I took delivery of a new G0555X and supplementary riser package this week, and after putting on the riser last night, I can’t seem to get the 105 inch blade that came with it over the wheels. I’m certain I installed the riser correctly, and the blade does appear to be 105 inches, but I seem to be a couple inches short of getting it over the wheels. Has anyone else experienced this problem?
I’ll call Grizzly tomorrow, but as it’s Sunday, I thought I’d try Knots.
Thanks,
Norman
Replies
Have you released the tension lever? Also have you loosened the tension as far as it will go? I had a problem with other makers blades fitting my Grizzly bandsaw with riser(they were too loose), there is a way to increase or decrease the distance between wheels. The attached file was sent to me by grizzly, if it doesn't show up send me your email address and I will send it directly to you.
Thanks. I got the pdf and will take a look at it. I did release the tension, but it didn't make enough of a difference. Thanks again for the Grizzly document.Norman
Okay, now that I've looked at the file, I see it's a page from the owner's manual. I tried messing around with those spacers, but it didn't make enough of a difference to get the blade on. We'll see what Grizzly says.
Okay, I got the problem fixed. The blade was indeed the correct length. The pdf PheasantHunter posted was for a loose blade that couldn't be tensioned enough, and because I had the opposite problem, I applied those instructions more or less in reverse to move the top wheel down to get the blade onto it. After tensioning the blade, getting it to track properly, presto.Thank you again for the pdf and to all for your suggestions.The saw now works like a dream.Norman
Glad to hear you figured it out. I think it is a great saw for the money. I abuse mine cutting large bowl blanks out of green chucks of wood and it keeps working just find. I also have used it to resaw 10-11" black walnut with no problem.
Enjoy the saw.
What blade(s) are you using with it?
I buy and use mostly 1/2" wide, 3 tpi blades (I buy in bulk off the web). These work good for everything I do except cutting tight radius, say less than 4" diameter.
I've been thinking about getting the Grizzly GO457. It has a maximum cutting height of 10" and is 2 hp. At $825 compared to $575 for the GO555X is it worth it?
I actually had ordered the G0457 about a year ago, but there was a six-week wait at the time, and I ended up getting cold feet and cancelled the order. As you may know, I believe that saw got best value when FWW rated 14-inch bandsaws.Here's how I ended up with the G0555X, for what it's worth: Someone pointed out that for only $125 more than the price of the G0457, you can get the G0513X2, which is a 17-inch saw. In addition to the additional cutting capacity, it has 12-inch resawing capacity, cast iron trunions, and to my eye, at least, a lot of better features, such as a bigger and better-situated tensioning knob. All of which made me think that if I was going to go with the 457, the extra $125 for the 513 was going to get me a much better saw that, IMHO, was well worth this relatively minor price jump.So in the end, because I have a miniscule shop that wouldn't really comfortably fit a 17-inch bandsaw anyway, I got the G0555X. Sometimes it's scary how baroquely my mind works. With all these great choices out there, the thought process behind actually buying something can be dizzying and absurd. The truth is that there are relatively few wrong choices, especially with Grizzly.Norman
Edited 11/21/2008 1:39 pm ET by nboucher
It sounds like you're pleased with your saw. I thought I might start making some log furniture where the extra cutting capacity and bigger motor could be an asset.
So far so good. Ordered some Timberwolf blades, which should help even more. Good luck with the log furniture.Norman
FYI,I purchased the same saw in October. However I haven't added the riser yet. I am happy to report that I am extremely happy with the saw. I put a 3TPI(bought from Grizzly) blade in it first thing and had to do very little tweaking. I intend to add the riser later.
"I intend to add the riser later." Ah, that's what I did with the 1019Z. Found myself wishing I'd just forked out for one before assembly. Easier for one thing (than taking it apart a year down the road) and less expensive (I gave away 2 or 3, maybe 4 blades when I upgraded).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Hi - I also just purchased the G0555x and because I needed to resaw some 8" stock, I also purchased the riser block. However I read somehere that the riser makes the saw less rigid and causes more drift or some such issue. Since this is the first time I am using a band saw, I have no idea if this is a real issue. I was planning on using the riser only when I needed to resaw and keep the saw in the 6" configuration, but setup and alignment time will probably disuade me from changing the config too often. Can someone comment if there is any issue with stability/rigidity with the riser block on that model and your experiences with it? thx -yurij
I don't know much about any potential rigidity issue—though the saw seems pretty solid to me—but I can tell you the riser block is not something you can easily pop on and off. It's a two-person job getting it on and also requires swapping two blade guides, a large bolt, and the blade. You could probably resaw the board more quickly with a handsaw than go through that every time you want to resaw a wide board.Norman
nboucher - i guess i will leave the riser on. thx for the warning. have u used this configuration? sounds like you assembled one. -yurij
Trust me, you do not want to be changing out that riser block periodically! My saw cut no differently after the riser was installed, and I've never seen anyone post in a forum of such problems -- even in response to a "should I add a riser block?" post.
The main thing you want to do, IMHO, is to use low-tension blades on the G0555. The Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery work great and are just the ticket for a small bandsaw like the G0555. Give them a phone call and discuss what kinds of cutting you plan to do, tell them which saw you have, and the will help you select the blade(s) to get you started. You might also want to get input from the bandsaw users here as to what configuration they think works best (width, #teeth/inch). But stick with Timberwolf brand for now, the low-tension steel will be kind to your saw.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
forestgirl - thank you for that advice, i'll follow it. and thank you for being such a good contributor to this forum. it is an indispensible resource for me whenever i start a project. -yurij
I have the same saw with the riser block. First you need to release the tension from the quick release tensioner. Then you back off the blade tension knob all the way. The quick release bar should be flopping around if you back this off enough. Then the blade should slip easily onto the tires.
Jim
Thanks, Jim. I did all of that, unfortunately, and even cranked back those spacers above and below the bar all the way to see if that would work. This might be one of those instances when the blade is not a true 105-inch blade. I talked to Grizzly this morning, and the tech explained a smart way to easily get a good measurement of the blade. I suspect it was manufactured a couple of inches short, but we'll see when I get home tonight to measure it.Norman
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