Jack Ganssle
04-27-2007, 9:45 AM
I picked up a Grizzly G0555X 14" bandsaw at their wonderful store in Muncy, PA last weekend and thought a few comments might be of interest. There have been a lot of reviews about the G0555 model but none I've found about the "X" version, "X" being for "extreme."
Pictures below. Daughter not included. Sawdust piled on top to appease the "start making dust crowd!" though mostly that's jointer chips.
Why the X version? Resawing is important to me, and there's no way I can get a bigger machine down the stairs into my basement shop. The X has a 1.5 hp motor compared to the 1 hp on the G0555, and it comes with the (an $85 option on the G0555) tall resaw fence. The built-in light is appealing, as are the cast iron wheels (aluminum on the G0555). The cast iron table is larger as well, and the whole machine mounts on a heavier cabinet. Note that I also got the riser block option.
The machine is well-made, sporting plenty of cast iron. Heavy tables, beefy frame. It saws like a dream and so far hasn't slowed on anything I've pushed through the blade. A 3/4 Timberwolf 0.025" blade tracks perfectly and works well. There is a little blade drift but it takes seconds to adjust the fence to compensate. The standard fence is cast iron and massive.
A few minor nits:
- The table lock knobs don't really lock the table very well. Adding a fender washer under each completely cures the problem.
- The light is great. but it illuminates from the back. The hood is short so the bulb sticks out a bit. It's easy to be blinded by it. A longer gooseneck would be nice, too. I'll probably relocate it somewhere.
- The lower left guide adjustment knob is somewhat hard to get to without tilting the table.
- The upper guide assembly isn't deep enough. The casting needs to be 3/16" deeper to position the guides just behind the gullets of a wide (3/4) blade. I'll file that out as there's plenty of material there.
- The manual is completely inadequate. It doesn't cover all of the adjustments, though anyone with some bandsaw experience will quickly figure them out.
- The blade tension knob, like on so many 14" saws, is small. I'm looking into replacing it with a handwheel.
Nitpicking aside, the saw is a great deal that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a really good 14" model.
One amusing moment: When my wife heard the price she said, "oh, I thought it was going to be a couple of thousand." Sputtering I wanted to tell her about the important optional accessories, like the lathe and sander it requires, but there was no way to stuff anything else into the car!
Jack
Pictures below. Daughter not included. Sawdust piled on top to appease the "start making dust crowd!" though mostly that's jointer chips.
Why the X version? Resawing is important to me, and there's no way I can get a bigger machine down the stairs into my basement shop. The X has a 1.5 hp motor compared to the 1 hp on the G0555, and it comes with the (an $85 option on the G0555) tall resaw fence. The built-in light is appealing, as are the cast iron wheels (aluminum on the G0555). The cast iron table is larger as well, and the whole machine mounts on a heavier cabinet. Note that I also got the riser block option.
The machine is well-made, sporting plenty of cast iron. Heavy tables, beefy frame. It saws like a dream and so far hasn't slowed on anything I've pushed through the blade. A 3/4 Timberwolf 0.025" blade tracks perfectly and works well. There is a little blade drift but it takes seconds to adjust the fence to compensate. The standard fence is cast iron and massive.
A few minor nits:
- The table lock knobs don't really lock the table very well. Adding a fender washer under each completely cures the problem.
- The light is great. but it illuminates from the back. The hood is short so the bulb sticks out a bit. It's easy to be blinded by it. A longer gooseneck would be nice, too. I'll probably relocate it somewhere.
- The lower left guide adjustment knob is somewhat hard to get to without tilting the table.
- The upper guide assembly isn't deep enough. The casting needs to be 3/16" deeper to position the guides just behind the gullets of a wide (3/4) blade. I'll file that out as there's plenty of material there.
- The manual is completely inadequate. It doesn't cover all of the adjustments, though anyone with some bandsaw experience will quickly figure them out.
- The blade tension knob, like on so many 14" saws, is small. I'm looking into replacing it with a handwheel.
Nitpicking aside, the saw is a great deal that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a really good 14" model.
One amusing moment: When my wife heard the price she said, "oh, I thought it was going to be a couple of thousand." Sputtering I wanted to tell her about the important optional accessories, like the lathe and sander it requires, but there was no way to stuff anything else into the car!
Jack