Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Oct 07, 2004 07:23am | #1

   Dan, to help focus the responses, please tell us

   • What's the heaviest type of work you anticipate using the band saw for
   • What your budget is
   • What you electricity situation is (or could be), i.e., is 220V available or a possibility?

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

2. 
   billballeza | Oct 08, 2004 12:28am | #2

   I own and recommend the Grizzly GO555. It's a 14" that's loaded with features and operates like a dream. I added the riser block effectively yielding a 12" resaw capability. Go to Grizzly.com and take a look.

1. 
   BenAsher | Oct 09, 2004 12:34am | #3

   Bill,

   There has certainly been a lot of favorable talk about the Grizzly G0555 and G0513 on these boards lately.  I too am in the market and have been strongly thinking about the G0555.

    A few questions, based on the October American Woodworker article:  First,  is the riser block stable?  Does using it throw off tuning at all and, to the extent that it does, can you re-tune it satisfactorily?  Second, how about the tension spring?  How easy is it to use and adjust?  Third, have you had experience with resawing 6-12" stock?  Is the saw powerful enough for that?

1. 
   billballeza | Oct 09, 2004 12:56am | #4

   The riser block is very stable. Be sure to get someone to help you install it.. and make sure you have a socket wrench that will fit the new nut to tighten it down.

   Using it will necessitate a longer blade so the tuning is off.. but no problem to retune. The tension spring is fine.. no problem.

   I have not resawn thick stock so cannot comment.

   Edited 10/8/2004 5:57 pm ET by bill

   Edited 10/8/2004 6:31 pm ET by bill

2. 
   CharlieP | Oct 09, 2004 06:23am | #5

   Think of the G0555 (or it's twin, the Jet 14 inch) as a different machine with or without the riser block.  It is something you put in and leave there, certainly not something that goes in and out.  When you put it in, you need to tune up the saw just as you would when it is new, but it works great (I love my G0555 with riser block). 

   No problem with the tension spring - but I had to adjust it a long way when I installed the riser block.  I use TimberWolf blades, which generally require less tension, so have never come close to full tension. 

   I recommend max of 1/2 inch blade even though most 14 inch saws say they support 3/4.  The 1/2 inch works great, and I have read about difficulties with 3/4 inch

   Yes, I have resawn wood up to about 10 inches wide.  Take your time and you will be fine.  I also built a higher fence to ride over the stock fence.  ________________________Charlie Plesums  Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood

1. 
   DJK | Oct 09, 2004 08:11pm | #6

   If your near Michigan, there are 4 Powermatic 20" bandsaws for sale each with 24" resaw for $850 each. Go look on http://www.woodweb.com

   DJK

1. 
   KySawdust | Oct 12, 2004 07:18am | #11

   Those Powermatic's all look like 3 phase machines to me.  Be sure that you can either handle 3 phase or want the added cost of a phase converter. 

2. 
   DJK | Oct 12, 2004 04:01pm | #12

   Most of my equipment is 3 phase. At $850 for the PM bandsaws, a motor swap would still get you in under $1000. The dealer, Fred Rehak, sells very good used equipment.

   DJK

2. 
   forestgirl | Oct 10, 2004 12:52am | #7

   I remember when the G0555 first came out, they didn't provide instructions for the riser-block installation and whatever needed to be done to the tensioning mechanism.  They corrected that, I assume?  With the number of calls just I know about that went to tech support, I hope so!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   CharlieP | Oct 10, 2004 07:12am | #8

   Some of us are engineers who take a secret vow to never ask for help, so I figured out how to do that adjustment without calling for help. I did hear that there were others who did call tech support, and did get assistance, and eventually Grizzly provided an update to the directions.  But since engineers can't read (or at least never try), I wouldn't know about the update. 

   Actually I think that the problem was a 6 inch riser block which requires the blade to be 12 inches longer but the recommended (and provided) blade was either 11 or 13 inches longer than the original.  Thus the addition of the riser block left you a long way out of adjustment.  The tension release lever makes the adjustment less intuitive.  ________________________Charlie Plesums  Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood

3. 
   Mackwood | Oct 12, 2004 12:28am | #9

   Ditto on the comment about the 1/2" blade!  I have a MM16 and although it can easily handle the 1' blade that came with it, I really like the results when using the "Woodslicer" 1/2" blade from Highland Hardware.  Have only cut easy stuff like 12" Phil. Mahog. and 12" Poplar so far but it cut that like it was nothing!

   Regards,

   Mack"WISH IN ONE HAND, #### IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"

3. 
   jc21 | Oct 12, 2004 05:09am | #10

   One problem with Grizzly for you is that Grizzly does not ship to Canada. Also model numbers would be helpful; Delta has several that look similar but perform differently due to different motors etc. General International, Jet, Delta ........ all worth a look. I bought a new bandsaw last month. I had a budget of $900(US). After all was said and done I wound up with a MiniMax S14 and have been very pleased so far. I don't know if the S14 is a US only model but it would be worth checking out. The link should help you find Canadian distributors (click on "In The World" after you get to the MiniMax website. If you can, find yourself a copy of the October issue of American Woodworker; there's an excellent (imho) review/overview of most all bandsaws priced under $1000(US).

   http://www.scmgroup.com/ing/minimax/index.html

1. 
   danfromsaskatoon | Oct 25, 2004 08:05pm | #21

   thankyou new to this forum stuff dan

4. 
   BArnold | Oct 12, 2004 05:31pm | #13

   Dan,

   I just purchased the Grizzly G0513 and am very pleased with it so far.  Cost was $828US ($750 for the saw plus $78 truck freight).  I'm using a 1", 2TPI blade for resawing and have had no difficulty.  I wanted the larger machine for the 12" resaw capability and the 2HP motor.

   My only contact with Grizzly Customer Service so far has been about an issue with a 1", 6TPI blade with an alignment problem at the weld.  They shipped another blade immediately.

   Someone in this thread said Grizzly doesn't ship to Canada, but their website says to contact them for shipping rates outside the US.

   Regards,

   Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

   ---

1. 
   jc21 | Oct 12, 2004 08:49pm | #14

   The info about not shipping to Canada was from their website- "Customer Service" and then "Questions and Answers". Does seem strange as they ship elsewhere. Congrats on the new saw. Have you tried any 1/4" blades on it yet? .......curious how difficult it is to set roller guides for narrow blades.

1. 
   RonInOttawa | Oct 13, 2004 01:43am | #15

   Grizzly won't even ship their catalogs to Canada! I have heard that the owner of Grizzly is related to the owner of a tool chain here in Canada called "Busy Bee Tools", and there may be an agreement in place not to compete. I don't know if there is any overlap in their product lines, but several of the Craftex brand tools Busy Bee sells look very similar to the Grizzly counterparts. That could also simply be the result of the Taiwanese manufacturer making multiple versions of the same tool.

   I've been plotting for some time to get a new cabinet saw to replace my 25-year old Craftsman, and I suspect I will end up with either the Grizzly 1023 or the General International 250 saw. There's a BIG difference in price and a much smaller difference in actual features and quality. I would have to consider the issue of getting customer support and parts up here in Ottawa.

   Regards,

   Ron

1. 
   jc21 | Oct 13, 2004 04:27am | #17

   I'm thinking about a cabinet saw .....hopefully next year. I've looked at the General International 260 and liked what I saw. Nice fit and finish. There wasn't that much difference in price ($1299) vs. the 50" capacity Grizzly 1023SLX ($1078 w/ shipping), about $120 or so. If money wasn't an issue I'd get a General 650- it seems better constructed than the Jet, Unisaw or PM 66.

1. 
   RonInOttawa | Oct 13, 2004 06:06am | #18

   The General 260 (the new hybrid?)has not yet made it's way to the local stores in Ottawa. I don't think it has even made it to the web page yet. The 250 is the Tiawanese version of the 650, but sells for about $1700 (~$1300 in real dollars). It's a great saw, but still a significant amount of money.

   Regards,

   Ron

2. 
   jc21 | Oct 13, 2004 03:45pm | #19

   How's General for parts and service there? My one reservation about General here is parts and service. Delta/PC, DeWalt, Jet/PM are pretty well covered by a mix of independent and factory service centers ............ General is pretty sparse. Previously I lived in Maine; there wasn't a dealer in the whole state.

3. 
   RonInOttawa | Oct 13, 2004 04:58pm | #20

   General has an excellent network of distributors in Ontario, and I've never heard any complaints beyond the fact that their manuals are poorly written.

   Regards,

   Ron

2. 
   BArnold | Oct 13, 2004 02:09am | #16

   I purchased a 1/4" blade but haven't tried it yet.  The 1/2" blade that came on the saw was aligned properly right out of the box.  I tried the two 1" blades I got and they aligned just fine.

   Sorry about the blip on the Canada question.  I'll read further next time.  Or perhaps Grizzly should say, "except Canada" in the paragraph about international shipments.

   Regards,Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

2. 
   danfromsaskatoon | Oct 25, 2004 08:06pm | #22

   thankyou much dan