Will Grizzly 514 Tension a 1" Wide Carbide Blade?

[Bob Ball]

Grizzly rates their 514 bandsaws to run up to 1.25" wide blades, without specifying carbon steel, bimetal or carbide tipped. Based on the many favorable reviews here I was set to order a Lennox Woodmaster CT (they come no narrower than 1"), when I found a few old threads that slowed me down.

I found posts from folks questioning if the 514 series could properly tension this blade (Vern H.) and others that thought it was quite difficult to get the 1" blade on and off this saw (John C.), and maybe not worth the hassle.

Any updates from these folks or others with experience tensioning/using the 1" Woodmaster CT on a Grizzly 514? If it works OK for you, which TPI would you recommend?

The consensus seems to be that the Lennoz Trimaster, which can be had 3/4" wide, costs a lot more for a small improvment in longevity/smoothness. That being said, if a 1" wide Woodmaster CT is too much for a 514 to reliably tension, does a 3/4" Trimaster (narrower, but a thicker band) require less force to properly tension? and does that make it a better choice for this BS?

I would appreciate hearing from anyone with experience with this saw. Thanks.

[Mikail Khan]

Used a 1" Trimaster on my 514 with good results. No problems tensioning.

I have a 3/4" carbide blade on the saw now.

MK

[Bob Ball]

Thanks.

I meant to ask in my original post if the recommended 143" length blades fit correctly. Would you recommended slightly longer or shorter?

[Mikail Khan]

143" blades are ok.

Mk

[John Coloccia]

I think the 1" blade will be on the edge on this saw but it will work. I tension the 1" Resaw King OK, but the backing is thinner, I believe. The biggest hassle with a 1" blade is you will drive yourself nuts getting it in and out. It fits, but you have to be very careful not to get it hung up on anything, bend teeth, etc. Just be very careful. It would be better if the table were split at the front like the Minimax and Rikon. I don't mind on mine because the 514 is dedicated to straight/resaw cuts and I never change blades, but when I changed blades a lot I stuck with 3/4" as my largest blade.

[Tai Fu]

I am now using a 1.3tpi 1" steel blade with .032" backing instead of carbide. Woodmaster CT is a good blade but it's still expensive. The steel blade is cheaper and can be resharpened when dull. Not sure why they insist on using .035" for 1" blade stocks but .032" is a little easier to install and tension due to the thinner backing. As a compromise maybe just find a bimetal blade and resharpen them until the HSS part is gone...

[Dave Cav]

I have a 1" Woodmaster CT on mine; works fine; I pretty much agree with most of the comments above.