Bandsaw purchase - Opinions needed

[Rob Horton]

Hey everybody,

I'm in the market for a bandsaw as my next piece of equipment. I'm looking at this one at Harbor Freight Tools.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=32206

I'm definitely open to suggestions. I'd been looking at Grizzly bandsaws for some time. This one is much cheaper though. But that is one reason I'm wary. That and the fact I haven't evey bought something from Harbor Freight.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Rob,

If you decide on this one, let me know. I have a flyer that expires May 16th (Or so) that lists the 4 speed for $239. I can fax you or email you the page in the flyer. When you go into Harbor Frieght they will match the price. You can get the 4 speed for less money than the single speed you linked. The 4 speed is normally well over $300.

PM me if you are interested.

[Michael Cody]

Had one, it's a competent bandsaw, not much different than the low end grizzly, ridgid, buffalo, etc... for the price it's a pretty good machine. Mine worked well for general work, cutting turning blanks, etc.. Sold it when I bought an older Jet at a yard sale...

You should be able to get it under 250$ (maybe even down to 200$) if you watch the HF flyers & sales.

Would it be my first choice - nope, but it's an ok machine. Don't plan on resawing anything over 3-4" in width with it.. just put a good blade on it and use it.. plus ignore the folks who will look down on you for buying from harbor freight --- the wood doesn't know the difference.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Personally I would go with Grizzly and consider their "Ultimate bandsaw" . Remember you get what you pay for in general.

[lou sansone]

The few items I have bought from harbor freight have be junk! I personally would not spend any money with these folks. Sorry to be a party pooper. A lot of folks have the 14" delta saws and seem to like them. I would tend toward those saws as a good balance between budget and quality.
regards
lou

[Maurice Ungaro]

A lot of folks have the 14" delta saws and seem to like them. I would tend toward those saws as a good balance between budget and quality.
regards
lou
I'm awaiting my Delta 14" BS, and would also add that availability of parts is a consideration too. When (not if) something breaks, will you be able to get te parts you need? Will you be able to get upgrades, like a riser block?

Things to think about.

[Wes Newman]

Rob, If that's all you can afford, I'd say it is worth the money. But if you can hold out a little longer and save a little more, that's the way I would go. I have a HF jointer and while it was cheap and does make a board as flat as any other jointer out there, I can't wait till I get a 8" grizz or yorkcraft. I also have the HF dust collector and Drill Press that has served me well. The drill press runout was less that .001 when i first set it up. There is some good things from HF, just pick your tools wisely. I have the 14" Grizz BS (http://www.grizzly.com/products/item.cfm?itemnumber=G0555) and love it.

HTH,

[Ernie Hobbs]

you might be able to find a good deal on a used Delta or Jet bandsaw, if you are patient. I found a great 14" Delta American-made band saw last fall on ebay for $200. I had to drive about 5 hours to get it but, I was going there anyway for work. I generally try to avoid the Harbor Freight tools- I know some of them are OK but, I've been burned a few times and am a skeptic when it comes to their deals.

If I were buying one today, I'd probably look at the ultimate bandsaw from Grizzly, or maybe a 14" Delta open stand saw from Redmond Machinery in Atlanta. You can also give General Industrial Supply a call to see what scratch and dent Jet or Powermatics they have (I'm sure Ken Salisbury can give you thier number). Ebay is always a good place to look but, it may be hit or miss as to what might be available at any given time.

[Scott Loven]

I have a 10" delta (http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=2440) homecraft bandsaw that I am planning on selling. It looks just like this one, only with the original paint. I would sell it for $150 and include two timber wolf blades with it. Let me know if you are interested.
Scott

[Todd Davidson]

For about $25 more you could get a Ridgid at the Borg - 3 year warranty, excellent customer service, and a decent machine for the money.

[Michael Pfau]

I run the Delta 14 inch, and in my opinion its the only saw to go with, Yes they are not cheap, but you will have it the rest of your life if you keep it in good running condition. I run mine almost everyday, and it has never failed me. American made as well. I have heard nothing but bad about Harbor Freight tools. Someone else mentioned parts, and thats a biggie with me. Very easy to get any part for a Delta.

[Tim Morton]

I run the Delta 14 inch, and in my opinion its the only saw to go with, Yes they are not cheap, but you will have it the rest of your life if you keep it in good running condition. I run mine almost everyday, and it has never failed me. American made as well. I have heard nothing but bad about Harbor Freight tools. Someone else mentioned parts, and thats a biggie with me. Very easy to get any part for a Delta.

Good to hear...I just bought a delta 14" from Redmond.....(well half of one anyway:D)

http://www.redmond-machinery.com/delta_28-212R.htm

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I also forgot to mention, the HF 14" bandsaw gets rave reviews over on Woodnet. I was going to buy one and am still considering it.

[Greg Scott]

Rob,
Since your not too far from me I'm sure you can probably get the same deal as I did so here's what I did. Just purchased a 28-276 from Lowes here's the breakdown. Lowes reg price is $399.00. Farm & Fleet has it on sale till 4/30 for $359.99. With the 10% price gaurantee put the Lowes price down to $323.99. Tack on a $30.00 rebate from Delta brought the price down to $293.99. Take away another $30.00 gift card rebate from Lowes brought it down to $263.99. Total nets out to be less than the HF unit even without the rebates it only a few dollars more. Granted you will have to make a bit of a drive to have this deal but it may be worth it.
Greg

[Bill Lewis]

I have one of these bandsaws (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37151) from Harbor Freight. It really is a piece of junk. I knew it would be when I bought it, so why did I? Well, because a decent one would cost about 4 times as much, and as often as I use it, and because of what it does, I am willing to put up with it.
I've made some modifications so the blade doesn't pop off every time I use it. I still have to manually start the motor turning because it doesn't have enough torque in the speed setting that it's in right now. I hope to one day come across a decent (used) cut-off band saw.
Would I buy the 14" BS from HF? The answer would be "NO" . Not unless I knew I wanted to spend more time trying to make the saw work rather than working with the saw. My first BS was a Delta 12" model. It was decent for what I was doing with it, but it wasn't the 14". It really lacked the features and power that needed as a basic starter bandsaw, which is what the 14" really is all about these days. The HF is going to lack the features, the power, the precision, and the reliability that you need to keep from becoming totally frustrated.

[Dev Emch]

Rob...

I agree with Lou. My feeble attempts to frequent HF with joy are non existant! Your wasting your money. The delta saws are solid and one of the more popular options in the 14 inch class. Personally I would look for at least an 18 inch saw or a 20 inch saw. Not much larger but more capable.

In the 14/15 inch class, I prefer the one section cast iron body. There are two saw makers that come to mind. These would be the canadian made general and the powermatic 141. Both are available in either one speed or multi speed. The multi speeders are metal cutters but will work just fine for wood cutting. Now, I would begin looking for a used saw! Paint is an ephemerol entity. It can always be replaced and or changed to suit your own desires. Ugly is only skin deep in many cases and there are lots of used bandsaws out there esp. in the 14 inch class. Bearings are less than 20 bucks each for these saws and the machine work is often done so well as to last two or three lifetimes.

With the used machine market in the tanks, I find it hard to justify buying new. A few cans of rustoleum can go a long way to getting you that new car smell! And you get an industrial solution for your home shop. Join up with the www.owwm.com guys at this website and on the yahoo groups web site. Note that I am just a member. I have nothing to do with these sites nor do I get any dead presidents for pushing them. Its a great resource and many of them, like me, are members here too.

Good Luck

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I never buy anything motorized from HF. I know people who have and that's the main reason why I don't.