Help with Grizzly Band Saw Features and Choice

[Rob Holcomb]

I've decided I am going to buy a new band saw and I've researched many of the top brands. Obviously features and money are the two biggest factors in my decision.

I decided on buying from Grizzly because you get just as many features at a lower price point than the other brands. I also have a Grizzly 15" planer, dust collector and table saw and they have all been great machines so that influenced my decision as well. The decision became easier when I read a lot of positive reviews about the Grizzly Band Saws.

I've narrowed it down to the G0513X2, the G0513X2F, the G0513X2B and the G0513X2BF 17" models. I've chosen these models because of the cast iron trunnions, and larger table. I will be using the saw for a variety of things. Re-sawing large boards and to a lesser extent some logs. I will also be cutting curves on table legs, band saw boxes etc. So I'm choosing a saw that will do everything I'll ever need it to do. Please don't comment on other brand saws. I know everyone has their favorite and I'm sure other brand saws are wonderful machine but for me it will be a Grizzly Band Saw. I also know about the junk blade that ships with it and I will be buying good blades for it so no need to comment on blades. When that time comes, I'll post a new thread on blade choices if I need to.

But I do need some help understanding the brakes that come on the X2B, X2F and X2BF. If I understand things correctly, the X2 has no brake and will take a while to spin down. The X2F has a foot pedal brake but it's manual so it's use would be to stop the spinning of the wheels after it's shut off by the switch in about 3 seconds. The X2B has no foot brake but does have a motor brake so the wheels stop spinning in about 3 seconds when the machine is shut off. The X2BF has both a motor brake and foot brake so when shut off by the switch it will stop spinning in about 3 seconds or you can apply the foot brake and accomplish the same thing. Meaning if you use the foot brake on the X2BF it shuts the machine off and stops the wheels from spinning. Is that correct?

I sent an email to Grizzly customer support a couple of days ago asking some initial questions but received an automated reply stating they are experiencing higher than normal email volume so it will be a few days for a reply so I figured I would ask here because I know the members here are knowledgeable and helpful.

Thanks! Rob

[Jay Aubuchon]

On my X2, "a while" is about 35 seconds.

[Ryan Mooney]

Personally I like having the foot stop for when I do something stupid I can hold stuff in place while I shut down the saw. I tend to cut a lot of rough and green wood with odd protrusions, bigger than i ought to slabs, and issues with closing up on me though so if you're just cutting curves I don't suppose you'd get into that situation as often.

My main regret on the 513 is not going bigger, but someday I'll add another saw

[John C Bush]

Hi Rob,
I have the 531B 21" Griz BS--upgraded from a Rikon 18" for the footbrake. Tapping the foot pedal shuts the motor down and a brake pad contacts the lower wheel when you push harder on the pedal. When new it took what semed to be a lot of pressure to stop the wheels quickly but as the brake pad has worn in it is much easier now. Not sure how effectively the motor brake works but would seem easier if works as advertised. If the motor brake works and is dependable you wouldn't need both features. If having both doesn't increase cost much it may be good to have both. I do a lot of resawing of irregular stock and use the brake all the time--very comforting to stop the blade quickly. The motor brake wasn't available when I bought mine but would choose it if buying now. I have visited the Griz showroom way to many times and all the saws look similar--can't see an external difference with the extreme version-- so I assume they have beefed up the steel and internal engineering to handle more blade tension. I think the blade guide systems and the trunions are all the same--not sure tho. Mine has 14.5" resaw and have needed more on a few occasions, but not often. I have made jigs to hold logs and irregular stuff and the saw handles it all well. Good luck shopping.

[eugene thomas]

I have the 17" with motor brake. If was ordering now would order model with motor and foot brake. That version came out few months after ordered my saw.

[rudy de haas]

hi:

One thing to think about: most of grizzly's better gear now comes from Taiwan, not China and I'd suggest checking carefully where the unit you are getting was made because it does make a difference - and grizzly's amazon.com ad (http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G0675-.../dp/B0027W4488 ) still says it is made in the U.S. when it isn't).

As for the brake issue: this comes down to cost. If you can afford both, get both because, for regular stops without kids or other non wood workers hanging around, it won't matter at all, but in emergencies enough is never enough; but if you can only afford one, then you should know that the motor brake produces less stress on the eqpt and is is more likely to prove trouble free in use.

[Rob Holcomb]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The information helps. I like the idea of having both features (motor brake and foot pedal). I just wasn't sure I understood it correctly. The difference in price between the saws with the motor brake and motor brake with foot pedal is only $25 so hardly anything to fret about. I can't imagine for the type of work that I do that I would ever need to go bigger than a 17" saw and if I do, there's a mill nearby that I'm sure would let me use their bigger saw or do the cuts for me for nothing if the need should ever arise.

John, I'm pretty sure that the 4 models I'm looking at are identical, inside and out except for the no brake, motor brake, manual foot brake or both brakes. The X2 doesn't come with a resaw fence but that's not an issue I'm taking into consideration because those can be made easily. In the G0513 class of saws, only the basic saw has the cast aluminum trunnion and wheels. The other 4 models are cast iron.

saws.jpg

[David C. Roseman]

On my X2, "a while" is about 35 seconds.

Yep, that sounds about right.

Ron, a brake is not any issue for me with my G0513X2, but if you're even slightly inclined toward having one, seems this should be an easy decision. As among the three brake models, I'd go with the combined foot brake and motor brake given the relatively small difference in pricing. Also, if the dynamic motor braking is accomplished using a braking resistor, then it's my understanding that it actually can extend the life of the motor. Something you might want to ask Grizzly Tech when you hear from them, as that would a nice bonus for the price difference.

[Jay Aubuchon]

According to the catalog, these all come with a resaw fence.

[Rich Riddle]

Redundancy is great, get the unit with both brakes. Are coupons still available? It could save you a bit.

[Rob Holcomb]

David, I will ask about the Braking Resistor information. Yes Jay, the models I'm considering do all come with the resaw fence. Only the base model G0513 does not. Rich, unfortunately I do not have a coupon. It's my understanding they come with the catalogs but since Grizzly has failed to send me a catalog for the past three years, I'm not even sure if that's the case anymore. I guess I haven't spent enough money on a consistent basis with them to receive a catalog without requesting one each year. Saving some money would cover most of the cost of shipping and lift gate service but I'm happy enough not to be paying sales tax.

[Matthew Hills]

My understanding is that the X2BF uses the foot pedal as a switch to activate the motor brake. (The X2B requires you to press the stop switch on the main column, which means you need a free hand)

Grizzly are nice for general work in not having the real low tables common to european bandsaws.
If you are thinking about milling small logs, the biggest table you can get would be attractive.

Have you seen Grizzly's 17" Bandsaw Comparison videos? They run through all of the differences:

part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqEl_mfyOXU
part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj9JlfJChVc

Matt

[Jay Aubuchon]

I've been sent the Grizzly catalog for the last 2 or 3 years, but have yet to see a coupon.

[Rob Holcomb]

Matthew, yes, I've watched the videos. I likely won't be doing a lot of milling of logs. I live in Amish country and I do occasionally get logs from local tree service companies. I take them to the amish saw mill near me and have them cut to my specs and then sticker them. For instance, a friend and I got 19 6 foot long hard maple logs a couple of years ago from a guy that was clearing a wooded area of his property. We ended up with over 500BF each. Total cost to me was 4 hours of labor getting the logs to the mill and my share to get them cut up was $45

Jay, I'm not concerned about the 5% or 10% a coupon would give me. Grizzly prices are so much less than other brands to begin with that I feel fortunate enough already. I know some people complain that the fit and finish isn't as good as some other brands but I've yet to see a tool that didn't have a nick or a paint chip somewhere on the machine. If it isn't something that effects the performance of the tool or a broken part, I really don't care. Usually it's nothing that a little primer and paint can't fix to cover bare metal and prevent rust. If it is a broken part, my experience has been that Grizzly will send a new part to replace the broken one.

[David C. Roseman]

I've been sent the Grizzly catalog for the last 2 or 3 years, but have yet to see a coupon.

Another TBN member recently ordered a catalog and it arrived with a 5% coupon code on the back. So some from a given year have it, others don't. I just assume Grizzly, like other savvy marketers, keeps track of who already receives their mailings and who purchases what when, then uses algorithms to allocate certain promotions.