I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws in the
two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that is a
little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any experience
with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred dollar
range?

TIA

Steve

http://www.tinyisland.com/4x6bsFAQ.html

SteveB wrote:

I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws in the
two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that is a
little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any experience
with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred dollar
range?

You might motivate me to dig-out a Johnson that I have in storage that is
better than anything you will find new.

"SteveB" wrote in message
news:wmUYb.1947$CQ6.39@fed1read05...
I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws in
the
two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that is a
little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any experience
with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred dollar
range?

TIA

Steve

Steve,

J&L has had their import 7x12 on sale for a while now at $439.
I have one of these and a buddy of mine just aquired one.
These are the best deal I could find on this size of saw.
If your in an area with lots of auctions, finding one second
hand can yield a better saw at a cheaper price with some
elbow grease required. It can also lead to a lot of time
spent looking for that great deal. Been there, done that.
All depends on what your priorities are. If your looking for
a decent saw without tracking down and rebuilding an old
one, check out the downloadable flyer page at.

http://www.jlindustrial.com/hotdeals...FEV MCQFC0IV0

Part number is BMMBS-71200M

No other connection with J&L besides a satisfied customer.

"SteveB" wrote in message news:wmUYb.1947$CQ6.39@fed1read05...
I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws in the
two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that is a
little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any experience
with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred dollar
range?

TIA

Steve

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 17:32:14 -0800, "SteveB"
wrote:

===I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws in the
===two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that is a
===little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any experience
===with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred dollar
===range?
===
===TIA
===
===Steve
===

I just can't imagine what a higher priced in the same size catagory
can do that a cheaper HF brand won't There all basically the same.
With a small amouont of time and some tinkering its a fine saw. After
20 years I am still waiting for my HF saw to give up the ghost, so I
can go to the larger model saw HF sells as a lot of times I sure
wished I could have a bit more capacity. So if I was to go out in my
shop now and have my HF bandsaw die on me, I would be really bummed
out, but not ****ed off, as it has served me well and soes what I ask
of it to do and then some.

There was always the talk about Jet having better quality control than
Grizzly, etc etc and they all basically come out of the same few
factories in China / Taiwan, and that Jet gets first dibs on the
better machines, and Grizzley gets the next, etc etc, but I don;t buy
that bull$hit after buying a brand new lathe and seeing other items
JET has made. Its all a crap shoot when buying anything today and the
cheap HF is no better or worse than a JET or other brand is.

For three hundred bucks I would buy 2 harbor freights or spring an
extra 100 and buy the larger model they have.

Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

"Roy" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 17:32:14 -0800, "SteveB"
wrote:

===I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws
in the
===two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that
is a
===little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any
experience
===with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred
dollar
===range?
===
===TIA
===
===Steve
===

I just can't imagine what a higher priced in the same size catagory
can do that a cheaper HF brand won't There all basically the same.
With a small amouont of time and some tinkering its a fine saw. After
20 years I am still waiting for my HF saw to give up the ghost, so I
can go to the larger model saw HF sells as a lot of times I sure
wished I could have a bit more capacity. So if I was to go out in my
shop now and have my HF bandsaw die on me, I would be really bummed
out, but not ****ed off, as it has served me well and soes what I ask
of it to do and then some.

There was always the talk about Jet having better quality control than
Grizzly, etc etc and they all basically come out of the same few
factories in China / Taiwan, and that Jet gets first dibs on the
better machines, and Grizzley gets the next, etc etc, but I don;t buy
that bull$hit after buying a brand new lathe and seeing other items
JET has made. Its all a crap shoot when buying anything today and the
cheap HF is no better or worse than a JET or other brand is.

For three hundred bucks I would buy 2 harbor freights or spring an
extra 100 and buy the larger model they have.

Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wifes,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

I thank you for perhaps the best answer I have seen.

I buy quality stuff. I have done this for a long time. Hell, I spent $240
for a NexGen EQC helmet when I had two regular Jacksons. BUT, I do own some
very cheap Chinese pipe wrenches, hammers, and various tools ala HF. With
some, it don't make five cents of difference where you buy them, other than
the retail price.

My reluctance to buy a HF bandsaw was that I like to research a product, and
then when I buy, I buy knowing that this thing is going to last a very long
time. I am skeptical and cautions of the metals used in these cheaper
products, and as you know, some have very high failure rates or short
lifespans.

However, I have heard it too many times that the HF bandsaws are a GOOD
bandsaw that will stand up to many years of use by a hobbyist. Even with
the minor tweaking, it is not like the bearings or main components are going
to wear out soon.

I am going to buy the better one at HF here soon when I set up my fab
business. I have narrowed my equipment down to specific models, and now
feel that I will buy with confidence. I have selected a Lincoln Squarewave
175 TIG welder, a PowerMax 380 Plasma Cutter, a HF saw, a Victor torch set,
and a HF bender.

Now, if I can just get caught up with the honeydews and remodeling, I can
get on to some of MY projects..............................

Steve

SteveB wrote:

My reluctance to buy a HF bandsaw was that I like to research a product, and
then when I buy, I buy knowing that this thing is going to last a very long
time. I am skeptical and cautions of the metals used in these cheaper
products, and as you know, some have very high failure rates or short
lifespans.

However, I have heard it too many times that the HF bandsaws are a GOOD
bandsaw that will stand up to many years of use by a hobbyist. Even with
the minor tweaking, it is not like the bearings or main components are going
to wear out soon.

What actually wears out on these little saws is the gears in the gearbox. You
can get replacement gears from the Jet or Delta parts network, but I don't know
if they will fit an HF saw. I doubt you will be able to get replacement parts
from HF - heck, they have probably sold many different versions of the 4x6" saw
and don't keep track! However, if you clean out the gearbox when new, and keep
good gear oil in it, you should get decent life out of it.

Once you have a cutoff bandsaw, like a drill press, you will wonder how you
ever got along without it.

Grant Erwin

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 12:49:34 GMT, "Tom Gardner"
wrote:

You might motivate me to dig-out a Johnson that I have in storage that is
better than anything you will find new.

"SteveB" wrote in message
news:wmUYb.1947$CQ6.39@fed1read05...
I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws in
the
two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that is a
little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any experience
with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred dollar
range?

TIA

Steve



Ohhhhh..Johnson band saw...good Stuff!

Gunner

"To be civilized is to restrain the ability to commit mayhem.
To be incapable of committing mayhem is not the mark of the civilized,
merely the domesticated." - Trefor Thomas

"Grant Erwin" wrote in message
...
SteveB wrote:

My reluctance to buy a HF bandsaw was that I like to research a product,
and
then when I buy, I buy knowing that this thing is going to last a very
long
time. I am skeptical and cautions of the metals used in these cheaper
products, and as you know, some have very high failure rates or short
lifespans.

However, I have heard it too many times that the HF bandsaws are a GOOD
bandsaw that will stand up to many years of use by a hobbyist. Even
with
the minor tweaking, it is not like the bearings or main components are
going
to wear out soon.

What actually wears out on these little saws is the gears in the gearbox.
You
can get replacement gears from the Jet or Delta parts network, but I don't
know
if they will fit an HF saw. I doubt you will be able to get replacement
parts
from HF - heck, they have probably sold many different versions of the
4x6" saw
and don't keep track! However, if you clean out the gearbox when new, and
keep
good gear oil in it, you should get decent life out of it.

Once you have a cutoff bandsaw, like a drill press, you will wonder how
you
ever got along without it.

Grant Erwin


I am in for lunch right now. I am working on a wrought iron project
outside. I am using my Makita chop saw. There HAS to be something better
than this............

Steve

Steve,

I was googling, and came up with Grizzly and Jet horizontal bandsaws in the
two to three hundred dollar price range. Should I opt for one that is a
little more, or just go with the HF standard? Anyone have any experience
with these brands? Can anyone suggest others in the three hundred dollar
range?

I have a Grizzly 6x10 that I purchased after using my "no name" 4x6
for several years. I liked that 4x6 a lot, so when I had the need I
moved up in capacity. When I say that I liked it a lot, I mean that
it was a great time saver and rarely had any problems. It's overall
quality was pretty low and that in itself made it hard to love. I
kept that saw to use as a backup saw for the smaller jobs when the
bigger machine was busy.

If you go with the 4x6 saw you will probably want to go through it and
upgrade/repair some of the weak areas. There are several sites
listing the common corrections needed.

I do think that all these machines are the same, except for small
details. The difference is in after sales support. Grizzly has
excellent customer support, at least for the few times I have required
it (not for the saw).

There are important differences to look for in the "better" models,
however. For instance, Grizzly sells two 4x6 machines, the basic and
the Swivel Head. They have the same specs as far as speed and
capacity. The Swivel model has the hydrallic down feed and is better
balanced.

The hydrallic downfeed should be included with "all" saws. The
spring-type counter balance just sucks, It will work though, as many
have testifed. Don't wander off while making a cut.

The question of balance is is a safety issue. These 4x6 machines can
fall over "backwards" when raised fully to the vertical position. It
really doesn't take much to get them to flip over when sawing on what
they call a table.

The bigger machines may also include a coolant pump, a feature I use
often when cutting thicker stuff.

All the problems with the 4x6 saws except capacity can be corrected
with money and ellbow grease, however.

Steven Harris

Harbor Freight actually has pretty good service for parts.

Dan

Grant Erwin wrote in message

I doubt you will be able to get replacement parts
from HF - heck, they have probably sold many different versions of the 4x6" saw
and don't keep track! However, if you clean out the gearbox when new, and keep
good gear oil in it, you should get decent life out of it.

Once you have a cutoff bandsaw, like a drill press, you will wonder how you
ever got along without it.

Grant Erwin

SteveB wrote:

My reluctance to buy a HF bandsaw was that I like to research a product, and
then when I buy, I buy knowing that this thing is going to last a very long
time. I am skeptical and cautions of the metals used in these cheaper
products, and as you know, some have very high failure rates or short
lifespans.

However, I have heard it too many times that the HF bandsaws are a GOOD
bandsaw that will stand up to many years of use by a hobbyist. Even with
the minor tweaking, it is not like the bearings or main components are going
to wear out soon.

What actually wears out on these little saws is the gears in the gearbox. You
can get replacement gears from the Jet or Delta parts network, but I don't know
if they will fit an HF saw. I doubt you will be able to get replacement parts
from HF - heck, they have probably sold many different versions of the 4x6" saw
and don't keep track! However, if you clean out the gearbox when new, and keep
good gear oil in it, you should get decent life out of it.

Once you have a cutoff bandsaw, like a drill press, you will wonder how you
ever got along without it.

Grant Erwin

Thanks for the tip, Grant.... I just broke down and ordered the HF
$169 saw.... I've read a lot of posts/websites about it and it seems
like I will be okay with it, even with a few modifications. When it
arrives, I will make the mods before I even start to use it and
appreciate the tip about the gear oil.
Thanks again.
Ken.

On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 09:41:40 -0800, Grant Erwin wrote:
What actually wears out on these little saws is the gears in the gearbox. You
can get replacement gears from the Jet or Delta parts network, but I don't know
if they will fit an HF saw. I doubt you will be able to get replacement parts
from HF - heck, they have probably sold many different versions of the 4x6" saw
and don't keep track! However, if you clean out the gearbox when new, and keep
good gear oil in it, you should get decent life out of it.

Actually, HF is pretty good about getting you replacement parts. Like anything
you order from HF, it may take a while to get them to you. That's the big advantage
of buying from an outfit like MSC, their service is *quick*. But if you aren't in a
hurry, HF gets the job done.

Gary