I want a New Bandsaw

[Warrior]

My SCMI 24" bandsaw needs alot more TLC than I am willing to give it so I plan to sell it and get a new bandsaw.

Over that past couple of years I have been drooling over an Agazzani or Felder, but recently my gaze has shifted to the Grizzly G0531B with a 14" resaw (thats plenty) 20" throat, a whopping 5hp (a minimum if your going to be resawing IMO) and a brake that stops the blade in 3 sec. And to boot about 1200 less than the Felder and 1400-1500 less than the Agi. The Agi and Felder are only 3-4hp so I just dont see myself paying that much more for the name and locating of manufacture for a saw with less hp and no blade brake. I have used a Grizzly resaw bandsaw b4 so I know of its quality. Grizzly's customer service is top notch too. Cant wait.

 

[joraft]

Over that past couple of years I have been drooling over an Agazzani or Felder, but recently my gaze has shifted to the Grizzly G0531B with a 14" resaw (thats plenty) 20" throat, a whopping 5hp (a minimum if your going to be resawing IMO) and a brake that stops the blade in 3 sec. And to boot about 1200 less than the Felder and 1400-1500 less than the Agi. The Agi and Felder are only 3-4hp so I just dont see myself paying that much more for the name and locating of manufacture for a saw with less hp and no blade brake. I have used a Grizzly resaw bandsaw b4 so I know of its quality. Grizzly's customer service is top notch too. Cant wait.

Eiji, sounds like you're trying to convince yourself.  Quit being so cheap and go for the real quality of an Italian bandsaw. They make the best, and there are few facts to argue otherwise.

In the long run you'll be happier.  [wink]

 

[harry_]

[popcorn]

 

[Warrior]

John,
I need a 5hp saw and I simple can not afford a comparable Italian machine.

 

[Warrior]

Are there any head to head comparisons?

 

[joraft]

Are there any head to head comparisons?

Eiji, comparisons of the big bandsaws are hard to find. But you know the drill, The most important things are the strength of the frame and the quality of the wheels, tires and motor. One good indicator of quality is the total weight of the machine, good wheels and frames weigh a lot more.

It may be hard to find a Grizzly to actually put your hands on, but you're not too far from Laguna and Eagle Tools to get a close look at what they have to offer.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

My SCMI 24" bandsaw needs alot more TLC than I am willing to give it so I plan to sell it and get a new bandsaw.

Over that past couple of years I have been drooling over an Agazzani or Felder, but recently my gaze has shifted to the Grizzly G0531B with a 14" resaw (thats plenty) 20" throat, a whopping 5hp (a minimum if your going to be resawing IMO) and a brake that stops the blade in 3 sec. And to boot about 1200 less than the Felder and 1400-1500 less than the Agi. The Agi and Felder are only 3-4hp so I just dont see myself paying that much more for the name and locating of manufacture for a saw with less hp and no blade brake. I have used a Grizzly resaw bandsaw b4 so I know of its quality. Grizzly's customer service is top notch too. Cant wait.

I seem to recall that big ol' Grizzly being mentioned as a new addition to one of the Woodworking magazine shops (WOOD?  PWW?  FWW?  I don't remember) about 2-3 issues ago.  What I remember is it was a *beast* of a machine, they were much impressed with its capabilities and performance, and they loved it and they'd assigned it a permanent spot in the the shop.

 

[Warrior]

A friend of mine, and owner of CTT Furniture, has the G0531B. I have used it and it is very impressive. At 594# its hardly a light weight for a 21" bandsaw.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

If your main application is resaw, there's another path.  I have a friend who makes all his furniture from bent lams so he is resawing all day every day.  This guy is semi famous, shows in galleries across the US, has been in FWW design books a few times.  He swears by

This Hitachi Resaw Bandsaw

And the specs are accurate, it will handle a 3 inch blade!

I wish Festool made a bandsaw - never have been able to tame the dust on mine....

 

[Aegwyn11]

Did you look at the new Felder FB 600? Its very new, so I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't seen it. I think its "only" 4 hp, but its Felder quality and capability. Plus it has a foot brake. Plus its got 23 5/8" wheels, close to your old SCMI. Its for sure more expensive than the Griz, but made in Europe (I'm assuming the Griz is made somewhere in China?). Felder sent out an intro special of $3k for the FB600 that expired back in April, but you might be able to get them to hook you up. Plus you'd have a little more capacity than the Griz with 15 3/4" resaw and 22 5/8" throat.

I haven't done any resawing on my N4400 yet, but I read a lot of reviews before buying it with people using it to resaw and they were very happy with it. Its got a 4 HP motor as well, I guessing the same motor that's on the FB 600. I would think that the FB 600 would be even better with the additional momentum afforded by the bigger wheels.

I'm sure either way you'd get a fantastic machine, it just depends on if you can afford the extra moneys and want the extra fit and finish. From what I've seen, the Griz tools that are good are fantastic values, hard to beat in the $$ to performance category. I wouldn't call Felder a "value", but I would say you get precisely what you pay for.

A side note about magazine reviews...I used to be pretty deep into the home theater biz and was amazed to learn that ALL reviews in any big magazines are basically paid for by the companies being reviewed (through ad space mostly). Thusly, you VERY rarely see negative reviews in magazines in that industry. Might be different for woodworking, dunno.

 

[butzla]

Eiji,  I'm on the same boat as you.   +1 on Grizzly!  I have a Grizz 8" jointer and love it!
But I'm looking at the GO636.  It's a 17" and about the same $ as what you're looking at but it's a little heftier and comes with a resawing fence.  The 631 does not.
And, after reading Chris Schwarz's stellar review, that's enough for me:

Popular Woodworking 2009 Best New Tool:

GRIZZLY G0636X Band Saw

"In the 14 years I've been with Popular Woodworking, we have been through more than a dozen band saws of all sizes and all makes. Though there were many good saws on that list, there was never one that we wanted to keep in our shop forever (like our old Powermatic 66 table saw).

This year, however, we brought the Grizzly G0636X band saw into our shop at the magazine and we are in heaven.

This 17" saw outclasses and out-cuts many of the more expensive saws out there. And - here's the important part - the saw stays in alignment better than any of the other saws we've tested over the years. One of the biggest flaws of many band saws is that you need to fuss with them a lot to really unlock their potential.

This saw's cast iron wheels are massive, the bearing guides are robust, the rack-and-pinion tilting table is a joy. Everything that should be overbuilt, is overbuilt.

The saw has plenty of guts thanks to a 5-horsepower motor, has a 16" resaw capacity, a real monster of a fence and all the niceties you'd expect from a first-class machine: foot brake, rack-and-pinion guide adjustment, quick-release tension, and lots and lots of steel. The sucker weighs 675 pounds.

I doubt this bear will ever be allowed to leave our cave".

 

[Warrior]

Stoolie,

I just cant get over how much machine you get with Grizzly. I know they are made in Tiawan but WTH. This saw has all the features I need for nearly half of Italian saw with less. I think I can move past wanting a name. Its just like some who only see the positives (green in blood) of the Festool and overlook anything that detracts from the tool.

The Felder looks awesome and I can get the intro price for the rest of the year but with shipping cost from Delaware and tax its going to push 4k to get it in my shop where as the Griz will be just over 2k with shipping and no tax in CA. Thats huge.

John,
I am just not making enough dough to be hung up on branding.

 

[Warrior]

If your main application is resaw, there's another path.  I have a friend who makes all his furniture from bent lams so he is resawing all day every day.  This guy is semi famous, shows in galleries across the US, has been in FWW design books a few times.  He swears by

This Hitachi Resaw Bandsaw

And the specs are accurate, it will handle a 3 inch blade!

I wish Festool made a bandsaw - never have been able to tame the dust on mine....

Jesse,

That saw is weak.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

That's exactly the article I was thinking of.  Thanks for including it.  I'm not in the need or market for nearly so much machine (.....  someday...
), but it's rare to hear such a raving review of a machine they are incorporating into their own workspace.

 

[Guy Ashley]

Take a look at the Hammer N4400, it is the "budget range" of Felder. I  All the machinery in my joinery shop is from the Hammer range and I believe they are good solid reliable and accurate.

Had mine three years and no complaints.

Guy

 

[butzla]

PS on the Grizzly.  It's on sale now and they will list it on Ebay if you ask so you can get another 8% on cashback.

 

[butzla]

Stoolie,

I just cant get over how much machine you get with Grizzly.

Here's an example.  5 years ago I was in the market for a new table saw and jointer.  For the price on a Powermatic PM2000, I bought a US made Unisaw w/ 50" bies fence AND the 8" Grizzly jointer.  I think I paid under $750 for the Grizz  including shipping and mobile stand.  5 years later, not a single regret.  Solidly built with a dead on flat table, it was a no brainer.

 

[joraft]

The Felder looks awesome and I can get the intro price for the rest of the year but with shipping cost from Delaware and tax its going to push 4k to get it in my shop where as the Griz will be just over 2k with shipping and no tax in CA. Thats huge.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the first Felder bandsaw that they manufacture themselves, previous models were re-branded Italian machines.

John,
I am just not making enough dough to be hung up on branding.

Eiji, to me "branding" suggests paying more just because of the name, paying more for extra quality I call "upgrading".  

 

[Aegwyn11]

The Felder looks awesome and I can get the intro price for the rest of the year but with shipping cost from Delaware and tax its going to push 4k to get it in my shop where as the Griz will be just over 2k with shipping and no tax in CA. Thats huge.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the first Felder bandsaw that they manufacture themselves, previous models were re-branded Italian machines.

I believe the N4400 and other smaller x00 series Felder bandsaws are AMC fames/wheels with Felder motors and electronics. My understanding is that all the x40 Felder bandsaws are designed, manufactured, etc. by Felder in Austria with the rest of the Felder stuff. I'm not sure where the 600 falls in all this.

Eiji - I can understand the hangup on shipping. The tax thing sucks...you're in one of two states that have to pay tax on Felder stuff (DE and CA). I didn't have to pay tax so that softened the $400-something freight bill somewhat. I'm not sure I totally understand how Griz gets by charging so little on freight honestly...I looked into having my company pick up the freight for my bandsaw (we use Fedex extensively and have deep discounts with them) and the difference wasn't substantial enough to warrant messing with it.

Oh, and that Hitachi did look pretty weak! I can't imagine trying to bend a 3" blade around wheels so small  [eek]

The Grizz sounds like a helluva deal...lotsa punch for $$. FWIW, I haven't messed with the N4400 much, but I've done some EXTENSIVE setup and tweaking on the AD731, and I must say that I've been exceedingly impressed with the quality. Not just build quality or component quality, but engineering quality too. The deeper I got into the setup, the more impressed I was. Ultimately, I think you'll get a better machine (again, component quality, build quality, engineering quality) with the Felder. Twice as good? NO. 50% better? Nope. 10-25% better? Probably. Is that worth almost twice the price (in your case)? You have to decide that.

Either way, both sport green and grey colors, so your Festools won't be offended  [big grin]

 

[nickao]

I re-saw everyday for at least 2 hours. I have a grizzly 3HP and at times I think I want a 5hp, BUT the 3hp re-saws like a dream and for a hobbyist is more saw than they will ever need(maybe not more than they want). Actually I can re-saw with my 1 HP Craftsman Professional and my Delta 3/4" HP if they have  new blades and are tuned up.

I definitely used to think of the Laguna and the upscale band saws until I actually got my Grizzly and used it, now I never think I would ever spend that much more for the upscale brands, but I do still think that 5HP motor will go on my machine sooner or later.

As far as a foot break I wanted one of those, but  after using the saw so much I have never thought to myself darn I need a brake to stop the blade.

This is the one I use, if they had a brake at the time I purchased I might have gone for it, but I personally  don't miss one:

G0514X

http://www.grizzly.com/products/19-Extreme-Bandsaw-3HP-Single-Phase/G0514X2

I did upgrade my guides and added a cast iron trunnion which was not stock at the time.

A top notch band saw with a crappy blade is not as good as an average band saw with a great blade. If money is an issue get the best blades and go Grizzly, IMO. If money is not an issue heck get the band saw of your dreams, but don't skimp on the blades.