bandsaws - grizzly or jet

[xxxx]

Yeah -- I've done the web search / investigation. Wanted to know what the community opinion was. I'm looking for a bandsaw that's capable of resawing a min of 10". I only have 120. Current Jet pricing is confusing (besides pretty expensive).

New 14" JWBS-14sf 13.5" resaw, resaw fence, 1900

16" jwbs-16B 10" resaw 1429 18" jwbs-18qt 12.25" resaw 1785

seems like the 18 should be more than the 16 and why is the 14" so pricy?

For Grizzy I'm looking at a 2hp motor that's 110 capable. They have a handful of choices also g0457 10" resaw 995 g0513 12" resaw 895 Why cheaper? g0513x2 12" resaw 1095 g0513x2b 12" resaw 1295 g0513x2f 12" resaw 1250

I think Jet has almost priced themselves out or the running, unless there's a really really good reason to go with them. Recommendations pro or con are welcomed. Thx

[krw]

In that price range, Laguna has a low-end offering. I haven't seen it but:

[G. Ross]

I have a 14" Griz. with riser block kit and am satisfied with it. If at all possible I recommend running a 220v. line and wiring the motor accordingly. I started with 120 and it sure made a difference on 220v.

I mainly use it for cutting green wood to make bowl blanks and it never bogs down.

[Leon]

As krw has pointed out the Laguna is worth every consideration. The ceramic Laguna guides are a gread advantage.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Normally, you'd expect that. Perhaps the smaller saws have a heavier cast frame versus a steel welded frame. or better table, base, etc. Have you been able to actually look at the details? In that price range, I'd look at some of the other brands too.

[woodchucker]

Not so fast on the low end Laguna, it di not rate so high for a few reasons in a comparison with the Rikon. The power of the low end Laguna was pretty poor back in 2005-6.. I was looking through some old mags the other day for something for Bill, and saw the article..

I would look for current reviews, they may have upped the motor on it.

[Ralph E Lindberg]

You would have to rewire the BS to run it on 110, and then it would take a 25 amp service and a 10 gauge cord

Check the differences between the fence on the 457 and the 513. I have the 457 and that fence is really good. If you are really needed a resaw that fence would be a good option

Where I live (the greater Seattle area) we have a choice between going to the Griz headquarters in Bellingham and Equipment Sales and Surplus (which is across the road from Jet/PM headquarters and sells the return/refurbished units) If you can wait, this results in great deals, if you can't Griz is always there. I didn't wait on the BS and for the 457, I did on the wife's lathe (1221) and saved about 40% (we went on a waiting list and it took about

4 months)

[Leon]

Well in all seriousness he wants resawing capacity of at least 10". I don't think he is going to get good results from anything running on 110 volt.

[Leon]

What exactly are you planing to do with this saw given your statement that you want a minimum resaw capacity of 10"

The fact that you do not currently have 220 volts available might mean that any saw you buy, that only has a 110 volt power supply, might not be up to the task of resawing 10" wide boards.

In most cases of these lower hp saws that run on 110 volts considering the fact that the saw has the height requirements to resaw 10" does not mean that they will actually be capable of doing so. Look at it like the speedometer on the typical new car these days. Most go up to 160 mph, and 99% are not capable of coming close to reaching those speeds.

If you are wanting to mostly resaw boards in that 10" neighborhood and want a new saw you are going to want to look at something with considerably more than 2 hp.

Keep in mind that to resaw wide boards that HP is not the only important thing to consider. You also need a saw with a wider blade capacity so that it can be tensioned properly and not drift. Will any of the saws that you are considering allow you to use a 1" or wider blade? Will the saw that uses a wider blade be capable of holding the tension of a wider blade?

There is a lot more to consider when buying a BS if you plan on using the saw to its stated resaw capacity and if you want good results.

Now if you are splitting 8"~10" wide logs for firewood that is another matter completely, you really do not care if the cut is perfectly straight and flat or not.

[Larry Blanchard]

Leon, I've got the 14" Rikon with 13" resaw. It runs on 110 and I've resawn 10"-12" logs on it with no problems. Since it's two speed, I did put it on the lower speed to "shift down" so to speak but I didn't test to see if that was really necessary.

[Larry Blanchard]

Leon, I thought the current wisdom was that a 1/2" blade was best for resaw. Perhaps because of the tensioning you mentioned. I know the Woodslicer is a 1/2" blade and at least one well known bandsaw book recommends a 1/2" blade.

[woodchucker]

That really depends on the size of the saw. An 18 or 21 inch saw can use 1" or 1 1/2 respectively.

[Leon]

For relatively narrow stick yes.

Personally I use a 1.25" resaw blade when I want flat and deep cuts. When I don't really care about the yield out of a 3/4" thick board I leave a 1/2" blade on my saw that also sees a lot of action cutting rawhide chews for the dog. ;~)

.The 1/2" will resaw but I would not want to be resawing 10" wide boards with it. 1/2" is certainly better than 3/8" or 1/4". But when resawing wider and or harder boards the blades will tend to warm up and stretch more the smaller that they are. The tighter those blades are the less flexing and wander you get when the distance between the upper and lower guides increases, and in the OP's requirements, to 10 or more inches. The wider blades tend to disparate heat better and stretch less. Then on top of that some band saws are simply not ridged enough to not "give" themselves, when cranking up the tension for the wider blades.

The big question is what the OP intends to do with his saw since he mentioned a minimum of 10" resaw capacity.

[Leon]

Are those green logs? Are you resawing to get veneers? Do you do a lot of this type resawing? Hardwoods?

No doubt you are having success with this but do you think you are getting the same results and speed as with a larger more powerful saw?

Basically the OP is asking for at least 10" resaw capacity and we do not know what he expects from there and he is looking at a wide range of saws. If he is going to use his BS as the typical woodworker does I'm sure most all that he is looking at will suffice. If he wants to mostly cut veneers that wide he should be looking at a more robust group of saws.

[Bill]

Leon, I just want to applaud the huge amount of knowledge you've dispensed in this thread. As I read along, I didn't expect to pick up any new knowledge or insight hat I didn't already possess. But I did. And even if I hadn't, I am applauding anyway.

Bill

[Leon]

You are welcome Bill and what I said is not gospel. I learned by the school of hard knocks. LOL

Actually I learned a lot from the Laguna web site after not being pleased with what I thought was going to be a big upgrade on a saw purchase.

In a nut shell BS's these days are not what they used to be. So buy an older one that was built when they still cared about quality or buy a heaver duty one.

The biggest issues with band saws is that there are so many adjustments to take into consideration and when taxing the saw and blade both tend to "give/stretch". That movement throws your previously made adjustments out. When the blade stretches or contracts it can wander more if the guides and frame of the saw are not heavy duty enough to keep the blade tracking correctly. Laguna has some pretty unique guides to help combat this issue.

Now for every day run of the mill cutting through stock like which you might cut on your table saw most band saws will handle that with out too many issues. Get in to resawing wider boards and you want rock solid.