14" bandsaw - Jet or Powermatic??

[hobbes]

Ok, thinking about adding a bandsaw to my small (but growing) collection of greenies. Much of the cross cuts will be taken care of with a TS55 and I would like to have extra space in my garage so I'm discounting the table saw route. With that in mind, I'm considering a bandsaw and the two that are on the top of my list is either a Jet or Powermatic. I would get their "deluxe" model so that means it'll have the riser block either in place or will be included as part of the purchase so that will give me a resaw capability of 12" on both models. The price different is about $150-200 with the Powermatic being the slightly higher cost, but if the Powermatic is clearly a better choice, I'll go for it. If it's all about equal than maybe use that savings for an extra set of blades or something instead by getting the Jet.

Both comes with 5 yea warranty. Powerwise, the Jet is 1.25 HP and the Powermatic is 1.5 HP. The Jet's lower cabinet can be used for storage and the Powermatic one can not, but it has a lamp while the Jet one does not. Oh a third choice is a Rikon and that's another 100-200 cheaper than either of these two, but it gives me pause with their more limited 2 year warranty.

Given all these things, I would like your opinion about these two bandsaws in terms of ease of use, setup, maintenance, support, replacement parts, limitations, and whatever else you want to volunteer. Pelase share your thoughts on the brand, reliability, quality, etc...

 

[GPowers]

If your primary use will be re-sawing, get a bigger band saw that can use a wider blade.

 

[jmarkflesher]

Check out Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding's 2012 Tool Guide issue page 68. Readers pick is the Laguna LT14SUV, best overall was Grizzly GO5114X2B and best value was Grizzly GO513X2B. I agree that bigger than a 14 inch is needed for mainly resaw. The riser block won't due. Dare I mention Felder$$$

 

[leakyroof]

I vote for the Rikon 14" bandsaw. No riser kit needed as its frame allow a tall cut to begin with. 1 1/2Hp motor stock- 2 speeds- Dust Collection Port. Blade slot lines up with the blade so no twisting the 90 degrees to get it out of the table when changing blades- quick release lever for blade tension- Model# is 10-325 I think- If you're set on the Jet versus Powermatic, I vote for the PM, but I'm biased as I own their floor mortiser model  [wink]

 

[jmarkflesher]

The Rikon (10-345) is listed in same 2012 Tool Guide.

 

[JimB1]

The new Rikon is a lot of bang for the buck. I've had my Jet 14" for years and it's a solid piece of equipment. Powermatic has one of the best reps in the business though. I've always wanted a Powermatic drill press. If I were shopping now, I'd be looking hard at the Rikon... but would probably end up with the Powermatic or maybe the Laguna.

No bad choices on the list though...
-Jim

 

[barnowl]

The reason that I bought my Powermatic 14 is because it has the Carter roller bearings and quick release built in.

I don't use a riser block, and just resaw its capacity.

 

[hobbes]

??? Hmm, now you guys have really made the choice even harder.

Sounds like the choice is is more between going towards Rikon because it's comparable to Jet at a lower cost or going up a bit on the price scale with a Powermatic.

I think, resawing capability is more of a bonus for me, I'm more concerned about just basic things like reliability and consistency of cut (i.e. cheaper parts or build quality doesn't cause a constant readjustment).

How about add-ons like fences and mobile base, is one going to be easier to shop for vs. the other or that doesn't matter?

I can get a Rikon for about $800 and the Powermatic is ~$1100, is the Powermatic worth that premium? I read about Laguna and Agazanni but those are even a bigger pricing gap and the marginality benefits seems to start diminishing (or at least I don't see it as much). Since I'm not in a rush, is it worthwhile to wait until October and maybe find some good deals at the Woodworking show?

I'm just thinking out loud, but the problem is that most people wouldn't have two bandsaws to test and buying one and later finding out the other would have been the better way to go would be an even more expensive route. Decisions, decisions...

 

[PaulMarcel]

I'm voting with the Laguna crowd.  The LT14SUV is much nicer than the Jet or PM.  Biggest reason being the Laguna ceramic guides... they hold the blade in position with a sheet of paper as clearance up to an inch wide blade.  Bearings only have 1/4" of contact at most giving the blade more of a chance to wiggle.  It doesn't need a riser kit, which to me is an after-thought.  Laguna does have a sale though March with free shipping to boot; might be something to look at.  I think if you compare the specs of the Jet, PM, and Laguna, you'll see a reason it won.  If you are foregoing a table saw and plan to use the bandsaw in its place, I think it is worth considering the extra blade width capacity.  I have an LT18 with Laguna ceramic guides and wide blade; it cuts with none of the usual rough bandsawn edge.  I reviewed my saw and though it isn't what you are looking at, part 2 covers the ceramic guides in detail and how to set them up.

 

[hobbes]

Paul, why wouldn't you just be my neighbor??  [tongue]

Good point about the extra blade width capacity. The one thing that I forgot to mention was that I needed a 110V because my garage is old and switching to anymore with more power will require a mess of electrical work on a new sub-panel and more circuit breakers so I'm limited by that. It doesn't look like the two Laguna models are of the 110V variety.

Good review and I learned a good amount about the guides and its setup! You mentioned that's available for other makes as well, maybe that will be one way to get Laguna-like capabilities without the Laguna price. Just an aside, I saw you put in a piece of paper and doubled-up on it for the setup, wouldn't it have been easier to use a business card since they are sized for this type of thing and are of a certain thickness?

It's a danger asking you guys questions...my budget starts to shrink even more when I see all the different possibilities. haha

 

[PaulMarcel]

Well, you can come by for a visit if you're in Phoenix area

As for doubling the paper, I did that to end up with single paper of clearance since the guide tightens up a bit when you tighten the locking screws.  When it tightens up, you kinda rip the paper out and you'll find that you have single-thickness clearance at the end.

Yes, the guides are available as a retrofit for a number of saws.  I believe they average $300, though, which is why I went with a Laguna saw; by the time I added the $300 to the others to have the ceramic guides, they were on par with Laguna.

If you have an electric water heater or electric dryer reasonably close to your shop, you can run 220V tools off them.  I did for a couple years before putting in a subpanel.  If you have any breaker space in your main panel and it is reasonably close to your shop, you might be able to bring in a 220V line and make several drops for this or other 220V tools.  I documented how I did my subpanel here and put a lot of description (surprised?!?) of how to calculate proper conduit sizes, wire gauges, and branch circuits.  Even if you run just one line from the main box to multiple drops in the shop, you'll get the gist of what to do from that.

 

[Daddy-o]

Between the Jet and the PM, the PM will be cheaper in the long run.

The PM does come with roller bearing guides that will keep your blades cooler than blocks (meaning they will last longer). While the PM comes with a Carter blade tensioner (a handy device), the guides themselves are not made by Carter. PM's are cast. Carter's are machined. Both have their pluses and minuses for adjustability.

If you think resawing is in your future, I'll echo other's opinions on buying something larger with a stiffer frame that can handle wide blades. That having been said, I haven't regretted buying my PM for a second... my woodworking has just evolved over the past several years and I now wish I had something larger.

Mike

 

[jmarkflesher]

I watched the review of the Laguna LT18. Very nice bandsaw. For $3500 to $4000 you should not have to shim you're ceramic guides or fight that plastic cover. I also looked at the sub panel installation. I might be wrong but it seemed you had 220 volt and 110 volt on the same breaker by using one leg for the 110 volt. If so, but again I might have seen it incorrectly , the 110 volt will never trip.

 

[PaulMarcel]

The breakers I used are minis.  They take 2 slots, but have 2 110V breakers and a ganged 220V breaker.  Similar in idea to the mini breakers that give you two separate 110V breakers in a single slot.  They trip and can be shut off independently.  In fact right now two of the mini breakers have one 110V circuit turned off and the third has the 220V off.  Each is identical to plugging in two 110V and a ganged 220V breaker only it takes half the slots.

I assume the plastic guide cover was a lawyer-issued addition to the Laguna guides.  I left them on since it is easy enough to adjust (though awkward).

 

[hobbes]

Here's the latest news!!...

Surprise (based on my initial header)... I decided to go with a Rikon Deluxe 14" Bandsaw (10-325), partly based on some of the feedback here and also after looking at them side-by-side and seeing some of the differences in person. Ultimately, it came down to this or the Powermatic (Laguna just wasn't in the cards because that would have required changes in wiring which I didn't want to get into at this time) and I went with this one because the resaw capability is decent (up to 13") and doesn't use a riser, it's also 1.5 HP which is pretty good for this class of bandsaws. I also figured for the price difference of about $300 or so, I can put that into some of the other things I'll need like mobility base, stabilizer, and blade.

It's back-ordered so I wouldn't get it for at least a couple more weeks which means you'll have time to chime in and let me know what accessories I should pick up to sup this up even more. Suggestions on all the things I mentioned are needed (blade type, brand, size, and reason), mobility base, and stabilizer (though the stock one looked pretty decent already, but maybe carter?), the fence also isn't too bad (but what else should I consider?). Anyhow, let me know what else would be good to go with it. Oh, I did get the Rikon miter gauge as part of this purchase.

If anyone is curious, I got it from Eagle Tools in Glandale. I might have saved a few bucks going online but I figured supporting local shop and also having someone like Jesse to call would beat any faceless company any day of the week.

Also, I wouldn't mind if anyone is local who can drop by and give me some pointers when I finally get it and help me get it up and running. It's been a LONG time since I've used one and the last time it was already setup for me so this will be an interesting experience doing it all myself.

 

[PaulMarcel]

You'll like that Rikon.  I had one for a long time before the LT-18imo.  I also like that the resaw capacity isn't extended by adding a Lego brick in the spine.  First thing I cut with that Rikon was 12" wide Walnut to resaw off two 12"x72"x1/4" sheets for a project I changed my mind on

Keep the stock blade for cutting nasty stuff as it is of poor quality (at least mine was).  I don't have much experience with blades other than the Resaw King

 

[jacko9]

I've had my Powermatic bandsaw for 35 years without a bit of trouble.