Bandsaw decision time

[yellofins]

I've been researching bandsaws on all of the websites including this one.
I have come to one conclusion...there is no right bandsaw!
I'm hoping for some opinions and feedback on the various makes you may have.
I'm looking in the 14" range with 1hp, but that's not definite yet.
I have read that a few of you have purchased the 2 that I'm seriously considering.
The Delta 14: cabinet base and the Grizzly 14" ultimate G0555 are in the front running.
I have never worked with either of these and am looking for the pros and cons.
I'll be doing some resawing (to 6") and other cutting jobs.
My budget is flexible, but trying to keep it under $800.00
I'm looking for feedback from the people that actually own and use bandsaws.
Thanks,
yellofins aka ron

 

[DaveO]

Well I have never used another band saw to have any comparison, but I have the Griz 0555 and love it. It has done everything that I have wanted it to do. It is easy to adjust and change blades. It has a quick release blade tension handle that is very nice. I run up to a 3/4" blade on it and it works very well. The fence system is good, and I haven't had to do any compensating for blade drift. Dust collection could be better, but I think that is par for most 14" BS. My only complaint about it is adjusting the lower rear thrust bearing is very tight because it runs right into the table trunnion. I picked mine up at the freight terminal in Durham, as I have done with all my Griz tools, and set it up alone. I was cutting with it in 2-3 hours after getting home. I give it an "A" but I have never used another, so I don't know if I should expect better performance. You are welcome to stop by my shop and check it out.
Dave

 

[McRabbet]

Ron, I'm in full agreement with Dave. I bought a Grizzly G0555 in 2004 and I like it very much. I bought the riser kit to extend the height of cut up to 12" and have done some resawing with it (truthfully, it is a little underpowered on real big stock, but at 6", it does fine). I bought mine at the Muncy, PA store/warehouse and enjoyed the trip up there -- it costs slightly less that way (pay PA tax and no shipping, vs shipping to NC), but the cost of gas and an overnight stay adds more cost. I bought lots of tools, so I was better off and gas was lots less then. It is a good solid saw, has shown well in reviews I seen and cuts smoothly. I would recommend Timberwolf blades for it -- you can now order them through Grizzly. And, their customer service is good, although I have not had any problems with this saw.

HTH -- my .02 -- Rob

 

[4yanks]

I have a 14" Jet closed base. It is a good saw. All of these saws need some tweaking eventually. In that regard the Delta is the best. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought the Delta. This is not to say that other saws aren't good, just that I think the Delta is the best in the category. That said I am still happy with my Jet.

 

[walnutjerry]

I did a lot of looking before I updated my bandsaw---never knew there were so many out there. However, while attending the show in Greensboro last year, I bought a 16" bandsaw made by Fisch. The price is in the range you mentioned, about 850.00 at the time. The guy knocked off 50.00 for me so he would not have to haul it back to Pa.

It has a full 12" resaw capacity, came with the rip fence. I believe it is 1 1/2 HP. I did order Timberwolf blades according to what I wanted to do, the blade that came on the saw was probably the cheapest Taiwan had.

If you are interested in looking into it let me know. I will dig out the manual and give you all the lowdown. I have been happy with it---I resawed red oak 1/16 thk and 6" wide right after putting a new Timberwolf blade on. I was elated to say the least. Of course, with any machine, careful set-up adjustments and sharp tooling is 99.9% of it.

Good luck on your choice!!! Jerry

 

[D L Ames]

Ron, I have neither of the saws you are looking at. I have a Jet 14" closed stand that I really like and I recently upgraded to a 18" Rikon which is the older model prior to some of the so called "improvements" that made that weren't so great. You might want to take a look at this thread about the Delta 14" stated by Cpowell back in Dec that discussed some of the issues he had in setting up his 14" Delta. He eventually returned it to the dealer.

D L

 

[Travis Porter]

I have a 14" Delta open stand that I recently upgraded heavily. If you plan to resaw, more HP is definitively better. The adjustments for the bearings and guides on the Delta are quite nice, and I believe they are patented.

To your point, unless you want to spend $2K to $3K, there isn't a perfect one. Most of the 14" are pretty much the same with a few differences. The higher end 14" saws like the Powermatic and Laguna I believe have cast iron wheels which IMO is a plus. If you do go with a 14", I would recommend making sure you can get a riser block for it to increase the resaw capacity just in case.

 

[stoneskippers]

I have a Ridgid 14" bandsaw that I upgraded with 6" riser blocks and bearing guides and I'm very happy with it. While I was doing a lot of work with hickory I went through about 20 - 3/4" Timberwolf blade. I wanted to buy a carbide tip blade, but the smallest you can get is 1". Just thought I would throw that out because 3/4" is the largest you can use on a 14" saw. Good luck.

 

[hpetty]

Ron,

I just recently bought mine and haven't used it enough to give you an honest review yet (Brandon has used it almost as much as I have thus far).

I bought hte Delta X5 which has the 1 1/2 HP motor. I also added the riser block. I did a fair amount of research and bought with a 10% off sale and the Delta rebate. Several people on this forum, myself included, have had to place calls to Delta's CS in order to get a cord long enough to reach after adding the riser block. They were great to deal with, but even better would be if the BS had shipped with a cord 3 inches longer so it would work with the riser block. Even with that issue I would still buy the Delta again - understanding that I haven't been using it very much yet.

Out of the shipping crate the saw ran smooth as silk. Almost no vibration. Saw setup and assembly did require some acrobatics and an assist from SWMBO. But a couple of hours fun and I was making sawdust. Make sure you have a good DC. The integrated chute works great - if you connect the DC. But just ask Brandon how much sawdust is flying around the air before turrning on the DC. :lol:

Happy shopping!!!!

 

[Mark Fogleman]

John (and others),
John Iturra Design in Jacksonville, FL -888-722-7078 (old school...a free catalog jammed full of everything Bandsaw with excellent information on setting up and maintaining bandsaws and a phone...no website) carries 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" carbide tip Lenox "Promaster III" blades in 93 1/2" and 105" lengths in the $105-$130 price range.
I hope to provide a review of the 105" 3/8" 3/4tpi Varitooth blade soon. My budget is still having aftershocks from the Charlotte WW show:roll: . Funny, that the blade will be ~50% of the cost of my el-cheapo Harbor Freight bandsaw w/riser (that has been excellent btw)!
Mark

 

[SkintKnuckle]

Ron, I have the 14 inch Delta with 3/4 hp.

Got it home and put together with no problems, contrary to a lot of the reviews relating to problems in assembly. I did spring for the Delta universal wheel set because of limited space in my garage, I really like the wheels, they work much better than I expected.

I've also read several other reviews complaining about blade adjustment and tracking. I followed the directions (which could have been a little better written) and didn't have any problems.

So far, I've been very pleased with the cut, but haven't done enough to give a full review. The thickest I've done so far is 4 inch pecan for the wheel set, it cut very well, but I also went slowly.

I have a larger motor and plan to install that at some point along with the riser kit, just as soon as I can get funding allocated from headquarters.

Hope this helps, let us know which way you go.

 

[sapwood]

I have the Powermatic 14 with riser. A lot of pros: 1 1/2 hp motor, Carter Quick release, bearing guides, cast iron wheels, and it runs smooth and quiet. A few cons: the lower bearings are difficult to access for adjusting and I'm not totally satisfied with riser install. Of course, I bear partial responsibility for that--but keep trying to achieve perfection. I had very little experience with BS, but like Stoneskippers I am surprised at how fast blades wear out when resawing.

Thanks for the info on carbide blades. Though expensive, they may be worth it :eusa_thin

Sapwood

 

[yellofins]

I went by Woodcraft today and now it's even more confusing.
They are putting the Jet and Powermatic on sale 10% off.
So now the choices are the Jet 14DX, Grizzly Ultimate or the Delta.
Thanks for all of the feedback and reviews. I have more homework to do.
I do have the space open in the garage now since the RAS is gone.
yf aka ron

 

[cpowell]

Ron,

I bought the Delta 28-475X then returned after wrestling with vibration problems. In fairness, there are a whole lotta Delta's that have been sold that are problem-free. I'm kinda particular about my expectations of new equipment and returned it based on principle. I liked the Delta blade guides a lot. (FWIW my neighbor bought the same saw 6 months before I did and I used his saw a few times before I got one. It was vibration free and made a very nice cut and he NEVER made any adjustments out of the box...go figure.)

I then ordered the 18 Rikon, new style and did not like the redesigned tensioning assembly at all. Still don't. Could not get repeatable tracking. Returned it as well.

I had a harder time selecting a bandsaw than any other machine, so I know what you're going through. I'd suggest, if you can afford it, get a larger HP motor (1.5 HP) on a 14 inch machine and add a riser block. Buy three Timberwolf blades and make sawdust.

I bought The Bandsaw Book from Lonnie Bird. If you haven't gone down the bandsaw road before you will find it to be very useful. Anything you get will probably require some tuning to make it perform at its highest level and that book does a decent job of walking you through the steps.

Chuck

 

[Grgramps]

Ron,
Much has been written about how basic jointers are and how your table saw needs attention on occasion - but a bandsaw will test your patience. You are right to put time into making this decision. With your budget you should get a decent saw. My first saw was an inexpensive $300 and it had limitations, but was worth what I paid. Now I have the 14" Delta X-5 with the riser and it's much more of a saw. Still, it needs adjustments when I go from resawing a 3" piece to something that's 9". I think that this is a fact of life and have resigned to making adjustments as needed.
I haven't used the Grizzly, but I have read many favorable comments. Suppose you have too, since that is one of your considerations. I suspect you would be happy with either of these. Good luck and let know what you decide.
Roy

 

[yellofins]

Well...I bought a band saw tonight. Not at all what I was expecting either. I've had the money set aside for a new one.
Is it a Craigs List find or a POS......
I looked at quite a few saws today and each had shortcomings, so I looked at used ones online and bought a 350 pound unit.
I plan on refurbishing it and hopefully it will be a good saw.
What surprised me is without adjustment or anything in many years...no vibration . It is SOLID steel.
Anyone know anything about old Rockwell/Deltas?
yf

 

[DaveO]

Anyone know anything about old Rockwell/Deltas?
yf

I know that they made darn good equipment. You got yourself a nice gloat there. The nicest bandsaw I've ever used was a 60 year old Delta, that my FIL has and it was his father's. I made my first bandsaw box on it and, I have never been able to duplicate the tightness of the design on my BS.
Dave

 

[Travis Porter]

I would say you did quite well. The older Rockwell/Delta's were made much better and the cast iron was very well made. The only down side to these older saws from what I have read is little to no dust collection.

If you haven't done it yet, you need to call Iturra Design and get their bandsaw accessory catalog. They have every part and upgrade you would ever dream of for these saws.

Is the height adjustment post round or hexagonal on this one?

Oops, I forgot to tell you, YOU SUCK!!!!:lol:

 

[Canuck]

Ron,

Saw that saw on Craigslist this afternoon and immediately thought of your hunt!

Good catch!!! You will have to keep us all posted as to how much work it needs and how well it performs!

Congrats:eusa_clap ,

Wayne

 

[yellofins]

Travis,
It has the hexagonal. The S/N puts it around a 1961 manufacturing year.