Which bandsaw

[Greg Almeida]

Hi Guys,
I'm looking to purchase a new bandsaw.I've never owned one so I'm a bit in the dark about what to look for and blade choices.I've used one before before back in my days as a machinist,before I chose to put out fires.My choices are:

Jet-JWBS-18x3 @ $1,360

Rikon 18" 2 1/2 @ $999.99

Gizzly 19" 3 h.p. go 514x2 @$1,295.00

I'm leaning towards the Grizzly seeing I have the
GO 490 jointer
G 1026 Shaper and I love them both.
And I recently purchased the Powermatic 15S planer.(Semi gloats)
Any helpful comments will be greatly appreciated.

[Roy Wall]

Greg -

Welcome to SMC. Of those three, I'd lean to the Grizzly too.

Blades - Call Suffolk Machinery and get their suggestions. They are VERY GOOD at matching proper blades to what you do in woodworking.

1" - 3 tpi .........for resaw, general ripping of thick stock

1/2" 8 tpi.........good for joinery and cuts up to 1 1/2" thick stock

1/4" 6 tpi.........good general blade for curve work in stock up to 2+ inches thick

[Pete Bradley]

Important features:

table size
handles and knobs easy to use
provision for dust collection
adjusters, particularly for table to blade squareness( without shimming)
Somewhat important features:

resaw height (you won't max it out as much as you think)
Not very important features:

guides (it's not that they aren't important, but all are good enough that the differences are minor)
Horsepower (the ratings are dubious anyway, and anything over 1 true HP is plenty for hobbyist class machines)I always recommend a 3/8"X4TPI thin kerf band (e.g. "Timberwolf") as the one to start with, plus a 1/2"X3TPI for resaws and rough cuts.

Pete

[Greg Heppeard]

Jet and Powermatic are owned by the same parent company, Wilton. I have a Jet 16" and have been happy with it from the start. I've used the Jet 14", 18" and 20". Performance exceeds the Rikon on all levels, IMHO. I haven't used a Griz so I can't comment on that one. I do agree with Timberwolf blade selection...one of the best blades for the money. On those saws, I would recommend a wider blade for resaw...up to 1" and 3 or 4 tpi is fine....for finer work, I've gone to a 3/16" 10tpi with no problems at all.

[Rich Schneider]

I have the Jet 18"...I'm surprised to see how much they have went up since I bought mine about 4 years ago (but I had to put the Carter guides on, which I think they now come with something similar which probably added $$$ too) I use it for resawing primarily and it has plently of power...I like it but I wish it had a foot brake...honestly I have been thinking of selling it and getting an old(er) Delta/Rockwell 20"+ or older Powermatic 20"+ or a bigger Laguna..

[Ray Phillips]

I own a Rikon 10-345 18" with a timberwolfe blade and it performs excellent for me. I have resawed black walnut up to 10" and it cut like butter. I did purchase a Carter blade guide and now I can put a 1/8" blade on it for scrolling. For the money I don't think you can go wrong with the Rikon. I am sure you would be happy with any of the saws mentioned. It appears that everyone is happy with the saws they own so you need to buy the saw you feel is best for you.

[lowell holmes]

I use 1/2" 3tpi skip tooth blade for everything. Michael Fortune suggest this selection, I tried it and I like it.

[jason lambert]

I am in the same boat looking for a 18" band saw I think I landed onthe steal city. You may also want to look at that I was also considering the jet but the steal city was better. Powermatic is a hopped up jet. I do not know about the other two.

[Peter Quadarella]

Greg, have you considered the Grizzly G0513X2? It's a 17" saw but has 12" of resaw height available. And at $950 it's cheaper than the rest.

I have my eye on this one and may buy it in a few months.

[Wayne Cannon]

Another consideration is that there are a myriad of excellent 3rd party accessories for the standard (Delta, Jet, Grizzly, etc.) 14" bandsaws, e.g., lever tension release, etc., that I wish I could get for my larger bandsaw.

I have the Jet 18". I later got the 1 1/2 HP Jet 14" and use it over 95% of the time. With a riser kit, the 14" comes within an inch of the resaw capability of the 18". The larger saws do give you extra throat depth, a larger table, more HP, and the ability to use a 2" or wider blade -- none of which has been a significant benefit to me. I use the 18" for re-sawing only because I already had a 2" variable-pitch carbide blade which is much quieter.

If I had it to do over again, I would have started with the 14" Jet or Delta with the cabinet base, 1 1/2 HP motor, and riser kit and would have forgone the 18" model. Just a thought.

[Greg Almeida]

Thanks Guys for all the great info.
I'm tied into a basement shop so space is at a premium.So i have to settle on just one saw,probably the Grizzly 19".Again thanks for all the help.Just one more question,if I went withthe 17" 2hp. would there be enough power for resawing hardwoods?

[Tim Marks]

So i have to settle on just one saw,probably the Grizzly 19"You might have figured this out already.

If you are going to get a 19", then spend the extra $145 and get the G0514X2. Handwheeled operated rack and pinion table tilt is a revolutionary design, IMHO. About time a BS offered the same convenience as the cheapest tablesaw. And the blade brake alone is worth the extra $$$.

Being in the market for a 17", I would still spend an extra $345 to get these additional features... even if I had to buy a 19" BS to get them...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=80100&stc=1&d=1201362103

[Lance Norris]

Just one more question,if I went withthe 17" 2hp. would there be enough power for resawing hardwoods?

Yes... 2 hp is plenty to resaw with.

[Greg Almeida]

Yes... 2 hp is plenty to resaw with.
Thanks again,
I will probably go with the 19"Go514x2.I'm going to order a few extra blades too,and a power feeder for the shaper.I appreciate all the everyone has given.

[David Weaver]

Not to recommend one of those three (I have the JWBS-18X, but the 1.75 horsepower 110 version).

After using it, I'm wondering why hobbyists want to get in the horsepower race with bandsaws (over 3hp). My saw with it's relatively weak 1.75 horsepower will resaw the full 12" width with a 3 tpi timberwolf blade, and for cutting thick stock that is uncomfortable on a table saw (like 3" or 3.5"), it goes through hardwoods like butter.

I got my saw on a deal for $1059 (from a local dealer who dropped it off in my garage for free - no freight) around Thanksgiving and had some buyers remorse for pulling the trigger on a "sale price" saw rather than paying the extra to do more looking and buy what I wanted regardless of price. Those reservations have gone away completely after using the saw for a while.

As one poster mentioned earlier, the Jet 18" saws do come with a set of large carter-style guides, and they work very well. The only thing missing from the saw for some users is the foot brake, but that's not really an issue to me as I don't really get my fingers near the blade - even on a bandsaw.

If you decide to go with a 2hp saw to save a few bucks, I doubt you'll be disappointed. If you need more than that to work at a moderate pace, something is wrong with the setup or matching the blade to the job, or the blade is dull, etc.

[Steve Sowden]

I have been using a Laguna 16" for a number of years and like it just fine. I upgraded to their ceramic blades guides which work very well if a little finicky to adjust. I went through several BS before landing on this one. Pricey but love the ways it works. Dust collection (2 ports) works well, foot brake is a plus and it resaws like a dream.