Grizzly 17" Bandsaw Feedback

[Adam Tracy]

I have the g0513x2. bought it new around 2010 and it's the last floor standing power tool i'd give up due to my needs. i do a lot of resawing and then general stuff with it.

but you know what? i hate the aluminum fence rails. they're kind of grabby when i try to move my fence around. they hold well enough but say i want to just bump the fence over a tad. the aluminum just doesn't slide as nicely as a steel fence seems to. like on my table saw. i wish i had just gone ahead and done something with a more high quality fence rail system. not sure the 17" grizz models have that, or if you'd have to go with a 19". honestly, if i could do it all over again, i'd get a 19" for the extra capacity, and the tubular steel rails. that said, it's a minor nitpick. it's been an excellent machine for the price point. i am totally happy and content with it and do not lament its arrival into my shop. with a sharp blade, i've not experienced any drift...in fact i have never adjusted the fence for drift.

i do adore my bandsaw, so pleas do not tell it that i had these criticisms.

oh! one other thing that i recall having an issue with, and it wasnt the saw's fault. the blades are i think 130,5". well, i can get woodslicers easy enough in that length. the timberwolf(suffolk machinery) ones are just a tad higher performing in my experience, but one time they sent me one that was not 130.5" and blamed grizzly for the issue. guy said: 'it's on grizzly, you should be able to adjust your saw to handle what we sent you'. i was incredulous and have never since done business with them.

today, i am considering just buying raw bandsaw blade stock, and silver soldering them myself. might save some money, but it's more about turn-around-time and being able to return to your work without having to wait for shipment. i guess for now i just remember to order at least 2 extra of what i need ffrom the distributor.

hope this helps!
adam of oakland, ca.

ps if you're in my area and want to take a gander, i'm happy to let you check mine out.

pps grizzly has really good customer service. haven't had to call them much, but when i do, they're pleasant, understanding, and technically proficient.

[tom lucas]

I have the g0513x2. bought it new around 2010 and it's the last floor standing power tool i'd give up due to my needs. i do a lot of resawing and then general stuff with it.

but you know what? i hate the aluminum fence rails. they're kind of grabby when i try to move my fence around. they hold well enough but say i want to just bump the fence over a tad. the aluminum just doesn't slide as nicely as a steel fence seems to. like on my table saw. i wish i had just gone ahead and done something with a more high quality fence rail system. not sure the 17" grizz models have that, or if you'd have to go with a 19". honestly, if i could do it all over again, i'd get a 19" for the extra capacity, and the tubular steel rails. that said, it's a minor nitpick. it's been an excellent machine for the price point. i am totally happy and content with it and do not lament its arrival into my shop. with a sharp blade, i've not experienced any drift...in fact i have never adjusted the fence for drift.

Try waxing the rail. I wax mine and it operates very smoothly.

[Phillip Gregory]

I have one that I bought about 3 years ago.

Pros
- Small enough to do curved work but large enough to do some resawing.
- Runs well with 1/8" to 3/4" blades and can tension them appropriately.
- About the same footprint and height as a 14" cast iron saw but more powerful and more capable.
- 350 pounds, not obnoxiously heavy
- Fence is reasonably decent and cleverly adjustable for resaw and
- Saw cuts straight and tracks well, I have had no issues with barreling, drift, etc with a sharp blade.

Cons
- Cast-iron wheels take close to a minute to slow down. The injection brake version (G0513X2BF) would be a definite upgrade.
- The maximum blade width that can reasonably be handled is 3/4", 1" wide blades can be tensioned but are very tough to get on the machine.
- Not powerful/fast enough enough to resaw hardwood thicker than about 6-8" in a reasonably timely fashion. I'd recommend their 5 hp 24" saw with about 5000 sfpm blade speed for a resaw machine.
- Dust collection isn't great, the little under-the-table wooden box dust collector another poster mentioned is helpful.

If I had to do it again, I'd have gotten a much larger machine.