Harvey vs Shop Fox bandsaw [Archive] - Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community

John Hise

01-30-2022, 6:06 PM

I am looking at bandsaws. Harvey has their C14 @ 1700 right now, but with freight and taxes it goes to 2223 here in TN. I can get a Shop Fox W1849 from home depot, free shipping, and a 10% military discount that comes in at 1963; 260 cheaper. Any opinions as to whether the Harvey is worth 260 more than the Shop Fox? I see the motor is 3 hp vs 2 hp for the SF, but it seems 2hp would be big enough for resawing. The Harvey has a brake as well, but since this would be my first bandsaw I do not know how to evaluate its usefulness. I am a hobbyist, but have some land that I can get nice sized timber from for resawing.

Thanks for your thought.

Bryan Hall

01-30-2022, 7:46 PM

I don't know either machine but:

I appreciate having a 3hp motor on mine. I think it's worth it. I also appreciate the brake on mine, I don't like blades spinning forever after walking away from them. I have a laguna bx18 and its been excellent so far.

The shop fox does come with a home depot return policy though... if it shows up broken and is a PITA all you have to do is drag it back to your nearest HD and the money is returned to you immediately. During COVID times that can be worth its weight in gold.

Phillip Mitchell

01-30-2022, 7:55 PM

I would not have a bandsaw without some type of brake - either foot brake or electronic brake from a VFD. I’m sure some folks just deal with that, but for safety and efficiency I think a brake is crucial.

Mitch schiffer

01-30-2022, 8:10 PM

I have been waiting months on my Harvey 615 to ship. I did like the Harvey the best for the price. One of my main deciding factors was the tin coated top (not sure if that is a option of the saw you are looking at). I would take availability into account if there is any difference. My ship date has been pushed back a couple times and now isn't until late mach.

Steve Wurster

01-31-2022, 12:56 PM

Clifford McGuire

01-31-2022, 1:10 PM

I bought the C14 a few months ago, when the price was $1399. It was supposed to ship in 6 weeks, but it arrived in three. I know that availabilty might have gone downhill since then.

I bought it to replace my 30 year old 14" Jet with the riser block and Carter guides. I want to do more resawing, and the Jet just didn't have it.

Pros: with the Harvey....It's very well built. I don't have much to compare it to, but it is more heavy duty than my Jet (in every way). I haven't tried resawing yet, but I have cut curves and some thick pieces.

Another pro: it was packed well and almost completley set up. I had to do very little to get it usable.

Another pro: the brake is great. I thought the process was to turn off the power and use the brake to cut down on spinning time. But the brake also turns off the power, so hands can stay on the piece .

Cons: Support is overworked. It shipped with a defective power switch. It took several days to talk to someone, and another couple to get a new switch sent.

Another con: I'm putting everything on mobile bases, and bought the Harvey. This is the only base I have that doesn't use metal side rails. It's on a 3/4" piece of plywood that flexes too much. I'll replace it with a different mobile base.

Overall, I think I got a bargain with the Harvey and feel it will be all I need for years to come. Sorry I don't have any comparisons to the SF.

John Hise

01-31-2022, 1:57 PM

I went ahead and just ordered the C14. I paid $1699 during their "Lunar New Year Special". Interesting that when I first looked at the web site yesterday they had 35 at that price; now it is down to 15. I talked to support and they put a note on the order not to ship until March 4, so as not to get to my home while we might be away.

And something I have never seen before when buying via a website. There was a place to include a tip, which I thought was a bit odd and do not understand.

Steve Wurster

01-31-2022, 2:43 PM

Cons: Support is overworked. It shipped with a defective power switch. It took several days to talk to someone, and another couple to get a new switch sent.

Another con: I'm putting everything on mobile bases, and bought the Harvey. This is the only base I have that doesn't use metal side rails. It's on a 3/4" piece of plywood that flexes too much. I'll replace it with a different mobile base.

I emailed Harvey one day last week to ask about some details on the Alpha 615P and they got back to me very quickly. I went back and forth with them a few times and they were always quick to respond. Hopefully their support is better now than it was previously, or perhaps I hit a different area of their team.

I passed on ordering the Harvey mobile base because of the fact that it's plywood based. I had a feeling that might flex a bit, so thanks for confirming that. Instead I'm looking at some of the Portamate bases. My current bandsaw (G0555 w/ riser) is on a shop-built base with 4 rotating / locking casters (and space to store blades, etc.). Almost all of my mobile tools are on fully rotating casters, but I'm not yet convinced I need that for the new bandsaw. It will depend on where I keep it when not in use, and how much maneuvering I need out of it. If I'm able to keep it against the wall when not in use and only have to slide it straight out for usage then a base with 2 rotating and 2 fixed wheels should work.

Jim Braun

01-31-2022, 2:55 PM

Another con: I'm putting everything on mobile bases, and bought the Harvey. This is the only base I have that doesn't use metal side rails. It's on a 3/4" piece of plywood that flexes too much. I'll replace it with a different mobile base.

Clifford, I have the Harvey mobile base but used a double layer of 3/4 ply, it seems pretty solid. Did your base come with the longer screws to support a 1.5" base?

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Darrell Bade

01-31-2022, 8:15 PM

On mobile bases the Grizzly Bear Claw is tough to beat.

Clifford McGuire

02-01-2022, 2:52 PM

Clifford, I have the Harvey mobile base but used a double layer of 3/4 ply, it seems pretty solid. Did your base come with the longer screws to support a 1.5" base?

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Hi Jim, You know, I think it did come with the longer screws. Thanks for the suggestion. That should help a lot!

Mitch schiffer

02-01-2022, 6:34 PM

I just placed an order for a Harvey 615P yesterday. Hopefully that late March estimate doesn't keep changing!

Good news I just got my shipping confirmation today. Maybe you will get yours soon too.

Steve Wurster

02-01-2022, 8:27 PM

Good news I just got my shipping confirmation today. Maybe you will get yours soon too.

Sweet!

I actually don't want to get mine too quickly. Snow on the ground means I won't be able to move it into my basement right away (it will go into the garage upon delivery, but that means my wife's car will have to sit in the driveway). I also have to make sure one of my neighbors is available to help me get the unit down into the basement, but I haven't asked anyone yet! Plus we'll be out of town for a few days later this month so I definitely don't want it to arrive at that point. Further into March or April is actually fine with me.

Clifford McGuire

02-02-2022, 12:51 PM

Sweet!

I actually don't want to get mine too quickly. Snow on the ground means I won't be able to move it into my basement right away (it will go into the garage upon delivery, but that means my wife's car will have to sit in the driveway). I also have to make sure one of my neighbors is available to help me get the unit down into the basement, but I haven't asked anyone yet! Plus we'll be out of town for a few days later this month so I definitely don't want it to arrive at that point. Further into March or April is actually fine with me.

I rented an appliance dolly. The C14 is shaped similar to a refrigerator and about as heavy. I was able to get mine down into the basement with three guys. As we were goig down the stairs, we had one on each handle lowering it slowly. And one at the other end, keeping it going staight and providing some resistance.

We left it crated/packaged until we had it in the basement.

.

Jim Braun

02-02-2022, 1:55 PM

Sweet!

I actually don't want to get mine too quickly. Snow on the ground means I won't be able to move it into my basement right away (it will go into the garage upon delivery, but that means my wife's car will have to sit in the driveway).

The week I got mine we were scheduled for heavy rain and I wasn't sure if i could get it into the garage with out some unpacking/disassembly. I asked the freight company, Daylight Transport, to hold it for a few days. It ended up just fitting under the door, on the skid with a pallet jack.

Steve Wurster

02-02-2022, 2:18 PM

I rented an appliance dolly. The C14 is shaped similar to a refrigerator and about as heavy. I was able to get mine down into the basement with three guys. As we were goig down the stairs, we had one on each handle lowering it slowly. And one at the other end, keeping it going staight and providing some resistance.

We left it crated/packaged until we had it in the basement.

.

I already own an appliance dolly so that should work in theory, except of course the unit will be a good bit taller than the handles on the dolly. The biggest difficulty is the stairs: this will be going down a set of steep Bilco stairs with limited space for standing. For previous heavy items I've built a ramp and lowered things down using straps attached to a truck. But those items (Hammer Jointer/Planer, Hammer K3 saw) were short and could easily go through the limited doorway height. I can't do that with a bandsaw that's shipped standing up.

One option is to basically do what you did: Someone is holding the dolly from above, while someone else is below and providing resistance on each step. But at nearly 500 pounds ship weight that seems a little precarious. The folks at Harvey suggested I remove the table first, then put the box back around the unit before trying to bring it down the stairs; relieve some of that weight.

Another option is to build a ramp that is just the sides of the ramp. Basically 2 long pieces of "angle iron" made out of plywood. They would lay on the stairs and could be setup to prevent the wheels of the dolly from going offline. Then I can go with that same two-person setup but the saw itself is doing most of the "weight" work.

Steve Wurster

02-02-2022, 2:20 PM

The week I got mine we were scheduled for heavy rain and I wasn't sure if i could get it into the garage with out some unpacking/disassembly. I asked the freight company, Daylight Transport, to hold it for a few days. It ended up just fitting under the door, on the skid with a pallet jack.

I haven't measured the height of my garage door when opened to make sure it will fit through without some amount of tipping required. I might have to have my dolly ready and see if the driver will let me hook it up and help me wheel it into the garage if need be.

Jim Becker

02-02-2022, 2:32 PM

Steve, most likely your garage door is 7' tall. That's the most common for residential garages in this area.

Steve Wurster

02-02-2022, 2:44 PM

Steve, most likely your garage door is 7' tall. That's the most common for residential garages in this area.

I actually just checked and it looks like it's right around there, yes. I should be fine then. :-)

Steve Wurster

02-03-2022, 2:00 PM

Clifford, I have the Harvey mobile base but used a double layer of 3/4 ply, it seems pretty solid. Did your base come with the longer screws to support a 1.5" base?

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Jim, I'm assuming you've got both of the lifting casters on the same side there (i.e., the "front of the saw") which allows you to slide the saw straight back and forth to / from the wall? Do you have any problems with weight distribution when pushing on one lifter and then the other? What kind of clearance are you getting when going with two pieces of 3/4 ply?

Jim Braun

02-03-2022, 3:54 PM

Jim, I'm assuming you've got both of the lifting casters on the same side there (i.e., the "front of the saw") which allows you to slide the saw straight back and forth to / from the wall? Do you have any problems with weight distribution when pushing on one lifter and then the other? What kind of clearance are you getting when going with two pieces of 3/4 ply?

Steve,
I'll assume the front of the saw is the side you push the wood into :). If that is the case then I have the casters on the right side of the saw. To move the saw I grab the dust port and the upper frame, it moves ok and you get used to turning corners with it. I need to move it several feet btw where I park it and where I use it.

The clearance btw the floor and the base is 1", the corner pieces have a bottom, you lay in your plywood and then put a top plate on to sandwich it, so adding more wood raises the table height. The clearance btw the adjustable feet and the floor with the saw raised is very small <.125" the way I have it adjusted. I have a smooth floor so I don't get hung up on anything.

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Steve Wurster

02-03-2022, 6:51 PM

Steve,
I'll assume the front of the saw is the side you push the wood into :). If that is the case then I have the casters on the right side of the saw. To move the saw I grab the dust port and the upper frame, it moves ok and you get used to turning corners with it. I need to move it several feet btw where I park it and where I use it.

The clearance btw the floor and the base is 1", the corner pieces have a bottom, you lay in your plywood and then put a top plate on to sandwich it, so adding more wood raises the table height. The clearance btw the adjustable feet and the floor with the saw raised is very small <.125" the way I have it adjusted. I have a smooth floor so I don't get hung up on anything.

473054

You have the casters where I would want them. Unfortunately with my slightly uneven basement floor a clearance of <.125" might not be enough, so I think I'll be looking for another solution. Thanks!

Clifford McGuire

02-05-2022, 9:09 AM

Steve,
I'll assume the front of the saw is the side you push the wood into :). If that is the case then I have the casters on the right side of the saw. To move the saw I grab the dust port and the upper frame, it moves ok and you get used to turning corners with it. I need to move it several feet btw where I park it and where I use it.

The clearance btw the floor and the base is 1", the corner pieces have a bottom, you lay in your plywood and then put a top plate on to sandwich it, so adding more wood raises the table height. The clearance btw the adjustable feet and the floor with the saw raised is very small <.125" the way I have it adjusted. I have a smooth floor so I don't get hung up on anything.

473054

After banging my toes and shins on the rotating casters (they really stick out), I re-orientated the wheels. Now they are on the side. I am able to reach them with my foot to engage them.

I have enough hose to pull the saw out about a foot. That's all I need to handle longer boards.

473210

I don't know if you can tell, but I took Jim's suggestion to add a send layer of plywood and it does stiffen the frame. Thanks Jim!

But I now have three mobile bases (Harvey, Shop Fox, Grizzly) and the Grizzly Bear claw is the best of the bunch.

Steve Wurster

02-05-2022, 10:01 AM

After banging my toes and shins on the rotating casters (they really stick out), I re-orientated the wheels. Now they are on the side. I am able to reach them with my foot to engage them.

I have enough hose to pull the saw out about a foot. That's all I need to handle longer boards.

473210

I don't know if you can tell, but I took Jim's suggestion to add a send layer of plywood and it does stiffen the frame. Thanks Jim!

But I now have three mobile bases (Harvey, Shop Fox, Grizzly) and the Grizzly Bear claw is the best of the bunch.

That layout won't work for me unfortunately, as it's 90 degrees to the movement I will most likely need. Putting the rotating casters in the "back" might work for me though, so that's a thought.

Are the adjustable foot pads threaded into the base? I have some double-locking stem casters that I could use, but only if they will fit into those openings. That would allow me to get complete movement out of the unit, fully lock on wheels every time (which most of my equipment does), and will only raise the entire saw by about 4 inches.

Charles Coolidge

02-05-2022, 10:40 AM

I actually just checked and it looks like it's right around there, yes. I should be fine then. :-)

Have you considered it arriving on a double stack of pallets? Common for bandsaws, typically the factory pallet has a small footprint that a pallet jack won't fit so they hoist the thing up on a 2nd larger pallet for delivery. In my case it wouldn't fit under my garage door with the 2nd pallet. Was also too tall then for my engine hoist. I had to get creative.

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Charles Coolidge

02-05-2022, 10:46 AM

On mobile bases the Grizzly Bear Claw is tough to beat.

I own 3 Grizzly Bear Claw, I'll end up replacing all 3. You step down on the foot operated cam to lift the machine up onto the leveling pads, the problem is they don't hold. I ignored another buyer who had reported this before I purchased mine. Sure enough these foot operated cams can let loose dropping the machine down onto the caster in the middle of operating the machine. A safety hazard. Mobile bases I'll own going forward will have the resting/working state of the machine down onto the leveling pads and need to be lifted up onto casters for moving around.

Steve Wurster

02-05-2022, 11:02 AM

Have you considered it arriving on a double stack of pallets? Common for bandsaws, typically the factory pallet has a small footprint that a pallet jack won't fit so they hoist the thing up on a 2nd larger pallet for delivery. In my case it wouldn't fit under my garage door with the 2nd pallet. Was also too tall then for my engine hoist. I had to get creative.

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I know this bandsaw is only 72" tall, so even if it's a double pallet I should be okay. I guess we'll find out whenever it is it arrives (expected late March / early April).

Jim Braun

02-05-2022, 2:11 PM

Are the adjustable foot pads threaded into the base? I have some double-locking stem casters that I could use, but only if they will fit into those openings. That would allow me to get complete movement out of the unit, fully lock on wheels every time (which most of my equipment does), and will only raise the entire saw by about 4 inches.

Steve,
Yes the legs are threaded through the base, M12x60, according to the manual. You have an interesting idea I'd like to know how and if it works out for you.

Charles Coolidge

02-05-2022, 2:40 PM

I'm about to modify some mobile bases with this, food for thought. The best mobile bases I have experienced are this design with a mono foot operated wheel in front. When released the machine drops down planted on the front leveling pads and rear wheels.

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You can purchase the pedal assemblies from Grizzly, $61.56 each. It's pretty heavy duty, here's one on their 783lb 20" planer.

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Steve Wurster

02-05-2022, 3:04 PM

Steve,
Yes the legs are threaded through the base, M12x60, according to the manual. You have an interesting idea I'd like to know how and if it works out for you.

Cool, thanks. I also emailed Harvey to see what they thought of this idea. Will be interesting to see what they say.

Steve Wurster

02-05-2022, 3:06 PM

I'm about to modify some mobile bases with this, food for thought. The best mobile bases I have experienced are this design with a mono foot operated wheel in front. When released the machine drops down planted on the front leveling pads and rear wheels.

473236

473237

I actually have one of these, as it came as part of a base from Rockler where you have to supply the wooden "beams" that go between each corner. It's a 3-wheel setup, but there's no "feet" on the single wheel side so I wasn't sure how well it would work in this situation.

Jim Braun

02-05-2022, 4:39 PM

I actually have one of these, as it came as part of a base from Rockler where you have to supply the wooden "beams" that go between each corner. It's a 3-wheel setup, but there's no "feet" on the single wheel side so I wasn't sure how well it would work in this situation.

This saw was actually once sold as a Laguna 14 SUV (based on my conversation with a Harvey product manager), it still retains the holes for an axle and 2 threaded holes on the right-end (narrow side) for a bracket to accommodate a johnny bar. Laguna sold a "mobility kit" as an accessory. I am somewhat interest in this option but for now the mobil base is working for me, also I would try reach out to Harvey to see if this is a viable option before purchasing a mobility kit (if one can be found). Then again you could probably make your own.

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Steve Wurster

02-05-2022, 10:23 PM

This saw was actually once sold as a Laguna 14 SUV (based on my conversation with a Harvey product manager), it still retains the holes for an axle and 2 threaded holes on the right-end (narrow side) for a bracket to accommodate a johnny bar. Laguna sold a "mobility kit" as an accessory. I am somewhat interest in this option but for now the mobil base is working for me, also I would try reach out to Harvey to see if this is a viable option before purchasing a mobility kit (if one can be found). Then again you could probably make your own.

Ooh, interesting. That would probably be my preferred route. Is that true for the Alpha band saw, which is a 15", or just the Ambassador, which is a 14"? I'll definitely be emailing Harvey about this one. Thanks.

Jim Braun

02-06-2022, 8:50 AM

Ooh, interesting. That would probably be my preferred route. Is that true for the Alpha band saw, which is a 15", or just the Ambassador, which is a 14"? I'll definitely be emailing Harvey about this one. Thanks.

As far as I know just the 14.

Stanley Powers

03-03-2022, 10:07 PM

The Harvey is essentially the Laguna SUV which is considered by many to be the best 14 inch bandsaw available (although Laguna no longer markets the SUV). It now has double bearing guides instead of ceramic guides. It is very well built, 350 lbs. in weight, and has very good customer support. If you do any amount of resawing you will appreciate the 3 horse motor as well!
For an additional $260 it is not even a consideration. Buy the Harvey! (Would suggest you consider buying the fence from the 15 inch Alpha saw. It is $100 more and is 6 inches high as opposed to the 3 inch high fence that comes with the C14). You will LOVE the brake also!

John Hise

03-03-2022, 10:19 PM