaps urethane tires and a decent blade will be good enough for my needs.

[Jim Brown 2]

I just sold my 14" Delta 1/2 hp American made BS for $225. About 15 yrs old. Had it listed for $250 and there was no activity - listed for $225 and there have been several callers. Guess that's where the sweet spot is in the Pacific NW.