3 or 5 hp Bandsaw?

[Dave Torro]

looking at grizzlys 21" bandsaws, was going for the (1,895$) 5 hp upgrade that was only 49$ more then the identical 3hp (1,850$) model. but now i have a 160$ discount on the 3 hp model till July 4th. question, am i going to notice the difference between on the 3hp model compared to the 5? called grizzly and they wont upgrade to the 5 hp on the sale price.

[Lance Norris]

Dave... unless you going to use this bandsaw for commercial resawing of hard, dense, exotic, oily hardwood, where speed and boardfeet per minute is a factor, I cant see any reason why you would need 5 hp in a bandsaw.

[Lance Norris]

Oh, and welcome...:o

[Joe Jensen]

Welcome Dave,
I can't imagine needing more than 3HP. If you need more HP in a home shop, then you need to replace the blade or have it sharpened...joe

[Tom Veatch]

I agree with Lance.

Another thing to consider, the care and feeding of the 5HP model will require a 240v/30amp/10ga circuit which may require running new wire unless you already have it. The 3HP model will live quite happily with a 240v/20amp/12 ga circuit. If you have to run new wiring in either case, it's pretty much a wash except the 10ga will cost a little more and is a little more difficult to handle if it's a DIY job. (The wire gauge assumes there's not an excessively long wire run)

If it was me doing it, I'd opt for the 3HP version and use the extra $209 for something that would do me more good than 2HP which would rarely, if ever, be used. But, I get along quite happily with a 16" Jet with 1.5HP.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Get the 5 HP. There will be times when you'll kick yourself for not having got it. 21 inches is a big saw.

[Pat Germain]

I respectfully disagree about kicking yourself for not getting a 5HP. More power is always nice, but sheesh, I recently resawed a 12" high cutting board of maple and walnut on a 2HP Grizzly 21" bandsaw. Power was not a factor: no bogging or straining of the motor whatsoever.

I would think going with a 3HP would be nice, but the 5HP is far from necessary; especially if you have the right blade.

[Dennis Lopeman]

I would go with MORE HP!! <insert Tim the Toolman grunts here> :)

Why not??? Although if you have room, then maybe get a smaller one for little jobs... maybe...

[Brad Knabel]

Dave,
I've got the G0566 which I'm guessing is the same 3HP that you are looking at. I've done some fairly serious resawing and chopped down some large logs into bowl blanks. I don't think I've even challenged the saw doing any of that work much less caused it to bog down.

The 5HP motor wasn't an option when I bought the saw. I don't know what I would have picked at the time I bought the saw if it had been available. But I definitely haven't had a need for more HP.

BTW - I'm very happy with everything about this saw. It's been great.

Good luck.

[Heather Thompson]

Dave,

I have a lowly Delta 14" X5 1 1/2 hp saw with a riser block wired for 120, it can resaw just shy of 12", has never bogged down! When we girls see a guy driving a high performace car, the first thing we think is (well this is a family site), get the 3 hp and enjoy the machine. I have taken classes with Michal Fortune, he would bust out laughing at the question of 3 or 5hp, if memory serves correct his go to machine is 3/4 hp.

Heather

[Dave Torro]

Thanks all for the great info. ;)
looks like 3hp is more then good. the best part i like about this saw is that it's capable of 14" resaw heights.

[Jamie Buxton]

Thanks all for the great info. ;)
looks like 3hp is more then good. the best part i like about this saw is that it's capable of 14" resaw heights.

Another good thing about a 21" saw is that there's no question about whether a carbide blade will survive on it. That, incidentally, is where I'd put the $200 you didn't spend on the added 2 hp.