14" Bandsaw, Rigid or Delta?

[taxpayer779]

After my last project I've determined the time is ripe for a bandsaw. I've narrowed my choice down to either the Rigid BS144 or Delta 28-276. Any opinions on either?

[John]

Deep down I don't have a lot of faith with Rigid - and personally would go with the Delta, or even the Grizzly or Jet saws before I would even look at Rigid

John

[Robert A. Gramza]

I have the Ridgid bandsaw Bs14002 which I received for free. (My mom won it). After using it for a while I have the following concerns.

The lower door for access does not open fully. It lets you get enough to change the blade but it is a bad design.

The lower guide assembly is hard to adjust.

My lower wheel wobbles to the tune of about .023. You can see it as plain as day when you watch the wheel spin. I am trying to get a replacement wheel since the saw is brand new but so far I have been referred to 3 different numbers by the "service centers" and am now going to call a 4th. Seems as though the centers do not do anything with the big tools. They also require you to bring the saw in. If the 4th. center requires it, I'll pass on it since buying a replacement wheel would be cheaper than the time and gas required to haul the saw around. So much for their warranty. They make it extremely difficult. These service centers are in the Chicago area by the way.

The riser kit from Ridgid parts is about 135.00, the one from Grizzly is around 50.00. The Grizzly fits great. Talk about over-priced accessories.

The lower wheel is out of plane from the top wheel by about an 1/8th. inch. The tire on the lower wheel has bumps on it that will need to be sanded off.

All in all pretty bad build on the saw from the factory. This saw taught me what to look for in a bandsaw. I'm glad it was free. If I had bought one it would be going back.

[Bill Thomas]

Greetings,

Usually the choice comes down to Jet or Delta. If not one of those, then perhaps something from Harbor Freight. Remember, you usually get what you pay.

What kind of thing do you plan cut? How thick? For .125 inch puzzle pieces, a table jig saw would work best. For turning blanks, almost anything with a riser block will work.

Post your reply and the group can give you some better advice.

Sincerely, Bill Thomas

[firstjois]

When I was ready to buy a band saw it came down to the delta and the jet, too. Everything about the delta seemed better made than the jet, more attention to detail - made the jet seem shoddy IMHO so I got the delta. Have you seen both machines side by side? Might be worth a look.

Josie

[GregP]

There are other choices:

[bf]

I have an older delta (around 1992, I know that's not that old).. It is a dream to work with.

Of course now, I'm not sure if they've "value engineered" it in the past 12 years, but at the time it was hands down the best quality. IIRC, it was about $200-250 more than the Jet, but worth it.

The general problems you will have with the cheaper bandsaws is that the wheels won't be balanced as well,etc.

Whatever saw you buy, get Mark Duniskinge's book on tuning the bandsaw (probabaly mispelled his name)

[Layne]

Adding to this:

If you can, scour the local classifieds, Pennysaver, etc. I found my used Delta in an online classified ad. It was maybe a couple of years old and hardly used. It came with the miter guage and mobile base too. The whole set up cost me $250. Just remember if you go the used route to have cash on hand, but be willing to say "no" if you see a problem with the saw. I haven't had to order parts yet, but I understand that getting parts from Delta is very easy.

Layne

ps, you'll love the micrometer upper and lower guide adjusters. They're worth the extra price over Jet or Ridgid.