Rigid 14in. Bandsaw

[reantel]

I have come to the point where I am ready to buy a bandsaw. I was looking at the cheap Ryobi 9in. bandsaw but I thought this rigid might be better in the long-run.

Ridgid

If anyone has had any experience with this or has opinions on other saws for around the same price I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Thanks

[jmrentis]

I just want to mention that there should be a couple really good informative threads in this section. You should with some digging be able to find a few of them with the search feature. I'm sure you'll get some responses, but honestly there are just some extremely helpful threads that explain the needs of a bandsaw and what minimums one should look at. A few people have the 9" saws, though generally the 14" is suggested.

I only could afford and fit a 14" saw from Grizzly, but I grabbed the extreme version over the others for a few benefits like the 1.5hp, has iron wheels instead of aluminum, ball bearing guides top and bottom, mini 6inch resaw fence, work light, cabinet stand, plus weighed more for added stability. It was also on sale at the time for a good $80-$100 cheaper than it is now and came with a free Timberwolf blade in addition to the generic one it came with, seemed a very good deal to me. I've been very happy and proud of my little grizzly saw, I wasn't expecting that much out of it, but I have been very pleased and its running stock right now, meaning I haven't even added any upgrades like better tires, springs or anything though I will especially if I put on a riser block. I think for many lower end saws like these, you must really take the time to set them up properly. If you can carefully follow directions, measure, and set it up right, they work well enough for the average hobbiest. Just my opinion though.

I don't know the Rigid saws, one benefit I can think of for those is you could pick it up instead of paying for freight with Grizzly. Again, check out the search feature and limit the search to this section because I know of a couple threads that I used for my research when buying a saw, they were very helpful. Best of luck to you. J

Edited July 10, 2008 by jmrentis

[madawgony]

I have a Ridgid 14" bandsaw and I have been pleased with it's performance and capabilities.

A drawback to the 14" is that it wont resaw stock wide enough to do a bookmatched top on a normal sized guitar. Just slightly too small. But, you can buy/install a riser block that will give you the cutting capacity.

Upon initial setup, there was some vibration. I balanced the top wheel and replaced the belt with one of the link type belts. Runs much smoother.

[avengers63]

I bought a 10" Ryobi bandsaw. For my purposes, I'm pleased with it's performance. The only thing I'm not pleased with is that it can only re-saw 4" stock. I really would like to have a larger saw, but that's the only reason.

In fact, I'm extremely pleased with Ryobi's quality overall. I cuttently have 5 ryobi tools and am pleased wil everything save for the rip fence on the table saw. I would compare them with Peavy or Yamaha: great entry-level pieces which will adequately get the job done.

That being said, I won't pretend they're anything other than entry level. If I had the money, I'd have bought other brands of saws.

Lastly, I would encourage you to get a different blade right away. The one that comes with the cheap-o economy saws is junk.

[godzilla]

Wood magazine reviewed band saws under $550 in the current issue. I got a bench top delta and it's been a PITA to use. Get a 14 if you have the money, you'll be glad you did later.

Steve

[reantel]

I got the Grizzly G0555: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0555

its pretty cool. i havent hadmuch time to play with it but I think it will do the job.

thanks for your opinions

[dugg]

I have a Grizzly Ultimate 14" (G055), too. Like any bandsaw, there's a learning curve to setting it up and tuning it. If you've used bandsaws before, you'll have a head start. Like all Grizzly tools, this bandsaw is top quality, and it can be tuned to an amazing degree of accuracy. I currently have the thing so well tuned that you can cut with the blade quite a bit looser than normal without any wander. It's such an inspirational tool that I made a bunch of 'bandsaw boxes' just for the kicks of using it.

[reantel]

I used the same bandsaw in wood shop at my school to cut out my first guitar body...first time using a bandsaw...then two months later, i now have the same one sitting in my garage. I finally got a chance to cut out a guitar body and its really smooth and quiet. I havent used any other brand. Are they all so quiet?

[westhemann]

I had a Delta 9"...it was so good I used it for everything...even the body wings and neck thru blanks....After it was stolen I replaced it with the ryobi...I got so mad at the ryobi I threw it and smashed it to bits...useless junk.the blade walked unstoppable,the body of the saw flexed so I could not keep the blade tight,and the motor would bog down on ANYTHING...

bought another Delta 9"....still have it

[RestorationAD]

+1 on the Grizzly. Plus you can buy the extension and use it to re-saw tops.

+1 on learning to tune your BandSaw.

Buy good blades!!!

I have read quite a few reviews on the Rigid and common themes are issues with wheel balance and tracking. Not sure I would get it.

[reantel]

Yeah, I was wondering about the blades. Where are some good places to buy good blades. and what are some good sizes. right now i just have the stock 3/8th raker blade. What kind of blade should i be using.

[ToddW]

With a 14" saw, you're not going to be getting a carbide resaw blade and are likely looking for plane old carbon For that, these guys:

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/

are awsome. They have a lot of good info on their website if you go to vertical saw blades and read through some of the options. They will help you choose the correct blades too based on your uses and their blades always do well in comparison tests.

Grizzly also sells blades ain certain sizes and may have the size you want. This one is also supposed to be good: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.a...amp;ProdID=1293

I've been more than satisfied with the Timberwolf blades from Suffolk.

By the way, did you get the Rigid saw?

Todd

Edited August 20, 2008 by ToddW

[reantel]

Thanks. I'll check out those sites.

I got the Grizzly G0555: http://www.grizzly.com/products/G0555

I think I'll be getting the 6" extender block soon to raise my cutting capacity. Then i will buy a new blade.

[fryovanni]

The right bandsaw really depends on what you will ask of it. If your goal will be to cut parts for your project(necks, bodies and what not), a smaller bandsaw can pull off most tasks. A consideration for even those tasks, is that a larger saw will *generally*(of course there are different options and the way larger saws are built varies) hold a tune better, have longer blade life(blade itself is longer, and also tends to run a bit cooler), may allow you to use jigs, and sliders that would not be an option on a smaller machine. If you want the ability to resaw wider bits a 14" is the min. If you would like to do a more than rare re-saw and with the current bargains on the market in the $1000 range(give or take), I would buy into the 16-18" models(if for no other reason you will be able to take advantage of the carbide blades that perform extreamly well on heavy resawing when you have large enough wheels).

The right blade will always depend on the task and material you are cutting. For smaller machines, a nice 1/4" blade is pretty flexable for most tasks. No matter what machine you use, you should learn to tune it properly, keep good vac. on it to help clear the material and cool the blade, and clean the blade and guides as often as needed(it will significantly hurt your performance if the parts are gunked up).

Rich