Bandsaw - 14 or 17 inch?

[Randy Viellenave]

I will be getting a band saw, but generally need only a 14". One job I will need 12" resaw for a bunch of redwood boards. Question to anybody that has a 14" with the riser block - Would you use a riser again or would you purchase the 17" saw?

[Erik Loza]

The 17" saw.

Erik

[Terry Hatfield]

Agree with Erik. I started with a 14" saw but have a 17" saw now. Get the 17". The extra capacity and power are worth it.

[John K Jordan]

Randy, I have a 12" Delta with riser and did a lot of resawing and conversion of green wood into turning blanks and it worked well. Then I got an 18" Rikon with a far more powerful motor and it works much better. It has the same 12" height without a riser.

I'd get the largest saw I could, up to a point. (I used a HUGE bandsaw in the '60s, maybe 24" or larger? That is too much saw for me!)

JKJ

[Matt Day]

Bigger is better in this case, I'd recommend the 17".

[John TenEyck]

I have a 14" Delta with riser block and regularly resaw stock 10" thick and cut shop sawn veneer with it. It was useless for those tasks until I put a 1.5 HP motor on it. So now it works OK, but I have my eyes open for a used MM16, too.

John

[Cary Falk]

I sold my Delta 14" with a riser and bought a G0513X2 17".

[Randy Viellenave]

Thanks a bunch guys, this looks like a no brainer, but thought I would check anyway. Having fun trying to get one shipped out here without trading in the house.

[glenn bradley]

A smaller saw is nice to have IF you already have a larger one. JMHO and I practice what I . . . er . . . opine(?).

[Ben Rivel]

Yep, bigger is definitely better with this one!

[Bill Space]

Coming in at your question from the other side, I have been thinking of upgrading my old Grizzly 18 inch bandsaw. I forget the number and it is not identified by number on the saw(not the greated saw, G1021 seems to ring a bell) , but after thinking about it, I decided that when I replace it I will replace it with a 17" heavy duty Grizzly saw.

Edit: I was considering a larger say, say 19" or more, but thinking about it for my needs the necessity for a greater throat depth or higher resaw height was not there.

So I say go for the 17" as well. Unless you need a greater throat depth for some reason, it will probably be more than satisfactory...

Bill

[Jeffrey Martel]

If you have the space, budget and 220v, get the 17" saw. That being said, I've resawed 12" wide boards quite successfully on my 14" grizzly with a riser block.

[Cody Colston]

If you have the shop space and the funds, a 14" for general bandsawing and a 17" or bigger for re-sawing would be ideal. If you can only have one, get the 17". I have the 17" Grizzly but often wish I had room for a 14" saw, too.

[Art Mann]

There are 14 inch saws that will do a good job of resawing even 12 inch hickory if you are a little patient. I have a Laguna 14/12 that I chose over the 17 inch Grizzly because I like the design, fit and finish, and the saw guides better. I would not buy an old cast iron band saw specifically for that purpose.

[Wes Ramsey]

I've got the G0513X2. It is the only bandsaw I've ever used and I'll never have anything smaller. It resaws beautifully with a 3/4" Timberwolf 3tpi blade. However, now that I have one and see what all I can use it for I kinda wish I had another smaller saw for scroll work. Changing the blade is a pain, but I'm sure no less a pain than with other saws.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have been eyeing the Grizzly 17" saw for some time now but like what I see in the Laguna 1412. May want to have a look if you have not already. I like the size of the saw but still have a 12" resaw height. One thing that concerns me with the 17" saw is woodworkers often say they just love them BUT, often wish they also had a smaller saw too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJA5naCA05U


With all the new bandsaws on the market today, no way would I consider an old style 14" saw with riser block.

[Randy Viellenave]

Well thanks to everybody for supplying your experience and opinions. I initially settled on the Grizzly 17", but shipping cost to Honolulu made me look at the Laguna 14|12. After the local markup at Woodcraft, I got the Laguna for about $100 less, and brought it home today. The other benefit I found with the Laguna is that it weighs 100 pounds less, so I didn't need help to get it in the house and set it up. Now I just need to spend some time learning the "drift" (thought cars did that) and I am re-saw ready.

[Dave Lehnert]

Well thanks to everybody for supplying your experience and opinions. I initially settled on the Grizzly 17", but shipping cost to Honolulu made me look at the Laguna 14|12. After the local markup at Woodcraft, I got the Laguna for about $100 less, and brought it home today. The other benefit I found with the Laguna is that it weighs 100 pounds less, so I didn't need help to get it in the house and set it up. Now I just need to spend some time learning the "drift" (thought cars did that) and I am re-saw ready.

Always good to get a new tool.
Keep us posted on how you like your new bandsaw.

[Jim Becker]

The larger wheels offer advantages relative to blade choices and these machines also generally have a lot more power combined with a stiffer frame. That's a good thing. If your budget allows, go to the larger machine. I wouldn't want anything less than the heavy 16" machine I own.

[Curt Harms]

Thanks a bunch guys, this looks like a no brainer, but thought I would check anyway. Having fun trying to get one shipped out here without trading in the house.


I've heard it called a Paradise tax. It's 1o F here this morning. Wanna trade? :D

The only downside I'm aware of to larger saws is if you want to run narrow blades, <1/4".

[Rick Moyer]

I've heard it called a Paradise tax. It's 1o F here this morning. Wanna trade? :D

The only downside I'm aware of to larger saws is if you want to run narrow blades, <1/4".


The larger wheels offer advantages relative to blade choices and these machines also generally have a lot more power combined with a stiffer frame. That's a good thing. If your budget allows, go to the larger machine. I wouldn't want anything less than the heavy 16" machine I own.


Well thanks to everybody for supplying your experience and opinions. I initially settled on the Grizzly 17", but shipping cost to Honolulu made me look at the Laguna 14|12. After the local markup at Woodcraft, I got the Laguna for about $100 less, and brought it home today. The other benefit I found with the Laguna is that it weighs 100 pounds less, so I didn't need help to get it in the house and set it up. Now I just need to spend some time learning the "drift" (thought cars did that) and I am re-saw ready.

Everyone: He already bought a saw! No need for recommending something different at this point.

[Keith Pleas]

This thread neatly encapsulated all of the big variables: size versus maneuverability, straight/curved versus blade changeover, and (though they weren't mentioned explicitly) shop space and price.

I have a personal preference for multiple tools that are ready to go, so I have a 14" Rikon 10-325 with a 3/4" resaw blade and a 20" Delta 40-694 right next to each other, and I'm likely to get a 9" or 10" bench top bandsaw for in between. I won't spend 1/2 hour to change over the bandsaw blade, but I'm willing to take an extra few minutes feeding the wood more slowly each time I have to resaw. And I can move the bandsaw around easily on a movable base to configure my garage.

But my use of these tools is highly variable. I last used my bandsaw to create foam discs for my grandson's 4th birthday super-hero party:

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