Bridgewood bandsaw comments

[keith frampton]

I looked at a 15 year old Bridgewood bandsaw (I think it was model BA18). It does not look anything like the newer professional saws that Bridgewood sells. It has 18" wheels with a 2 HP motor and is quite poor condition. The seller is asking $500, which I think is way too much considering the condition. The guides are steel blocks and there does not seem to be a blade tension spring. It only puts tension via screw pressure. The owner said that he cannot track blades less than 3/8" and has problems with blade breakage (due to no spring?). The tires look in bad shape. There is no dust collection port. The owner did not currently have a blade so I could not see it run. The blade guard was far from smooth when raising and lowering the post.

It doesn't appear to be worth the money based on how much would need to be fixed. I would appreciate any comments if you have experience with this model saw.

Thanks, Keith

keith [e-mail]

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Based on your comments, it does not seem to be worth much at all. Will it do what you want it to do? Can it be made to do it and if so, at what cost?

While it would be nice to have an 18" saw, this sounds like it will need much work before you will know if it is going to be suitable. Do you expect to use blades narrower than 3/8"? If blades do not track and small blades break, it sounds like it is good for rough cutting, not fine work or re-sawing expensive woods.

I'm not sure it would be a good deal at $5, let alone $500. Ed