DIY Bandsaw Brake

[Dan Stuewe]

The one thing (I think) keeping me from pulling the trigger on the Grizzly 18" bandsaw (G0514x) is the lack of a brake. For basically the same price the Steel City Toolworks 18" bandsaw has a foot brake (purely mechanical, you still have to turn the power off at the switch first). So, what great ideas can the Creek come up with for an after market brake for a bandsaw?

I believe Stu mentioned once that putting a brush on the lower wheel for dust/gunk control helped slow saw his down quite a bit when turned off. If a brush is going to take out a significant amount of energy is it going to cause long term problems on the tires?

BTW, the reasons I haven't pulled the trigger on the SC saw are the smaller motor (2 vs 3 HP), smaller table (20x20 vs 19x26), trunions (Aluminum vs cast iron with rack and pinon tilt) and relative newness of company.

Thanks,

[tim mathis]

hi , i saw a post on woodnet.net in the power tools section by matt v on 9-11-06
titled griz 0514x foot brake
he put one on his 514x and he has pictures posted of it.

i have a steel city 18 inch and love it . it is heavy 450#,quite and no vibration.i sawed 10 inch cherry and 9 inch walnut with no problems(no drift)( 1 inch tw blade).i did the flutter test as tw said to and it was on the scale on the saw, where the 1 inch blade was marked on the saw scale.so i feel the tentioner scale is dead on.
once the saw is shut off the brake stops the wheels fast. thin strips or big chunks i like this saw.
i also considered the 514x , from what i read it is a good saw.i have not seen the 514x in person but i drove an hour and a half to see the steel city 18 inch and i was sold.i also purchased the steel city drill press(3 months ago and heavy use), it is excellent also.
i don't think you could go wrong with the griz 0514 x (i almost ordered one).
tim in centerville,ohio

[Derrell W Sloan]

Hi Dan,

I just got the G0514x and I am in the process of adding a brake to it. I don't have any pictures but it has been pretty easy to do. Another important thing to keep in mind is that the G0514x saw has a magnetic starter so you can also easily add a switch to turn the saw off that the foot brake can activate. If you look at the post over at woodnet.net there are several good pictures that will give you a good idea of how to add the break. I haven't fired the saw up yet, but so far I am very impressed with the fit and finish. I looked alot before buying this saw and couldn't find anyone (who owned the saw) saying anything but great things about it.