Is the brake on a band saw worth $150? Grizzly G0513X2 vs G0513X2B

[Kent Chasson]

I bought that saw before they had a brake option and I wish mine had a brake. I timed it once after I had a close call. After being off for 30 seconds, it would still cut a 3/4" x 3/4" piece of cherry in half..... bigger than a finger. If you have a dust collector and ear protection on, there is no way to hear it running. 30 seconds with other things on your mind is plenty of time to forget.

[Michael Heffernan]

Just to clarify, the G0513x2 does not have a foot brake.

My bad, thought it also came with the foot brake. I'd go with the 514X2 if you can afford it.

[Bruce Darrow]

Rick:

I spent the extra for the motor brake - never having used a foot brake, I can't speak to its potential advantages, but the motor brake seems to work just fine.

The other upgrades on the X2B really make the money well spent. The fence is the same as that shown on the GO701 19" saw and other larger Grizzly saws. It is taller, even without the resaw attachment, has a better locking mechanism, and the rail it rides on is solid steel bar stock, as opposed to extruded aluminum. Its mounting makes initial setup and (if or when) necessary, drift correction alignment, a breeze.

Additionally, for what its worth, you get the bear cutout wheels shown, again, on the larger saws. Pure bling, but some folks seem to like it.

$150 for brake, steel and iron over aluminum and bling - should be a no-brainer! Spend the money. You'll be glad you did.

[Scott T Smith]

I have a G0513XB2 and really like it alot (along with the electric brake). It replaced a larger bandsaw that had a manual brake, and IMO the electric is better a better option.

I also have a 16" horizontal resaw, and wish that it had an electric brake. It takes a few minutes to slow down and stop.

A footswitch that activated the brake (upon removing your foot from the switch) would be a nice safety feature on a bandsaw.

[Rod Sheridan]

If I were to buy a new bandsaw, I'd opt for a mechanical or electric brake.

My present bandsaw doesn't have one and I often find myself waiting impatiently for it to coast to a stop.

Regards, Rod.

[Jim O'Dell]

That was one of the options I had decided I wouldn't go without on a bandsaw. Would probably still be holding out for a MM16 had the E16 not had that feature. Now that it sounds like Grizzly has some options, I wouldn't hesitate to look that direction. Still for me, and what I was able to get the E16 for, I think I did ok. Jim.

[Dan Karachio]

I would love to have a saw with one. Don't be cheap! Do it and be happy and live out the dreams of others! :-)

[Peter Quinn]

I really like machines with brakes. I guess they are a result of the Euro nanny state where they are required, but in realty I'd think the number of accidents that happen while a machine is winding down are few. But those safety types are always chasing margins and working towards absolute safety. Fact is most machine accidents happen during use, and once you have cut off a finger its nice to shut the saw down fast so you can collect your severed digits and get to the hospital, because time is critical at that moment! I am not being sarcastic here, I really mean this. I hope the plane never crashes, but I'm glad they have those floating seat cushions in case it does, and for me the brake is the same idea.

For me the BS is not a tool where I am constantly changing set ups and get annoyed by the time waiting for it to stop. On a shaper or TS I really like the braking motors for quick set up adjustments. For the BS its just a worst case scenario for me. Mine has a foot break, I almost never use it, I'm glad its there.

[Van Huskey]

As I have said before I am a huge fan of foot brakes on BSs. You can use them hands free and from most any place you will be working on a bandsaw, not true for a motor brake. I would say that John's idea for a foot operated switch for the motor brake on the 513X2B (or any motor brake only saw) is an excellent one. The 513 series is an excellent balance of capacity and price and when on sale really makes 14" saws look like poor values.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

Yes, a brake is a necessity unless you have the patience to wait for eons while the saw runs down.

Budget considerations aside, a 3 phase saw under 3 hp and a VFD allows you to program in dynamic braking.

Budget consideration included, my bias is for older machines; thus I suggest you consider an older 3 phase bandsaw and spend $150-200 for a VFD. You will get a top quality saw and a larger one, should you want it.
Check out owwm.org and look at the bandsaw posts and purchase gloats.

Ruperto

[John Coloccia]

Let me start by saying that I'm not an electrician, I don't have your saw in front of me, I don't know that this won't blow up your house or make you ugly, and this post contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer. It's your responsibility to do or not do anything here based on your own judgement, and if you're unsure call a pro. I think I've covered everything.

Soooo, someone sent me a PM asking how to actually wire up a foot switch. I figured I'd just respond in the thread. There are two types of OFF switches....there's a momentary pushbutton and an e-stop style button that will latch once you push it and you have to twist it to get back out. Either way, when the button is out, the relay coil can get power, and when it's pushed in the power is cut to the coil. This line is the line you're interested in. You can either trace it back to the magnetic switch and hookup there or you could conceivably even drill a hole and come right out at the control panel where the other switched are. You could even drill a hole further down the pillar and come out there. Doesn't matter. The warning regardless of what you do is that THERE WILL BE FULL OUTLET POWER ON THIS LINE WHEN IT'S PLUGGED IN. You're not playing with low voltage DC stuff here...this is can-kill-you stuff so do it right or get an electrician to do it. Any electrician can do this in minutes.

Anyhow, you want to put a momentary off foot switch IN SERIES with this wire. When you step on it, it will kill the power to the coil, the relay will pop and everything shuts off. I don't know what it draws. I'd guess it's 1A or so, but you're breaking an inductive load so you need more than that. The switches on my G0514X2 are rated 10A@250V. Any foot pedal that meets that requirement or greater will work fine. Specifically, you're looking for an SPDT or DPDT style switch. The DT part (dual throw) ensures that you will be able to hook it up for momentary off. Don't even bother looking for a "momentary off" footswitch. Linemaster makes nice footswitches. You should be able to do this for WELL under $100. It'll probably cost about $20 or $30 between the footswitch, some wire and a strain relief.

If you decide to buy a footswitch with a cord already on it, which I don't recommend, but if you do the one you're going to want is the one that says the contacts are "NC" for Normally Closed. If you happen to have one that's wired for NO (normally open) you can probably rewire it normally closed anyhow.

[Trent Shirley]

I just purchased the 513X2B and like the magnetic brake. Granted a foot brake would be convenient but the magnetic brake stops the blade in about 2.5 seconds. The one drawback is you have to remember to turn off the keyswitch after every use or the brake stays engaged drawing power.

I was not real impressed with the way they shipped my bandsaw. The thin cheap wood almost-a-pallet was busted up pretty bad before I picked it up from the shipping company. And because the pallet was broken at the top the wood moved upward and bent the key in half as it was shipped sticking out of the keyswitch on the machine.
It arrived without any other damage though. Seems to work well but I have no good blades to set it up with yet.

[Joe Angrisani]

Trent.... The idea of the foot switch is to add a hands-free shutdown to the magnetic brake saws.