Bandsaw Onboard!

[Pat Germain]

After much consternation, consultation, pontification and procrastination, I finally have a bandsaw in my shop. I went with the Grizzly G0513X2. It's not the biggest and baddest of bandsaws. It has features I wanted and size I needed. I think it will work just great for a very long time.

It was shipped via FedEx. I opted to pony up an extra $20 for the "Lift Gate Service". The driver wheeled the bandsaw right into my garage. Apparently, without this add-on, the driver will do nothing more than open the door to the trailer and expect me to do the rest. Dang, since my personal forklift was in the shop, what could I do? Dewey wondered if just slipping the driver a ten spot would be all the "Lift Gate Service" I would need. Maybe next time.

Here's a pic of the saw as it came to me. The crate was built from wood not quite up to the quality of the numerous balsa gliders I bought as a kid. Yet, it kept everything in place and undamaged on the slow boat from China.

[Peter Quadarella]

Congrats Pat! I have the same saw and am loving it so far. It's a great machine I'm sure you'll enjoy.

[Pat Germain]

And here's the saw uncrated and put together. Assembly was pretty simple. It was little more than bolting on the table and the fence rails. Of course, the setup was a little more involved.

[Dewey Torres]

Nice...
That thing makes my Powermatic look like toy.
Have you created any saw dust yet?
Dewey

[Pat Germain]

Note the "bear head" cutouts in the wheel. Nice touch, Grizzly. :) On the bottom is a blade brush and a tire brush. Another nice touch.

There are two pulleys on the bottom wheel. This allows for two speeds.

[Brian Kent]

That is wonderful Pat. I got the same just a couple of months ago and love everything about it. What blade(s) did you get?

[Pat Germain]

The tensioning system and release are quite nice. The long release bar makes it easy to apply tension on the blade, then release it when you're done.

[Pat Germain]

The G-0513X2 comes pre-wired for 220V. This is what I'm using which made wiring easy. The power cord is a three-wire. Thus, I went with an L6-20 plug and socket. It turns and locks in. It's labelled as a "generator plug".

[gary Zimmel]

Congrats on your new toy.... Let us know how the first test drive goes.

[Pat Germain]

The saw has two dust ports. I had no idea how to connect them. You can see what I ended up doing. What do you guys think? Is this going to work? Or, am I out to lunch here?

[Pat Germain]

Based on the advice of David Marks and Marc Spagnuolo, I cleaned the blade with mineral spirits, applied a dry lubricant, then rounded the back of the blade with a special stone. As I always do, after cleaning the cast iron, I put on a good coat of wax and buffed it out.

I know there are a lot of products out there for sealing cast iron. Good ole Johnson's paste wax has always worked well for me; certainly in the very dry Colorado air, but even back in swampy Southern Virginia where I bought my table saw.

OK, enough gloating. If anyone is interested, I'd be glad to answer any questions about this saw or post more pictures. (Can there ever be enough pictures?) I also want to say "Thank you!" yet again to the great people hear on SMC for helping me to select this bandsaw. And a special thanks goes out to Dewey who has been my local mentor and sounding board.

[Pat Germain]

Nice...
That thing makes my Powermatic look like toy.
Have you created any saw dust yet?
Dewey

So far, I made a curvey cut in a piece of 3/4" ply, but that's all. I have a serious resaw effort ahead. I think I better make a few more test cuts before tackling that. I also have to set the fence for blade drift.

Hey, shouldn't you be on watch? ;)

[Dewey Torres]

Pat,
You are out to lunch on the dust ports. The "Y" adapter would serve you better turned the other way. The hose leading to the bottom is going to create a vortex the way you have it. It will, however work, just not well.
Dewey

[Pat Germain]

That is wonderful Pat. I got the same just a couple of months ago and love everything about it. What blade(s) did you get?

Hey, Brian. Glad to hear you're digging your saw. I got two Timberwolf blades from Grizzly; 1/4" and 1/2". They're both 10 TPI raker blades. I think I need to get a wider blade with fewer TPI for serious resawing. As I understand it, 10 TPI will create way too much heat for that. I heard from one guy who actually melted the tires cutting bowl blanks with a 10 TPI. :eek:

At Woodcraft I saw what appear to be Timberwolf bandsaw blades. Does anyone know if these are actual Timberwolf blades? Or, does Woodcraft sell some kind of knock-off?

[Pat Germain]

^^ Hey, I now see what you're talking about, Dewey. You'll have to believe me when I tell you I knew this and intended to install the Y the other way. Doh!

[Dewey Torres]

Hey, shouldn't you be on watch? ;)

"We are now at the "alternate location". I am back here all alone on the prairie. Nice n quiet!
Dewey

[Barry Reade]

Wow nice saw Pat. i am thinking about a Grizzly also. The G0514X2. I hope you continue to keep us informed of your progress, especially your Resawing adventures.

Thanks,

[glenn bradley]

The saw has two dust ports. I had no idea how to connect them. You can see what I ended up doing. What do you guys think? Is this going to work? Or, am I out to lunch here?

I ran two short hoses to the wye "arms" with the wye "base" flowing back to the DC so the path doesn't have to do a U turn. I get a smile on my face everytime I turn on that saw.

I keep my wrenches for blade changes right near by along with different blades and a pair of gloves. Oh, and a small flashlight to see the guides during line up after the blade change. Oh, oh, and a list of the tension settings for the different blades on a scrap of paper stuck nearby.

I have a fine and coarse 1/4", a 6TPI 1/2" and a 2-3TPI 3/4" Timberwolf. I've cut quite a bit of varied stock and have been very happy with the saw and blades. I think my old 2-3 TPI 1/2" blade did just as well if not better than the 3/4" blade but I wanted to try one. I'll probably go back to the 1/2" next time I buy a resaw blade.

Johnson's Paste Wax is all I've ever used and have no problems. I did use some Boshield rust and stain remover to touch up a shadow that was in my TS top when I got it. Worked well but the T-9 didn't impress me. Went back to JPW for protection and slip. I'm in SoCal, YMMV.

[Russ Hauser]

[quote=Pat Germain;848803]
I know there are a lot of products out there for sealing cast iron. Good ole Johnson's paste wax has always worked well for me; certainly in the very dry Colorado air, but even back in swampy Southern Virginia where I bought my table saw.

Here in central Florida with its humidy, rust is a real problem. I keep my cast iron tables coated with good paste furniture wax. Also, they are covered, when not in use, with old turkish towels. I got this idea from a forum and it seems to work.

Russ

[Greg Cole]

Hi Pat,
Nice saw. I had the predecessor and now have the X2 version. Had one or the other (G0513 or X2) for 2+ years without a complaint, other than a foot brake would be nice but not a must.
Hard to beat for the price IMO. No fair, I don't have bear heads on by bottom pulley though....:rolleyes:
I've had good luck with Woodslicers from Highland Hardware for a decent resaw blade that isn't terribly expensive. "One of these" days I'll try a bimetal blade or the revered TriMaster.

Cheers.
Greg

[Pat Germain]

No fair, I don't have bear heads on by bottom pulley though....:rolleyes: .
Greg

But wait. There's more. Order your Grizzly G0513X2 today and receive two, yes two, signature cast iron "bear head" wheels on your saw absolutely free!

Grizzly operators are standing by. ;)

Thanks for the feedback and input, everyone. SMC is the greatest virtual clubhouse where I've ever had the pleasure of hanging out. But we really do need more women on the forum. I really don't want to be in a men's club. All you lady woodworkers don't be so shy. Chime in. :)

[Barry Reade]

I hope my G0514X2 has the "Bear Head" wheels. I'll let you know when it arrives. It didn't list it in the features section.

[glenn bradley]

I hope my G0514X2 has the "Bear Head" wheels. I'll let you know when it arrives. It didn't list it in the features section.

You have to order the G0514X2-BH to get them :D:D:D

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations, Pat!

[Barry Reade]

You have to order the G0514X2-BH to get them :D:D:D
I couldn't find that option when I just ordered it.:eek: Hehehe! I wonder if it's a special order and I need to talk to Customer Service.:rolleyes: Anyway now I am excited and can't wait for it to get here.:eek::eek: It should arrive by next Friday.:D

[Barry Reade]

Can You believe after researching, pining away, saving my money for over a yr. the darn thing is on back order. Won't be shipped til around 6/20, that's almost 7 wks. Oh well, that will give me time to get ready for it. I am trying to get in with a tree service to get some logs in the future. Pat, was your saw back ordered?? Did you ave to wait? How did you stand the suspense?

[Pat Germain]

Congratulations, Pat!

Thanks, Jim. I feel like this thread is now official and legitimate because it has a Jim Becker reply.

[Pat Germain]

Can You believe after researching, pining away, saving my money for over a yr. the darn thing is on back order. Won't be shipped til around 6/20, that's almost 7 wks. Oh well, that will give me time to get ready for it. I am trying to get in with a tree service to get some logs in the future. Pat, was your saw back ordered?? Did you ave to wait? How did you stand the suspense?

Major bummer, Barry! My saw was shipped from a wharehouse in Washington the morning after I ordered it. Perhaps the G0514 is really popular these days. I know I strongly considered going with that model. In the end, I wanted to have some extra money for a mobile base, extra blades and such.

BTW, this morning I picked up a JET mobile base for the bandsaw at my local Woodcraft. It's a very nice piece of hardware. I also looked at a ShopFox example. It seemed OK, but I liked the JET. For $40 more, I hope it was worth it. I got a magnetic base light as well. Sheesh, I'm spending money like a Congressman these days.

[Barry Reade]

I just got a call from Grizzly and they are shipping my G0514X2 on Monday. So by the end of next week I should have it and can report. I will start a new thread so I don't hijack this one.

Hey Pat, how about an update and some pictures on your saw? IMWTK??

[George Morris]

Pat I am going to buy soon Between 513x2 or 514x2 . I am looking for ocasional resaw and most for bowl blanks does anyone have any imput? will the 513 do the job? Thanks! george

[Don Bullock]

Pat, congratulations on your new addition. That's a great saw. The liftgate service is definitely worth the $20.

[Doug Shepard]

Congratulations. Looks like a nice machine. BTW, the 10-spot probably wouldn't have worked as most likely it wouldn't even have been on a truck with a liftgate if you hadn't paid for the liftgate service.

[Pat Germain]

I just got a call from Grizzly and they are shipping my G0514X2 on Monday. So by the end of next week I should have it and can report. I will start a new thread so I don't hijack this one.

Hey Pat, how about an update and some pictures on your saw? IMWTK??

Awesome, Barry. I've used my saw very little thus far. I did make a pretty killer resaw cut on it a few days ago. I mentioned it on another thread and posted a pic:

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=85126&highlight=twisting

[Chris Neville]

I just ordered the same saw and wanted to choose liftgate service... but, it was not offered anywhere during the process. Did you buy the bandsaw directly from Grizzly and did you sign up for liftgate service at the time of order - or did you work through Fedex to arrange that service??

Thanks
Chris

[Pat Germain]

Chris, I called Grizzly directly. The Grizzly sales rep specifically asked me if I wanted the liftgate service and I opted for it. She explained without the liftgate service, it was up to me to get the saw off the truck.

[Barry Reade]

Chris, call Grizzly customer service, give them your order# and tell them you would like the lift gate service when the saw is delivered. When I called and told them I didn't want it delivered but wanted to pick it up at the freight terminal in my area they made an annotation to the freight company to call me before delivery so I could get it at the freight terminal. In your case you will just be asking for the additional lift gate service. Anyway customer service was very nice and polite and a positive experience for me.

[Pat Germain]

Pat I am going to buy soon Between 513x2 or 514x2 . I am looking for ocasional resaw and most for bowl blanks does anyone have any imput? will the 513 do the job? Thanks! george

George, I'm no expert, but I'm confident the 513 will have enough power for you. I think the blade selection is important. I called Suffolk Machinery and told them I wanted to resaw a 12" high piece of maple/walnut. She recommended the 1", 1 TPI blade. It did the job with no trouble at all.

The 513 has a 12" resaw capacity and the ability to handle a 1" blade. That's a big step up from a 14" saw with a riser block. And the 14" bandsaws are real workhorses. Consider many serious woodworkers get by fine with a well made, well tuned 14".

If you really think you're going to need the 514, by all means, go for it. I thought long and hard about it. The 513 is plenty of saw for me and the 514 was at the max of my budget. I think I made a good decision.

[Barry Reade]

I agree mostly with what Pat says. I went with the 0514X2 because I didn't want to be pushing the limits of my saw. I have found over the years that when I bought what I thought would be enough I always wished I had gotten on size larger. Different strokes for different folks. Just something for you to consider.

[Chris Neville]

Pat and Barry, Thanks. I e-mailed and I will call in the AM.

What mobile base are you guys using? I am leaning toward the Jet... but the smaller version won't open wide enough to go to 30" & the larger model opens too wide (smallest is 24"x24" & the 513x2 is 20x30". Do you just have 3/4" plywood spanning an opening 24"x30"??

Thanks

[Barry Reade]

I just ordered the Grizzly mobile base. I will know by the end of this week. I think Pat got the Jet base. If it isn't correct I don't know if I will modify it or send it back. Stay tuned for the next chapter in Band saw setup.

[Pat Germain]

I did indeed get the JET base. I must have the large base. I had to cut the front and rear slide bars. Otherwise, it was way too wide. I thought Woodcraft might have sold me the wrong base, but I didn't want to mess with returning it. (Funny, it was a major hassle to cut the slidebars; much more than returning it!) The JET base has spring loaded pins which fit into holes in the slide bars. I have yet to drill new holes in the front and rear slide bars for those pins. So far, it's holding up well.

One problem I am having with the base is that is flexes to conform with the floor. The bandsaw base does not flex. Thus, this can result in my saw being a little "tippy". I think it would help if I bolted the saw the to base.

Drilling new holes and bolting the saw to the base will be a major project. I haven't had the wherewithal to do this just yet.

[Barry Reade]

I can't wait to get my saw and stand. If it needs to be modified that will not be a problem because I have worked with metal for decades. I guess I should take pictures and show what is done.