5x6 mitering head bandsaw selection

[RichieP_MechE]

I'm in the market for a mitering head bandsaw after running into capacity limitations with my Harbor Freight Hercules portaband in the benchtop stand.

I don't want something too large, but I can comfortably fit a 5x6 saw in my space. It seems there are a couple options that are more or less functionally identical:

JET HBS-56S - https://jettools.com/hbs-56s-5-x-6-horizontal-mitering-bandsaw - $1279 at Home Depot
Grizzly G9742 - https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-5-x-6-1-2-hp-metal-cutting-bandsaw-w-swivel-head/g9742 - $1174 at Home Depot
Baleigh Industrial BS-128M - https://baileigh.com/portable-metal-cutting-band-saw-bs-128m - seems to run $1459 most places but Eastwood has it listed for $1259
Shop Fox M1013 - https://www.grizzly.com/products/shop-fox-5-x-6-1-2-hp-metal-cutting-bandsaw/m1013 - $1279 on Amazon

There are also the Femi variants - the Dake SE 5x6 RCT looks like it might be getting discontinued (the link on the Dake website goes to a 404 page) but it seems to be available from vendors for the time being ranging from $1450 to ~$1600. My understanding is that the Dake is a Femi ABS NG160.

I like the the wider mitering range of the Taiwan saws - 45 right to 60 left - as well as the hydraulic downfeed. Though reviews on them are hit or miss. The Dake seems to be a higher quality saw but has a more limited mitering range and gravity downfeed.

Anyone have experience with any of the saws I listed here? Any others machines in this size range to consider?

 

[GeoBruin]

I have previously owned the Grizzly you linked, and currently own the smaller cousin to the Femi/Dake (Ng120 ABS).

First off, I consider the various Taiwan saws you listed to be a different class than the true benchtop saws like the Femi. While they are technically able to be dismounted from their bases/stands, you're not going to be picking them up by hand and moving them around. They're heavy, but that's a good thing for the most part.

The cast aluminum base saws like the Femi could be reasonably (though, with some annoyance I'm sure) be moved around between work surfaces or taken with you to a job site.

Next, the Femi saws have a direct drive, variable speed, DC motor. The other saws have an AC motor with a belt drive and a hand full of speeds available by moving the belt. The ability to quickly dial in the blade speed is a nice feature on the Femi, but it comes with the penalty of being quite noisy. Here is a YouTube video I shot recently comparing the sound of my vertical bandsaw, the femi, and a portaband. The femi is basically as loud as a portaband.

The other significant difference in the two types of saw is the down feed mechanism. The bigger saws have a hydraulic downfeed limiter. Note I don't say hydraulic downfeed, since that is a whole separate thing. This is a great feature. It allows you to adjust the down feed from very fast (especially given the weight of the saw body) to very, very slow, or even stop altogether at any point in the cutting arc with amazing control.

The femi (at least the ABS series) have a sort of clutch mechanism that essentially provides 4 different levels of resistance to help slow the rate of descent, but it will not stop it completely and frankly doesn't feel like it's doing much at all. I find myself using my hand to lower the saw (which is required), engaging the material, then I may be able to remove my hand for solid material but for hollow sections, I find myself using my hand to help the saw transition between (for example) the horizontal part of a square tube or angle iron and the vertical part, because otherwise there is such an abrupt change in the saws behavior that it will affect cut accuracy. These are non issues with the hydraulic limited downfeed as you can control the cut entirely using the valve control or just set your feed rate and walk away.

Now the benefit of the Femi is that it cuts straight. It cut straight the day I got it and it has cut straight ever since. I've never had to adjust anything (which is good because there really isn't anything to adjust). Not so with the Grizzly. There are adjustments on the blade guides, but they're fiddly and not repeatable. You basically have to just keep fiddling with them until you're happy with the cut, then pray you don't ever have to touch anything again.

The left/right mitering ability of the bigger saws is nice, but not the biggest deal to flip the material most of the time in my case. I also found that the miter scale on the Grizzly was not reliable, so I would end up setting a stop at an angle (usually 45) based on empirical measurements and then would end up flipping the material anyway because I knew I would get the same angle on the corresponding cut.

All that said, I sold the grizzly because I needed the floor space and my smaller Femi just fits better. I also liked the idea of it just cutting straight all the time which is nice. Having now owned both saws though, if I had the room, I would sell the Femi, buy another Grizzly, and just deal with the blade adjustment or tune/modify the adjustment mechanism.

The hydraulic adjustment on the downfeed is just that worth it, and the near silent running is just icing on the cake. Maybe the slight variation between some of the Taiwan saws includes better blade adjustment on some of the other models. Might be worth getting a hold of the manuals and taking a quick look. Or perhaps others will chime in.

Hope that helps.

 

[paulsomlo]

I have the Dake SE 5x6 RCT, I paid around $1500 for it and yes, it's the same as the Femi NG160, for a lot less money. I've used it a bunch, haven't mitered very much at all, mostly straight cuts. The only thing I don't like about it, is blade changes - they're a bit cumbersome. I haven't had any other bandsaw, so I don't know if the Taiwan saws are any better in that regard. It cuts straight and doesn't take up a lot of room. The only issue I've had, is that the auto shutoff didn't shut off a few times, but that may just be a matter of adjusting the switch position.

 

[RichieP_MechE]

All that said, I sold the grizzly because I needed the floor space and my smaller Femi just fits better. I also liked the idea of it just cutting straight all the time which is nice. Having now owned both saws though, if I had the room, I would sell the Femi, buy another Grizzly, and just deal with the blade adjustment or tune/modify the adjustment mechanism.

The hydraulic adjustment on the downfeed is just that worth it, and the near silent running is just icing on the cake.

This is the exact kind of feedback I was looking for, thank you!

 

[Renegade1LI]

I have a Grizzly G0613, bought it 4yrs ago. Once set up and adjusted the saw cuts great, consitant cut quality. I have it on a mobile base, easy to move, I've found myself using it slot. It's smooth, quiet, just makes cutting metal enjoyable.

 

[ez-duzit]

I have been well pleased with the Vectrax 7" x 10" mitering vertical/horizontal gearhead bandsaw.

 

[whateg01]

...

The other significant difference in the two types of saw is the down feed mechanism. The bigger saws have a hydraulic downfeed limiter. Note I don't say hydraulic downfeed, since that is a whole separate thing. ...

Thank you for making that distinction! It annoys me when people refer to it as downfeed.

I didn't look at the links but if there is a difference in the vises, I like the quick clamp mechanism on the bigger Grizzlies. I don't remember if the smaller one has the same type. If you are just doing a bunch of 1off cuts, it's not the end of the world but if you have to make a bunch of cuts on the same piece, it's so nice to be able to release and reclamp quickly and without having to sometimes move the moveable jaw to get the screw to re-engage.

 

[larry4406]

I remembered this thread on the Grizzly G9742. Might have some nuggets of info. OP hasn't been around for several years.

Grizzly Metal BandSaw G9742

I received a G9742 bandsaw today. After much deliberation and some frustration with my old Dewalt abrasive chopsaw, I set off on a bandsaw journey. In a perfect world, I would select a quality US made precision machine with perfect fit and finish for under $1000. Oops. That world doesn't...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[BFHtime]

I think that I will end up getting something similar, and I appreciate the opinions.

 

[sqznby]

I have that Grizzly 9742, have owned it for about 6 years now.
Bought it for three reasons, small footprint, swivel head and feed control. I call it my mini Ellis, even though it's far from an Ellis
I love the swivel head and feed control. I think once you have that it's hard to deal without it especially if you're making a lot of cuts.
I typically use a gauge to get the angles set and as for the guides, I usually leave them at their widest settings and just go slow. I have little no issues with blade wander and most if not, all cuts have been dead nuts or pretty darn close to it.

The most annoying thing is the vibration from the motor, doesn't and hasn't affected the cuts. But, since @larry4406 (Thank You) posted that link, I'm going to do some adjusting this weekend on it to see what that does.

All in all, I'm happy with it. It has worked great every time and has always made very clean cuts in thin wall stainless tubing and 1/4" steel tubing. I don't use it for vertical cutting, I ended up acquiring one a few years ago.

 

[sqznby]

This was for some s***s and giggle all cut on my G9742, love the feed control.
4 x 6 x 1/2" with a 1/2" blade mind you
Two cuts at a very slow snail's pace = just over an hour

 

[ez-duzit]

... just over an hour

That is just crazy. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

 

[sqznby]

That is just crazy. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

I agree but since this basically was for fun and I was doing a few other things, didn't bother me.
I didn't adjust my speed, the majority of what I cut is thin wall stainless tubing (and some smaller 2x2 x 1/4" wall tubing) and didn't want to go through the trouble for a couple of random cuts.