Bandsaws: Jet JWBS-SFX 14" vs Grizzly G0513A40

[Elmer Haley]

I am a novice looking to purchase my first bandsaw for a small woodworking shop. I will mostly work on small & medium projects, and will be occasionally re-sawing rough sawn 4x4's and maybe 6x6's. I am investing money into other woodworking tools, so I am limiting myself to about $1500. At the moment, I am eyeing the Jet JWBS-SFX 14in. for $1439.99 and the Grizzly G0513A40 (40th anniversary addition) 17 in. for $1699.00. I was initially thinking of getting a 14" saw, but for just $200 more I could get the Grizzly 17". Both bandsaws have great reviews. For those of you with experience with bandsaws, is the decision a no-brainer? Or is it a flip of a coin? Which saw do you advise and why?

[Steve Mathews]

I am a novice looking to purchase my first bandsaw for a small woodworking shop. I will mostly work on small & medium projects, and will be occasionally re-sawing rough sawn 4x4's and maybe 6x6's. I am investing money into other woodworking tools, so I am limiting myself to about $1500. At the moment, I am eyeing the Jet JWBS-SFX 14in. for $1439.99 and the Grizzly G0513A40 (40th anniversary addition) 17 in. for $1699.00. I was initially thinking of getting a 14" saw, but for just $200 more I could get the Grizzly 17". Both bandsaws have great reviews. For those of you with experience with bandsaws, is the decision a no-brainer? Or is it a flip of a coin? Which saw do you advise and why?

Neither if considering new. Depending on your location you may find either of these bandsaws or something close used for a fraction the cost. These are targeted for first time buyers IMHO and often upgraded. As for the models mentioned I think both would serve you well. There isn't much to differentiate them.

[James Jayko]

IMO it all comes down to resaw capacity and / or how you plan to use it. Do you have a table saw or do you plan to rip on it as well?

I had a 17" 3hp Grizzly...customer service was great. Had a few issues with the saw, but they did everything they could to make it right. I got the 17" saw so I'd 'buy once, cry once,' but honestly I underestimated how big it was and overestimated my needs.

Downsized my shop and got a Laguna 14/12 or whatever its called and a 1/2" Resaw King blade. Recommend that combo highly FWIW (don't sleep on a good blade...the blades make all the difference).

[Justin Rapp]

Did you also consider Laguna 14|12? It's also a highly rated machine. I have the 14|BX because i wanted the more powerful motor and 220v I am very happy with it, but there is a prices difference over the 14|12, which sits at about 1600 (you just missed their sale too). Another machine to consider is Harvey's ambassador-c14 with it's 3hp motor, and in a flash-sale today for $1579. One important thing to note about the 14|BX and the Harvey ambassador-c14 is they both have emergency foot brakes that stop the blade, which both machines you are looking at don't have. The wind-down on a bandsaw can take a bit of time and that is one safety feature I like having on my bandsaw, knowing the blade is STOPPED!

With that said, every time I look at buying a machine (except for my tablesaw), I always look at Grizzly, and I so far have not bought anything from them. I know they have a range of quality and some more 'discounted' machines and I just end up steering away for some reason. In the end though, most of the time the base of these machines are the same, with a few different knobs on them and a different paint job.

[Tom Trees]

Here's what looks to be that machine, the larger Grizz that is...
though unsure if there were upgrades made to it.
Cant argue with those results.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5b5lgjp-6I

Took me a while to find again, interesting take on things.
Seems Kurt has made use of the cheaper table to his advantage!
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Edit: Only spotted the above machine is actually a different model with a foot brake,
though there looks to be something in-between, but whether it's actually the same machine, I couldn't tell ya.

The cheaper one you mentioned, has aluminium wheels compared to cast iron.
I think it would be worth the jump, should the machine be identical, minus the foot brake?
I suspect that might take a bit of digging really.
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-17-2-hp-bandsaw-w-cast-iron-trunnion/g0513x2
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Personally, if looking for a forever machine, I'd be looking for 3 phase Italian machine for cheap, capable of comfortably tensioning a Woodmaster CT and tame it with a VFD.

Good luck

[Elmer Haley]

Another machine to consider is Harvey's ambassador-c14 with it's 3hp motor, and in a flash-sale today for $1579.



That looks like a great deal on the Harvey. I was about to pull the trigger on it, but then saw the $499 shipping cost. OUCH!!!! I know shipping is expensive, but that seems a bit steep. Is the Harvey c-14 really worth their regular asking price??? Or do they inflate it so that the $1579 looks like a bargain? I mean the regular cost of $2749 for a 14" BS seems a bit out of range when looking at the cost of other 14" bandsaws.

[Tom Trees]

Those Harvey's look junk to me, no hub for adjustment of the lower wheel!
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[John Lanciani]

Those Harvey's look junk to me, no hub for adjustment of the lower wheel!
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Honest question Tom; have you ever asked yourself why you're the only one beating this drum?

[Richard Coers]

If warranties make a difference to you, Jet is 5 years and Grizzly is 1 year. Or at least it has been. I'm definitely not a fan of Grizzly bandsaws with cast iron wheels.

[Tom Trees]

Good honest design John, as not everyone is as lucky as some folks are.
One could ask the same thing, why you may think it may not matter, or indeed why you'd bother clicking,
if you've no interest in bandsaw comparison type threads... surely you'd be aiming for the standards to be upheld, if not bettered?

One could guess with a name like... Lanciani, you may have skin in the game? :):cool:

Seeing as we're talkin lighter weight sheet metal design bandsaws
The Italian design being the starting point, and regarding the basics at it's core, mainly the wheels...
has been unchanged since those early models.

To cut corners there is very different to the recipe in which the Italian's have made,
Guessing you might have the impression that I've got some chip on me shoulder, regarding my posts on the shenanigans
that is "jobs for the boys" ...
but compared to other brands, much less unscrupulous IMO, as they can just re-brand and sell another round of unserviceable machines to the
unsuspecting public, and that's coming from someone who wouldn't be loathing working on a machine, rather than using it.

All the best
Tom

[Steve Mathews]

If warranties make a difference to you, Jet is 5 years and Grizzly is 1 year. Or at least it has been. I'm definitely not a fan of Grizzly bandsaws with cast iron wheels.
Why is that? Have you found anything wrong with the cast iron wheels?

[Justin Rapp]

That looks like a great deal on the Harvey. I was about to pull the trigger on it, but then saw the $499 shipping cost. OUCH!!!! I know shipping is expensive, but that seems a bit steep. Is the Harvey c-14 really worth their regular asking price??? Or do they inflate it so that the $1579 looks like a bargain? I mean the regular cost of $2749 for a 14" BS seems a bit out of range when looking at the cost of other 14" bandsaws.

My guess is it's over-inflated and maybe worth about the same as the 14|BX @ $2000, but ya, I didn't see that shipping cost. However at 1579 plus 499, you are sitting about the same as a 14|BX for 2000 plus there shipping cost, which I suspect is maybe 200?

[Justin Rapp]

Good honest design John, as not everyone is as lucky as some folks are.
One could ask the same thing, why you may think it may not matter, or indeed why you'd bother clicking,
if you've no interest in bandsaw comparison type threads... surely you'd be aiming for the standards to be upheld, if not bettered?

One could guess with a name like... Lanciani, you may have skin in the game? :):cool:

Seeing as we're talkin lighter weight sheet metal design bandsaws
The Italian design being the starting point, and regarding the basics at it's core, mainly the wheels...
has been unchanged since those early models.

To cut corners there is very different to the recipe in which the Italian's have made,
Guessing you might have the impression that I've got some chip on me shoulder, regarding my posts on the shenanigans
that is "jobs for the boys" ...
but compared to other brands, much less unscrupulous IMO, as they can just re-brand and sell another round of unserviceable machines to the
unsuspecting public, and that's coming from someone who wouldn't be loathing working on a machine, rather than using it.

All the best
Tom


Tom - if everyone had the funds to buy the starting price point Italian made band saw, with starting prices in the $5000 plus price range, there would be no such thing as an asian made machine in the $1500-3000 range.

[Alex Zeller]

If you're not careful you're not going to be even close to your budget. There's always going to be a model priced a little higher. Lots of woodworkers get by with a Delta clone 14" cast iron bandsaw which is well below a steel frame saw. I'm not sure where you live but you might be able to find a local dealer that carries the Jet to avoid shipping costs (or at least reduced costs). Grizzly is going to be shipped to you unless you live near either one of their showrooms. Personally I would go with the Grizzly. I like the larger wheels. They give you more throat depth. Also it means the blades flex less going around the wheels. Plus I believe it has two speeds. I think either one will work as long as you plan on getting good blades (the one that comes with either saw is junk) and you don't think you're going to resaw 12" boards at hundreds of feet per minute.

[Tom Trees]

Sorry Justin, I should have wrote "blueprint" rather than "starting point", and should have mentioned that blueprint is the starting point in regards
to studying any machine in detail, as you've gotta be familiar with the original blueprint, to see where the corners are cut on anything else.
I'm not suggesting just Grizzly as a cheap alternative, take Rikon for example?
Plenty of brands to choose from, which have decent cast iron wheels and no oddities like bolted on aluminium hubs for the drive wheel,
and feature the usual design on the back of the machine, for adjustment of the shaft that you see on pretty much all bandsaws since the later 1980's.
Basically, I'd not be too snobby to work on something which had the fundamentals there to bother with.

If the OP can hold onto the cash, a 24" machine will likely pop up for the same money, needing a bit of work.
It'd be three phase, so one would need learn about VFD's...but that's a no-brainer for the frugal minded who don't have a choice,
and at the end of the day, nicer to get something which is more user friendly and well built like the Italian designs.
Not much with those that you can't make right again.

If looking for something only slightly smaller, and Italian, for around the same money as the 24" machines, then you'll likely be waiting forever.
Makes a bit more sense then, to be open to other brands...
just make sure the wheel bores aren't wallowed out, and I suppose that the wheels aren't unbalanced,
as with any machine... that and the motor still sound being the most important in general.
Weight of the machine here, will likely be your best bet on how hefty a blade you can run successfully,
say for a 20" machine, ideally not sub 200kg seems about right to me, I posted a pic yesterday of the cheap new lemon what got returned, weighing that much,
and it wasn't happy about the dealer and the machine company rep installing a 1" blade on it, in a last ditch attempt to get it to run right, (didn't work for them)

Just sayin, as I hear they make 3/4" carbide blades nowadays, so worth consideration for the future.
Take a look at John Teneyck's results from the Woodmaster CT, and perhaps some posts from Tai Fu for possible cheaper alternatives in time!
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All the best,
Tom

[Justin Rapp]

Sorry Justin, I should have wrote "blueprint" rather than "starting point", and should have mentioned that blueprint is the starting point in regards
to studying any machine in detail, as you've gotta be familiar with the original blueprint, to see where the corners are cut on anything else.
I'm not suggesting just Grizzly as a cheap alternative, take Rikon for example?
Plenty of brands to choose from, which have decent cast iron wheels and no oddities like bolted on aluminium hubs for the drive wheel,
and feature the usual design on the back of the machine, for adjustment of the shaft that you see on pretty much all bandsaws since the later 1980's.
Basically, I'd not be too snobby to work on something which had the fundamentals there to bother with.

If the OP can hold onto the cash, a 24" machine will likely pop up for the same money, needing a bit of work.
It'd be three phase, so one would need learn about VFD's...but that's a no-brainer for the frugal minded who don't have a choice,
and at the end of the day, nicer to get something which is more user friendly and well built like the Italian designs.
Not much with those that you can't make right again.

If looking for something only slightly smaller, and Italian, for around the same money as the 24" machines, then you'll likely be waiting forever.
Makes a bit more sense then, to be open to other brands...
just make sure the wheel bores aren't wallowed out, and I suppose that the wheels aren't unbalanced,
as with any machine... that and the motor still sound being the most important in general.
Weight of the machine here, will likely be your best bet on how hefty a blade you can run successfully,
say for a 20" machine, ideally not sub 200kg seems about right to me, I posted a pic yesterday of the cheap new lemon what got returned, weighing that much,
and it wasn't happy about the dealer and the machine company rep installing a 1" blade on it, in a last ditch attempt to get it to run right, (didn't work for them)

Just sayin, as I hear they make 3/4" carbide blades nowadays, so worth consideration for the future.
Take a look at John Teneyck's results from the Woodmaster CT, and perhaps some posts from Tai Fu for possible cheaper alternatives in time!
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All the best,
Tom

That all makes sense, but also there is a strong reason many folks, especially those of us that are hobby wood workers, or in the OP case, a novice that work on a budget but want a new machine. I sure don't have enough time in my shop as it is. I don't want to spend that time fixing up an old machine, and some folks besides time, might not have the ability or desire. Another aspect is space and need. For the work I tend to do, I would never need a 24" bandsaw. My 14 does everything i've needed so far, and maybe I could have gone for an 18. Anything bigger wouldn't even fit in the space I have. I would have loved to buy a Laguna LT18 (italian) for maybe a Felder, which would fit in the space I have, but the cost was out of my budget.

[Tom Trees]

That's all reasonable Justin, should one be well aware that every machine on the market is a gamble,
as motor adjustability isn't there for guaranteed success concerning wheel alignment on any...
so instead, the Italian's and the makers of the closest copies to those, have had to make those wheels as sturdy as could be
to get a reasonable lifespan from them.
(a sort of "paid for itself" attitude)
That said, they all still build in adjustability of the lower wheel, so it's worth taking note that Harvey is not sticking to the recipe.

The question of what's a reasonable lifespan from a possible unscrupulous manufacturer could be the day after warranty,
not to mention the slippery antics of the retailers, it took me some time to even get a response from my local dealer,
and even longer to eventually get a result, which was a refund in the end, just about in time as it happened.

Certainly wasn't something I'd want to do again, so I suggest the used market is worth having just as much consideration as new,
if one doesn't have time for anything else.
Though, if set on getting something new, then I suggest to come prepared, have checked reasonably wide blades are in the store at hand, and everything you need to assemble and test run the machine before it leaves the dealership.
I should'a done that, but got hustled off as it was busy.

That's my 2 cents on the matter
Good luck

Tom




,

[Elmer Haley]

Thanks to all of you for your feed back. It was valuable information that caused me to re-think my thoughts. I pulled the trigger on Grizzly G0513X2. I liked the 17", and the cast iron wheels & table. Overall, it had a lot of positive reviews, and it is on sale. I am excited to have ordered one, and look forward to trying it out. And I look forward to participating in many other threads on this site. Thank you again.

[Justin Rapp]

Thanks to all of you for your feed back. It was valuable information that caused me to re-think my thoughts. I pulled the trigger on Grizzly G0513X2. I liked the 17", and the cast iron wheels & table. Overall, it had a lot of positive reviews, and it is on sale. I am excited to have ordered one, and look forward to trying it out. And I look forward to participating in many other threads on this site. Thank you again.

Elmer -- enjoy the saw and hope it brings you years of good use on your projects!

[Alex Zeller]

I think you'll like that saw. I have it's slightly bigger brother, the 19" version, and it's done everything I've asked of it. I think it'll be the last bandsaw you'll ever buy.

[Tom Trees]

Good luck with the saw Elmer, not looked but I guess it's the best deal out there for the money.

All the best,
Tom

[Edward Weber]

Thanks to all of you for your feed back. It was valuable information that caused me to re-think my thoughts. I pulled the trigger on Grizzly G0513X2. I liked the 17", and the cast iron wheels & table. Overall, it had a lot of positive reviews, and it is on sale. I am excited to have ordered one, and look forward to trying it out. And I look forward to participating in many other threads on this site. Thank you again.


I've had that saw for quite a few years, it's worked without issue.
I hope you enjoy yours

[Richard Coers]

Why is that? Have you found anything wrong with the cast iron wheels?
Yes I have, based on a new Grizzly bandsaw that was shipped to me. That's all I can say without getting into trouble here.

[Tom Trees]

Though in all fairness, no bandsaw made today is really guaranteed.
Pot luck design on all of them.

Tom