Let's talk vertical wood bandsaws

[78C-10]

Hey folks, I'm in the market for a good but affordable (under $500) wood cutting bandsaw. My uncle, a master with a bandsaw told me to get a Powermatic saw. Well I looked them up and after I picked my jaw up off the floor I realized I couldn't afford one. I'd like to hear about and see what everyone else has.

He also said Grizzly was not a good brand of tools. Anyone else agree/disagree?

Also in looking for a bandsaw do I go new or is used ok or a **** shoot?

 

[78C-10]

I am just a weekend warrior woodworker. This saw won't be used every day. Just on the occasional weekend. Thank you

 

[James-W]

Exactly what is it that you plan to do with it?

 

[Marctrees]

78c- Absolutely get a used Old Iron one, such as Delta.

NO question.

I'd be glad to help you personally with this.

Marc

 

[Marctrees]

PM sent to 78c. Marc

 

[slodat]

You can get a good, old American made 14" bandsaw for well under $500 if you take your time and watch Craigslist close. Far superior to anything being made today for under $1k.

 

[Shop Dad]

Vintage American iron is the way to go. I have two Powermatic bandsaws, both gotten for $500 or less. 14" model 141 is considered by many to be the best 14" BS ever made with its cast upper wheel housing and two-bearing arbor on each wheel. The long made 20" model 81 is even more robust with great resaw.

 

[gungatim]

as far as grizzly, they are a decent line of tools. Asian made, but usually better quality and features than HF. they also have very good service.

the premium lines like Powermatic, Rikon, etc. are not going to be in your price point. personally I use a Jet and have been very pleased with it. I don't think you can get it under $500 any more, I think I paid $459 for mine many years ago.

for $500 your best bet is going to be a used machine. unless you like restoring old iron, stick with a used Delta or other name brand (except craftsman). you'll undoubtedly be replacing the tires, guides, tweaking and truing to get it to resaw accurately, so you don't want something with odd sizes that will be difficult to find parts/blades for.

 

[My Old Tools]

New Powermatic and Deltas come from the same Asian factories that the others come from. Older Powermatic 141 and Delta 14" saws are the ones to look for.

 

[bigdav160]

Italians make awesome band saws. Probably the best.

I have a used Meber 16 that I paid $300 for.

 

[cheechi]

Rikon is a premium line?

My Asian PC from Lowes is nothing special, but it works the way I want it to and all the common aftermarket parts like fence, tires, etc all fit on it. I'd like to have an older Delta but after a few years of waiting it didn't happen so I just got a decent new one.

 

[slodat]

I paid $450 for the Powermatic on the left. It's a great saw. I bought the 20" Crescent on the right for $350. I have $800 or so in it including a new 2HP motor.



Before/after of the 20":

 

[Maui]

I just sold the exact same 14" Powermatic bandsaw that slotdat shows above for $375.00. It needed new tires, and some other maintenance performed. And I was just not going to get that project completed.

Maui

 

[PugetDude]

He also said Grizzly was not a good brand of tools. Anyone else agree/disagree?

I disagree, and suspect he's never owned anything from Grizzly.
Their quality is on par with most of what is available new from Delta, Jet, Rikon, Craftsman, etc- they're all made in Asia, and Grizzly has been honing that supply model for years while the others were late to the game..

Grizzly customer service is second to none. I just ordered a new chuck and key for my 30+ year old G1200 drill press- which is still running on the original belts!

Old Iron is great if you can find it and have the mechanical aptitude to deal with years of often-deferred maintenance. (do you want to work on your tools or work on your projects?) If not, take a objective look at Grizzly; they've built a heck of a business over the last 30 years while Old Iron was losing market share, closing factories, consolidating, dropping spares and service support, etc.

99.9 % of weekend woodworking warriors don't need the capabilities of a $2000 bandsaw.

 

[catron44]

I disagree, and suspect he's never owned anything from Grizzly.
Their quality is on par with most of what is available new from Delta, Jet, Rikon, Craftsman, etc- they're all made in Asia, and Grizzly has been honing that supply model for years while the others were late to the game..

Grizzly customer service is second to none. I just ordered a new chuck and key for my 30+ year old G1200 drill press- which is still running on the original belts!

Old Iron is great if you can find it and have the mechanical aptitude to deal with years of often-deferred maintenance. (do you want to work on your tools or work on your projects?) If not, take a objective look at Grizzly; they've built a heck of a business over the last 30 years while Old Iron was losing market share, closing factories, consolidating, dropping spares and service support, etc.

99.9 % of weekend woodworking warriors don't need the capabilities of a $2000 bandsaw.

+1^ right on the money

 

[derosa]

I'm in the other camp and think grizzly customer service is awful. I own their 17" bandsaw, the tires went out after 3 months and had to replace them at my cost as they were called a wear item. Apparently I should have pulled them immediately after getting the saw and hair-sprayed the tires back on. So far no trouble with the saw. A year later I was looking for a planer, called grizzly to ask a couple small detail questions, not only did the person not have an answer to any of them but he wouldn't forward me to someone who might know and seemed offended I was even asking; Jet was happy to answer the questions which is why I went with them.
I also received a grizzly dust collector as a gift, one of the basic ones but still very generous. Only issue is I didn't get the receipt with it so when the motor kicked out after less then a year they wouldn't warranty it. Guy on the phone wanted to know how I could prove it was less then a year old without a receipt, when I pointed out that the grizzly manufacturing label on the motor stated that it was only 10 months old he hung up on me.
Grizzly makes stuff to a price point, their customer service has been awful and their quality is questionable. With new I'd check out the lowest end delta, porter cable or Jet. Jet does have decent customer service, one of the gear keys on the planer stripped out after not resetting the roller height from running trim through, Jet was happy to send me a replacement and a spare, personally they're worth the extra over Griz. Even there, they're not a lot more, Jet was roughly 80.00 more with sale price and free shipping to woodcraft, but it came with infeed and outfeed rollers and an enclosed stand which validates the price difference.

 

[Zeke]

I have 2 CM bandsaws, one from the 50's and another from the 80's and the quality is marginal AFA performance goes, if that helps. Learning how to tune one up and getting a decent blade will go a LONG way to improve things.

 

[78C-10]

Thank you all so much for all the information so far. Keep it coming.

 

[Jim C.]

With a little hunting and some patience, you can probably find a great old Delta 14" band saw from the 1950s - 1960s well within your price range. Find the right machine, and with a modest investment in bearings, tires, etc., you'd have a solid, made in the USA, last a lifetime saw. Just my opinion.

Jim C.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Actually, the OLD Craftsman 12" bandsaws are not bad. You might need some bearings and new "tires", but they are well under your budget. A good "starting point" and maybe move up later.

Skip the tilting ones !


Actually the old Porter Cable 12" bandsaw are pretty good also.

 

[Maui]

I picked up an Atlas 912 12" bandsaw. It is built like a tank, far better than the Craftsman Bandsaws I own.

 

[James-W]

If I were to buy a bandsaw today, I would get one like this. I am not saying I would get this exact one, but I would get something very much similar to it. I realize this is more than what the opening poster wants to pay, but I think in the long term it would prove to be a much better saw. But without knowing exactly what the opening poster is going to be doing with the saw, this may be a huge overkill.

http://www.rockler.com/laguna-lt14-x-14-suv-bandsaw#turnto-reviews-content

 

[cnc-me]

Tannewitz
Oliver
Yates-American
Cresent
All huge and heavy, but will saw almost anything.
Anyone looking for a 36"? I have a couple that need to go to a good home.

 

[Codejack]

Actually, the OLD Craftsman 12" bandsaws are not bad. You might need some bearings and new "tires", but they are well under your budget. A good "starting point" and maybe move up later.

Skip the tilting ones !

Any idea when "OLD" ended? I only ask because I inherited this:

Note that I really don't know anything about these things; I don't do much wood work, unless it's construction, which usually involved circular saws.

I'm considering selling it, but don't even know what to ask.

 

[mike93lx]

I recently bought an older (probably 80's or 90's) 14" delta on craigslist for $75 "non-working". It was covered on rust but ran as soon as i re plugged in the motor in the bottom cabinet. Keep looking, there are good deals out there.

Either way, get something with a riser block and at least 1.5 - 2 hp. My delta was made in america, which is a nice bonus.

I would pass on the smaller 12" and under saws (unless you just don't have the space for a 14+" saw) and don't get one with 3 wheels.

 

[gungatim]

Any idea when "OLD" ended? I only ask because I inherited this:


Note that I really don't know anything about these things; I don't do much wood work, unless it's construction, which usually involved circular saws.

I'm considering selling it, but don't even know what to ask.

I consider that old, but not the good kind of old. (Ol' 'Arn = big beefy industrial or heavy duty cast iron machines built to last, typically built through the 70's before 80's imports gained ground forcing mfgr's to build cheap homeowner grade junk)

problem with a saw like that is it's only really good for hobby craft projects.

low power, no ability to add a riser, limited depth, it will never be a decent re-saw machine.

doesn't mean it doesn't have value, I would say $50-$75 tops. typically that is an entry level machine for someone dabbling in the hobby and would quickly be outgrown if someone got beyond the occasional hobbyist level.

it's like a 4" jointer or a box store direct drive table saw. better than nothing but not worth fixing when it wears out or breaks.

that said, I know lots of old guys who have built some mighty fine furniture using entry level machines like that.

with woodworking, a good woodworker doesn't NEED top quality tools if they are a craftstman with good skills. it just makes the job faster and more efficient.

not trying to be a tool snob, it's all just my opinion so please don't take offense.

 

[brianh]

Look on craigslist, I got a walker turner 12 inch for 25.00 I am willing to give it away since I already have 3 bandsaws a 14 inch walker turner got at auction a Taiwan delta clone bought new in the 90s my first bandsaw I put a riser in for 12 inch hight capacity. and a old 12 inch craftsman.

Grizzly is pretty good, 20 years ago a lot of the stuff from them was junk their quality has improved. I have a grizzly 20 inch planer half the price of the powermatic same casting different paint and handles is about all the difference between them.

 

[Gittgo]

Get a decent older USA machine and put one of these on it

 

[exmaxima1]

Get a decent older USA machine and put one of these on it

Wow, that is impressive!

 

[dnschmidt]

I like Laguna. I've got their 16" Miber from Italy and it's been fine. Cost a hell of a lot more than $500 though.

 

[tarbellb]

Avoid those small 12" bandsaws, unless you are cutting out party decorations.

Grizzly is every bit as good as the Jet, Delta, Rikon, Laguna, Powermatic- they are all made overseas, its just Grizzly owns up to it and discounts the price. And like someone mentioned, they have been perfecting the BS for 30 yrs now. Its their best seller.

Sure, finding a older 14" or 17" BS is going to be the best option but they are hard to find sometimes.

 

[ez-duzit]

Look for older Delta or Powermatic.

 

[Maui]

I have a 16" Walker Turner Bandsaw that is set up for cutting either metal or wood. It was built in 1939 and is in fantastic working condition. And I got it for $175.00. If you can find one of those bandsaws you will be all set.

Maui

 

[BikerDad]

The generic 14" cast iron bandsaw, modeled after the classic Rockwell / Delta, is a good way to go. You can get one new for under $400 (Rigid at Home Depot, Porter-Cable at Lowes, Grizzly), or used for free up to $1,000. I got a free one about a year ago. Gave it away to someone else after I cleaned it up, because I already had one. You should be able to find one for under $200 every week up there in Northern Illinois.

If you pick one up new, know that the trunnions are a notorious weak spot on them. Sadly, this isn't a case of cheap knockoffs lowering the quality, even the American made units from decades ago have the same problem. Described simply, some heavy handed mook moves the saw around by the table, and the trunnions break. That's the bad news. The good news is replacements can be had for $8 apiece, and take about 10 minutes all told to put in. Why do they break? Because they're "hollow" zinc die-cast parts. The trunnions are 80-95% interchangeable between different makers, both Delta and the myriad of Delta knockoffs.

 

[My Old Tools]

They are only hollow zinc diecast on cheap *** saws. They are cast iron on older Deltas and steel on Powermatic 141/143.

 

[Shop Dad]

They are only hollow zinc diecast on cheap *** saws. They are cast iron on older Deltas and steel on Powermatic 141/143.

+1 Major differences easily overlooked.

 

[78C-10]

I picked this old Rockwell/Delta saw up this morning from a fellow GJ member. It is in beautiful shape and works great, it has a new motor, stand, and motor mount. Thank you again exmaxima1!!!

 

[exmaxima1]

I picked this old Rockwell/Delta saw up this morning from a fellow GJ member. It is in beautiful shape and works great, it has a new motor, stand, and motor mount. Thank you again exmaxima1!!!

Glad to see it made it home intact. Nice meeting you.

 

[tarbellb]

Nice saw, good score.

exmaxima can you tell us more about that fence? Looks DIY (and nice).

 

[exmaxima1]

Nice saw, good score.

exmaxima can you tell us more about that fence? Looks DIY (and nice).

Yes, it is shop-made from some 8020 aluminum extrusion and angle scraps. I emulated a commercial fence I had seen (pic attached). The clamp handle is from a table saw I scrapped out. Very simple, yet seems to work very well.