Now that I finally realize how useful a band saw can be, I think I want one. But, finances what they are, I am not going to be looking at high end units. The Ridgid is well within my price range but I've heard too many negatives about it. HF, pretty much the same, well within my price range, but . . . I want an inexpensive saw for some occasional resawing and doing curves in material that the scroll saw can't easily handle. From specifications and from reading the reviews of others I suspect that a 14" will do me just fine. What I absolutely don't want is one that takes a lot of tweaking and adjusting to make it run smoothly. I want something that has been engineered and manufactured to run smoothly right out of the box. So to speak.
Of the various brands, I see that Jet and Grizzley make things in my price range (I have to stay under 1K including a couple or so extra blades!). I suspect Grizzley is only mail-order. I also would much rather pick one up (I'm in Los Angeles area) rather than having one shipped. The local Rockler store has Jet, Sears carries Rikon mod 10-320, Woodcraft has the Rikon
10-325.So, long story short, what would be the most respected, easiest to set up and use, stationary bandsaws in the 14" range that I might be able to pick up at a local store?
thanks, Ralph