Grizzly 17' Bansaw. 2hp vs 5hp?

[Doug Carpenter]

I make gunstocks for a living. I often cut blanks of wood that are 2 to 3 inches thick. I also would like to re-saw 10 inches. I now the saw has the capacity but has anyone done this with the 2 hp and wished or felt they needed more power? Or is the 2hp plenty?

[Tony Streible]

I used to have the Grizz 17" but the old one only had 7" capacity - so not an exact comparison. I often sawed arches in green white pine 6" material for timber work. The power (1-1/2hp) was plenty. Blade selection was the key. I now have a PM 141 and a PM 81. The 81 is a 20" saw with a 2hp motor and has all the power I need. Again, blade selection and set up is the key. The Grizz that I had came with flat tires. A set up with crowned tires might be preferred here. So, if you get to the point you do need more power, and you want to do more re-sawing, then you might want to start "the search" and come up with a larger saw that will handle this. I'd keep the Grizz and just have a small blade, but add an up-sized saw when the time is right.

I'd love to see some of your work - please post. I've only built a few rifles (on '98 actions), but have truly enjoyed the process. Detail work in walnut is quite different, and satisfying on another level (a higher one) than was making huge joints with white pine.

[Rich Riddle]

Doug,

As Dave or Erik will likely come in here and tell you, "no one regrets getting a bigger saw or more powerful one, but many regret getting a small saw or one less powerful." Cry once at the purchase time with price, not repeatedly for not having the power or saw you need to adequately and safely perform the job.

[Doug Carpenter]

Thanks guys. I would have to agree. I don't think ill do much re sawing but I hate to be underpowered. I really need two bandsaws as it is because I cut small aluminum parts as well and I want to keep a dedicated saw for that, Changing blades takes too much time and the aluminum chips are best kept away from a finished gunstock.

I also cut finished gunstocks to install adjustable combs. This requires a bit of finesse and hope a 5hp saw wouldn't run to rough or shaky.

I have been meaning to post a gun in the wood working projects section so I'll do that today.

You can PM me for more info if you'd like as well.

[Matt Mackinnon]

I have a King 17" and apart from the nameplate on the front, they are essentially the exact same bandsaw. I have re-sawn to the full 12" with the 2hp motor. I think based on the current flow it really is about 1.5hp, but as Tony said, it all comes down to the blade. I think it's a misconception that you need a whole lot of HP to cut through wood with a bandsaw. It really is not true. You are turning two big wheels that will give you momentum and the real consideration is a good blade that has large enough gullets to take away the woodcuttings and the feed rate that you push the wood through with. Push too hard on a 5HP motor and to exceed the blades capability to clear away the chips and you won't cut very well. A light touch on a 1hp motor so you are only taking small cuts and you will cut without trouble, it will just take longer to cut.

I have had very good results with my bandsaw, and if I was to repurchase again, I would buy a 17" Grizzly. (I didn't because I needed to have the CSA cert and at that time, Grizzly didn't offer it).

[John Coloccia]

IMHO, if you can swing it, I'd try to find a used MM16. One of my regrets is I didn't spend just a couple more bucks early on. I think the MM16 would make you very very happy.

[Rod Sheridan]

I have a 1.5 HP 17" saw and it saws 11 inch deep material without an issue.

279757


The above is my bandsaw mill making a cut in the 18 to 20 inch range, powered by a 2 HP electric motor.

2HP will be more power than you'll need.

Regards, Rod.

[Prashun Patel]

2hp is not underpowered for me. I saw a decent amount of green wood turning blanks - up to 8-10" thick. I've also resawn 'dry' 12" thick cherry and walnut a few times, and I've never felt it was wanting more hp.

I think those 5hp bandsaws are designed for production resawing, no?

I second the opinion that the key is a good blade.

[glenn bradley]

I resaw 10" material with my 2HP Grizzly G0513X without issue. If I am going for a cleaner cut, I will move about 1 inch per second. If I don't care I will move at the pace the saw tells me (through sound and feel) is OK. I have seen 5HP saws demonstrated at the shows with crbide blades and they move the material at about the same speeds so, I do not know that 5HP buys you any raw speed except at the sacrifice of cut quality. As for capability to resaw 12"; the 2HP machine I have will do that without a problem assuming a good blade. As the demand on the machine goes up, the impact of a sub-optimal blade's effect on the cut also goes up.

[eugene thomas]

I have the 2 hp grizzly and have re saw maple at 12" with my old blade and no issue. Now have carbide blade and is like having second table saw. If was in market now would want more re saw height though.

[Erik Christensen]

I have the 19" version of that saw with 2HP. With a sharp blade that is suited for what you are trying to do I have never wished for more power - Table saw is another matter - there I can stall out my 3 hp motor but never the BS.

YMMV

[Keith Hankins]

I make gunstocks for a living. I often cut blanks of wood that are 2 to 3 inches thick. I also would like to re-saw 10 inches. I now the saw has the capacity but has anyone done this with the 2 hp and wished or felt they needed more power? Or is the 2hp plenty?

I've had the 17" HD griz for almost 10 years now. It's the 2hp model. I've cut 12/4 no problems. I made an 8 sided pencil post bed and cut 4 blanks out of one massive 10' long board and it never grunted. I use a laguna carbide tipped blade. If you go that route call sales and tell them you are a member here and you get a heck of a discount. Now on the other hand, I have never ever had a machine and said, "Dang I've got too much power and wished I had less" If you can afford the 5hp and the circuit wiring to go with it, then get the 5hp. I can say with confidence though the 2hp will do the job though just put a good blade on it. If you can't afford the laguna blade (but its worth it), then timberwolfe from suffolk machinery will do as a 2nd. You just need to change them a lot more often. Good luck!

Added pic's of the 17" in action with 12/4'

279790279791

[Tai Fu]

I have a 18" bandsaw with 1.5hp motor and it never seems to have issue resawing 10" of bubinga when the right blade (Woodmaster CT 1.3 TPI), and it doesn't show any sign of bogging down. So unless you want to feed really really fast, it's not underpowered.

[Doug Carpenter]

It looks like I could go middle of the road and just upgrade to the 19" saw. It has a 12" re-saw height and a 3hp motor. That might be the answer.

[John Coloccia]

It looks like I could go middle of the road and just upgrade to the 19" saw. It has a 12" re-saw height and a 3hp motor. That might be the answer.

If you're talking about the G0514X2, I have one and it's a nice saw. Again, I have nothing bad to say about it, and it is a very nice saw, but as a pro that does this stuff for a living I do sometimes wish I had found an MM16 instead. Sometimes, I just wish it was a little stiffer. It's stiff enough, and it's nice but I wouldn't mind a little nicer. One day, I'll bring an MM16 into the shop and dedicate the big Grizz to curve cutting. I run a Laguna Resaw King blade on it. It took several tries to get a blade that was built properly, however the finish off the blade once I got it working is incredible. I can't say enough good things about that blade....except it is a bit pricey for that size saw. It lasts a LONG time, though. The Woodslicer is very nice too except it dulls very quickly. I'd probably start with a Woodslicer, just to get my feet wet, and go from there.

If you get a large saw, absolutely get the brake...any brake. I have the foot brake. Without a brake, a big saw like this will take minutes to spin down.

[Doug Carpenter]

Thanks, John. I have been browsing the MM16. It is nice for sure. I can't imagine anyone not wanting one of those. I wondered which model you had. I seem to remember you mentioning the smoothness of the saw maybe being a little iffy. Or maybe I thought I saw you had a remedy.

Re-sawing would be secondary. The two main thing I do is cutting a 2 1/2" back to rough shape before loading into the duplicator. This is a rough cut so it doesn't need to be precise. The other thing I do is cutting an adjustable comb into an existing stock. This requires precision. A good clean cut means less handwork. A gunstock can easily cost more than one of these saws so you don't want to take any chances.

[Gregory Peterson]

It's all about the blade. One other thing I did not hear mentioned is that regardless of the HP, a bad blade will not cut true - particularly with curved cuts. Cutting 8" curved head stock for custom chairs (with a jig) if I feel like I am having difficulty with the cut it is ALWAYS due to a dull blade - not because I am not driving it with enough HP.

[John Coloccia]

Thanks, John. I have been browsing the MM16. It is nice for sure. I can't imagine anyone not wanting one of those. I wondered which model you had. I seem to remember you mentioning the smoothness of the saw maybe being a little iffy. Or maybe I thought I saw you had a remedy.

Re-sawing would be secondary. The two main thing I do is cutting a 2 1/2" back to rough shape before loading into the duplicator. This is a rough cut so it doesn't need to be precise. The other thing I do is cutting an adjustable comb into an existing stock. This requires precision. A good clean cut means less handwork. A gunstock can easily cost more than one of these saws so you don't want to take any chances.

Oh no...my particular saw is pretty smooth. It's critical that it be leveled, and in my case it was also very important to bolt it down to something. The base wasn't all that flat and is a bit flimsy. I solved both problems by building a little base with these:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080750/33126/WoodRiver-Universal-Mobile-Base-Hardware-Kit.aspx

and bolting the saw to it. I got a bit stiffer of a base and leveling all in one shot. I've read a couple of really poor reviews on these saws where it was obvious the saw left the factory Friday afternoon and the QC guy was already several drinks into his evening, but they mostly seem to come out OK :)

Mine cuts smoothly enough that I use it to cut the scarf joint on my guitar necks...freehand. Yes, I need to fix it up a bit with a hand plane, but only just a bit...it's a pretty good cut!

But it's not an Minimax. The MM16 is about as stiff and solid as it gets in the bandsaw world. I have 2 bandsaws in my shop now...the 514X2 and a 555 (picked it up used cheap). The bigun' is dedicated with the Resaw King blade on it, and the 555 is for everything else. One day, the 514X2 will take the 555's place, and the MM16 will be the dedicated straightline/resaw station.

Anyhow, the 514X2 is a reasonably nice saw for not a lot of money. If you buy it, do definitely order a couple of replacement tires to have around as spares (I broke both stock tires on mine within the first year). I also keep some bearings around. Running on a bandsaw is hard on guide bearings.

[David Weaver]

I'd also chip in and mention the better other parts of the saw (as in a euro saw vs. an asian saw) being more critical than the power. I've been using a 15 amp 110v Jet 18x saw for about 6 years or saw and have resawn up to its capacity and it's never more power that I'd like, it's more rigidity (and the jet saw that I have isn't the one with rigidity problems).

As far as ripping or curve cutting stuff 2-3 inches thick, it's never an issue at all.

Also, if you get a high horsepower saw, make sure it has blade speed corresponding to the power. A saw that is:
* 5 horsepower
* lower blade speed (like 3500 feet per minute)
* not as rigid as you'd like

Will leave you wondering why you're wasting all of the amperage in the shop.

Given the two choices, and the reality that I only have 150 amp supply in my house, I'd rather have a 2 horsepower saw, anyway, all other things considered.

[Gus Dundon]

1.5 hp is fine for resawing or for cutting 6-12 inch stock of wood. Anyone would want a bigger saw or more hp. If I were you, I'll take 5.

[Guy Belleman]

I have cut 8" oak with my 17" 2HP Grizzly. A 5HP motor might provide more power and cut through more, but will the frame and other parts really take the added stress of a motor that much bigger? I don't know, but I think if I was looking at a larger HP motor, I would tend to look at the 19" 3HP, or the 21" 5HP, saws. Matching the motor to the frame as designed might be a consideration. Of course, if power and cutting big slices is ultimately wanted, that 24" 7.5HP Grizzly might just be the ticket.

[Doug Carpenter]

I have to admit I'm leaning towards the 19". It has cast iron wheels and a larger table. These seem like a big plus.

[John McClanahan]

I have a 17" Grizzly with aluminum wheels and 2 HP motor at home, and a 19" Grizzly with CI wheels and 3 HP motor at work. Even with the extra HP, the 19" saw takes much longer to up to speed. It also has a brake, something the aluminum wheels don't need. If the 19" had a 2 HP motor, it would probably cause breaker trips during startup. I'm not a believer in the idea that CI wheels improve sawing ability, so I don't miss that at home.

The larger table and rack & pinion tilt on the 19" saw is nice, but not a requirement, though.

John

[Brian W Smith]

Each shop is going to have different requirements.But because of your stock work(we do some,along with recurves/longbows),we're sort of in the same boat.As mentioned above,it takes time for a large BS to get up to speed,and the notion that....the larger the wheels,the less frequent you need to be turning the machine on/off(hard on the motor).So,a two saw approach works really well for us.We have a sweet old Delta 14 for small work,and a 514X for straightline and resaw.

As posted above,your blades are going to be very important....and probably the biggest reason we don't have a 24" saw.The 19 and 20 inch models seem to represent a nice balance on most accounts.And power comes at a price,your electric meter.3 HP is right at the point where the meter really starts to spin,haha.Good luck with your search.