Rigid Bandsaw

[Tony Bilello]

I just purchased a Rigid 14" Bandsaw. It certainly would not have been my fist choice, but funds were limited.
Anyway, I was impressed with the sturdyness of the base as I was puting it together. I am one of those that reads the instructions thoroughly and it took about 3 hours to unpack, assemble and tune up. It only felt like an hour though.
I ran some 2" oaqk through there and was impresed at how easily and nicely it cut. I only have about an hour on it so far. My question is, how well does this saw hold up over time?

Thanks

Tony B

[larry cronkite]

It seems you are having better luck with your Ridgid then I did with mine. I bought the HD reconditioned BS they had advertised. When I opened the box I could see that the tension adjusting rod was bent about 30 degrees. I took a picture of it and when I called they said they would send out a new rod. After I straightened the rod so that it was usable I finished the assembly. The blade tracking was easy to adjust but the upper tire kept coming off, so back to the phone. Another part coming.

The next day I spotted a brand new, never used, Delta 14" on Craigslist. It was already assembled and they even delivered it. The Delta is one sweet machine. Gloat! Gloat! Gloat!

The Ridgid is going back.

[John Gregory]

I have had my BS1400 for 6 years now with a lot of use. I have a riser on it and do some resawing. With a good blade it resaws pretty true. The only complaint is the low power, but by feeding the wood slowly I can work with that. Good value for the price.

[Howard Acheson]

If you have the Ridgid BS1400 it did not fair too well in the recent comparison tests performed by Wood Magazine (September 2008). The article also mentioned that it being replaced later this year.

[Mike Sandman]

I've had the BS14001 version for about 18 months. It's very versatile, as is the case for any decent 14" bandsaw. I use Timberwolf blades and set it up carefully. It gets modest use in my very part time shop and it's fine if you take it slow on resawing. I don't have a riser -- figured the motor was too small for resawing. So 5-1/2" thick stock or so is the max I've put through the saw.

Setting and resetting the blade guides when you change blades is a bit of a pain, but a light fixed under the table makes it easier.

Dust collection thru the 2-1/2 port is poor. One of these days I'm going to cut a 4" hole in the lower door and connect it to my 4" duct collection lines.

Somewhere down the line I may replace it with a higher end bandsaw, but I don't have regrets. If you're happy with the saw, dont catch buyer's remorse from anyone else -- it's a highly communuicable disease.

[Lance Norris]

Tony... I have a Ridgid BS 14002 and use it as my second saw. I also have a steel frame Grizzly. I have found the Ridgid to be a fine saw, but I understand its limitations and I dont push it very hard. For my uses, it has plenty of power, but I dont resaw with it. I use the Grizzly for that. I have a riser on mine, and cut bandsaw boxes alot. It will cut through 7 or 8" of hardwood with ease. I like the Ridgid and to answer your question about how long it will last, I feel it should last a long time. I havent seen anything that is cheaply made, and since it is a clone of all the other Delta design 14" cast iron saws, parts and acccessories will be available forever if there ever is a problem with the Ridgid bandsaw.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
Michael Fortune uses a Ridgid.
He has some good tips on tuning and using one.