Have Grizzly tools improved in quality in the past few years? My own experience with them has mainly to do with a tablesaw I bought ten years ago. It wasn’t what I’d call a stellar experience — The motor died young, the trunnion never lined up with the table slots due to poor machining, the switch fell apart, I cut the wire between the switch and the motor when ripping on a bevel (which toasted a decent blade), and so on.
However, since I’m reading Knots more and Breaktime less, I’m seeing a bunch of positive comments about Grizzly. Is this impression accurate?
Andy
Andy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. –Robert M. Pirsig
Replies
I can only speak to my experience. I bought the 1023SLX 3 or 4 months ago and couldn't be happier with it. It has plenty of power, everything worked well out of the box and the price couldn't be beat.
My impression of the company is that they make a decent product for a great price. Their customer service is responsive and eager to help with problems, which is more than I can say about most companies.
Rich Knab
People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit.
That's excellent news. Basic woodworking equipment isn't complicated, and decent, basic tools shouldn't be out of people's reach.
AndyAndy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
I bought the 0500 8" x 75" jointer last year. The tolerance on the tables is very impressive. Within about 0.002" over most of the table; a couple of spots about 0.003" low.
This machine works very well for me. Everything works smoothly. I consider it to be of much higher quality than the Delta DJ-20 (which I almost bought until I compared the quality first-hand).
The motor does not appear to be the best one could get, but it has held up under long runs.
I own the DJ 20. The fence is junk. Very difficult to get it square and keep it that way. The knife guard swings back so hard that it knocks the fence out of square every time. I guess I should call it the BD 20 the black and decker 20
Peter -I agree, the fence on my DJ20 needs to be checked and re-set anytime and everytime I move it. But I don't seem to have a problem with the 'pork shop' knocking it out of square, though............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
OK, I broke the silence about that Grizz drill press I bought, thinking I knew what was included in the "bargain". But today I found out a couple things I hadn't bargained for:First, the hole in the table isn't concentric with the quill! Couldn't believe it. Had to drill some 1" holes through a 2x4 for a clamp fixture I was making. Chucked a 1" forestner bit in the DP, ran it down to center it over the hole only to find that it was a good 1/8" out. The table hole is something over 1" in diameter so figured I'd get away without a sacrificial table since I wasn't really concerned about the blowout on the exit side. None the less, needed to make a fence for alignment of a series of these holes so ....Made a quick fence/jig to rest the work against, went to set the depth so's to just get through the material and into the plywood sub table only to find out the quill travel is just barely over 1 1/2". Yep, mia culpa ... shoulda checked that spec at time of purchase but .... I'm a wiser drill press shopper now!Guess I'm a little dissapointed in the machine but can't say it's not my own fault for not paying attention to details............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Dennis
The smallest drill press Grizz makes, for $80, has a 2" travel.
Everything else is over 3".
Which model do you have?
Suggest you dismantle the handle device that drives the quill down. The quill stop is with a spring pin, mine broke and I replaced it by tapping a thread in the spring pin hole and replacing it with a bolt and lock nut. You may have the same problem and this is jamming the quill from going down.
This was a real quick fix btw.
Dennis,I have several Grizzly tools but not the drill press. Most drill press tables can be lined up easily with the centerline of the chuck. The head can be moved on the column by loosening one or more bolts, shifted slightly and retighten. If 1/8" is all it's out, consider that more than good enough. I believe you did not set the depth stop correctly, not even the smallest drill presses have 1 1/2" of quill travel.Most small presses have at least 2" of quill travel.Use a spade bit for boring 2x4's ,forstner bits not practical for this. What type of depth stop do you have, the preferred IMOP is the threaded rod depth stop. Most of the Grizzly drill presses have at least 3 1/4" of quill travel, except for the 8" "baby drillpress" which has 2" of travel.If this is the one you bought ,you only wasted $79.00.
mike
Mike -It's not a case of left or right with respect to the alignment of the table center hole and the arbor. The arbor centerline is further away from the post than the table center hole. Simply loosening the table elevating lock one can easily swing the table in an arc around the post to center the bit in the hole *that* way, but as far as I can tell there's no way to move the table in or out from the post. I'd be happy to be proven wrong.I suppose I *could* simply go down to Boeing Surplus and buy a big 1" twist drill and bore myself a new hole, though.Not!...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Dennis, I vote for calling Grizzly. It's a good bet they'd send you a new table, and having feedback from customers is the only way they'll know things ain't perfect at the factory!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" .... :>)
I know I probably should call 'em, Jamie. But it's seldom I use a forestner bit in this drill presswithout a piece of waste below it anyway. Only time I drill through the work without a sub-table is when drilling steel and that's what I bought a second, cheap drill press - so the other one could be left scuzzy for metal work.But yeah, I'm looking at going up to Windsor Plywood in Bellingham right after the first of the year anyway and Grizzly's just around the corner from them. Funny how handy that is! (grin)Anything you want me to check out while I'm up there?...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
"Funny how handy that is! (grin)" Go ahead, rub it in!
Yeah, take a look at that new tablesaw they have (G0444Z, cast iron wings), tell me what you think of the fit/finish and the new Shop Fox "Alumi-classic" fence!
Windsor Plywood, eh? Good place?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" .... :>)
Jamie -Windsor Plywood isn't Crosscut or Edensaw by any stretch of the imagination but it's far superior to any of lumber yard in my immediate locale. You're a lot closer to Seattle than Bellingham so if I were you I wouldn't spend the time to come 'up here' to shop for hardwoods. Bellingham is closer to me than Seattle............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
If you're going there, I would call them and make them aware of your problem and if they're gong to replace it anyway, you could take measurements from yours and pick the new one up after comparing them. Does the table on your DP tilt? IF it does, it may have been loosened and slid out by the amount that it's offcenter. (See, I'm even talking about the right thread this time.)
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
HiFi -Yeah, it has a tilting table. I'll check the setup tomorrow - you might be right; could be simply a matter of shimming out the swivel on the tilt mechanism!...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Oh, I wasn't thinking about driving 3 hours just to get wood, but when I do go up to the Grizzly showroom, I like to know about other places that might be fun to go.
Crosscut has moved to the top of my favorite places ;-)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" .... :>)
Andy,
Based on recommendations from folks on the Knots Forum, I purchased the Grizzly G0513 17" bandsaw a couple of months ago. I'm completely satisfied with it. My neighbor has the Jet 18" bandsaw and is envious of my Grizzly because of some features it has that his doesn't.
I would stay away from Grizzly's bandsaw blades based on my experience with them. I had to return a couple of 1" blades because they were so out of line; a replacement they sent wasn't any better. Their customer service folks took care of the credit in a timely manner.
Regards,
Bill Arnold - Custom Woodcrafting
Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
I bought a Grizzly combination 24" belt sander/ 6" disk sander about 2 years
ago. It was my 1st Grizzly tool. I found it to be a good value. I know I can by
a better tool ( the fit and finish were average at best) but the low price made it
made it a good value. Because this is a secondary tool that gets fairly limited use, I'm
not unhappy.. I would think twice if I was looking to buy one of my primary tools.
Good Luck,
Stuart
Andy, there's been plenty of anecdotal evidence right here at Knots to indicate that at lease some of Grizzly's tools are made quite well. Specifically, the 8" jointers, their cabinet saws and bandsaws. Obviously, we're not talking "scientific study" here, but the next best thing -- owner's reports. Similar reports are found on other forums.
Most of the thumbs-down reports I've seen involved purchases made a number of years ago, similar to your saw experience. And, occasionally, someone will report a bad customer service experience. They're not perfect, but for those of us who can't afford a Unisaw, MiniMax or Powermatic, they're darned close.
I'll ask a rather blunt question here, was your past experience the reason that the G0555 14" bandsaw (a featured-packed model which challenged the rest of the makers to improve their saws) was omitted from the Tool Guide this year? It's been out for almost two years now. The 1019 which was reviewed is a dinosaur in comparison, and even that saw had a more appropriate version (the 1019Z) for the comparison article.
I'm glad to have someone specific at Taunton to ask about this issue, because in my eyes it was a major sin of omission and did the readers of the Tool Guide who might be shopping for bandsaws a serious disservice.
(PS: I really am a nice forestgirl, but get grumpy sometimes, LOL!)
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" .... :>)
My Grizzly experience had no bearing on the Grizzly saw not being in the Tool Guide. For one thing, at that time I was at Homebuilding, and had little to do with the TBG.
Beyond that, Taunton editors are in fact quite objective. The goal is to provide accurate information to the reader. No one that I know at Taunton would allow a past experience to cloud their view of a tool.
However, I don't know why the Griz didn't make the TBG. I can speculate though. Magazine production schedules are long. If the saw was out for 2 years, it's still possible that it didn't make it onto the radar in time. And since most of that issue is updated material gleaned from past issues, if the Grizzly wasn't out when the original article ran, well, we may just have missed it. You may have noticed that we occasionally make mistakes.
AndyAndy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
Andy,
From talking to fellow woodworkers, I believe Grizzly had a bad reputation years ago, while Delta had an excellent reputation.
IMHO, I believe the tables are turned today, as you only hear good about Grizzly and the Delta complaints are all over forums. I'm not impressed with any of the Delta equipment I have personally looked at. I'm just a plain Mechanical/Electrical PR Engineer and must admit, woodworking machines are pretty simple.
What is amazing, is how long a reputation lasts, as a lot of folks still regard Delta as quality and Grizzly as "Cheap".
I have a home shop in a 3 car garage, started December last year and now have a full shop of 220V tools. Every thing I have is from Grizzly and I believe it's the best value and service out there today.
I met a DeWalt Co. rep at a recent woodworking show. He had been the QC manager for a different major US company overseeing its Asian manufacturers. What he told me is this:
Most of the woodworking equiptment for all the manufacturers comes from just a few factories in Taiwan and China. They are customized according to each US company's specifications. Thus the differences depend upon the specifications, and how rigoriously they are enforced by the US buyer.
He said, a few years ago Grizzley sold some machines with "green" castings, which had not aged long enough. This had a bad effect on their reputation. Since then, Grizzley has changed its specifications to allow castings to cure longer than any other manufacturer. He told me that he would buy Grizzley jointers over any other manufacturer. He also liked Shop Fox, their high-end affiliate. This fits pretty much with what I am hearing on this Forum.
By the way, Grizzley is NOT the company he worked for at the time.
regards,
Dan
I have one very personal comparison.
I bought the small Delta bandsaw. It was a total waste of money and time.
Then I bought a Jet 14 inch closed base with riser block. Dust collection was terrible, no fence, no roller guides, no tension release, etc., but it cut well.
Then I saw the Grizzly G0555 in their showroom. Many of the castings were identical to the Jet - the frame, the table, the trunions. But it had good dust collection, and all the other missing features and more. When someone offered to buy my Jet, and paid me enough to cover the cost of the Grizzly, I had the Grizzly in a few days.
To me, the Grizzly is a far superior machine to the "comparable" Jet, and the smaller Delta bandsaw should be taken off the market as an insult to the Delta name.
I have bought a Grizzly Dust collector and other small tools.
The small tools cost 1/4 the price of the competition and were half as good, so they are twice the value of you want a cheap tool (how often does a woodworker use an air wrench).
Their "machinery" seems excellent from seeing and talking to others. If they had offered a combination machine like the MiniMax I am getting, I would probably have bought it. (I looked long and hard at the Grizzly alternatives when I was at the IWF)
________________________
Charlie Plesums Austin, Texas
http://www.plesums.com/wood
Charlie,
I have the G0513 bandsaw 17" from Grizz, and it's fine. One day, I would probably re-design the dust collection though, as I put 1000 cfm into it, and you can hear air whistling into the machine, but I still have dust left on the table and the trunion. I believe these machines are all the same though, in this respect, even the Laguna.
Interesting, going the combination route. I looked at the option, as my shop is a 3 car garage, but decided to go the individual route. It takes me about 30 minutes to pull out 2 cars, roll out all my machines, connect the dust hoses to overhead pipes and plug into 220v receptacles in the roof. Then I'm all set and don't have to plan ahead, as all my machines are ready to go. Open a blast gate, flip a switch and I'm in business.
Aren't you concerned about the set up time it takes on a combination? When I do a mass production run, the worst is when down the line, something goes wrong and I have to re-make a part, following all the steps from beginning to end.
I haven't seen a bandsaw that does 100% dust collection, but I would estimate my Grizzly gets 80-90%, while the Jet probably collected 10%, hooked to either the vacuum or to the dust collector.
Rather than hijack this thread about Grizzly, I promise a review of the combo machine when it arrives and gets set up - (it was put on a ship from Italy about a month ago). But a few quick reasons for my choice... 8 1/2 foot sliding table that will take a sheet of plywood in either direction, scoring blade, sliding table also usable by shaper, 16 inch jointer, slot mortiser, tremendous precision/repeatability, etc. ________________________Charlie Plesums Austin, Texashttp://www.plesums.com/wood
Charlie, what would the price point be on one of those combo units. Just curious.
Andy -
I can't and won't speak for the complete line of Grizzley tools, the only large (ish) Grizz tool I have is one of their drill presses. I bought it so's to have a dedicated DP as opposed to using a larger floor model Crafstman purchased some years ago for both metal work and woodwork. Keeping a drill press clean enough for woodwork after drilling steel and iron is a pain. That said ....
I have no misgivings about the Grizz drill press. I looked it over in the showroom and understood what I was buying: Not, I repeat not a very quality piece of machinery from a drill press perspective. The quill lock is kinda funky and not nearly as precise as the old Craftsman. The depth stop is easily distorted if you reef on the handle. Spent some time getting the inside of the morse taper clean enough to prevent the chuck from slipping under load. The jaws of the chuck don't grip all the tight either but that's the chuck and not the drill. There are three pulleys in the drive train which compared to the two stepped pulleys on the Craftsman seem to make changing speeds more difficult although the belt tightening mechanism and belts are superior to the Craftsman.
In all the discussions that have surfaced here in this forum I've shied away from making any comments about this drill press since, as I stated, I was aware of what I was buying, didn't have it in the budget to buy a higher end piece of machinery and, the Grizz drill press fills the bill for what I needed. Quill runout is minimal and it has adequate power for the woodworking chores. All by way of saying it appears to be a matter of which tool you're talking about with respect to the degree of quality you get. I think that's probably true with any machine. In my opinion, which is all it is, I don't think one could simply furnish a shop with any one brand of tools and get the best in each machine.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Dennis,
I have the Grizz, G7944 12 speed floor drill press and share your sentiments exactly. I actually had to do a bit of work on mine, also the depth stop, and made some changes, which solved the problem.
I paid $199 for this machine though and every time I walk through Home Depot, or Lowes and look at the drill presses you can buy for $200 and a lot more, I can only smile, as there is no comparison.
JR -That's exactly the point. No, a $200 drill press from Grizzly isn't a Cadillac tool, but it gets the job done and probably a lot better than anything else in that price range. However, if I were to be in the market for my first and only drill press I would probably have chosen one of their bigger and heftier models or done more shopping.I'm fortunate to live close enough to the Bellingham showroom to actually look and feel before I buy from them. I've sorta looked over the other machinery they have there, specifically their metal lathes. Anything under $1000 has enough slop in it you could throw a cat through. But once you get into the mid to upper end of their line you start to see much, much better quality. I guess it all depends on the machine and the cost???...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
I cannot speak to the past, but I bought the 17" hdBS & 1023slx cabinet saw in the last 8 months. The mfg dates stamped on both plates were later that Feb/04. I took a chance with the bandsaw and it was dead flat and an excellent buy. With that successful purchase behind me I decided to go with the TS. The first one arrived slightly damaged (outer package) I refused the shipment and called CS and within 1 week had a replacement at my door. They even followed up a week later to ensure everything is ok. The ts top was dead flat as measured with a strait edge. It came aligned ready to cut and has a ton of power. I can measure no runout at the arbor as measured with a Dial Indicator. All parts were machined well and none were missing or bent. The Shop fox fence was on the money. I have been using the heck out of it since. I am now looking at the jointer and Horizontal boring machine to add to my collection. For a little over $2,100.00 I feel I got a good TS & BS. Only Time will tell if they hold up, but for now I would not hesitate to buy from them again.
Link to bandsaw purchase review
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=17846.10
Link to 1023 Purchase.
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=18897.1
Edited 12/10/2004 3:13 pm ET by bones
I have a Grizzly 8 inch jointer and the new 14 inch bandsaw with the rizor block and have been very hapy with both. The upper blade guide bearings froze up after about 7 months and when I called Grizzly they sent me out a complete new set ASAP.
If you want to see my latest adventure with Delta you can follow this thread
http://forums.taunton.com/tp-knots/messages?msg=20480.1
in the Tools forum and it may give you an idea of the different directions the machinery manufactures are heading.
Garry
I've seen your thread, and I'm sorry to hear of those troubles.
And to reiterate, I created this thread simply to check that what I was picking up here was accurate. Manufacturers change over time, and keeping up with trends is part of what journalists do.
Best to all,
AndyAndy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
Sorry about your Delta TS experience but here is mine.
5 HP left tilt Unisaw with 50" B fence. Arrived with no missing parts, no rust, and no damage. Table is flat +/-.002. Arbor runout less than .001. Fence is flat on both sides. No adjustments were required anywhere! The outfeed table sags a little front to back but I can live with it. It is flat right to left.
The "box" holding the on/off switch broke withing a couple of months. The plastic ears holding it on the bracket failed. A call to Delta, new one arrived in 3 days -- no charge, no hassle.
Maybe my experience is not typical but I doubt yours is either. I would bet that WWS is the main cause of the problem. I refuse to buy from them because of some other problems on things I bought from them.
Good luck on getting a replacement. They "owe" you a replacement. Either through good business practices or through your legal actions. Threads in these forums result in increased and decreased business and WWS would be smart to do the right thing.
Maybe someone should start a thread on who to avoid. Seems like a tally sheet (Excel spreadsheet) with vendors/manufacturers/businesses and good/bad votes would be interesting.
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working -- yes, I'm retired!
A bad day woodworking is better than a good day working.I agree,Young man!
Andy,
I bought a drill press from Grizzly recently (model G7943). The drill works fine, but I had some issues with the factory work.
The metal case that houses the belts was badly damaged. Also, the depth indicator was missing. Grizzly sent me a new cover, but to replace the old one I have to completely dismantle the belt assembly, which I don't feel like doing. So now I have a drill press in my shop with a mangled top. Grizzly also sent me a self-adhesive depth indicator, which I had a hard time attaching to the turret. If I had bought a Ridgid from Home Depot, or another brand from Amazon, I would have returned it for a new one. That's not an option with Grizzly.
Like I said, the drill works fine, but I think with Grizzly they save money by cutting corners on the finish work.
With that said, I would probably take a chance on Grizzly again in the future.
Edited 12/13/2004 9:45 am ET by Matthew Schenker
Andy
I work at a shop in Austin Tx, we have a grizzly table saw, it's one of three table saws so it isn't doing all the work.
The saw works fine, does everything that the old unisaw does. But its not as good as the Altendorf(sp?)
We also have a 18" band saw, wish I could tell you the model # but cant, its a couple years old.
The shop I was in previously had a 18" Laguna and it did not have the power that the grizzly does. I don't like some of the adjustment features but I guess you cant have everything.
All in all I used to have a negative attitude about grizzly, but that has changed.
For myself, if I was looking for a large tool for my shop I would give them a look.
Doug
I bought the 1023SL tablesaw a few years ago. It arrived without the latch for the motor cover. They sent one to me immediately. The shop fox fence has worked flawlessly. Their customer service has been excellent. I cannot praise the company and saw enough. It was and still is a great value.
There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Check the scale to see if it's not limiting the travel. Most of the ones I have seen go around 3". The scale goes from zero to ? on yours?
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
ARghhhhhhh!!!OK, no more late night work in the shop, Dennis! - back in your cage.And who was the guy who complained about the cheezy depth stop? Yes, there's plenty of travel. Just back the depth stop nut off.But! The hole in the table is *STILL* off center from the arbor! And I defy anyone to find an adjustment to change the distance of the hole from the post! (grin)Sorry for such a stupid post............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
HighFigh -
Think you may have me confused with another issue - I'm not having problems with a mobile base .... unless there's another Dennis floating about.
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
You're right, I did and I'm deleting the reply, but I think I have you beat for the stoopid post since mine wasn't even for the right topic. If it's a new machine, call them and tell them the hole doesn't line up."I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 12/14/2004 9:56 am ET by highfigh
Andy,
I have the 1023 cabinet saw and the 0555 bandsaw and I am very pleased with both. I am more impressed with the service. There is a design flaw with the dust deflector on the cabinet saw and, unless you are using a zero insert, a small piece can wedge driving the thin-walled deflector into the blade. This caused about $50 worth of damage to my Forrest blade. I report the incedent to Grizzly and they sent me a replacment deflector and a check for the cost of the repair to the blade. I'm not sure how many companies would have reimbursed for the "collateral" damage.
Doug
I have the Z series 10" table saw, 6" jointer, and 14" band saw. All are terrific. The only problem I had was with the casting on the table saw. It was miscast and had to be reworked by a machinist. Grizzly offered to repair it at no cost, but the effort and shipping charges were prohibitive. Since being repaired, the saw works great. I did toss the Shop Fox fence and replaced it with a Bessemer (didn't like having to remove / reinstall the Shop Fox for wide crosscuts -- too hard to reinstall).
That's why I don't like the 1023Z model as well as the 1023S -- the S version has the Biesemeyer-clone rather than the Shop Fox. Are there other features to the Z model that make up for it? I can't seem much difference looking at the specs.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" .... :>)
I have had my saw for several years and haven't looked at anything new for a while. The saw is well built and, since it was repaired, is dead-on accurate. I doubt you remember, but you gave me advice on finding a Jet dealer to repair it -- advice for which I still thank you.
One other thing -- the saw has a 2 hp US made motor; the standard is 1-1/2 hp, but Grizzly was out of 1-1/2 hp so they gave me an automatic upgrade.Daniel
Nice to hear your saw's still treatin' you good! Your report on Grizzly customer service fits what we've been hearing too.
Happy Holidays!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" .... :>)
Just unpacked my G0555 bandsaw and everything was completely clean and undamaged. It would have to be dropped pretty hard to damage it, the way it's packed. Now I have the 1023S, 12" portable planer (apparently my model is disco'd), 6"x47" jointer and G0555. I'll be assembling the bandsaw in a few minutes (after the garage is warm enough) and although I have seen some people make comments about the different bolts/nuts/washers etc, I don't care since each fastener is spec'd for a reason and I have the tools to put it together without going to the hardware store. After inspecting everything, there is absolutely nothing to complain about.OK, now that I have assembled it, Nylock nuts would be a good thing although I doubt the nuts they supplied it with will loosen any time soon. If they shipped the bandsaws with strapping and no blade, I wouldn't be upset. Now I have two cheap blades for cutting bad wood. It was a piece of cake to assemble. I just need to align the table to the blade and adjust the fence for lead, but right now I'm watching the Packers suck.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Edited 1/9/2005 5:15 pm ET by highfigh
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