Grizzly 17" Bandsaw Feedback

[Edward Weingarden]

I'm thinking of buying a Grizzly G0513X2 - 17" Bandsaw, and looking for some feedback from anyone who has owned this saw. Are/were you pleased with how the saw functions? What are the pros/cons. Thanks.

[Corey Pelton]

Hi Edward,

I absolutely love the saw. Once tuned (Alex Snodgrass method) it’s butter smooth. I’m running a 1/2” Timberwolf blade for most things. It cuts fantastically well.

My only con would be the fence. It free floats on one end, so it takes some back and forth to get it right where you want it. Not a big deal. I snagged a Carter Magfence II and their FAST measuring magnets, and that’s worked well for quick thin cut setups.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the G5013X2. I’d highly recommend it.

[Edward Weingarden]

Thanks Corey

[Ryan Mooney]

No major complaints (I have the 513X2F because I wanted a foot brake). IMHO its happiest with a 1/2" blade or less, I've run a 3/4" on it but it was at the top end of what it really wanted to tension. I mostly run a 3/8 3tpi blade which is pretty useful for most things I do but have run as small as a 1/4" as well (never tried a 1/8"). I didn't really have to tune mine to speak of, it was real close to spot on out of the crate.

I like having the foot brake because I tend to do a lot of small cuts sometimes and prefer to be able to have the blade stopped while setting up the fence. Its also gotten me out of trouble a couple of times when resawing larger chunks for bowl blanks and the wood started closing up or twisting on me I was able to kill the motor and stop the blade without letting go of the workpiece.

IMHO the bearing guides work best at medium/large size blades, I grew up on a saw with guide blocks so I'm probably a little biased there. I don't think the bearing guides work very well at 1/4" or below. You'll get a lot of varied opinions on this part.

If I was doing it over I'd have to think about dropping the extra $300 on the 514 series, but that's a slippery slope :)


Edit: the 3/4 was a 3/4 carbide tipped and a bit thicker.. I think the thickness of the blade was perhaps what threw it to the high end of the saw. With the side loading blades (minor gripe) its also a bit harder getting larger blades like that on and off the saw than it would be with a front slot saw, but you do get used to the technique fairly quickly. With a front slot saw I wouldn't have to push the guides back as far to get the stiffer blades in and out.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I purchased my G00513X2 the year before the foot brake was available. Definitely a feature I wish I had. The cast iron wheels do take a while to spin down. It has cut everything I have asked it to. From 1/8" thick curve work to 12" thick resaw to resawing 2"x6"x8' fir (for building a Wood magazine based lumber rack). I mostly run 1/2" blades. I have some 3/4" blades, but the only difference I have noticed is price. I do not find the 3/4" blades to cut straighter, cleaner, faster, or to last longer. So I stick with the less expensive 1/2" blades. I own everything between 2 and 10 TPI.

I have not had issues with the fence for the G0513X2 that Corey mentions. Just have to remember that when the resaw fence adapter is installed, the built in tape measure doesn't "work".

I highly recommended the G0513X2 version

[glenn bradley]

I have an X, dad has the X2. No trouble tensioning a 3/4” blade here but, I use the flutter method. The fence does ok for me but, I aligned the saw and don’t find I need to readjust anything but the guides when changing blades. This may have to do with the tension method as well since I hear a lot of people complain about drift on their saws. Dad and I pretty much change blades with impunity.

I’ve run Timberwolf, Ellis, woodslicers and carbide tipped blades with good success. I should say the carbide tipped blade is only a half inch blade. Like others have mentioned I find a half inch blade to do everything I need and so haven’t bought anything larger for quite some time. I do have a smaller saw for curvy and small, quick cuts.

A quick mod under the blade makes dust collection at the bottom port unnecessary. I have sealed that port with a piece of sheet magnet.

381831 . 381832

I went a step further and built a little cowling with magnets for directly under the table. This took hardly any time and stepped the dust collection up to excellent.

381833 . 381834

The cowling slips easily out of the way for blade changes.

P.s. I spent another 30 minutes and set the wheels co-planer and slipped a section of link-belt on. The noise level went to near zero; it is spooky-quiet now. This may also have contributed to my total ignorance of "drift". What is that any way? :D

[tom lucas]

I own it. I've only run 3/4" blades as I use it almost exclusively for re-sawing and straight cuts. It is excellent at that. The tires could be better quality. I had to replace mine in short order when one got damaged by a sliver of wood that got pulled into the band. I bought urethane replacements from a third party. Dust collection not great, especially under the table. Adjusting guides bearing is OK. I love the fence and convertibility of it. Mine stays square and I don't use the scale for absolute measurements; only for relative movements.

[Mike Ontko]

I bought the G0513X2BF as my first and likely last bandsaw and have been completely satisfied. Of course, bigger is always better but for my money this saw offers the capability to do just about everything I could envision it needing to do. When I bought it, I was building a bed from ash and needed to be able to resaw 8" widths of 8/4 ash at lengths up to 80+ inches (for the supporting rails). I've been using Timberwolf blades--1/2" and 3/4" 3-TPI rakers for resawing, a 1/2" 10-TPI for smooth cutting, and a 1/4' blade (I forget the TPI and profile) for curve cutting. It was easy to setup, and is easy to operate and maintain. The dust collection doesn't seem stellar (Glenn's upgrade sounds like a possible solution), but then this is my first band saw, so I can't compare it fairly to anything else at this point. I only know that after resawing several hundred feet of lumber, I still need to vacuum up a small bit around the back of the saw and inside the lower cabinet. But that seems entirely normal.

The lower center thrust bearing did seize up just a few weeks ago. I'm guessing it got clogged with fine dust particles as part of normal use/wear and tear. But for less than $10 US I was able to replace it with a third-party sealed bearing, that should last at least as long if not longer. That's been the extent of my 'trouble' with this saw, which is really nothing.

[Edward Weingarden]

Thanks for all the feedback. Sounds like the machine is an excellent value.

[Scott T Smith]

Count me in as another satisfied owner of a 0513XB2. Going on 8 years and loving it!

[Chuck Saunders]

While you're counting satisfied owners, count me in. It is a great saw and 1/2" is enough blade.
Chuck

[Keith Hankins]

I've had the previoius version the g0513, and had it for over 10 years. I've got it set up with laguna blade for resaw. Great saw. Sure the x2 is even better.

[Matthew Curtis]

I almost pulled the trigger on this saw,. But... Laguna had there Black Friday sale that made the 18bx hard to pass up. Picked it up same day had it making sawdust same day as well. I don't think you could go too wrong with either. I just didn't want to wait for shipping on the grizzly. I also like the Laguna guides better.

[Dave Cav]

I had that saw for nearly 10 years and liked it fine. My next door neighbor was so impressed with it that he bought one as well. I used mine for resawing and similar cuts exclusively and used my 14" saw for general purpose and scroll work. For general work, and the right blade I think you'll be happy with the saw.

I was using a 1" Woodmaster CT blade in the saw. It was OK, but really too much blade for the saw. I don't think the saw can really adequately tension a 1" blade, although my resaw cuts were generally fine.

The only problem I had with the saw was the tires got loose and needed to be replaced. I think that was completely due to the 1" blade and the high tension I was running. I planned to put a 1/2 or 3/4" carbide blade in it when the Woodmaster wore out, but I sold the saw to my (other) next door neighbor before that happened. The stock motor is also a little small for that big a blade and making resaw cuts over 3 or 4" was VERY slow.

I eventually replaced the Grizzly with a MiniMax 20", which works fine with a 1" blade and has plenty of power.

[Bill Dufour]

To the OP: where do you live I have a lead on a Doall 1612 variable speed BS with welder for $500 in Van Nuys. It may need some work. Seller is pretty clueless. I have only seen photos and it will weigh about 1200 pounds. Is the grizzly really under 500 pounds?
Bill D

http://www.vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=13768

[Adam Tracy]

I have the g0513x2. bought it new around 2010 and it's the last floor standing power tool i'd give up due to my needs. i do a lot of resawing and then general stuff with it.

but you know what? i hate the aluminum fence rails. they're kind of grabby when i try to move my fence around. they hold well enough but say i want to just bump the fence over a tad. the aluminum just doesn't slide as nicely as a steel fence seems to. like on my table saw. i wish i had just gone ahead and done something with a more high quality fence rail system. not sure the 17" grizz models have that, or if you'd have to go with a 19". honestly, if i could do it all over again, i'd get a 19" for the extra capacity, and the tubular steel rails. that said, it's a minor nitpick. it's been an excellent machine for the price point. i am totally happy and content with it and do not lament its arrival into my shop. with a sharp blade, i've not experienced any drift...in fact i have never adjusted the fence for drift.

i do adore my bandsaw, so pleas do not tell it that i had these criticisms.

oh! one other thing that i recall having an issue with, and it wasnt the saw's fault. the blades are i think 130,5". well, i can get woodslicers easy enough in that length. the timberwolf(suffolk machinery) ones are just a tad higher performing in my experience, but one time they sent me one that was not 130.5" and blamed grizzly for the issue. guy said: 'it's on grizzly, you should be able to adjust your saw to handle what we sent you'. i was incredulous and have never since done business with them.

today, i am considering just buying raw bandsaw blade stock, and silver soldering them myself. might save some money, but it's more about turn-around-time and being able to return to your work without having to wait for shipment. i guess for now i just remember to order at least 2 extra of what i need ffrom the distributor.

hope this helps!
adam of oakland, ca.

ps if you're in my area and want to take a gander, i'm happy to let you check mine out.

pps grizzly has really good customer service. haven't had to call them much, but when i do, they're pleasant, understanding, and technically proficient.

[tom lucas]

I have the g0513x2. bought it new around 2010 and it's the last floor standing power tool i'd give up due to my needs. i do a lot of resawing and then general stuff with it.

but you know what? i hate the aluminum fence rails. they're kind of grabby when i try to move my fence around. they hold well enough but say i want to just bump the fence over a tad. the aluminum just doesn't slide as nicely as a steel fence seems to. like on my table saw. i wish i had just gone ahead and done something with a more high quality fence rail system. not sure the 17" grizz models have that, or if you'd have to go with a 19". honestly, if i could do it all over again, i'd get a 19" for the extra capacity, and the tubular steel rails. that said, it's a minor nitpick. it's been an excellent machine for the price point. i am totally happy and content with it and do not lament its arrival into my shop. with a sharp blade, i've not experienced any drift...in fact i have never adjusted the fence for drift.



Try waxing the rail. I wax mine and it operates very smoothly.

[Phillip Gregory]

I have one that I bought about 3 years ago.

Pros
- Small enough to do curved work but large enough to do some resawing.
- Runs well with 1/8" to 3/4" blades and can tension them appropriately.
- About the same footprint and height as a 14" cast iron saw but more powerful and more capable.
- 350 pounds, not obnoxiously heavy
- Fence is reasonably decent and cleverly adjustable for resaw and
- Saw cuts straight and tracks well, I have had no issues with barreling, drift, etc with a sharp blade.

Cons
- Cast-iron wheels take close to a minute to slow down. The injection brake version (G0513X2BF) would be a definite upgrade.
- The maximum blade width that can reasonably be handled is 3/4", 1" wide blades can be tensioned but are very tough to get on the machine.
- Not powerful/fast enough enough to resaw hardwood thicker than about 6-8" in a reasonably timely fashion. I'd recommend their 5 hp 24" saw with about 5000 sfpm blade speed for a resaw machine.
- Dust collection isn't great, the little under-the-table wooden box dust collector another poster mentioned is helpful.

If I had to do it again, I'd have gotten a much larger machine.