Bandsaw advice needed

[Ken Peluso]

Ive read all of the threads on what appear to be the best options should I decide to buy new, but I'd like some advice on what you would do.I've had a Jet 14" w/riser block, kreg fence, and resaw attachment that I bought from a neater here a few years ago that I've tooled around with but never really enjoyed using. It's done what limited things I've asked but I've always had the feeling it just wasn't for me. Kinda like the feeling when you buy the 6" jointer knowing you should have just bought the 8.Now that my woodworking skills in other areas have progressed, I've come to the point where I want to focus on the bandsaw So, do I spend some money on some things I know the Jet needs like new tires, bearing kit, etc. or make the jump to a larger BS now? Something like the Grizzly G0514X2 ($1544 shipped) or the Rikon 10-345 which is on sale until 11/23 for $1049 (local plus tax). I should add that one thing I really want to do at a high level is resaw some thick lumber I have to book match and resaw some nice stock I have to make veneers for drawer fronts Thanks for lookingKen

[David Kumm]

Ken, I'm a more hard core used guy than most but if resawing is what you will do I would watch for a used Minimax 16 or 20, or 24. I'm a cast iron guy but in the steel world the MM machines made by Centauro are the strongest out there. I don't know the budget but there is no substitute for frame strength and weight if you plan to do serious resawing. Agazzanni makes a great machine. ACM makes some Felder machines. I'm assuming you aren't considering the old cast iron 3 phase machines so I won't go there. The key is whether you want something you won't outgrow down the road. Keep in mind that I have a 20, 30,and 36" saw so I am biased towards the larger ones. Dave

[Matt Meiser]

I just upgraded from a 14" Delta with a ton of upgrades to a Grizzly G0513x2. Before the upgrade I didn't use my bandsaw much. Now I'm liking it more and more. Especially the Resaw King blade I got with it.

[Ed Griner]

Any bandsaw made by ACM is the way to go.This is a perfect example of you get what you pay for.To get the real quality tools and machinery that we older guys are accustom to,you have to look towards Austria,Italy,Germany,France,England,etc.. My experience with Felder was absolutely first class! Good Luck/Ed

[david paul miller]

I went from a 14" delta and got the 19" Grizzly G0514X2 and love it.

[Brian Krause]

Last year I upgraded my 14" saw for the Powermatic PM1800. It is a beast, weighing more than most 24" saws with as much capacity as I'll hopefully ever need. While being a die hard Felder guy and a fan of the European woodworking engineering in general, I decided on the PM1800 because I had room for only 1 bandsaw. This is the only large HD bandsaw that can use from 1/16" to 1 1/2" blades without changing guides. It is expensive, especially compared to the larger European saws, but I feel the same quality is there. The biggest problem I had was that there is not much information or reviews out there on this saw, as it is relatively new.

[Stephen Cherry]

I vote for a eurosaw. Remember the expression, "the price buyer is the twice buyer". The first thing I would recomend is a trip up to the Felder,Hammer store in Deleware. I think they will be having an open house for the holiday season, and they are a very friendly and capable group. If I were buying new, they would get my first shot. That said, for me the holy grail of bargin saws is the Bridgewood PBS540. This saw was made in Italy, and comes up for sale occaisionally (one was just at an auction at York, Pa). Target price would be about 800-1200 dollars. Also, with used saws, you will likely get a bunch of blades. I've got an Agazzani, which is a good saw also.

[Curt Harms]

It also depends on your budget. Don't the Minimax, Agazanni, Hammer etc. run around $2,500-$3,000 or more? I'm certain they're some of the best available but are they 2.5 times better for your purpose than the Rikon? It might matter whether you're buying a machine to run 20 hours a week or 20 hours a year. I don't have any of them but that's how I would tend to think. Of course keep an eye out used in your area.

[Sean Kinn]

Ken,
I previously had a Grizzly G0555x w/riser that I was never fully satisfied with. It was a decent saw for the price, but I should have more seriously considered my priorities before I purchased it. I just picked up a Hammer N4400 a short time ago. I don't have it setup up yet, but I'd be happy to take plenty of close-up pics for you. I chose to go with the Hammer because I made a personal choice that I no longer wanted anything to do with an Asian import machine (whether it had a green, mustard, or white paint job). At the same time, I decided that the mm16 was a bit too expensive for me and more saw than I needed. When it was on "promotion" the Hammer N4400 was $1895. I was able to pick it up in DE which also saved a bit of $$ since Hammer does not seem to have the same low shipping prices that Grizzly does. Let me know if you have any questions about the Hammer, or the other reasons I chose it.

[Peter Quinn]

Don't bother with the upgrades on the 14" saw IMO. No upgrade is going to make a 14" saw a great resaw machine. I had a 14" PM w riser and it would resaw to it's caPacity, but slowly and with much labor. I found a used 20" Italian saw (meber) and it's night and day difference ime. Bigger frame, bigger motor, guides built like a tank, big heavy iron table at ablower height. Makes resaw a simple affair with a good blade. I can't advise o. The saws you mention but I have used a 24" grizzly and it was a well made tool, not as much finess as the Italian saws but all business where it counts.

[Josiah Bartlett]

Going from a 14" saw to a 17" or larger saw is like going from a little portable contractors table saw to a cabinet saw. The extra power, smoothness, and ease of doing jobs on a big saw make it much nicer to use.

[john lawson]

I have used a lot of different brands of machines, including Grizzly, Delta, etc, but when it comes to a bandsaw I recommend you buy one made in Italy. Most of the Italian bandsaws are made within 30 miles of each other so they share a lot of DNA.

I bought a used 24 Centauro for $800 and spent about $400 rehabbing it. It runs like new and weighs about 700 or 800 pounds. Weight is a big advantage in a bandsaw.

I have seen used Laguna 16" recently for $1000, so if you have some time just watch Craigslist and you will find a good one.

[Ken Peluso]

thanks to everyone for all of the insights. I am going to keep an eye on craigslist, in fact I received a PM today (thanks Jim) sharing a link to a guy very local to my office selling a MiniMax S45 that is fairly new going for $775 and a Grizzly G0513 with some extras that is about 2 months old going for $1000.

Thanks again!
Ken

[David Kumm]

a friend of mine just bought a sweet Oliver 217 for 2K so deals are out there. The S45 is a lighter saw than the other MM so it generally commands less money. Not a bad saw just saying you need to research before buying used. Dave