I just paid for a 17" Shop Fox W1707 band saw locally - but haven't picked it up yet (so I can still back out of the deal if I need to).
Here's a link: http://www.woodstockinternational.com/w1707
Is this a good saw? I'm unable to find a review or in-depth user comments online. I realize it's basically a Grizzly 17" with iron wheels and a bigger table. Are there any reasons NOT to buy this one?
For $100 more I can buy the 19" W1729 from the same folks instead.
Here's the link: http://www.woodstockinternational.com/w1729
I'm a true believer in NOT buying undersized. I want to be able to cut unusually-shaped "artistic" pieces, and also resaw. The 17" is said to take 1/8" to 1" blades, and the 19" is supposed to take 1/8" to 1-1/4" blades.
One concern about the larger 19" saw. The actual weight posted on the side of it's crate is about 15 lbs *LIGHTER* than that of the smaller saw. I note that the table tilt mechanism may be less beefy, but the table itself is larger. I'm thinking maybe there'll be more FLEX in the larger saw's frame.
Anybody have advice or 1st-hand experience?