Shop Fox W1706 14" bandsaw?

[Deck Reagan]

Hi,
Is the shop fox W1706 14" bandsaw a very good machine? Does anyone have one? I can get one for $500 with free shipping.

Who makes shop fox?

Thanks,

deck

[Roger Morris]

Deck,
I purchased the 1706 a couple of months ago and I love it. It is made in Taiwan but it seems to be a solid machine. Set up was a breeze and most everythiong was dead on out of the box, needing only minimal adjustment if any. I have resawed well seasoned 4" red oak. 10+ feet long with out a hiccup. Having said that, I don't have any experience with any others, but I'm very happy with what I got, especially for the $.

[Deck Reagan]

Roger,
Thanks for your comments. Did you pay a similar price? What other brand saw is the shop fox comparable to?

I am looking for a 14" bandsaw for my shop. I'm not completely concerned about price but I am always looking for the "best" deal for my money.

I have been leaning towards the powermatic or the Rikon but this little shop fox is much less. But I do want quality.

Best Regards,

Don

[Roger Morris]

Deck,
I believe it was about $510 delivered, but Bibb Tool threw in a 5/8 in re saw blade too. The 1706 is almost identical to one of the Grizzlys, except the SF has an enclosed base and cast iron wheels, for about 60-100 more. When I was looking, someone on this forum said the cast iron wheels were well worth the extra, and the enclosed base is a plus. I asked a salesman somewhere his opinion about a similiar Rikon, don't remember the model #, and he gave me a pretty long list why he would take the SF. I'm no expert but I've seen some Delta's since then that made me happy I didn't buy them. I've seen several people write that SF and Griz are the same, just a "deluxe"? version. For a lower end($) saw, I don't believe I went wrong at all. It's far better than anything else I've seen in this price range, but I haven'y seen everything! Hope this helps.

[Dave MacArthur]

Shop Fox and Grizzly are two separate companies, both owned by same guy. I'm unsure how much manufacturing / parts crossover there is, but I'd assume a very high amount. The two units have different business models to compete for different segments of the market--Grizzly offers direct sales to customer with prices lowered by cutting out middlemen and costs. ShopFox is sold through local dealers, for those who want the advantage of a local pickup, and a local guy to "make things right" if needed. I would have no problem buying either brand, and I would estimate the units are usually essentially the same, though I've heard ShopFox sometimes has a nicer fit/paint. Also, the Grizzly line has seen a large amount of tweaks/improvements over the last year, while I haven't seen the ShopFox models change.

As for "lower end", the Grizzly 14" recently won "best" for a magazine review on bandsaws (can't remember if it was Pop. Woodworking?).

You can click the link in my signature for some other threads here at SMC on choosing a bandsaw. Also, you might use the SEARCH to find tons of info on this question. Here is a search on SMC for posts by Shiraz Balolia (Griz/SF owner) with the work "bandsaw" in it.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/search.php?searchid=1847370

[Ron Hedrick]

I have had my 1706 for about a year. I really like it. I did add the riser block. As far as Grizz and Shop Fox compatability, I was at the Grizz store in Springfield MO. I asked the salesperson about using the Grizz riser on the Shop Fox (the Grizz riser kit is less expensive), he said, "It will work". I took it home even painted it to have it match the Shop Fox. Guess what it did not fit. But, I called Grizz and they took it back, paint and all.