My next purchase will be band saw. I am a hobby woodworker and the old three wheel piece of junk I picked up at a yard sale just does not cut it anymore. What considerations should I be taking into account.? Any suggestions on size of machine? One of the issues I have is a small shop where all my tools have to be fairly mobile so the big fixed iron it out of the question. I would like to keep the budget to around $500.00 or less. I know next to nothing about band saws so be gentle and try to avoid technical speak.
Dan Carroll
Replies
With a budget of $500 +/- anything you buy can be mobile by building a base. You could look for a good used bandsaw (craigslist.com is a good place to start). If you want to stick with new, you're in the 14" bandsaw field. Most of the big makers have an entry level saw in your price range. My personal opinion is that Delta and Jet charge a little more for what you get than companies such as Grizzly and Shop Fox.
What's your situation in terms of close-by woodworking stores where you can put your hands on a machine? Or are you limited to ordering on-line??? What are your main tasks likely to be (e.g., mostly cutting curves? resawing? to what extent?)
A few ideas.
For a really high quality machine that will last for a lifetime, look at this new saw from steel city:
http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_tools.cfm?section=2&category=2&tool=50100
it's a litte above you price at $700, but woud be worth it in every way.
2nd I would look at the craftman 14" professional bandsaw. It can be had for less than $500 and appears to be a solid machine. I looked one up and down in my local sears before I bought my BS, and I think it's a good design. It appears similar to the rikon.
3rd, consider the RIGID from home depot. For the price, most of the high end rigid tools make good low end 'real' woodworking tools. They make a nice table saw, drill press, and oscilating spindle sander as well. I've even heard pretty good things about their jointer.
for the big box store saws, I advise you wait for a sale. Home depot has sales quite often. For sears products, ask about joining the 'craftman club' for additional discounts. They have a club mailer that comes every month or so and I've seen that 14" bandsaw on sale significantly in there. Be patient and you will recieve a good deal. Sign up for a sears card and you might save and additional 10% as well.
Grizzly industrial may also have a good saw for a good price.
The main things to consider are power, resaw height, the ease of changing blades, and the design of the guides. These are the main factors in BS performance. Balanced cast iron wheels are a big plus as well. If you plan to re-saw, the strength of the frame becomes more important.
my final word, however... long after you forget the extra $200 spent you will thank yourself if you buy the Steel City. The design and construction is of a higher standard. Your kids will probably thank you too, since one of them will probably inherit that saw someday.
vincent
I currently own the Grizzly 'Industrial' model 14" bandsaw with the solid frame and 1-1/2 HP motor wired for 220 volt (this saw is now the G0457 and comes with a 2 HP motor and sells for $825 new). My Griz saw has performed flawlessly. I can resaw up to 8" wide, without any power issues, and my cut is within .010 over 36 inches at 8" wide cut. THAT is what I'm talking about. Of course you'll NEVER do this with the blade that comes with the saw, on any brand of saw. I use the Timberwolf low tension blades sold by Suffolk Machine. Blade drift is a myth in my shop, I never have issues with that problem, nor do I EVER adjust my fence for it and I run a variety of saw blades based on what I'm cutting. Here's what I believe is critical in a bandsaw, in order of importance.
Dust collection. You MUST have effective dust collection to keep chips and sawdust from getting between the bandsaw blade and the wheels. This is why drift is NOT a problem with my saw.
Strong frame. I don't like the split frames, and I ESPECIALLY don't like frames with risers. If you need height capacity, BUY A BIGGER SAW.
Cast Iron wheels. Don't get aluminum wheels. You can do that on $500 budget if you're careful about what you buy.
Good guide bearings, I don't like the european disc style bearings, but perhaps that's due to my ignorance, I've never used them. I like good guide bearings and adjust them properly. I don't use the lower guide bearings on my saw. European saws don't come with them and I've never noticed any issues from not using the lower guide bearings on my saw. The proof is in the cut, which I've already described.
Above items are must have IMO. In addition...
Polyurethane tires. They last a lifetime, but you can always add these later.
A quick release tension device is very nice feature to have as well. Detensioning your blade when you're not using the saw will dramatically help your tires keep their shape, and a quick detensioning device is very convenient way to do this. Not critical, but very nice to have.
Lastly, I completely agree with Forestgirl. For $500.00, your best option is to watch Craigslist, I see great deals on good bandsaws regularly and you're $500 will get you a great saw that has the must haves and nice to haves if you take your time and watch the listings. Watch the listings daily, and be ready to move on one when you find it. Good deals are in there all the time, but they go quick. As example, I just bought a Grizzly G1066 24" drum sander in fine condition for $400 dollars from Craigslist. They sell new for $1300.00. A week later I saw another one that was 2 years old and never used for sale for $600. It was gone the same day the listing came out. In fact it was gone in two hours. Do you get my point? Good luck and good sawing.
Remember, the best saw made, won't perform without proper adjustment, a good blade and effective chip collection....
Good luck...Jeff
Jeff,
Glad to see that you like your grizz saw. I am looking at the same saw (G0457). Does any one else out there have this saw? I would like to hear other users opinions. I have never been a big fan of grizz, but this might be the exception.
SAM
Please let us know how the saw performs. I'm very interested in it. Their saw designs in the 14" size have come a long ways since I bought the 1019Z.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I purchased the G0513X 17" EXTREME saw. It's a fantastic saw. Cast iron wheels, high end double bearing guides, great chip collection, rack and pinion table angle adjustment. 12" of resaw height, large cast iron table, redesigned fence, powder coated finish, detensioning lever. I got it setup and running last night. Had preordered new Timberwolf blades for it and they came in the mail before I picked up the saw.
This saw is BIG. Bigger than I anticipated. Grizzly recommends bolting it to the floor and I think I'm going to follow that recommendation, although for now it's not bolted down. It comes rewired for 220 volt, and I've changed all my machines to 220 volt anyway, so that works for me. I got the saw all set up last night with the new Timberwolf 3/4 2-3 sawblade and took a 10" resaw cut, it cut like a dream. I found it interesting that the Grizzly manual now tells the saw operator to use the flutter method for setting the blade tension. Maybe the old manual did too, and I just don't remember. The only complaint I can come up with is that the handles are plastic. Not an issue really. If that's what Grizzly has to do to keep the price down without sacrificing quality, then I'm in on that detail. I'd put this saw up against any other saw in it's size class, at any price.
As for the G0457, I had the previous version of that 14" saw that Grizzly discontinued when they introduced the G0457. The ONLY difference I can see between what I had and the G0457 is an extra 2" of resaw height (mine had 8", new saw has 10"), and my saw had 1-1/2 HP motor, the new saw has 2 HP. I never EVER had issues with power on my old saw at max resaw height, so 2 HP in the new saw is plenty of power. I had rewired my saw for 220 volt. I sold that saw to a buddy who is very critical of what tools he buys. He loves his new saw (my old saw). You will love the G0457 if you buy that saw, I'm sure. As always though, it's important to run a good quality blade....
Jeff
"I found it interesting that the Grizzly manual now tells the saw operator to use the flutter method for setting the blade tension." Grizzly now carries TimberWolf blades, and there was a rumor awhile back that at least some of their saws would have the TW as a stock blade. Could you tell if that was the case with your new one?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
That made me laugh at myself. I didn't even look at the stock blade. Just took it off and coiled it up. I'm so conditioned to the stock blade being junk it didn't occur to me that it might be a decent (TW) blade. If I had to guess I'd guess NOT, why would they change just because they now carry TW blades. Aren't their other blades OK blades too? My guess is the blades they carry besides the TW blades are better quality than what comes stock on their saws. Someone told me once that saw manufacturers install a very cheap blade only to act as a band to hold the wheels stable in shipping. Don't know if that's true or not, but makes sense to me as a manufacturing professional. Good blades in general and Timberwolf blades in particular JUST DON'T COST THAT MUCH, so why risk it? I know for a FACT the blade on my saw is a high quality blade now!!!.....;-)
Tonight I cut up a 10" wide X 14" long 4/4 piece of figured maple into 5 - 1/8" thick veneers. They varied in thickness +/- .015" over their entire surface, using my Mititoyo machinist calipers (not a cheap set) to measure thickness. Each slice took less than 45 seconds using the TW 3/4" wide 2-3 VPC blade (the newly designed one). I have about 10 minutes into setup time on the new saw. Sweeeet.
Like I said in my earlier post, the two Grizzly saws I've owned, the 14" and now this 17". You can buy more expensive saws in these size classes, but they won't perform better. To say it a different way, I've no doubt many will perform as well, but none will perform better. But the caveat is that I have bought the best saw in each size class that I've owned that Grizzly sells. I can't speak for their less expensive saws in those sizes. But Grizzly's most expensive bandsaws in a given size class is usually less expensive than the other major brands, and for some brands, much less expensive than the competition (e.g. Min-Max). Not sure about the new Steel City brand, can that be considered a 'major brand' yet?
BTW, as my disclaimer, I don't mean to demean any other brand ('cept maybe the new Delta's). To a large extent, many of these machines come from the same factory with different paint jobs. To me, the proof is in the performance. If it's working for ya, go with it. Green isn't the only color machine in my shop, I own other machines besides Grizzly too. Just depends on the deal and the tool....Jeff
Edited 6/29/2007 2:48 am by jeff100
Jeff, I was skeptical about the thought that Grizzly would stock-equip with TW also, but thought I'd ask you since you just got a new saw. I know for a fact that their stock blades, as with most saws, are junk. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I reread my looong earlier post about this, and realized I was a bit obscure about what I said. What I meant was that Grizzly had already carried a presumably decent band saw blade and didn't equip their band saws with those blades, just because they now carry TW blades why would they start equipping their saws with them? I did go back and look at the blade. Someone commented to me some time ago that the stock blade are stamped out and only have tooth 'set' on one side of the blade, contributing to poor performance. I believe that was the case with the saw blade that came with the first band saw I bought from Grizzly. I can tell you that the blade that came with this saw does have tooth 'set' on both sides, although it's minimal. The weld is ok too. It is a 3/8 wide blade and high tooth count, not a blade I would normally use, and doubt I will even bother trying it. Hope that is more definitive of an explanation that my previous attempt....Best regards...Jeff
Jeff, I just remembered something -- have you heard about their "Variable Positive Claw" blade? A couple/three people have reported here and at WWA (IIRC) after they've tried and have really liked it. Might be worth a shot. Here's their pitch on it (so-to-speak):
Cheers.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I was the first, or one of the first to report on that new Timberwolf blade on this forum. It has quickly become my favorite blade. If you have not tried it, SPEND THE MONEY and get one, you won't regret it if you do much resawing. When I bought this new saw, I called Suffolk to order new blades and I asked the representative, now that I had the capacity to run a one inch wide blade, should I should stick with the 3/4" X 2/3 VPC or switch to a wider blade. I had it in my mind that I really wanted to go with the wider blade and told them so. They don't make the 2/3 VPC in any width besides 3/4". The recommendation from Suffolk was to stay with the 3/4" X 2/3 VPC. I did. It was the first blade I tried on the new saw. Both on my previous 14" saw, and my new saw, it's impressive not only how smooth a cut it gives resawing wide boards, but how fast you can feed the material. +/- 1 inch/second is typical in 10" wide maple, leaving a smooth finish and very tight tolerances for flat and straight. I'm not normally in a big hurry, pushing my machines faster than they should be, but the 2/3 VPC blade can almost be pushed as fast as you want to go! So yes, I am a big fan of that blade. It is possible that the 2/3 VPC blade would be especially effective for lower powered band saws e.g. those folks with 14" band saws with the riser block added that adds more than normal height capacity for a 14" band saw. <= HINT I also have a Timberwolf 3/4" X 3 AS-S blade on order (it was back ordered). It is a thin kerf blade that also uses the Positive Claw tooth (but not variable tooth count) designed for cutting veneers. I will be comparing the 3/4" X 2/3 VPC to the 3/4" X 3 AS-S when it arrives. The AS-S is made specifically for cutting veneers, but the VPC is also a thin kerf blade, I'm scratching my head a bit wondering just how much better can it BE? I'll see what happens.... Thanks for the tip....Jeff
Hi, Jeff, I've never used anything but a TimberWolf blade. Maybe I picked it up from you? Were you around in the late 1990's, I can't remember? Glad you've had the same great results with the VC blade as others. Next time I place an order, I'll give it a try. I've got the old 1019Z 14" model.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
I have the G0555 and stopped into Grizzly the other day (luckily I live in bellingham - so no freight costs for me!) to pick up one of the new resaw fences. I looked at both the G0457 and the G0513X and have to say these are some nice machines -- I'm jealous of those of you that have them, but at least my selection process will be easier when I'm ready to buy!
Carl
Hi Jeff,
I started a post on buying a bandsaw recently and then saw yours - didn't do a great job searching beforehand, I guess.
I am very interested in the G0457 and someone else mentioned that I should look at the 5013. I checked the specs and was surprised to see that the table only tilts 5 degrees. Is this true - do you see it as a drawback for cutting dovetails?
Thanks,
Chris
No, I don't believe that is true. From the Grizzly website:Table tilt: 8 deg. left, 45 deg. Righthttp://www.grizzly.com/products/14-2-HP-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0457This is a fine bandsaw, mine performed flawlessly with Timberwolf blades. I would recommend it.Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for your reply.
I thought you bought the 5013.
From the site: http://grizzly.com/products/17-Bandsaw-2HP-w-Cast-Iron-Trunnion/G0513X2
Table size: 24" x 17" x 1-1/2" thick
Table tilt: 5° left, 45° right
I see that the g0457 has:
Table tilt: 8 deg. left, 45 deg. Right
I think I may be missing something here.
Thanks,
Chris
Jeff,
I see my mistake. I was looking at the G0513x2 model, not the G0513.
Chris
I did NOT buy the G0513, I bought what is now the G0513X2. The feature that comes with the X2 that I do NOT have is the cast iron trunnions, which I plan to retrofit to my saw. I would not own a band saw with cast aluminum wheels, my preference in a band saw is to have cast iron wheels.But hey, that's just me....hope this helps.Best regards,Jeff
The Wilton Tradesman saws are nice.
http://www.southern-tool.com/store/tradesman_bandsaw.html
I think I agree with most of the advice that Jef100 gave you. I will only add that I have a Ridgid 14" bandsaw that I am very pleased with. It set up fine out of the box. After a while, I set it up like Michael Fortune advised in FWW. I buy blades from BC Tool and Saw, which are cheap and good, being made by Starret. I don't have any fancy aftermarket fixtures on my saw. I did make a simple attachment for the stock fence, which although it locked firmly and consistently wasn't perpendicular to the table. When tempted by gadgets, I find it useful to go through FWW articles and look closely at the pictures; remarkably few of the craftspeople have fancy add-ons for their saws. A bandsaw is an excellent choice: it will do almost anything you can think of, but it won't do anything while you're looking in catalogues. People say you should wait a year before renovating your new house, and the same advice might well hold for power tools and add-ons.
Not all Ridgid bandsaw owners have been as pleased as Julian with their saws. May be just spotty quality control, but as with any saw you buy, run it through its paces soon after you buy it so if there are any problems, you can seek remedy right away.
Amen!!! I have lots of Ridgid stuff in my shop, some good and some bad and well the bandsaw will be my first upgrade***Junk*** (at least mine is). A few observations: dust collection could be better, the bottom wheel is out of plane with the top by 1/32-1/16 while doesn't sound like much it won't hold an 1/8" blade, it can at times be under powered as well and vibrates awefull sometimes too. Seeing as how (although I never would have thought at the time) I use this tool more than I ever thought I would, I should have went with a nicer Grizzly, Powermatic or Mini Max if I could have afforded it:( Unfotunatly, i didn't know any better at the time about good set up and what to look for so... lessons learned
Edited 6/19/2007 12:15 pm by rjones69
I am in the Frederick Maryland area, so there are several options around to test drive. There is a Woodcraft Store in Leesburg Va. I can get to without dealing with Washington beltway traffic. I am glad to hear about the Grizzly and Craftsman performance as they were on my radar screen.Dan Carroll
Dear Dan,
I have a Ridgid bandsaw and it is the first bandsaw that I have used since the 1st Reagan administration, so I can't speak to overall quality vs. others, as I really have nothing to compare it with, but I can relate it to expectations.
As a contractor I make no illusions about being a craftsman. I have pretty good skills, but I am after the $. I push my equipment pretty hard at times and have developed some opinions about the 14" Ridgid saw.1) Inexpensive: lots of plastic, rough castings.
2) Underpowered: I have both stalled the motor and have had the blade slip over the tires at one time or another.
3) Top heavy, a bit unstable.
4) Mine had a fairly distinct vibration, I referred to it as a "nod", in that the vibration seemed vertical. That seems to of subsided.
5) Cuts OK with a decent blade (Timberwolf) if not pushed hard.
6) DC is below expectations.Overall I would rate it as barely adequate. I think that would of been better off putting that $ towards a better saw.Best,JohnPS. If you are in CT and want to buy an assembled, Ridgid bandsaw, with mobile base, I'll give you a good deal.Edited 6/19/2007 7:49 pm ET by Jmartinsky
Edited 6/20/2007 8:29 pm ET by Jmartinsky
Hey Dan,
You live about 40 minutes south of me. The big, beautiful, make ya feel like ya died and went to heaven Grizzly showroom in Muncy PA is 2hrs 15min north of me. Pretty much a straight shot up rte 15 to Sunbury, a 2mile hop on rte 11 north and a left turn onto 147 north. 147 turns into US180 and get off at the Lycoming Mall exit, make a left over 180 to the light, make a left, keep right at the circle and make a right into heaven on earth...can't miss it!! You can put your hands on the machines there, and wish you brought your own tractor-trailer with you.
Chris.
Yep, I've seen some pretty dismal reports on the Rigid bandsaw, yet a few gems too, so it seems to be a crapshoot. I don't remember it being at the top of any reviews either, but I could be wrong.
Given a budget of "around" $500, I think I'd go for the top-end 14" saw (G0555X) that Grizzly offers. Rikon makes me nervous -- too many little things wrong when people go to set them up, gives me an uneasy feeling about what might go wrong down the road.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
It's hard within your budget; I have a 15 yr old Delta 14" saw with the extension block, and with the proper blade (the most important part of the equation); I have resawn 14" gnarly green ash veneers (1/16"). It also probably get as much if not more use than my 66 tablesaw in a one man shop.
As Forestgirl suggested, there are deals on Craigslist.
I bought a 14" Rockwell bandsaw for $150, installed a new Olsen blade (special order from the local Ace hardware store), Cool-blocks , and a Kreg $110 fence and it work really nice.
The motor is only 3/4 HP, but seems solid.
Dan
I just bought and set up my Steel City 14" bandsaw this past week, and I couldn't be happier with the saw. Great quality; excellent instructions; customer service is very good and ####5 year warranty to boot. At $700, it is a bit more than you want to spend, but it does come with a built in mobile base and a utility light. The cast iron table is large and machined dead flat. The wheels are precision ground cast iron. There is little to no vibration when you are using the saw. This is a great quality saw from a great new company on the scene. I've got my eye on their bench top mortiser for my next purchase. Hope that helps. If you want to know more, drop me an email. Take care. Tom
what model steelcity did you buy I'll take a look at it.
The 14" Deluxe Band Saw. Here's the link to the page:
http://www.steelcitytoolworks.com/products_tools.cfm?section=2&category=2&tool=50100Tom"Notice that at no time do my fingers leave my hand"
I realy appeciate the info I called Woodcraft in w. spingfield and they have the saw,I'll let you know when I pick it up might be a while.
I have been very happy with my G0555 (http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0555), with a Timberwolf blade. I have resawed 8" walnut to 3/32".
Paul
DanCC,
I pretty much agree with what is being said but wanted to come at it from a slightly different perspective. I too have a small shop with a three wheeler in the corner holding up my sweater.
I think you'll be amazed at how much the bandsaw will impact your woodworking. I'm constantly going to it for help with a problem. I do a lot more resawing than I ever thought I would...it can be easier than running and buying more plywood. I'm using templates a lot more. Perhaps its even more useful, however, as a tool for shaping solutions to various problems....L shaped thingies to help hold miter corners during glue-up.
I think mobility has not been addressed here and its very important. I'm constantly repositioning the bandsaw. I never would have bought the delta mobile base except that it was on sale (70% off) when Woodworkers Warehouse was going out of business, it is a great base. I'm not sure how many options are out there but you will want to be able to quickly move and make solid your bandsaw for quick use.
From everything I've read and experienced there are three issues with selecting a bandsaw: quality of cuts, power, resawing capacity, and the manufacturers have put together different machines to deal with these issues. Quality of cuts is improved with cast iron wheels verses cast aluminum wheels. The power starts at hp ( which is adequate on a 14" aluminum machine) and goes up from there. Resawing starts at 6" and goes up to 12". If you lined up three examples of the bandsaw alternatives out there and compared them with cars what you'd see is a Chevy verses a BMW verses a Hummer. Some vendors, like Grizzly provide alternatives such that you can get the Hummer features at the BMW price. However, your basic Chevy is quite adequate. Delta, Jet, Grizzly, etc. all make a Chevy model. Powermatic, Grizzly, Delta, Steelcity make a BMW model. Hummer types are imported, however, Grizzly comes close. Good luck with your decision.
model 1. aluminum wheels, 1 hp.,
Dan - oddly enough, I've been getting Woodworker's Journal magazine for the last 3 months even though I never requested it. That'll soon end...they're sending me Renew Now! Or This Is Your Last Issue notices. Also oddly enough, their latest issue (August 2007) has a review of 14" band saws. I also agree with Forest Girl about looking for a good used saw after you know what you're looking for....but if you're set on getting a new saw, the WJ article might be worth looking at for you. For the money ($499) and number of features they liked the Craftsman professional model 22401. If you have a strict budget and want new you might want to examine that model. Overall they liked the Rikon model 10-325 Deluxe ($749). But you really need to read the article and reviews yourself and decide what YOU need. Sometimes tool reviewers can be like economists with everyone having a different opinion based solely on their own prejudices.
Myself, I've got an old Delta 14" that I've rehabbed and which does me well for now.
Hope this helps you out.
charlie -- "Count your blessings....it could always be worse!"
August 2007 issue of Woodworker's Journal gives review on 10 14" bandsaws. Rikon 10-325 for $750 the best. The Sears 22401 for $500 (at times $400 on sale) is a good value.
Dan,
I have been using a Jet 14" open stand bandsaw as my primary power tool for ten years now, and it has been an excellent machine. I replaced the spring, guide blocks and added a rip fence and riser block.
Whatever saw you get it is only as good as the blades you use. I use Starrett metal working Bi-Metal blades.
Rob Millard
http://www.americanfederalperiod.com
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled