vertical metal bandsaw

[bobx]

anyone have any insight on new vertical bandsaws? im looking to spend 2500 - 3500 on a nice new saw. theres alot of options - enco, jet, baileigh, grizzly...and id like to hear opinions to help me narrow down what i want / dont want.

thanks.

 

[jjjrmx5]

If you can't find a used Do-All, I'd go Jet if I needed one.

If you need one for a busy metal shop or production floor, then you need to spend a lot more than $3500.

 

[drivesitfar]

Bob: i agree your answers to your machine would be better for "you" if you can give us more information on what you need to use it for. i bought one for $100 that works almost as well as my neighbors new Jet that he uses all the time. i'm sure he didn't pay the money you are thinking about paying for yours but he does have about $20,000 worth of welding equipment so he might have.

if it's for your company then i'm guessing new is the only consideration and if you want used check Craigslist and you might find a nice one.

 

[ttpete]

Jet 14" saw. For metal you'll need to get the slow speed kit and the ball bearing blade guides.

 

[Whitworth]

Used Grob or DoAll will be best bang for the buck.

Gary

 

[rdn2blazer]

If you can't find a used Do-All, I'd go Jet if I needed one.

If you need one for a busy metal shop or production floor, then you need to spend a lot more than $3500.

This, except the jet at my work is a huge pos. It is really old though too. Maybe a new one would be fine. But I'd buy used good equipment before junk new. Thats just me though. I will spend LOTS of money to get exactly what I want.

 

[LJZ]

anyone have any insight on new vertical bandsaws? im looking to spend 2500 - 3500 on a nice new saw. theres alot of options - enco, jet, baileigh, grizzly...and id like to hear opinions to help me narrow down what i want / dont want.

thanks.

Bob:
May I ask why you want a new one? For the money your talking you can get a nice saw AND a welder to boot so you can save on blades.
Just doing a real fast CL search turned up these examples.
http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/tls/4839503086.html
http://reading.craigslist.org/tls/4848580144.html
http://cleveland.craigslist.org/tls/4822002530.html

Not trying to slight but you asked so just saying. Bandsaw work is all about: Band speed, Saw rigidity and the guides. An old Grob or Doall is a Generational machine.
If you wanted to talk lets exchange numbers. Will be around this weekend. Ill offer up all I can.
thanks and good luck
Luke

 

[jjjrmx5]

This, except the jet at my work is a huge pos. It is really old though too. Maybe a new one would be fine. But I'd buy used good equipment before junk new. Thats just me though. I will spend LOTS of money to get exactly what I want.

LOL.
You said "Jet" and "work."

That is not thier core market.

Move up the quality ladder and spend more $$$.

Our purchasing elves often just have "used"/pre-owned DoAlls show up on the shop floor they bought thru brokers or on Craigslists and it gets refurbed and put to use.
And I;m talking 10 to 12 foot high DoAlls with 36" or more cut area.

You have to hunt if you don't want new, but if you want new for a shop or multi user floor, you're gonna pay.

 

[rdn2blazer]

LOL.
You said "Jet" and "work."

That is not thier core market.

LOL! I DID didn't I lol!!! And for that exact reason is why I WILL spend good monsy to get better stuff. So I can used it production daily. Maybe thats why the crappy Jet at my work is such a pos. It gets used daily and it falling apart. I buy nothing but good equipment. It MUST last for my grand kids if I have any say in it. I prefer Generationl tools, NOT land fill tools like Harbor Freight stuff. I buy there too but very selectively.

 

[drivesitfar]

RB: good to know you want a nice built bandsaw. when you say "work" that can mean just you working 8-8 in your own garage or having 40 guys in a shop using a machine every minute of the day. i knew you probably were closer to the latter even if only 5 or 10 guys with the price range.

if it were me i'd check a few local auctions and see if i might get lucky and find a machine i can restore fairly easily and have one to give to my great grand kids.

Have you posted a want ad in that section of GJ because i would almost bet you $100 that there is a member here that owns one and it's sitting in the corner of his huge shop getting dusty. you can ship via Fastenal on a pallet for a few hundred dollars if the seller can get it to their store or warehouse that has a fork lift.

good luck

 

[454ragtop]

How big of a saw are you looking for? Have a 30" Kalamazoo Startrite that's really too big for my small shop, and I really should sell.
Jim

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you can find a used Do-All, ...

These are the "ultimate", but if it is your price range, it is probably beat to death and will require a lot of $$$$ to make it "like new".

 

[ttpete]

I have a 14" Jet here at home. It does what I need it to do, and it's reliable. This is because I'm the ONLY one using it. Shared tools get abused. I spent years as a facilitator for a fab shop, and part of that was keeping up with machine maintenance. I know firsthand what people do to machines either because they're incompetent or just don't give a ****. We had both DoAlls and Grob saws, and they were stout enough to put up with that kind of treatment. The Jet probably isn't, but I don't abuse it so it's reliable for me.

 

[zkling]

You might be on the border of a small Roll-In. Those are nice saws. Doall, grob, roll-in, older delta's in the 20" range are all good saws to look for.

But more specifically what do you plan on doing with this thing?

 

[bobx]

not for any production work, just for me at my home shop. it'll get a fair amount of work though. and I'm not against finding something used and would actually prefer a big old do-all or grob. I'm a big an of reliability though and the older saws I've looked at were abused. I want something that i know anytime i want to use it i will be able to, and I'm not really wanting to get into a 'project' of restoring an old saw right now. I've looked at several and will continue to do so, but i was mostly just throwing it out there on here about a new saw, to see what would come out of the conversation.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Grand Rapids CL

DoAll Vertical Bandsaw - $700

If does NOT look like it is beat to death !

 

[bobx]

thanks. i think im going to go that route = older dake or doall. ive got a couple leads and ill post up what i do. thanks all.

 

[zkling]

One thing to keep an eye on with used metal saws. Check out the transmission thoroughly. Parts can get expensive and in some cases very difficult to find.

 

[bobx]

yea. thats exactly why i was looking towards a new one. i dont want to buy into someone elses problem. i want a good saw that i can use anytime, not one i need to monkey with everytime or restore.

 

[A_Pmech]

If I had that kind of money to spend, I sure wouldn't spend it on a toy Chinese import machine!

Shopping for machine tools is no different than shopping for a used car. There are plenty of great used cars out there, you just have to look.

 

[bsg]

I have a very nice DoAll 2013 U saw for sale.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c153/bsgmachine/Do-All%202013%20Saw/Do-AllSaw1.jpg

The saw does not have a blade welder, that could be added later if you decide you need one.

When I bought the saw I talked to the shop foreman and was told the machine probably has less than 50 total hours.
The saw was purchased for band filing and never setup with saw blades.
The saw was also repainted once, typical of shops when things slow down, they put everybody to work painting machines.

I have started cleaning the machine as you can see but have not touched the inside of the cabinet, you can see it looks like it was hardly used.

I can have the saw under power if you decide you want to take a road trip.

I will have the saw setup with guides and a blade.

I'm asking $3750 for the saw.

Please PM me with any questions.

Kevin