I have an opportunity to purchase an old Grizzly 1019 bandsaw w/ riser block. Best I can tell from the photo it was made in 1984. I have read quite a bit of the archived threads here on Knots. The G1019 apparently was a low-end machine that enjoyed a bit of popularity in it’s heyday. This saw appears to be in good shape.
If you have owned/ currently own/ or have used this tool, and were to roughly estimate its worth sight unseen, what would you come up with? Note: I am in no rush to purchase a bandsaw right this minute, and I was planning to get a new Steel City for my birthday. The money I would save on this deal could go for something else.
Thanks!
-Jerry
Replies
Look for an 80’s vintage Delta instead if you want a used saw. The 1019 is just a poor copy in my book.
I have a 1019Z, made in the mid-1990's. It's an OK saw, but I don't know how good the older ones were, or how good the non-Z model was. If the saw you're looking at is a plain 1019 (v. a 1019Z), I wouldn't pay more than about $125 for it. If it's a Z model, maybe a little more than that. The age bothers me the most, because Grizzly got better as time went by.
Which model Steel City are you considering????
FG,
Thanks for the post. It actually was a post you made on the same subject in 2005 that caused me a bit of pause about the 1019. I will offer $75 and perhaps go to $100. The seller has a bunch of other stuff I want also.
On the subject of Steel City, Sarge gives the 18" rave reviews, and if I go new, that will be the one.
Thanks again!
-Jerry
"Sarge gives the 18" rave reviews, and if I go new, that will be the one." Yes, that would be the one. Hard to tell how different their 14" saw would be from anything else out there (other than the excellent CS and warantee). Hope you get some good stuff from this guy.
BTW, for that Grizzly saw, Timberwolf blades would be the way to go.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Thanks. If I indeed get the Grizzly, I may be pestering people for tune-up tips. I'll remember the Timberwolf blade for sure. BTW, how is your new Unisaw doing and have you had any time to fool around with unifence jigs?
Later!
-Jerry
Hi, Jerry. Nope, no shop time for quite awhile. My goal tomorrow is to get the darned mobile base ordered. Just got back from Montana, getting back iinto the swing of things (despite tax day, LOL!).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
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