40th birthday bandsaw

[Sam Beagle]

I have one of those anniversary edition grizzly bandsaws. I absolutely hate it worse than any tool possible. So my wife told me to pick any tool for my 40th. I wanna stay under 1500 bucks. I've always wanted a laguna and there on sale for Black Friday. My birthday is 12-2. So. I wanna make sure I will like the laguna. I got the grizzly brand new and hate it. Please give advice on what bandsaw to get. My main use for it is bowl blanks. I've read a lot of posts. But I feel this one warrants a new one. Thank you Sam

[Van Huskey]

I can't help but wonder what your issues with the Grizzly are (and which one are you talking about, there is/was more than one Anniversary edition). It is possible that your affair with the Grizzly is still salvageable. Even if it is not knowing what you dislike about it will help give the best opinion as to what to replace it with.

[richard b miller]

sam- i've got the 555P polar bear series and don't have any issues with mine. it cuts well (i bought a resaw blade for cutting rough lumber) and its a little under powered, but other than that, it works as advertised. what seems to be the problem?

[Patrick Walsh]

My laguna 14/12 is also underpowered at i think 1.5 hp?

I didn't know what i didnt know when i purchased it. I figured it should be up to any task i might ask of it. For small work its fine enough i guess. But throw a 8' piece of 8/4 x 10" hard maple at it and forget it.

Also my ceramic guides have come unglued from the blocks.

[Van Huskey]

My laguna 14/12 is also underpowered at i think 1.5 hp?

I didn't know what i didnt know when i purchased it. I figured it should be up to any task i might ask of it. For small work its fine enough i guess. But throw a 8' piece of 8/4 x 10" hard maple at it and forget it.



Also my ceramic guides have come unglued from the blocks.

What blade are you using for resawing. 1.5hp is under my recommendation for frequent resaw of 10" stock but with the proper blade it still should not be nearly as bad as you suggest.

[Art Mann]

Check your owner's manual. I believe you will find the rated horsepower is 1.75. I have had that model for close to a year now and I resaw Walnut, Maple and Cherry all the time. It doesn't matter whether you resaw 8/4 or 5/8 inch. It is only the width that puts a load on the saw. The only reason I can think of for having trouble with an 8 foot board is that it is extremely clumsy to handle that length with any bandsaw unless you have some kind of elaborate input and output conveyor. I try never to resaw 8 foot long material. I always cut the material to the approximate length before attempting to do the resaw. It also allows for easier planing and jointing. It is very seldom I need a board that is 8 feet long as its final dimension.

Of course horsepower matters but a 14 inch, 1.75 horsepower saw will do just as good a job as a 21 inch, 3 horsepower saw. It just takes longer.

I try not to throw any material at my bandsaw, although I occasionally feel like it. I don't want to dent the housing or damage the paint.

[Mike Cutler]

Sam

It's kind of important to know which model Grizzly you want to replace, so that a true comparison can be made, to aid you in making a decision. Laguna makes nice machines.

I don't want to be the jerk, bit I have to ask; What is it that your current machine is doing negatively that you want to improve on, or make better?

[Sam Beagle]

Hey guys. So it's the black 17" model. Stuff falls off, tire came off. Prob used it 20 times total. I hate it. I want a better quality saw.

[Van Huskey]

Hey guys. So it's the black 17" model. Stuff falls off, tire came off. Prob used it 20 times total. I hate it. I want a better quality saw.

OK I won't bother trying to diagnose then...

For a turner you generally will be using 3/8-1/2" blades so you don't need a monster saw to get proper tension.

My first choice since most turners like a bit of throat depth would be the Rikon 10-342 18" saw, 2hp and $1,462.50 shipped (residential liftgate) from Circle Saw. The second would be the Laguna 14BX with the 2.5hp motor which when 10% off will be roughly the same price and the Rikon shipped, both assume you have 240v available. If you want me to go further into the pros and cons of each one let me know if you indeed have 240v and the size range of blanks you tend to cut, the other uses if any you use a BS for and what blade you use for green blank cutting, this will help me hone in on what I would choose. I also assume Grizzly is out across the board, if not lemme know that too.

BTW what is your location?

[Sam Beagle]

Yes. I have 220. Yes. I have bought 2 grizzly items and both are junk in my opinion. The Lugana seems to be my thought too. But I seem to get mixed reviews. Any thoughts would be great. On the laguna or rikon as well.

[Van Huskey]

The Lugana seems to be my thought too. But I seem to get mixed reviews. Any thoughts would be great. On the laguna or rikon as well.

Review and answer the questions I posed in my last post so I can best tailor the pros and cons to your specific uses.

[Ronald Blue]

Where are you located? Maybe your close enough I can relieve you of your misery.

[Matt Day]

Sam, you're not helping yourself by not thoroughly reading replies and supplying answers. Van knows his stuff and is a great resources, let him help you.

PS, there are a lot of very happy Grizzly owners here (I don't have any Grizz machines personally). It likely just needs some adjusting, but if you hate it so much unload it and make someone happy buying your used saw. And buying new tools is fun! Can't blame you there!

[Glenn de Souza]

I also assume Grizzly is out across the board, if not lemme know that too.

Van,
Reading in to your comment, I am suspecting if not for the OP's bias against Grizzly, you might be inclined to recommend one or more of their models. I have heard people say that some kind of upgrade went on at Grizzly where their tools prior to some certain point in time are not a fair comparison to the quality levels of their present day offerings which are much improved. Any truth to this?

[Van Huskey]

Van,
Reading in to your comment, I am suspecting if not for the OP's bias against Grizzly, you might be inclined to recommend one or more of their models. I have heard people say that some kind of upgrade went on at Grizzly where their tools prior to some certain point in time are not a fair comparison to the quality levels of their present day offerings which are much improved. Any truth to this?

Certainly Grizzly as well as all the other companies like Jet that have been essentially Asian importers from their beginnings have increased in quality across the years, you can't compare old Grizzly and blue painted Jet to their offerings today and while the 513 series bandsaws haven't seen any significant upgrades since his saw was made it was/is the budget offering and some things are lacking due it wouls seem to price point engineering. So this doesn't really fall into a situation where quality is night and day.

With all that said without an OP disqualifying Grizzly a budget of 1.5K and wanting the most NEW saw for the money means Grizzly almost has to be part of the conversation, it doesn't mean a Grizzly would be my choice or not. The specific parameters of use will make one saw jump up to me.

In this price range without any manufacturer eliminated I automatically think Laguna, Rikon and Grizzly. Jet and Powermatic don't compare well in this price range and Delta is a non-issue to me these days and we are under the budget to start considering European saws. If I was king of the world I would tune up an old Delta 28-350 20" and drop it at the OP's door when I think of a modest sized saw for a turner on a budget it is the first thing that comes to mind, the only negative is the table height which is a little high if they do a lot of heavy blank cutting.

So yeah I would have certainly discussed the Grizzly 513s and mentioned the new G0817 but I understand and respect having manufacturers that are off a to buy list as I have several.