Rigid 14" bandsaw BS1400

[Prashun Patel]

Anyone own one of these? Are you happy with it? I am deciding between this and the Grizzly G055/G0580. Does the Rigid come with a fence?

[Ben Rafael]

I had one. It does not come with a fence. My only complaint is that it is underpowered.
It has a good manual. If you use the manual to set up and fine tune the saw it will work fine. I had no vibration issues, the base was stable.
I used it for a few years, got fed up with the lack of power and sold it and bought a minimax.

[Dave Sweeney]

Take a trip over to the Ridgid Forum and do a Search on the BS1400. It won't take you long to realize that there are more complaints about that BS than there are compliments.

[Danny Thompson]

I asked several woodworkers this same question about a year ago. The only real complaint I heard about the Rigid was the one Ben raised. In general, they said 3/4 hp in the BS1400 and G0580 isn't enough for resawing. One had gone to the effort to replace the motor with a 1 1/2 hp version. If you plan on resawing very often, I would recommend going with the G0555 (1 hp) or, even better, the G0555X (1 1/2 hp).

FWIW, resawing was important to me, so I saved up for another 6 months and got the Rikon 14-325 on sale for $675. It offerer an additional 6" resaw capacity!

[Doug Rogers]

I just got the G0555 and love it. The customer service was excellent. I ordered it on a Thursday afternoon and it was on the delivery truck Friday morning. I used the liftgate service and had the machine placed on my shop floor with the pallet jack.

I had one minor problem with the indicator for the table leveler. It was put together with air tools and could not be adjusted. I called Grizzly and they sent new parts out the same day that I called. You can't get any better support.

The G055 has the tension release handle and a 1hp motor. The 6" riser block is available for $60. The only plastic on this machine is the switch. The cuts are good with the factory blade. The price differential is less than $100.

If you go with the G0555, save yourself some aggravation and don't buy the ShopFox mobile base. The swivel casters will not allow the base to roll.

I have no connection with Grizzly, just a happy customer!

Bandsaw.jpg

Doug Rogers

[Mike Sandman]

I have one, and it's not bad, although one of the wheels was way out of balance -- too much to rebalance simply by drilling holes in the metal web on the heavy side. After that was corrected (by adding weight to the light edge of the wheel) it set up well, runs with minmal vibration and cuts accurately. A 1/2" blade is about the max. I think I'd try, and it is a bit underpowered for resawing.

It doesn't come with either a fence or a miter guage, and the dust port is an afterthough that doesn't work very well. But it was $100 - $250 less than similar 3/4HP 14" saws, and even if it came with a fence I'd probably have purchased a better aftermarket one. Buy good blades for it and take the time to set it up carefully.

If you plan to resaw using a riser I think you'd be better with a more powerful saw, but for less demanding tasks it's OK and a quite a good value.



Mike

[Lance Norris]

I have a Ridgid bs14002 and after a few tweeks, its a fine saw. I dont resaw with it, I have a 2 hp Grizzly for that. If you use it understanding its limitations, you will do well with it. It will resaw, just not at lightning speed. For what it costs, its a good value.

[brett gallmeyer]

I bought the G0555 about six months ago and I couldn't be happier. I've installed the 6" riser block and have resawn 8" hard maple with ease. The setup is great and there customer service is awsome!

I'm not trying to knock on the Ridgid Bandsaw. I have their TS3650 Table Saw and I'm extreamly satisfied with it. See my other posts about it "My Ridgid TS3650 Table Saw"

Brett G.

P.S. on a side note, if you happen to get the Grizzly G0555 I have an extra riser kit still in box never used. I accidently ordered two when I purchased mine and have been sitting on it waiting for someone I know to buy one.