Bandsaw buying advice-talk me off the ledge!

[stephen fleischer]

So, I've been going back and forth on the Jet JWBS-15-3 (the 1.75 HP will probably work fine for me, maybe?) and the Laguna 14" or SUV and the Grizzly machines.

What am I looking for? I just sold a Jet 14" bandsaw I'd had for 10 years because I need something to do fine resawing and I fancied something newer and bigger. It won't see a ton of use but I'm one of those guys who enjoys working with equipment that is high quality, and I like feeling like it's substantial and well engineered. I have a Delta Unisaw and I love high quality tools like that.

Grizzly: I hear a lot of love and hate for the Grizzly Bandsaws and I think I'll regret buying one after a few years, plus resale is probably not great. Also, every time I look into buy something from Grizzly, it's out of stock for months...or even longer!

Jet JWB-15: I haven't been able to touch/test one yet but I like what I'm seeing in the videos and online. Will I regret not buying the 3hp if I get the 1.75 hp??? This one is my fave right now

Laguna 14BX: To be honest, I was really unimpressed. The knobs were cheap plastic and the blade guide system felt cheapy and the metal flimsy. I hear it's a great machine and I'm sure it is. I hated that it doesn't include a blade, even as a courtesy. the Laguna just fealt like they'd cut corners on the knobs and switches, which was a put off for me.

Talk me off the ledge, or push me off the ledge. Help and advice would be greatly appreciated. I have a budget up to $1,800 and I'd rather not save a few hundred and then regret it in a couple of years. I like to buy once and love my purchase for 10 years.

Am I missing a bandsaw that I haven't considered yet?

thanks so much.

[Martin Wasner]

Look for a used minimax 16

[Nick Decker]

Curious as to why you'd want another 14" saw for resawing, when your budget is $1800?

[John TenEyck]

HP is your friend and the more the better if you want to resaw anything very thick. I figure 1 HP for every 3 - 4". Said another way, you won't be happy with 1.75 HP if you want to resaw anything very thick.

John

[Dan Friedrichs]

LT 14BX is a weird machine. $1500 gets you 2.5HP, 12" resaw, and a weight of 330lbs. For $300 more, you could get the LT 14SUV, with 3HP, 14" resaw, and weight of 375lbs (assuming more weight is better, here).

[Josh Lucus]

I’m also looking at upgrading to a larger capacity BS. The Laguna LT 14SUV would fit the bill but the blade tensioning from the top of the saw scares me off. I’m not tall, I would need a step ladder to change blades.

[glenn bradley]

HP is your friend and the more the better if you want to resaw anything very thick. I figure 1 HP for every 3 - 4". Said another way, you won't be happy with 1.75 HP if you want to resaw anything very thick.

John

10-4 Eleanore!

A bandsaw is one of the tools that benefits from raw mass and power. If you sold a 14" I would move to a 17" or 18" machine. Several folks on here keep a 14" as a secondary or small work machine when they upgrade. Often space makes this impossible but, I replaced my small saw when I made the mistake of selling it when I upgraded.

Be that as it may, If your budget will sustain it I would look at a Minimax in a heartbeat. In the "also ran" department I have been quite happy with a G0513X for some years. It is by no means at the tier of the Minimax machines but, at the time I bought it was a third the price. The only thing I wish it had more of is power. 2HP is adequate but, more would be better.

[Cary Falk]

I hear a lot of good things about the Rikon 18". I have a Go513x2 and love it. If I was in the marked I would be looking at the Rikon.

[Neil Gaskin]

I love our minimax. Looked for a lightly used 16. It should be good balance for resaw and curved work. We have a mm20 and an old jet 14 for scroll work.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I have both a Grizzly 17 bandsaw and 8" jointer (G0513X2 and G0490). Both arrived without damage and work perfectly. Some buyers remorse on the jointer. I should have spent the money for the spiral cutterhead, but I had purchase the bandsaw just a few months prior.

In thinking of the resale value, I think they are like cars. You lose the most when it first arrives. The older Grizzly machines are from a different generation (you can tell by the paint scheme)and don't have much resale value. But the current generation resells higher, but they are also always newer.

I could not have purchased both the bandsaw and jointer had I not done so from Grizzly. I think the key to my success with these machines is that they arrived undamaged and made correctly. Would I order from Grizzly again, yes.

[Bill Carey]

I bought a Laguna 1412 4 months ago and am very happy with it. Granted it's my first "good" band saw but it works great. I spent a day last week resawing 3 x 8 oak with a Resaw King blade and had no problem. The ceramic guides work well, and all the adjustments are easy to make. And when i called them to ask why the fence was not flat, they sent me a new one that day. No questions asked. So customer service gets an A as well.

[Jim Becker]

If you plan on serious re-saw work, you want power, stiffness and weight so that you can properly tension a blade that's optimized for re-saw cutting. Bigger is better in that case, so consider upping your budget if you want new or looking for a stout, pre-owned machine that is best suited for the work you want to do.

[Brian Holcombe]

You should put a Minimax on that list. I’ve used the hell out of an MM20 this year and it has not flinched. Resawed 18.5” tall material and white oak veneer endlessly.

[Patrick Walsh]

Just ordered the MM 20.

I have a Laguna 14/12 and found myself endlessly disappointed in it. I am a bit of a tool snob. I also have no patients for low to mid quality anything. So for whatever my oppinion is worth maybe factor that it.

I hated and actually still hate my 14/12. Its on the first train out of town as soon as the MM arives!

Considering replacing it with a MM 16 to run a 3/16 blade for scroll work. Overkill but I’ll never complain about a bandsaw again.

Consider a used MM16 they can be had used for $2500

[Art Mann]

Jim, How do you define "serious"? I resaw with a Laguna 14/12 and I consider myself fairly serious.

[andy bessette]

Forget about lower tier, like Jet and Grizzly. I bought my LIKE NEW 20" Agazzani for ~$1500 OFF C/L.

[John TenEyck]

Jim, How do you define "serious"? I resaw with a Laguna 14/12 and I consider myself fairly serious.

For me, serious means a minimum of 1 HP for 3" of desired resaw height. Anything less is in the not serious category.

I have an old 14" Delta with riser block and a 1.5 HP motor on it. I have sawed a lot of 10+" veneer with it. You can measure the rate of cut in minutes per foot even with a very efficient blade on it. Two years ago I bought a 17" Grizzly G06363X. With that saw the rate is feet per minute; actually, about as fast as you can push wood through it, and the cut quality is better. That saw has 5 HP and can tension a 1" carbide blade w/o difficulty. Both saws will work, but there is no comparison between the two. I keep the Delta for general purpose work; best of both worlds.

To me there is not a lot of happy middle ground for resawing or slicing veneer. You need a stiff enough frame to tension a band properly and enough HP to pull it through the wood. If either is lacking it won't be much fun.

John

[Prashun Patel]

Alright, alright. Without getting too defensive here: I've owned 2 Grizzly bandsaws. I wouldn't call either "lower tier". They both worked well and as advertised. They make many saws with different features. I too am a fan of buy-the-best and don't second-guess. However, I cannot honestly say that my G0514x2 has at all let me down. It has good capacity, excellent mass, stable guides, good power, little vibration, and has been a reliable resaw saw. I will concede that the resaw fence is slightly out of square to the table, but I wouldn't call that evidence of being at a lower tier.

YMMV, but if I were considering a saw in the $1800 range, my G0514X would make the short list again.

If you are serious about upgrading in quality and are considering top quality in a European saw, then I would look at the G0636x. Shiraz Balolia mentioned this one to me when I was considering my options a couple years ago. Caveat - I have not tried this saw myself - but I took from his thoughtful response that this is not a saw that was designed cavalierly. I believe they give serious quality design consideration to many of their tools.

[stephen fleischer]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and advice, it is greatly appreciated.
I went and looked over the Rikon saw, another look at the Lagune and also Shop Fox. After exhaustive research, I found the Jet JWBS-15-3 is the one for me. My old Jet served me well and I like the beefyness of this one, the micro-adjustment on the fence and the 3hp motor etc. For the price, it feels like it's worth the money. I'll let you know how I like it, once I've wrestled it into place in my garage/workshop.
http://www.jettools.com/us/en/p/jwbs-15-3-15-bandsaw-3hp-230v/714650

[Curt Harms]

So, I've been going back and forth on the Jet JWBS-15-3 (the 1.75 HP will probably work fine for me, maybe?) and the Laguna 14" or SUV and the Grizzly machines.

What am I looking for? I just sold a Jet 14" bandsaw I'd had for 10 years because I need something to do fine resawing and I fancied something newer and bigger. It won't see a ton of use but I'm one of those guys who enjoys working with equipment that is high quality, and I like feeling like it's substantial and well engineered. I have a Delta Unisaw and I love high quality tools like that.


thanks so much.

The above bolded would seem to favor an Italian saw - MiniMax, Italian Laguna something like that. A Chevy or Ford will get you where you want to go safely but if your tastes run toward German automobiles you'd never really be happy with a Chevy or Ford. Grizzly has at least 2 lines of bandsaws, the G0513 & G0514 models. They also have what appears to be a line to compete with the Italian saws, G0636 being one. I think a member here has one of those and it quite happy with it. If you have time and skill an old industrial saw like Yates or Crescent might give you the quality you seek for reasonable $.

[Kevin Adams]

Nice, Patrick, that’s a dream saw for me, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!! Happy New Year!!

Kevin


Just ordered the MM 20.

I have a Laguna 14/12 and found myself endlessly disappointed in it. I am a bit of a tool snob. I also have no patients for low to mid quality anything. So for whatever my oppinion is worth maybe factor that it.

I hated and actually still hate my 14/12. Its on the first train out of town as soon as the MM arives!

Considering replacing it with a MM 16 to run a 3/16 blade for scroll work. Overkill but I’ll never complain about a bandsaw again.

Consider a used MM16 they can be had used for $2500

[Jim Becker]

Jim, How do you define "serious"? I resaw with a Laguna 14/12 and I consider myself fairly serious.
Art, I was referring to the work, not the woodworker, and meant re-sawing larger stock that approaches the limits of the machine. A bigger, stiffer, heavier and more powerful band saw will do the work easier and do it all day long if that's required. That said, we all "can" re-saw with a smaller band saw as long as we understand the particular machine's limitations and capabilities and have patience with the process.

[Art Mann]

Do you think that most band saw users need a machine that will work efficiently all day long? I resaw 4/4 to 6/4 wood to 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 and occasionally odd numbered fractions for the purpose of building boxes and all manner of CNC carvings. It takes longer to drum sand these pieces to a precision thickness than it does to do the resawing. The shop is shut down now while I move to my new shop but I resaw most every day when I am doing business and I have never "needed" a bigger saw. Time and again, I see recommendations on SMC for high end and expensive equipment for people who are obviously hobbyists who are just getting started. I don't want them to think they need to spend $1800 or more for a band saw that will resaw 10-12 inch lumber. Until recently, I resawed lumber up to 8 inches wide on a Craftsman/Rikon band saw with a 1 horsepower motor. I just think we need to be aware of budget challenged or beginning woodworkers.

Let me give you an example from just the other day. There was a thread going having to do with a couple of cheap, light weight and low powered CNC routers. You expressed an interest in buying one. My only comment was that they are too small for commercial work. I could have gone further and said that these little units are mere toys and aren't suitable for "serious" work. That is my opinion from my perspective. I didn't post that because I didn't want you or anyone else to be discouraged from buying an entry level machine to experiment.


Art, I was referring to the work, not the woodworker, and meant re-sawing larger stock that approaches the limits of the machine. A bigger, stiffer, heavier and more powerful band saw will do the work easier and do it all day long if that's required. That said, we all "can" re-saw with a smaller band saw as long as we understand the particular machine's limitations and capabilities and have patience with the process.

[Jim Becker]

Art, I very much see your point. I hope you didn't interpret mine as "big and expensive" is required. I was merely trying to point out that it was more optimal for the stated job. Re-saw work is absolutely doable on a smaller, more entry level machine.

[stephen fleischer]

So, I got the Jet 15" 3hp bandsaw all set up and running. I put a Highland Woodworker 1" wood slicer blade on it. What a GREAT machine! easy to set up. Powerful, smooth and I was able to easily cut wafer thin veneers from 6" thick English yew that I could see light through. I also resawed Oak, Walnut and Bubinga. I love this machine! Would highly recommend it.

[Nick Decker]

Stephen, I like those Highland Wood Slicer blades, myself. The same blade is available from Spectrum for less money, called the Kerfmaster.

http://www.spectrumsupply.com/kerfmaster-2.aspx

[stephen fleischer]

Stephen, I like those Highland Wood Slicer blades, myself. The same blade is available from Spectrum for less money, called the Kerfmaster. http://www.spectrumsupply.com/kerfmaster-2.aspx

Good to know. Thanks.

[Jim Becker]

Stephen, I like those Highland Wood Slicer blades, myself. The same blade is available from Spectrum for less money, called the Kerfmaster.

http://www.spectrumsupply.com/kerfmaster-2.aspx

I just clicked through in anticipating trying a couple of these blades, but the shipping/handling they came up with was "to the moon". I hope it was just a website mistake...

[Nick Decker]

Whoa, you're right, Jim. Didn't used to be like that. The blade itself, for my saw, is about half the price at Spectrum compared to Highland. The shipping from Spectrum is $32, compared to $8 from Highland.

I also noticed that Spectrum requires a $25 minimum order, which I don't recall from before. Guess they no longer want my business.

[Nick Decker]

Just sent them an email. We'll see what they say...

[Nick Decker]

Response: "The web site pricing is not accurate for shipping. The shipping will be less as these are just estimates."

I guess you'd need to call them or something. Not good, although their service has always been good in the past. I know that shipping has never been more than $10 - $12 or it would have gotten my attention.

[Ken Sanderson]

I recently bought a Rikon 10-346. Great saw, will probably never need to upgrade, though I kept and use my old Delta 16" (3 wheeler). The Rikon is very stable and powerful.

The price included shipping, but it was $50 extra for the lift-gate delivery truck.

[Chris Hachet]

Forget about lower tier, like Jet and Grizzly. I bought my LIKE NEW 20" Agazzani for ~$1500 OFF C/L.

Used saws for the win. My tools; Powermatic 87 for a grand. Weighs 1300 lbs. Cuts anything. 1939 Walker turner 14 inch bandsaw with carter guides and a kreg fence. perfect for scroll work and smaller cuts.

Next up will be a used Italian band saw I think. 20 inches or larger.

Or look for a 27 inch or 20 inch Northfield. I ahve seen several come up lately for a grand or two.

[Chris Hachet]

The above bolded would seem to favor an Italian saw - MiniMax, Italian Laguna something like that. A Chevy or Ford will get you where you want to go safely but if your tastes run toward German automobiles you'd never really be happy with a Chevy or Ford. Grizzly has at least 2 lines of bandsaws, the G0513 & G0514 models. They also have what appears to be a line to compete with the Italian saws, G0636 being one. I think a member here has one of those and it quite happy with it. If you have time and skill an old industrial saw like Yates or Crescent might give you the quality you seek for reasonable $.

Yates Y30 or Crescent 20 heavy is a different best. I am enough of a bandsaw fanatic to want one of them (or both of them!) also. Davis and Wells 20 inch should fit in there as well. Fantastic 20 inch band saw.

[Chip Byrd]

Hey Stephen,

I would love to hear your take on the jet 15. Still think so highly of it? I’m in the market, that’s why I ask.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Hey Stephen,

I would love to hear your take on the jet 15. Still think so highly of it? I’m in the market, that’s why I ask.

You might want to start your own thread about this. Stephen hasn't logged in at the SMC in almost two years.

[stephen fleischer]

You might want to start your own thread about this. Stephen hasn't logged in at the SMC in almost two years.

Fantastic saw. Smooth, accurate, powerful! I was very impressed with it and would buy it again.

[lowell holmes]

I have a 14" Jet with the riser block. I buy my blades on line because of the extra length. It is pretty much bulletproof.

[Jack Frederick]

I have the 14BX and it has been excellent for my needs. Back east I had the 16LT and regret not bringing it west when we moved. I have quit looking at the local FB Marketplace ads as there have been a number of big bandsaws and I can be tempted. The knobs/handles on the Laguna have held up well. I have resawn 8" walnut and white oak without issue. What bugs me about Laguna is their accessory pricing. They are very proud of them apparently. There was a deal on a big Aggazani recently. $1200. Ad said, "Works good, need it gone." Tempting! I seldom show such restraint;)