Grizzly 17" Bandsaw Fence and Brake Differences

[Van Huskey]

The foot brake on my G0636X works just fine;

John

The 636/701 saws stop faster than the 513/514 saws when braked with similar pressure. I am not sure if it is mechanical advantage, more surface area or higher friction lining material. I have often wondered if replacing the friction material with what I use to reline older bandsaws would make them work quicker but I haven't had the opportunity to try it, plus it is kinda a PITA.

[Paul Fitzgerald]

Thanks everyone for the insight! I really don't *need* the G0513X2BF, but it's the one I find myself drawn to. :-)

My table saw is the most used tool in my shop, but I love my bandsaw! I use it a lot more than I ever expected too.

...

My first bandsaw was a $400 14" open base Delta. If you search my post history, you'll find my saga! It took some persuasion and some cash to reduce the shaking and vibrations. I put about $200 into upgrades right out of the gate.

I think I probably outgrew that saw within about 6 months. I didn't really know what I needed back then. The 3/4 hp motor just couldn't keep up with anything more than the least demanding tasks. Granted, I did do a lot of simple stuff with it and it was fine for those things. There were a few times I wish I had more throat capacity or resaw capacity, but I found acceptable workarounds.

I mostly do stuff around the house. I've built lots of shop projects, some planters, a guinea pig cage stand (and another one planned), shelving and storage cabinets, and stuff like that. I'm really interested in doing furniture, but just haven't taken the plunge. I have also done lots of little boxes and a neat little laminated candle centerpiece, so resaw capability is important to me. I like to resaw my 1/4" and 3/8" material from rough lumber.

I mostly switched between a small blade (1/4") for curves and general stuff and a 1/2" woodslicer blade. Physical space isn't really an issue. I will want mobility, but I don't need to keep the size or weight down.

I could probably get away with another 14" like the G0555X or G0555XH, but the budget creep Van Huskey mentioned started to seep in. At $1150 for the G0555XH, I could spend a little bit more and get a steel frame 14". Heck, for $999, I could get a steel frame 17".

Then I started looking at the differences between the G0513 and the G0513X2-- cast iron wheels and trunnions, bigger table, brake options and I thought... well, I probably ought to try and avoid having to do all this over again, right?

I think the 17" would be a good sweet spot for me. Bigger and more powerful than I think I need so I don't regret not going bigger to begin with. But not so big that it's clearly too much saw for me. The more expensive 17" and the 19" saws are definitely too much saw for me.

It'll probably be a few more months before I pull the trigger. We're selling our house and as long as there are no issues with the contract, we'll need to be out of here at the end of September. Our new home won't be ready until November-ish, so we'll probably need to find a short term rental for a couple months. And to top it all off, that's also about the same time my baby boy is due! Now till the end of the year is going to be crazy!

Thanks again!