Ryobi 9" Bandsaw opinions?

[David Sallee]

Hey all, I'm thinking of getting the Ryobi 9" bandsaw from HD for $99 to cut pen blanks and such... Was wondering if any of you have ever used one or have an opinion about it? Good or Bad?

Ryobi 9" Bandsaw (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100593258)

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImage/af449b29-127d-4b49-a424-50b129145cf9_300.jpg

Thanks
Dave

[scott spencer]

Had a Ryobi BS900 for a few years and thought it was ok, though a little light. If that size and price range appealed to me now though, I'd grab a Craftsman Rikon clone in the same price range.

[Michael Faurot]

I bought one of these last year and it works well for what I do with it. I bought it to be used as a secondary band saw. I all ready own a 14" Grizzly band saw and generally keep a 1/2" 3TPI blade on it. For those times I want to cut curves, I find it's a tedious process to have to change blades on my 14" saw. So for $99 the Ryobi 9" is just the ticket and I use it just for working with small stuff and cutting curves.

Here's a list of things I wound up discovering or dealing with on the Ryobi BS903:


The top and bottom wheels didn't seem to be coplaner. Such that the blade seemed to ride on the front side of the bottom tire, instead of in the middle. I was able to easily fix this by loosening the bolt that holds the bottom wheel on, taking the wheel off and shiming it with a washer.
As seems to be the case for most band saws, the blade that comes with the saw didn't track straight. A replacement with one of the Ridgid band saw blades sold at Home Depot solved that.
One nice feature of the saw is that it has tire brushes on both the upper and lower wheels. I had to fabricate my own for my 14" saw. Several months after getting the Ryobi, I broke one of the tire brushes. Replacements were fairly inexpensive via M and D Mower (http://www.m-and-d.com/ryobi_tools.html).
Another nice feature is that it has a quick release lever for the blade tension. One quirk though is that I can't trust the blade placement on the tires between releasing the tension at the end of one session and then needing to set it at the start of a different session. What I wind up needing to do is open the front door, set the tension, and then manually turn the wheels to make sure the blade is seated on the tires properly. If I don't, the blade may not get seated properly and will fall off. Part of this issue comes from the size of the saw lending itself to portability. When I need it, I pull it down off of a shelf and set it up on a bench. When I'm done with it, I put it away. The movement of the saw, with the blade untensioned, can cause it fall off the tires.
The BS903 uses guide bearings instead of blocks. I believe the previous version of the 9" saw used blocks.
The BS903 does not come with a rip fence. I think the previous version of the saw did have one. This hasn't been a big issue for me--I mostly use it for cutting curves. But on the few occasions I have wanted to cut something straight and use a fence, it's been a simple enough matter to use a straight piece of MDF, aligned to the table with a machinist square and then held in place with clamps. And when I have cut things via this method--it tracks straight.
The saw has a dust extraction port. I don't recall the exact size, but the +/- 2" sized hoses on the Ridgid shop vacs fit it and this works well.
The light that comes with the saw is a nice feature and comes in handy. However, the light has to be plugged in seperately from the saw. So to have both the saw and the light on, you need to use two power outlets.

So for small stuff, it's a decent saw. In fact, I've been contemplating getting another one to keep at my parent's home so I have something to work with when I'm there visiting.

[David Sallee]

Thanks Michael for that extensive breakdown of things to look for and watch out for on this bandsaw, very informative! THANKS!

Dave

[Charles P. Wright]

I bought one of these in April and used it to build a couple of Adirondack chairs. For me it was a replacement for a jig saw, and it has performed very well for cutting curves in small and medium pieces. I found using it much easier, safer, and quicker than the jig saw.