Need a new bandsaw for the shop

[Mike Dowell]

Hey all! I'm looking for recommendations on a 14" bandsaw to replace my old HF. I'm a business, so I'm not looking for too much of a "hobbyist" unit, but, I'm also a small business so price is a concern. I'm trying to keep it around $1000.

What sort of features should I be looking at? Is there a specific guide system that I need to make sure I get?

This is the one I found on Woodcraft, but I've noticed that some of the Craftsman bandsaws look strikingly similar to the Rikon, so, I'm sort of thinking that maybe Rikon is making more hobbyist-grade equipment?

[Jim German]

$1000 is well below anything I would call a professional grade bandsaw. European saws start at around twice that. Course the whole "professional" vs "hobbyist" is silly anyway, my hobbyist tools are much better than most professionals. For that price range I'd be looking at Grizzly (assuming you don't want a used saw).

[Bill White]

Go Grizz.
Bill

[Mike Dowell]

I'll have a look. Thanks for the input - I guess I figure $1000 is on the low end. I should have phrased my question differently. I'll check out the grizzly stuff and see what I Come up with.

I'd be happy with a used tool, but I never see any decent saws in craigslist, just little cheap ones.

[Jim German]

I'd be happy with a used tool, but I never see any decent saws in craigslist, just little cheap ones.
14" saws are all pretty much little cheap ones. If you're looking for big 3-phase type saws, best place is to look at an industrial equipment auction site, which tend to be fairly localized. IRSauctions.com sometimes has auctions in your area and will frequently have some big ole iron in the $1000 range. As always with an auction of a used saw, its buyer beware and the saw will probably need some work.

[Mike Dowell]

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Extreme-Series-Bandsaw/G0555X

How about this guy?

But then there's this one for the same price!
http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-2-HP-Bandsaw-Anniversary-Edition/G0513ANV

Here's one that's a little over budget
http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-Bandsaw-2HP-w-Cast-Iron-Trunnion/G0513X2

[Robert Engel]

Laguna is worth checking out. A friend has one and is very impressed.

[Bill Adamsen]

There's a 14 inch Bulgarian made Laguna in Towson (via Craigslist) about a half hour from you for $700. Though I'd think it could be had for less.

[Brian W Smith]

Unless I missed it....is this to be the "only" BS in your shop?

If yea;then quick change blades would be on the menu here.

If nea;it's about ability to accurately "carve a corner",cost be danged.

We subscribe to the "big N little".....a nice older 14 for contour work and "what's required" on the big side for resaw.This is in the woodshop.In metal world it's more about horizontal vs vert,as a data point.

[Mike Dowell]

This is the only Bandsaw in my shop. My shop is only 25x25 so I've only got room for one of everything - except a cabinet saw, I don't think I have room for anything bigger then a small contractor TS.

What would a fair offer on that Laguna on Craigslist be?

[Bill Adamsen]

I too subscribe to that "big N little" philosophy for bandsaws. So I'd think a used 14" bandsaw - which to Brian's point would mean a small blade for contour cutting - would fit the genre of most 14" Delta Cast Iron clones and such. No offense meant by that, just that any good little 14" would satisfy that role in the shop. I see 14" Deltas for sale in the $250 - $450 range ... sometimes less sometimes more. Factors affecting value include the stand, the wiring and switches, the bearings, table and trunnion smoothness, tire condition, fence, and of course blades that a) fit the saw, b) have some value for the cutting you might do. 93-1/2" blades are going to be more available and cheaper than Laguna's 115" (or whatever length they are) blades. Plus, you can buy a new warranted Laguna 14 ($875) (http://www.lagunatools.com/Outlet) or a wide range of Grizzly 14" to 17" for between $400 to $1000. I probably wouldn't want to spend more than $400 ... though driving an hour to get rejected would be pretty annoying. People have unrealistic ideas about what stuff is worth. Even people that should know better.

[Matt Day]

A 25' x 25' shop is a pretty large space to many of us. Mine is a little bit smaller than that and I have a full cabinet saw, 20 inch bandsaw, lathe, jointer, radial arm saw, 15 inch planer, etc.

A cabinet saw does not take up any more room than a contractor saw.

I'm just saying that unless there are other circumstances, maybe you should think about shop layout. I'm just saying that unless there are other circumstances, maybe you should think about shop layout as well.

[Brian W Smith]

As an aside....will say,our BS's represent a much more sophisticated DC setup than just about any other pce of equip.

So,while the notion that your shop best utilizes this or that spec machine....the DC aspects of BS's may take it onto another page.That,or you'll leave it on the ground so to speak.

[Bill Adamsen]

To Brian's point ... BS dust is really a different animal. As you can see in the photo, I have dust collection, but I'd need to put much more effort with sealing to get to where it should be.

[Mike Dowell]

I need to mention a couple of details I previously failed to in my post regarding my shop size. To me, my shop is tiny, tiny, tiny. But, I just realized what I know, that you all may not.
1) I'm an antique restoration business
2) I've got one employee working in there too
3) It's my only building and 85% of it is finished jobs, or jobs waiting to be started.

In a nut shell, my shop is filled up with furniture! I got to thinking, if I had another building I stored furniture that wasn't being worked on, my shop would seem H U G E ! ! !

So, now I get it. Right now, you can barely walk from one end to the other, and every time you want to work on a piece of furniture, you've got to move 10 other pieces to create a space.

So, what I've learned from this post(and I've learned a lot - thank you all), is that for my purposes, a 14" model will do just fine - and a $500~ is what I can get away with. Right?

I don't do "resawing", mainly because I don't have a bandsaw that is capable. All I use the Bandsaw for is cutting out glue cauls, table legs, etc... Very general Bandsaw stuff.
So, if you all think it's a good idea, I'll get a Grizzly - but which one?

[Jebediah Eckert]

I have the G0555 14" bandsaw and have been happy with it for 10 years or so. I think they May even have a free shipping special running. When I bought it I also purchased the Mobil base and riser kit. I don't think you can go wrong for the price and what you expect to use it for.

[Allan Speers]

This is the only Bandsaw in my shop. My shop is only 25x25 so I've only got room for one of everything - except a cabinet saw, I don't think I have room for anything bigger then a small contractor TS.

What would a fair offer on that Laguna on Craigslist be?

If you need it to do resaw AND fine cuts on the same machine, then I vote for the saw I own:

The 14" Delta 28-475 X5, with a riser block, of course. It's the last all-American built saw Delta offered. I can't imagine a better 14", except that I'd love to have a motor brake. This saw has a 2 HP motor (120 / 240v) on a resilient mount, a quick-release tension knob, A quick-set tension "vari-set" adjuster, fairly nice sized table, (16" X 16") excellent & easy-to-adjust guides (with the bottom guide REALLY close to the table, which is a VERY big deal and improves blade stiffness / minimizes deflection.)

It also has a pretty beefy cast iron trunnion, (Not aluminum like most modern 14" saws) and it's very easy to adjust the table. Great dust collection, too.

The X5 series was a different animal from most of what preceded it, and certainly from the imports that came afterwards. Back when it was new (around 2005) it won every 14" band saw shoot out I read, which is why I bought mine. With a good blade, i can resaw 12" of Hard Maple. - It's not a walk in the park, i dream of having a 20" saw with a 1" blade, but it gets the job done.

Blade changes are a snap, and it excels at small blades & fine work.

The only thing I'd change is to swap the pulleys for good cast iron ones, though the stock alloy pulleys seem perfectly balanced so I never bothered.
----------------------

If you ever find one used, I bet it sells for pretty cheap, due to the glut of attractive "looking" imports now available. This 'aint no import, believe me.

[Mike Dowell]

Just ordered the G0555LX which is just like the G0555 but with cast iron wheels.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX

Thank you all for your input and I'll let you know how it comes of the truck!

[whit richardson]

Does your business clear enough to afford a storage rental? Free up shop space to stop wasting work hours moving furniture around by only keeping working clients projects in the shop then fetch more when current work is delivered. Figure the overhead cost of the space against man hours spent moving stuff and faster turnaround meaning more $$'s in the door quicker.

[Mike Dowell]

Well, I'm limited on space at my location. I'm in a steel building which has 3 units - the other two are rented out. Our parking lot doesn't have space for a storage rental(I'm guessing you mean a "PODS" container or something?) so I've got my shop and my enclosed trailer. I do waste an amazing amount of time moving things around but I'm lucky enough to have pretty low rent, so that's good.

Ultimately, in the future, I'm going to shop for something larger - a shop with multiple rooms and so forth.