Thinking of adding a larger Bandsaw

[ChrisA Edwards]

I've had a Laguna 14/12 for about 5 years, like the saw, but it feels under powered when trying to resaw anything over 4". I have the 3/4" Resaw King blade, on my second one after the original snapped a week after being sharpened. So I don't think an alternate blade will offer me a better approach, but I'm open to suggestions.

I'm leaning towards the Grizzly G0531B 21" 5HP 240V/Singe Phase. Delivered, it's around $3300.

It has a motor brake and not a foot brake.

I can spend more, but I'm not sure how much of a better saw I would get, but also open to suggestions.

I scan local Ads and FB, but really see anything used that perks my interest.

Thanks

[Dave Roock]

https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/s...-510-sp1784168 Here is a very excellent upgrade.

[Alex LaZella]

I would get the Grizzly. Good bandsaws for the money. I have a Grizzly 17" that I have never had a spot of trouble with. I have an SCM jointer planer that even though it cost well over twice my Grizzly bandsaw (think it might have been 3 times as much) seems to have been designed by a drunken moron with the attendant problems to boot. Bottom line don't believe all the Grizzly hate. Some of their stuff may very well be junk but a lot of it is not. I think they have the bandsaw thing figured out pretty well. Good luck with whatever saw you end up with

[Joel Gelman]

I will be selling my Laguna 24/24, mint with Carter guides and mobility base in the next 4-6 weeks. I am in So Cal and perhaps local would be your preference for used in particular. I am going 30 inch vintage. If interested, message me.

[Aaron Inami]

Do you do a lot of different things on your Laguna 14/12? Or are you just looking to re-saw?

If you do a bunch of different things that require both power and accuracy, the best "bang for the buck" item I can see is the Harvey Alpha 15" bandsaw. It will feel just a tiny bit larger/heavier than your 14/12, but it has a beefier 3HP motor. The Harvey is a very well engineered saw for the price point ($3k or $2400 on sale). There is a lot of things designed better on this saw than other saws. It's not going to win any "brute force" power contests, but it will definitely be a better engineered and more powerful saw than the 14/12. The Harvey appears to have really good dust collection (although re-sawing logs is going to throw dust all over the table regardless of which bandsaw you use).

If you are wanting to do mostly re-saw or have a lot of 4x6 material to work with, the Grizzly you are looking at is great or Joel's Laguna 24x24. His Laguna is a step up in physical size from the Grizzly, but still has the 5HP motor and it is Italian made. That being said, it may be above your budget if the saw's "new retail price" is $7299. There is also the issue of getting it transported from California to Tennesee both safely and insured with a company that knows what they are doing when palletizing and handling heavy machinery (the 24x24 is 800 lbs and 8 feet tall). If the shipping company screws up and damages this item, your are likely out the purchase price of the bandsaw since your alternative is to sue the shipping company which may require lawsuits filed in multiple/different states.

The Felder FB510 that Dave suggested is a very high end accurate and extremely well engineered and built saw. The downside is that the price will likely be close to $6k once you add tax and shipping, unless you live close to a Felder showroom/warehouse and want to risk doing your own trailer (checking that your insurance company will cover the machinery transport on a trailer). The Felder sits in at 4HP and the physical size is between your 14/12 and the Grizzly. It's, essentially, a 16" bandsaw. One thing that concerned me about the Felder is that the fence is so short. It may be difficult to resaw stuff like weirdly shaped logs (unless you build your own resaw fence).

One thing about the Grizzly is that it is manufactured at a lower cost which means there are a lot of compromises on the design and materials. There are likely going to be things that "feel" better and operate better on your Laguna 14/12 than they would on the Grizzly (such as fence mechanism and movement, door latches, tensioning wheels, guides, etc., etc.). Probably the bandsaws that would feel "best" to operate are the Harvey Alpha, Felder and Laguna LT (italian) bandsaws. If you are not picky about how certain functions work or if certain items feel a little "chincy", then the 5HP Grizzly can "brute force" what you need for the lowest cost.

[Aaron Inami]

If you're still considering Grizzly, another idea is the Jet JWBS-20-5. I would say the Jet is like a higher quality version of the Grizzly G0531B that you are looking at. Almost the same machine, but with higher quality manufacturing and parts. Though, keep in mind that these Grizzly and Jet bandsaws are old school designs based on 20 years ago.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/j...odel-jwbs-20-5

I think Harvey is leading the way in re-inventing how certain parts of the machine are designed and engineered, but they are targeting the mid-level machine market. The Laguna LT series and Felder machines are likely to feel more "solid" than the Harvey, but they are definitely more expensive.

Here's a good video about what this guy noticed on his Laguna 18|BX (which is the same Chinese manufactured series as your 14|12):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eMofAMyaSI

[Tom M King]

I large bandsaw running a 1" blade for resawing is almost like a different type of machine than a smaller bandsaw. The wood parts with very little effort and the speed of cut is what puts it into a different category. A 24" can be ten times faster than a 14" making the same cut.

I bought the 24" for making Cypress shingles. A 27" cut that took 20 seconds with the 14" was as fast as I could push it through on the 24" at maybe 2 seconds.

[Alan Lightstone]

Again, we don't know your budget, but I'm extremely happy with my Felder FB710. A definite nice step up for you. No simple task to move it. It's 8' tall (maybe slightly more). I had professional riggers do it, who did a great job. Felder just delivered it to a freight terminal not too far from me.
https://www.felder-group.com/en-us/p...l-line-p142939

It's an 18" bandsaw, but its price will be a step up from what Dave had mentioned above. Works quite well for me for all tasks, including resawing.

If you can wait until July, you could go to the AWFS show in Vegas and usually be able to pick up a floor model cheap if you get there early to arrange it. Though shipping from Delaware would likely be cheaper for you than Vegas.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I do have a Laguna 24/36 lathe and do a bit of turning. Currently I would never attempt to dimension logs on it.

My neighbor has the Jet 18" and quite often, when I need to resaw, I take my lumber down to his saw.

Recently I had some kiln dried Purpleheart, Maple and Walnut and wanted to resaw some 13/16th's to get two pieces. I tried initially with my 14/12 (with new blade), it was a battle. So I carried my wood down to my friends house, it was much easier. He also has a 1" Resaw King blade on with Jet.

I was looking at various 17"/18" saws, but this Grizzy falls into my budget and is a little larger capacity.

I don't think the Jet has a brake, which I feel is a nice to have.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I had a kid in the candy store experience setting up a Laguna 24. It is dedicated for re-sawing, with a power feed and roller fence. It is a very satisfying power tool.

[Jared Sankovich]

I have the shopfox w1770 foot brake version of the G0531B. It's been a great saw, and can properly tension a 1" woodmaster ct. Before I got my latest planer I was using it to resaw 12" tall drawer stock from 1" to 5/8" since it was considerably faster than planning it down.

[Tom Trees]

Just putting my vote out there for used three phase, in good running condition which could be got for the same money.

Even the cheapo VFD's have internal breaking (i.e not needing resistor which sucks power via kinetic energy)
which in my opinion makes the nicest brake of all, as you can easily program it to stop whenever you want. (within reason on the cheapo's, I think I've got my 24" set to "coast" stop at 7 sec, which takes about 15 seconds, or something like that.

.Wire as many cheap switches as you like, wherever you wish, not complicated whatsoever.
I put one under the table aswell, so could use handsfree with my hip.
Not used a foot brake, but I imagine it might be a PITA having to use your foot.

To clarify though, my machine has a large table, and not like the compact far eastern machines which small tables, which I wouldn't want to go back to after using mine...
and likely wouldn't suggest using my hip either, as it would put one so close to the blade!
Plus the fact not much support for cutting tenons for example.

[Patrick Kane]

How much ceiling height do you have? Some of the bigger saws are quite tall. If you can swing it, i would advocate for a 24"+ saw. They are just in another class above the 18-20" group, which is a head above the 14" group. It all depends on what you ideally want to achieve, but it sounds like you want a more robust resaw/ripping machine. I have a 20" laguna/acm, and it's a really nice jack-of-all-trades saw. I can run a 1/4" blade for tight curves, but it can also tension a 1"+/- carbide blade for resawing. If we really compare saws, i imagine Tom's 24" SCM is several hundred pounds heavier and a much more robust saw. All of this equates to much more efficient and faster cutting.

When i have a new space, i will absolutely target a used 36"+ saw to pair with my 20" acm.

[ChrisA Edwards]

My ceiling is 10', and my garage doors are tall also, so I'm not too restricted there.

I have about 900 sq/ft of workshop which is getting pretty crowded, so this saw will be on a mobile base, but hopefully positioned where I can use it without having to move it.

All my tools are on mobile bases and most of them get moved for use other than my tables saw.

My CNC Spindle and Lathe use VFD's, so take the 240V and make it 3 Phase, but I don't see the advantage of trying to go 3 phase unless you can supply 440V.

[John TenEyck]

If power and resaw height are you primary objectives you should consider the Grizzly G0636X. 17" saw with 5 HP motor, and manual foot brake so there's one less thing to go wrong compared to a motor brake, and easily tensions a 1" blade. My measurements show it can put 25 ksi on a 1-3/8" blade, the largest recommended for the saw. It weighs well over 600 lbs, more than the larger G0531B you are considering, so that should tell you something about stiffness and robustness. It costs more than the G0531B, too, another indication of mass and capability, yet it's much lower cost than any of its nearest competitors. The resaw height is more as well.

I've had a G0636X for about 5 years now and can attest to what a great saw it is for resawing and veneer slicing with a 1" Woodmaster CT on it. It's on a mobile base so I can move it when needed, which is nearly never in my case. The fence is very good and easy to use. All the controls are easy to use, including the tensioning lever. The tension gauge is actually accurate, too. I've replaced the guide bearings for the first time just last month. Nothing more.

John