So, last year a buddy of mine was cleaning out his garage and he gave me his old Grizzly G1019 14” bandsaw. I’d been making furniture for ~20 years without ever owning a bandsaw. Instead, when I needed curves I’d rough them out using a jigsaw, then finish them with an array of pattern bits. And spokeshaves. Time consuming and Neanderthal, in retrospect.
Anyway, I tuned up the old Grizzly — new tires, good blades, etc. — and it cuts pretty well, but I’m interested in doing some substantial resawing in future projects. The riser block kit for the G1019 is long discontinued, and although there are some pretty interesting videos on YouTube of guys metal-working and hacking various components to make Frankenstein riser kits for these saws, I’m too old for that ish. Plus the saw is 3/4 HP and I’m not going to buy a new motor for it.
So, I’ve been screen-fondling a handful of new bandsaws built for the purpose. Upper limit is $2K-ish, maybe a little more if I’m especially charming around my wife and/or agree to build her something she wants that I can convince her requires a dope new bandsaw.
Spending less is a welcome option, of course, but I’ve been doing this long enough to believe wholeheartedly in buy once, cry once.
Any recs? I’ve perused a couple of the Rikon saws, the Harvey C14, the Grizzly G0513 models, Laguna 14/12, 14bx, probably a couple more that are slipping my mind.
Thanks in advance.
Replies
Love my Laguna 14/12 and resaw tons of curly cherry and walnut up to 12" with Highland Woodworking's Woodslicer 1/2" blade with out a problem. I can't comment on Rikon, Harvey or Grizzly but after three years using a Laguna, I'd buy it again without question.
I have the same saw as Pali, and I resaw on it all the time. It's a fantastic saw.
I recently went through the same decision making process as you. I went with the 14 BX. The foot actuated brake pushed me to the BX. Couldn’t be happier with it.
Keeping my old Delta for use with a thin blade for dedicated curve cutting.
Almost 10 years with the Laguna 1412. Love it.
Woodslicer 1/2 inch blade on all the time (see below).
The only complaint I have is that it is near impossible to change blades without banging the teeth against the metal frame / spine - there is roughly a 1/4" slot through which the blade needs to be strung.
My $500 solution was to get a 10"Rikon bandsaw for curved cuts and leave the Woodslicer blade on the Laguna for resawing and any other straight cuts.
Even so I leave the orange paper wrap around the Woodslicer in place to protect the teeth until the blade is strung on the bandsaw wheels and only then remove the wrap.
I leave the resaw blade on the Laguna, as 90 percent of my badsawing is resawing. I kept the POS 14" Delta clone I owned before the Laguna, and it always has a 3/16" blade on it for curved cuts. I really dislike changing blades and resetting guides.
I was lucky to buy the Laguna 14SUV before they quit selling it, I leave the one inch resaw king carbide blade on most of the time unless I work with dirty wood or I need to cut curves. The same basic saw is now sold by Harvey.
+1 for the SUV. I use a 1/2" woodslicer to the maximum capacity of the saw.
Great feedback, thanks. For those of you with Lagunas, what do you think of the ceramic guides? Like em? Hate em? Don’t care?
Just curious. My Grizzly currently has Olson cool blocks and thrust bearings top and bottom. This setup works fine for me, or I don’t know what I don’t know.
I have the ceramic guides on the 14/12. I was skeptical at first, having never used anything like it. But I find them far superior to the cool blocks and thrust bearings on my old saw.
I like them except they’re expensive to replace.
They are expensive, I still run on the original but a few came out and broke and I replaced them with strips of gaiac or Ipe press fitted in the dovetail and they work fine, for a while.
Better than the rollers on my old 12" Delta, but I do wish I had the space to be able tp keep it.