In the market for a Bandsaw

[Drew Pavlak]

If you were in the market for a bandsaw and had up to $1300 what are some of the "necessities" you would look for? Sometime this summer I will probably pull the trigger on one, and would like to get some opinions from bandsaw owners as to what they wished they had done, or glad that they did do. If that makes any sense. :rolleyes:

Currently the Grizzly G0513X2 for $1095 and the G0513ANV for $825 have my eye.

I know if May there is going to be a tent sale at the PA Grizzly store and have thought about that as well. Anyone been to one and is it worth it?

Drew

[Michael Yadfar]

I'm not highly experienced in woodworking, but I know I wish I had that kind of money for my band saw! The main thing I would look for is size, I feel like bigger is always better (obviously). Variable speed is nice too for using different materials. A band saw is a machine that I feel is really fool proof; all it really does is spin a blade in a loop, and if you use a fence it's usually your own. I know I typically like older machines if they're in good condition, they're usually bullet proof

[Jim Finn]

I think it depends on what you will use this saw for. I Use mine for re-sawing only so I bought a GO555 with a riser and resaw fence in 2008. It serves me well re-sawing 8" cedar, oak, maple and walnut. Just re-sawed a 6" log using it

[Drew Pavlak]

I want the ability to re-saw, I have some figured walnut that I would like to turn into veneer. Any opinions on the wheels, Cast or Aluminium? What difference would this make? Sorry, just thought of that.

[Herr Dalbergia]

Buy an old cast iron saw, get it working nicly and save at least half of your money....

[Jim Rimmer]

I would recommend that you get a copy of Duginske's book http://www.amazon.com/New-Complete-Guide-Band-Saws/dp/1565238419/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393869594&sr=1-1&keywords=duginske

It will give you a lot of good info on what to look for and then a valuable guide for tuning up your saw when you get one.

[Erik Loza]

My advice: Buy as much bandsaw as you can afford and if you find yourself thinking that you maybe need a bigger size, then you probably do and in that case, better to wait and save up more $$$.

Ten-plus years of selling bandsaws and I have never heard one person tell me, "Gee, I really didn't need this much machine". On the other hand, the guys who will say they regretted buying something to "get them by"? Oh, lordy...

Best of luck in your search.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Tai Fu]

I think there's a limit to this...

I really wanted a 26" bandsaw but unfortunately its size and weight means the building would have to be modified to fit it. I would say a 20" is about the biggest bandsaw one could fit inside an average garage, maybe a steel framed 24" or something. It would be hard to use a 36" bandsaw for everything though because I think those tiny 1/4" blade will not track right on a bandsaw that big, since the wheel crown is going to be almost flat in order to support a 3"+ wide blade. Also blade change on large bandsaws like that will not be a 5 minute job... so if you got a massive bandsaw for splitting boards into veneers, you might also want something smaller for scroll cuts so you won't need to change blades all the time. Even on a 18" bandsaw blade change was getting hard, and without a brake the blade took an eternity to stop.

If you want something that will do it all, 14" to 18" will do it. Delta 14" cast iron clones are common and it does everything from scroll cutting to limited resawing (with a riser block), although I personally think it's silly to sink 1000+ dollars into aftermarket guides, tires, quick release, etc. and still end up with a 14" saw. That money could buy a 18" saw that does a lot more. Sure, a 54" bandsaw with a motorized carriage for cutting log is nice, but I seriously don't think you are going to be making bandsaw boxes or intricate scrolls on them. Plus I've seen those monsters take 10 minutes to spin up to speed, and 20 minutes to come to a complete stop! That's a long time to wait by the machine to make sure nobody cuts off a finger for being too close. When I was there I actually asked if they had a smaller bandsaw I could use, and they looked at me like I was from Mars.

[Drew Pavlak]

I doubt I will be looking for an old used saw to recondition. Several reasons here, main one being I want to build something, not spend months trying to find parts and and recondition an older machine. Some people enjoy that sort of thing, unfortunately when it come to tools, I would rather spend the extra cash to get a decent machine that will work once I set it up. I do not see myself needing anything larger than a 17" to 19" bandsaw and maybe not even that. Reason here is I have access to a Lumbermate 2000 lumber mill. I won't be bringing "logs" into the shop to cut them into boards. I definitely want something that will do it all so to speak, and I really don't want to take up the space a huge older machine would consume.

What I was looking for was maybe some highlights on what to look for in that price range. They mostly appear to have the same characteristics in that range, not all, but mostly. Advantages to different things possibly......Cast or Aluminium wheels, roller bearings, guide blocks, Table size, Fence, etc.

[Bill White]

Carefully check out the Grizz 0555 series. I have the 0555LX, and it is a very good saw/value. Bigger can be better, but think about what uses are needed.
I have not added the riser (as yet), but might.
Good set-up and quality blades make a pronounced difference in function.
Bill

[Rich Riddle]

When looking for a band saw last year, I spoke to Roland Johnson for his comments. He's an editor for Fine Woodworking. He indicated that he reviewed many band saws recently for the magazine and highly recommended the Grizzly 0514X2B. He did indicate the motor brake cost an additional $150 so you could simply get the Grizzly 0514X2 model with the foot brake to save the money. How much did he like it? Fine Woodworking purchased that saw from Grizzly after he wrote the review. I believe it's in Asa's shop. It's slightly higher than you want to spend, but with the spring sale coming soon, it could fall within your budget for the foot-braked model. I went to Pennsylvania several times and used this band saw in the Grizzly shop. I have no problems recommending it. It's more than big enough for your needs. The first link is to Grizzly and the bandsaw and the second is to a discussion about the bandsaw.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/19-Extreme-Bandsaw-3HP-Single-Phase/G0514X2


(http://www.grizzly.com/products/19-Extreme-Bandsaw-3HP-Single-Phase/G0514X2)http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?198537-Grizzly-Band-Saw-G0514X2B

[Andrew Kertesz]

The new Rikon has gotten some pretty good press. It has 14" resaw capacity, 2.5 hp motor, it's 220v and comes in at a little over 300 lbs. I have a 10-325 deluxe and have been happy with it.

[Brian W Smith]

I "am" in the market for another BS.Break the sizes down to sm(12-14)...med(17-24)...large(over 24)

A lot of this hinges on how hard you want to run the thing.....well,after the size choice of course.For me,I've run the snot out of a 514 series Grizz and it's only held up OK.It's a fine machine up to serious hobby level.I'm not willing to pay twice as much for another colour of paint and get marginal,if any improvements however.For our shop we need an older machine mainly for the frame,and then we'll build it to suit our requirements......still looking though(24").

A slight tangent to OP.Machine purchases need not be rushed.The "quicker" you need a machine....the less options you have,IMO.So,you either settle for google searches on this machine vs that,looking for some kind of $$ value(enter Grizz right about here).Or you plop down some real money and get a better,and by how much?........machine and cross your fingers.At our shop,we've come to the hard earned conclusion that we have to build what we need.And this is not a total "old arn" or else endorsement.We'll just as likely have German,Asian,European equipment right alongside of American iron?It's the size,robustness,design,ergos of the machine......and it's service requirements when being run at 110%,and maybe a bit harder.

[Drew Pavlak]

Thanks guys, this is what I was looking for. I have access to a smaller bandsaw, at my uncles shop, but I imagine that if I get this one, he will be at my place more than I will be at his place. :D He has a very nice Powermatic 14" saw, but if he is looking to re-saw, I sure he will give me a call.

Looking over the G0514X2 and the G0514XF the only thing I can see is the X2 is $150 more for CSA certification. Not sure I really need CSA certification for a home/hobby shop.

[Rich Riddle]

Drew,

You won't need CSA certification unless you're in Canada. Only Rod Sheridan and a few others need worry about it. It's voluntary most other places. If you want you can read about it at the following link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSA_International

[Curt Harms]

Drew

The Grizzly tent sale is fun but unless you had another reason to come to Central PA. I'm not sure it'd be worth your trip unless you were planning several purchases. Prices vary according to condition of machines on sale, a complete saw with dented doors is going to be more than one with a cracked table for instance. It seemed like 50%-70% of new price covered most machines. New stuff is on sale at a discount. I doubt the discount would be that much - probably something like 10% but you'd have to pay sales tax. The upside is you wouldn't have to worry about shipping damage.

If you do go to the tent sale, you'd want to get in line early to have the best selection. When I was there a few years ago, the way it worked is each machine had a multi-part form attached to it. You tear off the top copy, take it to the cashier & pay then pull your vehicle around and Grizzly employees will load your purchase. If the top part of the form is gone on the machine you want, don't despair. People may tear off the top sheet on several machines while they think about which one(s) they want. If a machine is not paid for in a certain time, I think around 2-3 hours after the sheet is removed, if it's not claimed it goes back on sale. When inventory gets down it might be worth asking about making an offer on what's left. I got a $240 metal cutting band saw for $80 plus around $20 in parts.

[Drew Pavlak]

Might be worth the trip, I am looking at a Table Saw as well. really depends on if I can talk myself out of a Saw Stop. I think the next Tent Sale is in May if I am not mistaken. Can anyone say "Road Trip!" :D

[Keith Hankins]

I've had my G0513 (no x2 when I bought) for 9+ years now. No issues. Over the years, I've upgraded the blade supports and fence. Best thing I did was invest in a carbide blade from Laguna. I use exclusively for resawing. For day to day cutting, I use a 1934 Delta. I've also got a walkerturner 16" i'm restoring. I like bandsaws what can I say. For a steel frame saw, the griz has been really good can't complain. You can look around and get an old saw cheaper and the old cast iron beasts are really nice! Good luck.

[Jim Matthews]

I would highly recommend the Minimax product line.

If that's beyond your budget, haunt Craigslist.
http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/tls/4331927401.html

FWIW - Some of the Big Dogs like Michael Fortune do all their bandsawing with the classic Delta 14".
Unless you're jointing and planing by hand, it's difficult to machine anything wider than 10" anyway.