Is a Ryobi BS901 bandsaw worth repairing?

[Jim Cheyne]

I've been a member here for several years but I think this is my first post. I have an opportunity to pick up a Ryobi BS901 for practically nothing. It's mounted on a pretty nice stand and I need the stand, which is the only reason I'm even considering going to look at it. I've always gotten by ok with my jigsaw but it might be nice to have a bandsaw to cut out templates and long curves on 1" boards. I realize that these are cheap little saws and very limited in what they can do, which also perfectly describes me and my budget!

The saw doesn't have a blade on it and the seller knows nothing about it other than the motor runs. The tires and drive belt are easy enough to check but Is checking the thrust bearings as simple as making sure they turn smoothly by hand?? Are there other things I need to be aware of? Thanks in advance!

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Welcome! Band saws are super handy and the risk is low. I like to have several with various blades installed on each dedicated saw. A small inexpensive band saw with an 1/8 inch blade sits next to a slightly better band saw with a bigger blade. Perhaps you can take a blade along and give it a try when you go to check it out. I have had good results with Ryobi tools over the years. When budget is a concern and the use will be light, I check Home Depot for what Ryobi has to offer.

Here is a snip from the web. It looks like a decent saw for not too heavy duty work.
Good parts availability as well
Ryobi BS901 - 9" Band Saw - eReplacementParts.com (https://www.ereplacementparts.com/ryobi-bs901-band-saw-parts-c-7931_7949_7951.html)

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[Mark Wedel]

I'm not familiar with that particular band saw, but one thing I would check is if there are any gears in the drive mechanism and what type of shape they are in. I got a craftsman band saw from my father, and it uses a geared nylon drive wheel which is a press fit on the motor shaft, in which the drive gears (using a toothed belt here) were stripped out. Unfortunately, that bandsaw seems to be a one-off only made for Sears back in the day (even the length of the blade itself is a little off) and replacements are not available. Doing a web search, someone had made a file to 3D print a new one - a friend did that for me (with some experimentation to to get it right), and even it was only good for light duty work - putting any real stress caused that 3D one to get stripped out also.

Maybe a different 3D material would be better. It was only a small tabletop one, and another friend had a Jet 14" one that I bought off him and did some restoration work to get it running, so now that craftsman is sitting around with me trying to figure out what I should do with it.

[Stan Calow]

The key words there are "for practically nothing . . . " Yeah even if you only use it a few times it would be worth it. I had a similar Ryobi model from a garage sale and it was ok for most things I was doing. Just dont try and but a wider blade on it, and re-sawing would be limited. I had to tweak a few things like the thrust bearing as the previous owner had it set up wrong.

Ryobi has a reputation for cheap, low-quality tools, but for low-usage operations, they are good enough. It's a different decision for hobbyists versus pros.

[Stan Powers]

I have a 10in Delta that I bought for cheap and tuned up. It has an 1/8in blade and gets used a lot for small tasks. A great book that will help you get it running to the best of its ability
The Bandsaw Book by Lonnie Bird
https://www.amazon.com/Bandsaw-Book-Lonnie-Bird/dp/1561582891

I think that you will find it a good addition to your shop

[Curt Harms]

Just be careful. Judging by the posts here, they seem to not like being the only saw and a second bandsaw, either larger or smaller is prone to appear:).

Happy Holidays.

[Jim Cheyne]

Ha, yeah I can see how that could happen!

[Richard Coers]

It's worth it if you can get parts and the cost of the parts will not take the restoration near new price.