Looking for a band saw

[Wes Ramsey]

I'm about ready to invest some money in a band saw. I've got a few options and would like to solicit some opinions from those willing to give them.

Primary use will be to resaw 8-9" boards and round up turning blanks. Space is not really an issue. I'm a hobby woodworker so I don't need anything industrial-strength. I would rather have a quality tool, but lower-end or used is acceptable. I will mostly be resawing oak, cherry, walnut and other local hardwoods. My father-in-law has an old sawmill, but it is a circular mill and not at all suited for resawing. I think $1600 is about the absolute max I will have to spend, and I will need to have enough left to invest in a decent resaw blade.

I've found a like-new, 2014 model Grizzly G0566B locally for $1650. I don't know anything about it other than it is for sale. (I'm trying to round up the $$ before I go wasting other peoples' time.) Creeker comments on this saw seem to be very positive. I think it would be a good one, but I'm wondering if I can perform these operations effectively on a less-expensive, new model and have money left over. Grizz has some other models that are less expensive, and Laguna has a couple of saws in that price range, but I don't know if any of them will fit the bill as well as the G0566B.

Thoughts?

[Cary Falk]

I wouldn't hesitate buying the G0566B but I might try to get the price a little. For about the same money you can have a G0514x2 new delivered. I have the G0513x2 and love it.

[Allan Speers]

With your budget, and your maximum resaw height, you happily have a number of good options.

Since space is not an issue, I would go for a used saw in the 19" or larger range. My thinking is that you will be cutting a lot of green wood, and green wood is harder to cut since it expands a lot & also often has resins & such. Thus, a wider blade offers better control, and a 19" + can theoretically handle a wider blade than a 17." (Of course, width is also LIMITED by an 8" bowl blank, and 1.25" would probably be a hair wide for that, but at least you have blade options with larger wheels.)

I recently bought a used G0531B, which is virtually the same saw as that Go566B except for a 5 HP motor. I have a 1.25" resaw king on it, and the stock fence for now, and so far I am absolutely thrilled with it. The only negative was the horrid (black) original tires, which I quickly replaced. The table adjustment is super easy to do, and the handwheels / gearing all feels tight & smooth. The blade guard assembly changes height without requiring a guide adjustment, thankfully, but check this on that 566b, as this is one area where you can have problems, and where the Italian machines excel.

I haven't yet tried changing blades on it, and probably that will be a PITA due to the bearing guides, but at least it has a huge table, which will be great for cutting curves. (So another good reason to go for a larger, used machine.)

FWIW, I paid $1500 for mine, & excellent condition & with a nice rolling base, which is not quite a "New Duck" price, but very good. I would try for lower on yours, but not hesitate to pull the trigger is the seller won't budge.

[Wes Ramsey]

Thanks guys! I couldn't wait :)

I called the seller this evening and got more info. This is a 'new' machine he bought at the Springfield store's June parking lot sale. Was never sold as it malfunctioned in the store. On the tag it said the unit would run for 30 seconds, overheat and shut off. I don't know what he paid for it, but he said he hit it big on this one. He had the motor checked out and it was fine. Turns out the foot brake was wired wrong at the factory so it was always ON. He fixed the wiring using Grizzly schematics and it is good to go. That's his story of course, but he really sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He is a retired tool and die maker with a local machine shop and buys tools he thinks he can fix and flip. He said $1650 was about his bottom dollar. With shipping and taxes I don't think I could do much better on a smaller machine. Used maybe, but quality machines don't pop up often in my neck of the woods.

Allan, I may cut some green wood on occasion, but we have a barn full of years-old lumber that needs to be used before I get to any green stuff. I will eventually invest in a Resaw King as I've heard a lot of good reviews on them. Most of the bowls/platters I do are 10-12" and the stock 1" blade will do fine for those. Any smaller and I can just hack the edges off and finish up with a roughing gouge. It ought to do at least as good as my Jonserend does now.

It will be at least a couple of weeks before I can get the $$ together so I have time to sleep on it a bit and solicit opinions. Hopefully it will still be available then - if not I'll keep looking for a good used saw. If it doesn't work out, at least the seller said he could fix the run out on my lathe shaft :)

[Kent Adams]

I found this ginormous monster today and if I had $1400, I'd snap it up. My area has a bunch of really nice bandsaws currently up for sale. There is even a Tannewitz 42 inch 10hp that is in your price range. The picture below is tiny for some reason, but that bandsaw is probably 9-10 ft. high.

320667

[Jamie Buxton]

Well, if you have a way to move that great old saw Kent found, and a way to supply the 3-phase power it needs, it'd trump everything else here.

But if you want a new saw, you might look closely at the Hammer N3800. 12" resaw, 15" wheels, 2 hp. $1600 on a sale they're announcing here --- http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?234659-Hammer-N3800-bandsaw-less-30

[Wes Ramsey]

I found this ginormous monster today and if I had $1400, I'd snap it up. My area has a bunch of really nice bandsaws currently up for sale. There is even a Tannewitz 42 inch 10hp that is in your price range. The picture below is tiny for some reason, but that bandsaw is probably 9-10 ft. high.

320667

Outstanding! I said space wasn't an issue, but I should have clarified. Footprint is not an issue...but I have 8' ceilings! That dude is a beast. I am all about having more tool than I need, but that's overkill on a different level for this hobbyist.

So my take is that the G0566B would be a fine machine for the price, especially since it is new, and I don't think I could come close to that size of machine with anything else. I don't know that I can find anything else in reasonable driving distance that would also be acceptable, so if I can get the money to him before someone else does I'll plan to get this machine.

Now I need to plan out how to move it...

[Jim Dwight]

What about something like this:

https://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw-Anniversary-Edition/G0555LANV

I think it needs the riser to do the thickness you're talking about. It's more of a "lightweight" than these other ideas but it seems like it could do the work.

[Wes Ramsey]

What about something like this:

https://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw-Anniversary-Edition/G0555LANV

I think it needs the riser to do the thickness you're talking about. It's more of a "lightweight" than these other ideas but it seems like it could do the work.

I think that might be a bit small. It would be perfect for most of the work I have in mind, but I think I would quickly outgrow it. But if I went with the 17" model (http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-2-HP-Bandsaw-Anniversary-Edition/G0513ANV) it would probably be enough for many years. Depending on what shipping and tax comes out to I might even have enough left over for a resaw blade and getting all my tools plumbed to the dust collector. Plus I would have the option of rewiring it to 110v until I invent a big enough hole in my breaker box for another 220.

Would that saw be big enough to resaw 8" boards?

[Jim Dwight]

I used to occasionally cut up to 6 inches thick on a 12 inch saw so I can't imagine a 1 hp or 2 hp saw cannot do 8 inch - with the right blade. It would be nice to know how wide a blade it will properly tension but you can cut thick wood with a 1/2 wide blade. It would cut better with a 1/2 properly tensioned than a 1 inch that isn't tight enough. Need some reviews to provide more information. I know I can get good buys on used tools but I don't like the hassle of shopping that way.

Reviews on Amazon are consistently good for the 17 inch Grizzly but not as good for the 14 inch. 14 needs a riser block to cut more than 6 inches. The reviews say the 17 will handle a 1 inch blade and cut 10 inch hardwood. Seems like a candidate.

[Wes Ramsey]

Thanks Jim! I'll post pics when I get around to making a decision.