Will this bandsaw be enough?

[curtis rosche]

I found locally a Shop Fox 19" Bandsaw Model 1729 for sale for what I hope is a decent price.

Questions are,,, I have a 14 inch lathe for now but plan to add a riser to it, and a 9 inch, and a 12 inch lathe.
Will this saw be big enough for pretty much whatever I bother to put on the lathe?
Currently right now I have no bandsaw, just a chainsaw. But if this saw isnt right, I can stand to wait for something better to come along.

Also,,, I'm not gonna say what price its for sale for, but what price would be reasonable to you for a used but from pictures seems to be in perfect shape, bandsaw plus multiple blades?

[allen thunem]

were it me i would hold out for a better quality saw. this is pretty much bottom of the line chinese junk.
just one man's opinion nothing more.

[Brian Kent]

And I would grab it. I have the equivalent 17" Grizzly and it works most effectively.

[Tai Fu]

It should be enough, a 19" bandsaw is going to have more inherent frame stiffness than say a Delta 14" clone anyways, even if it appears to be inferior.

I heard others say that these Grizzly saws had tracking mechanism made of pot metal that broke easily... not sure if its possible to replace it with something stronger. My 18" saw uses a solid block of steel as tracking mechanism...

[John Bailey]

The Shop Fox and Grizzly saws have been around quite a while and are highly regarded by most. I would think this saw would do everything you would ask of it.

The Grizzly version of this saw is not available anymore. All the 19" models come with 3 hp motors. When it was available it sold for $1,095. The rule of thumb for used is 50% of new, so a staring point would be around $550. So, I would say, in perfect shape with multiple blades, $750 would be the highest I would go. Then, you'd have to ask if the 17" version anniversary model, with the same 2 hp, selling at $795 wouldn't be the better way to go. It's 2" less swing, but the same 12" resaw. I would think the 17" would do everything you'd want also. Under those circumstances, I'd be hard pressed to offer anything more than $650.

Hope that helps. I think it's a good saw.

[Tai Fu]

However I feel like a slightly larger wheel, while it doesn't seem like much would probably help a lot in preventing blade fatigue so you can use thicker and larger blades.

[Rod Sheridan]

Curtis, my wife is a turner and to be polite about it, turners can get by with an axe and a chainsaw for their dimensioning needs.

The bandsaw you've found would be a wonderful choice for making turning blanks, just add a very coarse blade for green wood and you'll be very happy with it.

It will have a decent throat size (somewhere around 18 " which means you can make a 36" diameter blank, doubt if you have a lathe to match).

It will have a good saw height, a large table that's lower to the ground (very important with heavy green blanks), and a good amount of power.

Diann uses my 17" saw often, it does everything she wants..............Rod.

[Dennis Nagle]

I'd love to have that saw. I use an old Craftsman 12" that I rebuilt. It does just fine for what I need at the moment.

Did you see these reviews?

http://www.amazon.com/SHOP-FOX-W1729-19-Inch-Bandsaw/product-reviews/B001R23T5I

.

[Dennis Ford]

I have heard a lot of praise for the Grizzly version of that saw, I think you would be happy with it. A band-saw is a great tool for wood-turners.

[Dennis Nagle]

Here is a good video for comparison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw_SaFmQDaw

.

[Jeff Gilfor]

Unless you are doin a LOT of flat work and resawing (veneers), that bandsaw is going to be all the saw you'll ever need as a turner. Don't listen to the nay sayers. I have a Ridgid 14", which many would say is a piece of crap. I've modified it with siffening board on the base, new belt, cool blocks, and hand balanced the wheels. This saw works as well as any expensive saw I've used. For cutting blanks and doing some light flat work, no problem. No vibration, and the Ellis blades I use cut like a hot knife through butter.

I would love to have a or larger throat opening for larger pieces; but will just have to get by with a chain saw.

[allen thunem]

were it me i would hold out for a better quality saw. this is pretty much bottom of the line chinese junk.
just one man's opinion nothing more.




I would like to appologize for my previous comment re: this thread. I mistankenly commented on shopfox, thinking of a completley different brand ( steel city)
love my grizzly bandsaw was not aware they were one in the same .
opening mouth and trying to pry foot from it is difficult work not an easy thing to do

[Glen Blanchard]

love my grizzly bandsaw was not aware they were one in the same

ShopFox is the retail extension of Grizzly (which is factory direct). I believe they are almost identical (except for the color and name badge) although sometimes there are some slight differences.

[Roger Chandler]

If it was a good price, I would not hesitate one minute........that is a good unit! I have a Jet 18" saw which is really nice and a new Grizzly G0555LX 14" with a riser block kit......that Grizzly saw is the smoothest 14" saw I have ever used and I have used a number of different makes over the last 28 years of wood working........

If the price is right.........and you get the right blade.......you are off to the races!

[James Combs]

I have a Rikon 14" of similar construction and only 1.5hp and it does every thing I have needed. I would say that if it was a good price go for it. Just FWIW I saw the same SF model on Amazon stores for $1200 shipped. The Amazon supplied version was $1449 shipped.

[Reed Gray]

Curtis, haven't you learned yet? When is it ever 'enough'? One can never have too many tools/toys.

I have 2 bandsaws. The little one, cuts 6 inches high and is used for cutting circles. The larger one cuts 16 inches high, and is for cutting bowl blank slabs. Huge work savers. I existed for a long time without the big saw, and it is not a necessity, but it really saves me time. The blanks have parallel sides, so when the circle is cut, no blade binding, and the resulting blank, when on the lathe is more balanced, and there is a lot less roughing to do.

robo hippy

[curtis rosche]

Ok so its a good saw.
what price would you be willing to pay for it used and comes with a few blades?

[John Bailey]

Ok so its a good saw.
what price would you be willing to pay for it used and comes with a few blades?

If, in fact, it's in good shape -- $600.00.

[Brian Kent]

Up to $800.

[Tai Fu]

One day people will say lets have a 50 inch bandsaw...

[curtis rosche]

One day people will say lets have a 50 inch bandsaw...
was watching govt auctions for awhile and saw a bandsaw that had a 50hp motor,,, Idr the size, but it was a resaw from a shipyard... but I didnt have the nessesary 15ft deep pit to place the lower end of the saw

[Tai Fu]

I think a 18 inch bandsaw is about the absolute limit for my shop... I saw a 26 inch bandsaw for sale (used) at about the same price I paid for the new 18 inch bandsaw. The 26 inch bandsaw had a 3HP motor on it but I was afraid it would not even fit my shop at all, like taller than the ceiling and too big to fit through the door. Not to mention it weights 400kg because it's cast iron, try getting that up 3 flights of stairs. The 18 inch bandsaw is already fairly large for the shop...

[Mike Cruz]

Regardless of whether this is a good saw or not (I know one person that LOVES his, and another that had nothing but problems with it), a 19" band saw will likely be plenty big for you...or just about any of us for that matter.

[Tai Fu]

Also a good, sharp blade makes all the difference, more than the saw itself. This makes larger wheels advantageous because small wheels reduce blade life with fatigue.