I recently found a band saw for sale. He’s asking $400 I was wondering if it’s worth it or if I should pass and wait for something better From what I can see in the picture it looks like the fence isn’t original (just looks like angle iron to me) This should be the manual >> http://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g1258_m.pdf Anyone have or had one of these band saws and is it worth what he’s asking? Any thing i should look for when buying (My first bandsaw) Any info would be helpful. Hoping to pick it up this weekend if it looks good in person. Thanks ~Joe
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I have a Grizzly of near that vintage, but not that size. Their bigger saws were probably built much better than the 14". Whether it's the saw for you depends somewhat on what kind of sawing you expect to be doing. I would ask the Knots bandsaw guru's about any limitations to the types of guides that are on that model (bearing guides on the top, flat "pad" types on the bottom -- I'm not sure what the material was). Some types of guides can give you trouble when cutting tighter curves with smaller blades, but are great for resawing.
Look carefully all over for any cracks in metal. Check the tires to see if they're worn or disintegrating. Take some wood with you to cut, ask the guy to show you how it adjusts, make sure the tension spring works. Motor should start right up, no delay or easing into action, there shouldn't be any grinding noises, or much vibration at all. I'm sure there's more, but those things come first to mind.
Ahhh, just ran across a recent "which bandsaw?" thread here, and Sarge did a very good post about the compromises one is apt to face. Will quote it here, but I'm sure you can find the thread.
Sarge said: "IMO.. with bandsaws you have to make compromises. Yes.. a large BS is better suited for re-saw.. a smaller BS is more suited for curves. The problem with large BS's for curves is they have larger bearing to accomodate wider blades. If you do the majority of curve cutting and especially with 1/4".. 3/16".. 1/8" blades you need to ensure that if you go larger.. the bearing will adjust back far enough so the teeth of the narrow blade doesn't ride on them.
A good for instance is the Mini-max requires you take off the stock bearing and add an optional set of cool blocks to accomodate smaller blades. On my 18" BS I use for re-saw I can get the bearing back far enough to accomodate 1/4" but that is about it. If you do very intricate and sharp curve cutting as on your scroll saw.. you will need 3/16" and 1/8" for that job.
So.. this is why I state that it is a compromise and may depend on just how narrow a blade you need to mount. I solved this situatiaon personally by keeping my smaller BS in lieu of selling when I got a larger for re-saw. I keep a dedicated 1/4" on the small and a 3/4" bi-metal on the larger for re-saw.
So again IMO.. if you go large but expect to do more curves than re-saw.. I would be sure whatever brand you decide on has bearing that will adjust back far enough so the blade gullet rides them and the teeth just clear in the front.
Good luck...
Sarge..
Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia"
You mention a very good issue. My Griz 17" works great and I use it often, but to change to a very small blade is a pain due to the adjustments needed. I don't use a tiny blade often as I don't need tight curves for the most part, but I can see why some shops would have say a 14" for small blades and the beast for resaw.
Dude if you can get a 1992 20 inch band saw for $400 snap it up. Even if you had to put new tires on it and some other parts it would be worth it. If you turn it down let me know I'll but it tomorrow. Unless it's garbage. I bought a Griz 14 inch saw from a friend that was 20 + years old for $75 tuned it up with new tires and what not. Sold it to my brother-in-law for $200 when I bought a new Griz 17 inch. Wish I would have kept it just to use for cutting curves. Everytime I change the re-saw blade to cut a curve I regret not keeping that saw.
I have a friend who is a hot shot cabinet maker who has 3 band saws. One set-up just to resaw, one for cutting curves and one for what-not.
Joe,
Make sure it fits in your shop. Check the power requirements too.
According to the specs in the manual I shouldn't have any problems fitting the machine or powering it. He hasn't got back to me yet but it shouldn't be three phase if it hasn't been converted at some point.
From what I've been reading this should handle everything I was looking to do as I dont do much intricate work. (Tight radius cuts)
Mostly I was looking for resaw capacity and the ability to rough out turning blanks. With the occasional curved table legs.
It looks like i'm going to purchase it and give it a tune-up.
I was looking at a carbide tipped lenox blade for resawing and couln't believe the price $1.71 per inch with a 154.5" blade that gets a bit pricey. Any ideas where I can get a more reasonable priced blade. I looked at grizzly's website and found a $80 carbide embedded blade. Has anyone had experience with those blades.
Hi Joe.... If you need a new fence, Grizzly has replacement units. As for blades, google Suffolk Machinery. They have lots of different blades and when you call, someone will 'walk you through' the order and make sure you get the blade you need.
SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)
There are several old threads here where people provided excellent info on the available resaw choices and the reasons behind their respective preferences. Worth the effort searching for them.
Well, I picked it up on friday.
Going through and giving it a tune-up (needed a multitude of bearings including motor bearings) The best part is all the bearings are standard and I was able to get them locally and cheap.
It did come with most of the fence other than the tube for mounting it. I ordered all the parts from grizzly. ($40 shipped)
Also came with a mobile base which was a big plus.
I ordered a new lenox carbide blade ($100 cheaper than Laguna) we'll see how it cuts.
Thanks for all the info everyone.
At $400 you got a deal regardless if you had to replace bearing on a 20" saw. Yes... this is a re-saw machine with wheels and bearing that large but.. if you get into heavy.. intricate curves you can consider a used 14" for around $250 considering what you have in the 20". Even with both you have still invested less than one new 14" or much less than one 20".
I don't use the carbide blades for re-saw as I find they are just too expensive for my budget. I do use Lennox bi-metal 3 TPI which run around $50 shipped. They will last about 1/3 the time of a carbide but I can purchase 4 of the bi-metal for the price of one Lennox carbide Tri-master. BTW.. even though my BS will accomodate a 1 1/2" blade.. I don't see the necessity of one. I use 3/4" bi-metals on the 18" saw. If I had a 20" I would use no larger than 1" as it simply isn't necessary IMO. I re-sawed with a 1/2" 3 TPI 14" for years before upgrading and kept the 14" when I did to strickly run smaller blades for curve cutting.
Enjoy...
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