Out with the old, in with the new

[Roger Chandler]

I had a neighbor contact me this morning.......interested in my 14" bandsaw.......which I had tweaked up pretty good with a Baldor motor and some other enhancements..........he gave me a check and told me he would get it when my new unit arrives.......That and Christmas gift funds make it an easy purchase!

I have been thinking for a couple of years about a new 14" saw, and I did some checking around.....decided on this and got a riser block kit for it as well.........this one has two speeds and cast iron wheels. I already have a Jet 18" bandsaw, so I wanted to stay with the 14" size.......no room at present for another larger saw.

Here is what I have ordered.....

http://cdn0.grizzly.com/pics/jpeg500/g/g0555lx.jpg

This should make cutting turning blanks a breeze ........sometimes a man has gotta do what a man has gotta do!!! :rolleyes::D

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Congratulations! May it serve you well!

[Dan Masshardt]

What was the old 14"?

[Roger Chandler]

What was the old 14"?

A Reliant....came from a company that had one built under their label........Trend Machinery.........they were big in woodworking in the 90's........most all 14 inch saws are fairly generic with interchange-able parts.

I misspoke above.......the company was "Trendlines"..........not sure if they have any affiliation to Trend Machinery which is in business today.......It is hard when you try to answer questions realated to things that are years old! :o;)

[Donny Lawson]

I think the new saw will last you for years to come. The riser block is a great addition. A 1/2" 3tpi resaw blade will make it complete. I usually buy mine from Grizzly.

[Michael Watson]

I have the same model w/ the riser block that arrived 6 months after ordered.
Warning: the riser block mounting holes were not correct and I had to drill new ones in order for it to work.
Also didn't realize that riser block would cut capability from 14" to 13" but no big deal.
Now that saw is up and running, I do like and use it often.

[charlie knighton]

congratulations, enjoy

[Roger Chandler]

I have the same model w/ the riser block that arrived 6 months after ordered.
Warning: the riser block mounting holes were not correct and I had to drill new ones in order for it to work.
Also didn't realize that riser block would cut capability from 14" to 13" but no big deal.
Now that saw is up and running, I do like and use it often.

I noticed that Grizzly Industrial has different riser block kits for a few of their 14" saws........perhaps the one you got was not the correct one .........my hopes are that the one listed for this particular saw is the correct one......at least the customer service rep said it was on the phone and it matched the info on their website.........I will know in a few short days!

[charlie knighton]

Roger you may want to build a table for your band saw, i use the table more than the saw, but has come in handy with these boxes
if you need to tilt your metal band saw table, you have to move the wooden table out of the way, but my normal operation......
those chips are imagainary .....i swear i just cleaned up last.....year.....

[Harry Robinette]

M.Watson wrote:
(Also didn't realize that riser block would cut capability from 14" to 13" but no big deal.)

I've never heard of a riser block that changed the throat size or am I missing something.

[Roger Chandler]

M.Watson wrote:
(Also didn't realize that riser block would cut capability from 14" to 13" but no big deal.)

I've never heard of a riser block that changed the throat size or am I missing something.


That makes two of us, Harry........:confused:

[Roger Chandler]

Charlie.......thanks for the suggestion......where my bandsaw sits, I do not have room for a table for it.........I have the bigger saw as well, so when I need extra support, I use that one, and add roller stands for outfeed support on it......thanks!

[Michael Watson]

The "neck" of the top portion(from the riser block - up) flairs out 1 " at the bottom.
The riser block is the same size as the "flared out portion"
If you look closely at the picture of the
FreeStuff Drawing - Grizzly G0555LX 14" Deluxe Bandsaw (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?195935-FreeStuff-Drawing-Grizzly-G0555LX-14-quot-Deluxe-Bandsaw)you can see it.
Sorry, I don't have a camera to take a picture of mine.
If I put the fence tight against the riser block, it's 11" to the blade.
While looking for a picture, I noticed that this saw is no longer on Grizzly's web site.

[Roger Chandler]

The "neck" of the top portion(from the riser block - up) flairs out 1 " at the bottom.
The riser block is the same size as the "flared out portion"
If you look closely at the picture of the
FreeStuff Drawing - Grizzly G0555LX 14" Deluxe Bandsaw (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?195935-FreeStuff-Drawing-Grizzly-G0555LX-14-quot-Deluxe-Bandsaw)

you can see it.
Sorry, I don't have a camera to take a picture of mine.
If I put the fence tight against the riser block, it's 11" to the blade.
While looking for a picture, I noticed that this saw is no longer on Grizzly's web site.

Micheal......I was just on the site looking at this bandsaw again.......after reading your post, I went back and it is still there.......I don't understand why it is not on there for you........:confused:

[Mark Hubl]

Congrats on the new saw. That saw gets great reviews. Santa was good for me too, pulled the trigger on the Rikon on sale at Woodcraft. Replaced a 12" Jet. Got some Highland blades for it, very nice. It is good to have a saw with the capabilities to cut some larger logs. This will definetly be upping my wood scavaging activities. Can't wait to see some pics of your new saw with the riser block.

[Roger Chandler]

Congrats on the new saw. That saw gets great reviews. Santa was good for me too, pulled the trigger on the Rikon on sale at Woodcraft. Replaced a 12" Jet. Got some Highland blades for it, very nice. It is good to have a saw with the capabilities to cut some larger logs. This will definetly be upping my wood scavaging activities. Can't wait to see some pics of your new saw with the riser block.

The great reviews and the high end features for the price are what made me decide in favor of this one.....roller bearing guides upper and lower, rack & pinion upper guide arm, two speeds [1800 & 3100] several other features as well....I think it will be a fine saw.

[Fred Belknap]

Congratulations Roger I think you will enjoy your new saw. I have the 17" Griz BS and I use it a lot, much more than the table saw which is a Grizzly to.:D

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congrats on the new saw. You are going to love it. I do like my G0555X.

[Tim Rinehart]

Congrats Roger...that looks like a fine saw. I was helping someone figure out which one to get, and that was a finalist for sure, and an excellent value from what I recall.

[Roger Chandler]

Thanks Bernie and Tim........the features.......they make this one, and it should be a smooth running machine!

[Roger Chandler]

I just wanted to do a followup on my impressions on this Grizzly G0555LX bandsaw. I got it in last week on Tuesday, and got it setup and properly adjusted. On Wednesday, I tried it out on a few log pieces I wanted to turn into bowl blanks before I left for my conference.

I put a riser block kit on the saw and made the height capacity 12-1/4" for this saw. It has serious duty cast iron wheels and roller bearings top & bottom [think Carter bearing setup] it is a real performer!

I had a couple of walnut logs about 12 inches in diameter...........so I cut them in half length wise. One was off centered a little because of a large check which I wanted to cut out.........the saw cut through the walnut like butter. Then I turned one of the blanks on its end with the endgrain on the table and proceeded to cut off a 1/4" piece to remove the pith and again the saw cut the 11 inch high blank smooth as could be.

Although the saw has a 1 hp motor, it did not bog down......it has torque to power through most anything that will fit on it.........and being a 14" bandsaw, this one is a real fine piece of equipment.......very refined machining on the parts, and it was made in an ISO 9001 factory and has impressed me.......with it's quality and performance.

Since woodturners use bandsaws all the time, I thought my review might be helpful to someone who may be looking into a bandsaw, but was not sure about this one.........it is a truly fine piece of equipment! I have a Jet 18" bandsaw as well, which is a fine performer..........I will be able to use either one of these saws to meet my cutting requirements as I go along......this G0555LX bandsaw is impressive!

Additional: I meant to mention the issue of vibration......this saw is extremely smooth.....the smoothest 14" I have ever sawed on. It has computer balanced heavy cast iron wheels and motor pulleys and wheel pulleys are machined, not cast, which makes it smooth......add to that, the machine runs with a ribbed belt to transfer power.....that kind of belt also gives more drive than a regular style belt, and is smoother also.......this saw was well designed and manufactured......it runs pretty quiet as well.......that is always a plus!