HF Band Saw With Riser

So I have been looking for used band saws for bowl blanks in my area for the last few months and have seen a couple used 14" Deltas with the riser block come up for $500-$600. Conversely, Harbor Freight has a 1 hp 14" band saw that would be around $300 with a coupon (plus $100 for the grizzly riser kit) for a new machine. I don't have the space or turn enough to justify one of the larger, beefier machines that are often recommended, but wondered if this HF band saw with riser would be fine for cutting bowl blanks on a limited basis.

Anyone else used the HF band saw? Would a good condition used Delta be worth paying $150 more?
Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated.

Tom

I'm not sure the Grizzly riser block will fit the HF.

i have the exact setup your thinking about, DONT DO IT. you get what you pay for. its under powered, needs replacement guides,bearings,doesnt have a fence, and is typical harbor freight quality.

Wait a second its great wanna buy one ?? I'll make you a deal.:eek:

Be careful about adding height to a bandsaw that is weak and light. I watched 3 friends do that exact thing against recommendations and ended up with useless saws for bowl blanks. A bandsaw needs power and strength to saw thick wood safely if at all.

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Originally Posted by Thomas Wilson80

So I have been looking for used band saws for bowl blanks in my area for the last few months and have seen a couple used 14" Deltas with the riser block come up for $500-$600. Conversely, Harbor Freight has a 1 hp 14" band saw that would be around $300 with a coupon (plus $100 for the grizzly riser kit) for a new machine. I don't have the space or turn enough to justify one of the larger, beefier machines that are often recommended, but wondered if this HF band saw with riser would be fine for cutting bowl blanks on a limited basis.

Anyone else used the HF band saw? Would a good condition used Delta be worth paying $150 more?
Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated.

Tom

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I have no experience with the Harbor Freight bandsaw, but after trying a variety of tools that others have bought my personal policy is to never buy something from Harbor Freight that has moving parts.

I do have a 14" Delta with a riser block. Until I got my 18" saw I used it for processing short green logs into turning blanks, all types of dry wood sawing, and resawing up to 12" boards. With a 1/2" 3 tpi blade it worked surprisingly well. I did have to cut slower than I do now with my larger saw but I never considered it a problem.

JKJ

I have a "Taiwan" bandsaw with a riser. I did upgrade the motor to a 1 HP and cut 10" wet oak blanks routinely. The key is to have the corrrect blade, with the correct tension, with proper alignment, blade speed, etc. A bandsaw requires lots of attention to detail. It's also the most dangerous tool in the shop, because it's so quiet it's not "scary" . You won't realize you've cut your thumb off unitll it hits the floor.

Don't know about the HF band saw, but as my brother says, " HF is a great place to buy that tool you need only once!" The Delta 14" used are easy to find...and the prices you have seen are high...Keep looking.

Thanks everyone for the input. Definitely will avoid the HF and keep looking for a better quality machine.
Tom

Some things at HF are fair quality for the money. A band saw, as pointed out above, requires several parts work well in unison. For a hobbyist cutting stuff out of plywood or 3/4 pine, an HF is probably a fair quality saw. It is an entirely different world, cutting bowl blanks and other thick pieces. I have an old craftsman and sawing through 4 inch dry cherry starts to bog it down. Over the years, I cut thousands of 3/4 pine animals on the saw and never a problem. I have cut 5 inch stuff on the Craftsman, but fed it slow, very, very slow. It has been in my use since 1982 (I bought it used) and badly needs a major going over, and I will get to that in the dead of winter, when things are otherwise slow around the farm.

I would start checking Craigslist. Bandsaws are one of the machines that come up quite frequently, at least in my area.

An older model 14" Delta in good shape with a riser is worth every bit of $400 IMO.

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Originally Posted by Thomas Wilson80

I don't have the space or turn enough to justify one of the larger, beefier machines that are often recommended, but wondered if this HF band saw with riser would be fine for cutting bowl blanks on a limited basis.

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You stated you don't have the room or turn enough for a larger saw. I had a Rigid 14" saw with a grizzly riser block (looks exactly like the HF saw). it was under powered for cutting wet wood well. It took a while and some patience searching for something to replace it with but I found a used 16" Laguna on craigslist that I replaced it with. I too have a very small shop. But the actual floor space footprint or base of the4 Laguna wasn't much more than the actual dimensions or space required by the smaller saw. So my recommendation is to measure the floor space require by the HF or similar size saws then look at the space require by bigger saws. I bet you will find that they are not too much different. For example the Grizzley 17" saw for $895 has Footprint: Overall size: 73" H x 32" W x 32" D http://www.grizzly.com/products/Griz...ition/G0513ANV

while their 14" saw at $595 is Overall size: 26-3/8" W x 66-1/2" H x 30-1/4" D http://www.grizzly.com/products/Griz...-Bandsaw/G0555

Just my opinion but I thougt I would share since I originally had the same mindset of not having space for a larger saw until I really looked at the actual space required.

Ricc


Ricc

Well, you can do a lot with a chainsaw, depending on how good you are, which is another learning experience.... If you plan on selling, use the chainsaw till you can afford a good bandsaw. Both tools need good sharp blades to work well....

robo hippy

I have the exact set up you are talking about. The saw was given to me so I didn't mind spending a little money on it until I found something larger used. Mine is the latest version. To make the riser kit work (I bought the Shop Fox version) you will have to drill holes in the cast iron to make the guide pins work. You will also need to get a 3/4" rod for the extended guide to work. I have no clue if the 3/4 hp is up to the task as I had a 2hp Lesson kicking around that I put on it from the start. Over all it works pretty good but I only have about $150 into mine. I've probably cut over 100 bowl blanks on it in the last 6 months. If I was going to pay $300 for the saw and then another $100 for the riser block I would just spend another $100 or so and get a used Delta. I often see the 14" Delta band saws at auctions and the usually sell for about $300 with the buyers commission. I also don't get a lot of time to turn due to work (which is why I'm looking for equipment that will last a very long time so when I'm retired I'll be all set). If I was using it on a more frequent basis I would also want a nicer quality. A good fence would be a must for me on a band saw. If one didn't have one then that would impact how much I would be willing to pay as to add one on isn't cheap.

Do some Google research, the HF, Grizzly and Ridgid bandsaws are basically clones of each other. The motor is under powered, but workable until you kill it. I have 2 friends that have the HF version, both have upgraded the motor, and one has the riser kit. They are not the $1000 plus bandsaws, but they are good bandsaws.