bandsaw decision, HELP!

[Curt Secor]

I have been losing too much sleep and staring at this monitor too long trying to figure out what bandsaw to get. I have narrowed it down to either the Rikon 14" deluxe, the Grizzly G0513x2 or Grizzly G0514x2. All seem to get great reviews. The Rikon, for budget purposes, looks real attractive at $699 through today, but is it too underpowered for resawing even though it has the 13" capacity? The 2 Grizzly saws are a little over my budget but if I could justify having to buy 1 saw to do all bandsaw duties well, I could find the extra money. I'm afraid with the Rikon that I might grow out of it. Just read that Jet is having a 15% off sale this weekend, that puts the new Jet JWBS 18QT-3 in the mix at the same price as the Grizzly 19". With a 5 year warranty, does it become the front runner? The Italian saws are out of the question for right now. I'm about 200 miles round trip from a Woodcraft store, so it's not easy for me to put my hands on any of these machines. I'm relying on your comments and experiences, good or bad with any of these tools, to help push me over the edge and put me out of my misery.

[glenn bradley]

I was headed for the Rikon (with a commitment to patience while resawing) when a deal on a Grizzly came by. I have the G0513X which is no longer made. Grizzly responded to clamoring for cast iron trunnions with the X2 which is identical except for the steel trunnions on mine (they both use the same hardened gear-teeth on those trunnions and have cast iron wheels). For no real reason . . . I would wish for a bit more power (argh, argh, argh). The brake is not so important to me as I have a smaller bandsaw and if I am done with a large cut and need a quick trim, the larger saw can spin down while I'm still busy at the other saw.

Given a choice I would go with the larger saw. The deeper throat, extra pony and a brake just about cover all my bases. I have used 1/4" blades on the G0513X and it spins them better than my small saw. I have not run anything smaller on it but do run 1/8" blades on my smaller saw most of the time.

I don't hear a lot of good about Jet's customer service and a 5 year warranty is only as good as the level of response behind it. With unexplainable rare exceptions reported here (???), Grizzly's service it tops. At only $94 to ship a 480 pound machine, shipping is almost free.

[Stan Mitchell]

I have the Grizzly G0513x2 and think it one of Grizzly's best products. I originally considered a 14" due to size, but in reality the footprint of most band saws are not the issue - height is.

After using this 17" saw - I'm so glad that I past up the smaller saws. It seems to be the perfect size for my needs.

[Cary Falk]

I have the 513x2. If I had the money at the time I would have purchased the 514x2. The 513x2 had done everything I have asked of it and I am very happy with it. A extra horse never hurt nobody, though.

[Jack Camillo]

I have been losing too much sleep and staring at this monitor too long trying to figure out what bandsaw to get. I have narrowed it down to either the Rikon 14" deluxe, the Grizzly G0513x2 or Grizzly G0514x2. All seem to get great reviews. The Rikon, for budget purposes, looks real attractive at $699 through today, but is it too underpowered for resawing even though it has the 13" capacity? The 2 Grizzly saws are a little over my budget but if I could justify having to buy 1 saw to do all bandsaw duties well, I could find the extra money. I'm afraid with the Rikon that I might grow out of it. Just read that Jet is having a 15% off sale this weekend, that puts the new Jet JWBS 18QT-3 in the mix at the same price as the Grizzly 19". With a 5 year warranty, does it become the front runner? The Italian saws are out of the question for right now. I'm about 200 miles round trip from a Woodcraft store, so it's not easy for me to put my hands on any of these machines. I'm relying on your comments and experiences, good or bad with any of these tools, to help push me over the edge and put me out of my misery.

Oh, it's got ya. It's a disease that affects all us men with our toys. Today it's the bandsaw purchase decision, tomorrow - the drill press. Just try to get some sleep in between

[Mr. Jeff Smith]

Won't knock the others I've not used them, by my 513X2 has worked wonderfully for me. Plenty of capacity and poser for what I do. Should I ever need more power, that is as simple as swapping a motor. Goodluck.

[Bruce Page]

You’ll more likely grow out of the 14” Rikon than the Grizzly 17”. The price difference will be forgotten in a few months and you’ll have much more saw for the money.

[Barry Vabeach]

Sometimes all the advice seems conflicting, but that is not a problem with this question. I agree with everyone else go Grizzly - I have the 513x2 and thought shortly after I bought it that I should have gone for the 514, but have gotten over it, the 513 is a great product. You certainly won't go wrong if you decide to go with the 514, though IMHO you would have to do a lot of large resawing to reqret the 513x2, especially if you used the money you saved to get a dedicated carbide resaw blade. So I say get the 513x2 and if you do a lot of resawing see if you can pick up one of the Laguna resaw blades that were being blown out at about $75.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I had my decision boiled down to the same saws. Either the Rikon deluxe 14" or Grizzly G0513X2. The G0514 was just out of my price range (not to mention my power capacity...I didn't have the amperage to run the 19" saw). I have started using the rule to buy one sizer larger than what I think I'll need as long as I'm not going into debt doing so. It hasn't failed me yet, and I haven't found anything my G0513X2 hasn't been able to handle.

I know the bing/Microsoft cashback promotion is still running. This morning it was at 8%. I didn't see any Grizzly Bandsaws on eBay. Is Grizzly still selling through eBay? How would 8% off the Grizzly saw help your budget? Also, check around for a Grizzly sales flyer those prices.

[Peter Quinn]

Get "Da big one". Or the biggest one you can both afford and fit in your shop. I've never heard anyone complain "My bandsaw is "Too big" to get the job done." Well, there was one guy, with a 42" Yates American once that spanned two floors, but other than him, not one.

[Dan Mitchell]

I have the Grizzly G0457, a bit more $$$, but I like it very much. Very high quality.

[Rick Fisher]

No question, bigger is much much better.. If your saw is strong enough, you will use it much more than you ever imagined.. I have mine in the center of the shop and it gets 5x the use of my tablesaw..

When I had a smaller saw, it sat in the corner.

[Joe Mioux]

I can't comment about either of the two saws, but I can comment on the size of band saws.

It seems that 16-18 inch saws will pretty much do every thing a woodworker would want. Smaller band saws are good for certain things, but not so good for other things. Twenty inch and larger band saws are good for certain cuts, but not so good for other cuts. Think resaw to scroll cuts.

Often you will see shops with two bandsaws (one small 12-14 inch) and one large (greater than 20 inch). I think the 16-18 inch class works pretty well both ways, especially if the bandsaw has a min of 12 inch resaw capacity. Most do in this class.

[Jack Ganssle]

I have a G0514X2 and a G0555X 14" bandsaw. The little one gets a variety of blades depending on what I'm doing. The big one always has a 1" blade in it and never gets used for cutting curves. It's a huge machine, incredibly stable, way powerful. It'll take wood as fast as I can feed it.

It's positioned in my 2 car garage so that, with one door open, I can feed a board over 10' long through it. Ripping on it feels so much safer than ripping on the TS.

The table size is huge, which I find to be a big plus. I like the geared table crank, too.

Resawing is a delight. Though the little saw is a great machine, resawing can be somewhat dicey and requires messing with blade drift. Not so on the G0514X2; resawing is very predictable and always yields great results.

It does need 220, which may be a problem for some.

But, dang, I love that saw. Worth every penny, and then some. One caveat: don't ever forget to tension the blade before starting the machine. I ruined a blade when it popped off the wheels and got stuck behind them.

The only downside is there's no work light on the machine. So I added one. But when I ran 220 to it I wasn't thinking ahead, and did not run a neutral. So I have to use 220 bulbs, which are expensive and fail often.

[John Coloccia]

All I can saw is that I love my G14X2, and if I'm only going to own one band saw, that's the one I would want. I intend to add a smaller saw for general work, and dedicate the G14 for resawing sometime next year.