Groan ... I am going nuts trying to decide which bandsaw to go with.
Based on previous advice, I should dig up some funds and go for the
absolute best I can afford. But money is a bit tight.

So anyway ... I've compared the Grizzly G0555 and the Jet 708115K
(JWBS-14CS). Equipping each with a riser block and taking into
consideration S&H, rebated and discounts, the monetary comparison is:

Grizzly - $552
Jet - $571

Both seem to get rave reviews from users. For a hundred bucks more, you
can get the Jet 710115K (which gives you an extra 1/4 HP).

So, between the Grizzly and the Jet, does anyone see a great difference?

Thanks! I know I've been beating this issue and probably will still be
doing so, but maybe I can just DO it and buy one!

Jack

"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" wrote
in message ...
Groan ... I am going nuts trying to decide which bandsaw to go with. Based
on previous advice, I should dig up some funds and go for the absolute
best I can afford. But money is a bit tight.

So anyway ... I've compared the Grizzly G0555 and the Jet 708115K
(JWBS-14CS). Equipping each with a riser block and taking into
consideration S&H, rebated and discounts, the monetary comparison is:

Grizzly - $552
Jet - $571

Both seem to get rave reviews from users. For a hundred bucks more, you
can get the Jet 710115K (which gives you an extra 1/4 HP).

So, between the Grizzly and the Jet, does anyone see a great difference?

Thanks! I know I've been beating this issue and probably will still be
doing so, but maybe I can just DO it and buy one!

IMHO save some more money and get a better made unit. I know that it's a
lot of money but if you are agonizing this much you may not be happy with
the lesser saws. Laguna has a saw that will probably last you a life time.
Twice as much but perhaps a bargain in the long run.

On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:42:18 -0700, "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net"
"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" wrote:

Groan ... I am going nuts trying to decide which bandsaw to go with.
Based on previous advice, I should dig up some funds and go for the
absolute best I can afford. But money is a bit tight.

So anyway ... I've compared the Grizzly G0555 and the Jet 708115K
(JWBS-14CS). Equipping each with a riser block and taking into
consideration S&H, rebated and discounts, the monetary comparison is:

Grizzly - $552
Jet - $571

Both seem to get rave reviews from users. For a hundred bucks more, you
can get the Jet 710115K (which gives you an extra 1/4 HP).

So, between the Grizzly and the Jet, does anyone see a great difference?

The cheaper Jet doesn't have a quick blade release, the G0555 and the
more expensive Jet do.

The Jets come with the equivalent of cool blocks. The G0555 comes
with roller bearings, but not very good ones. If you want to use
narrow blades you'll need to get standard guide block holders from
Grizzly and cool blocks, about $25 in total.

I was going to recommend the Delta 28-206, but it looks like Amazon
cleared out their stock and stopped carrying it.


-Leuf

"Leuf" wrote in message
...

The cheaper Jet doesn't have a quick blade release, the G0555 and the
more expensive Jet do.


Concerning blade tension releases, there at 2 kinds. One actually releases
tension enough that you can remove the blade, the other simply relieves some
of the tension. You still have to untension the blade further to remove
the blade.
IMHO blade tension levers are bells and whistles that are unnecessary.

The top notch band saw manufacturers do no use tension release levers.

On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 04:06:53 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


"Leuf" wrote in message
.. .

The cheaper Jet doesn't have a quick blade release, the G0555 and the
more expensive Jet do.


Concerning blade tension releases, there at 2 kinds. One actually releases
tension enough that you can remove the blade, the other simply relieves some
of the tension. You still have to untension the blade further to remove
the blade.

There's more kinds than that actually. Some of them have 2 positions,
partial and full tension release. Some of them adjust to the amount
of tension. For example on my Delta it's a "dumb" release that just
takes off so much tension that the top of the blade is just flopping
around an inch off the wheel. I'd prefer it the way it was on your
Rikon, only taking off some of it. If you're changing blades you're
changing tension anyway so the lever does little for you. I don't
change blades often and the lever is good for taking off the tension
at the end of the day.

I don't have any experience with either the Jet's or Griz's.

IMHO blade tension levers are bells and whistles that are unnecessary.

It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but I figured if I wanted one the
only way to add one later is the Carter at $150, so it was either
going to come with it or never happen.


-Leuf

"Leuf" wrote in message

I was going to recommend the Delta 28-206, but it looks like Amazon
cleared out their stock and stopped carrying it.

Can't imagine why.

In the beginning, Delta made a good bandsaw and Jet copied it ... but not as
good. Then Delta copied the Jet bandsaw ... but not as good.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 12/13/05

"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" wrote
in :

Groan ... I am going nuts trying to decide which bandsaw to go with.
Based on previous advice, I should dig up some funds and go for the
absolute best I can afford. But money is a bit tight.

So anyway ... I've compared the Grizzly G0555 and the Jet 708115K
(JWBS-14CS). Equipping each with a riser block and taking into
consideration S&H, rebated and discounts, the monetary comparison is:

Grizzly - $552
Jet - $571

Both seem to get rave reviews from users. For a hundred bucks more, you
can get the Jet 710115K (which gives you an extra 1/4 HP).

So, between the Grizzly and the Jet, does anyone see a great difference?

Thanks! I know I've been beating this issue and probably will still be
doing so, but maybe I can just DO it and buy one!

Jack


What can you get from a local dealer?

Patriarch

Patriarch wrote:

What can you get from a local dealer?

Patriarch

Not much. I live up in Los Alamos, NM. Santa Fe is woefully inadequate
for tool supplies. You have to drive all the way to Albuquerque to find
anything decent (2+ hours one way) and I'm not familiar with the area.

Jack

In article ,
"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net"
wrote:

Patriarch wrote:

What can you get from a local dealer?

Patriarch

Not much. I live up in Los Alamos, NM. Santa Fe is woefully inadequate
for tool supplies. You have to drive all the way to Albuquerque to find
anything decent (2+ hours one way) and I'm not familiar with the area.

There is a Wood Workers Supply in Albuquerque, see
http://woodworker.com/helpdetail.shtml#3 Their 14 inch is
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPR...ARTNUM=133-517

But I have no knowledge of the quality of it (in general their house
brand is good). I have done a bit-o-business with this firm and have
faith it in them

But they also carry Delta

There is also a Wood Crafters in Albuquerque, see
http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/store.aspx?id=547

But I am less impressed with their pricing

Personally, I would buy a Grizzly, but I can drive to one of their
outlets and pick it up.

--
--------------------------------------------------------
Personal e-mail is the n7bsn but at amsat.org
This posting address is a spam-trap and seldom read
RV and Camping FAQ can be found at
http://www.ralphandellen.us/rv

Thanks! Given the price difference, it's worth the trip to check it out.

Jack

Ralph E Lindberg wrote:
In article ,
"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net"
wrote:


Patriarch wrote:


What can you get from a local dealer?

Patriarch

Not much. I live up in Los Alamos, NM. Santa Fe is woefully inadequate
for tool supplies. You have to drive all the way to Albuquerque to find
anything decent (2+ hours one way) and I'm not familiar with the area.


There is a Wood Workers Supply in Albuquerque, see
http://woodworker.com/helpdetail.shtml#3 Their 14 inch is
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPR...ARTNUM=133-517

But I have no knowledge of the quality of it (in general their house
brand is good). I have done a bit-o-business with this firm and have
faith it in them

But they also carry Delta

There is also a Wood Crafters in Albuquerque, see
http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/store.aspx?id=547

But I am less impressed with their pricing

Personally, I would buy a Grizzly, but I can drive to one of their
outlets and pick it up.

"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" wrote
in message ...
Thanks! Given the price difference, it's worth the trip to check it out.

Jack

Hiya Jack,
Yeah there's not much around here and I'm in ABQ! The WW Supply is a
pretty good supply house and if you're a member of the
ABQ WW'ers club, you get either wholesale or contractor pricing (can't
remember which) but it amounts to about 15-20% off. I've never bought
a large machine from them but I assume the lower price is still valid. The
local Woodcraft has a lot of nice stuff but is way overpriced.
I don't even bother pricing tools from them. So, at the end of the day, I
bought the G0555 and it's worked great for me. I am not a
serious bandsaw user so your mileage may vary considerably. I have since
added a Grizzly table saw and jointer to the stable and so far,
am happy with those as well. It's really not that big a deal to order it
and have it delivered. A bit of faith in what your ordering and a whole
lot of prayer that the thing won't end up looking like it's been through
WWIII after shipping.
Cheers,
cc

myself I would take shopfox over grizzly if they have the same model.
better switches and motors and warranty.

The only difference between the 2 is the price and the name.

"Steve knight" wrote in message
news
myself I would take shopfox over grizzly if they have the same model.
better switches and motors and warranty.

Did a quick check on some of the specs I could find. The Shopfox seems
to be significantly heavier (256 vs. 210 shipping weight) and the
Shopfox comes with cast-iron wheels whereas the Grizzly has cast aluminum.

Now, I don't know if that's good or bad either way. Intuitively, the
cast iron seems better (and out here in NM, rust isn't an issue).

They have a slight difference in speeds - 1700 and 3000 for the Shopfox
versus 1500 and 3200 for the Grizzly.

Another minor difference is that the Shopfox uses the base in a cabinet
style as opposed to the open style of the Grizzly. Convenient I suppose
for some local storage space.

The rest of the specs are pretty much identical.

The Shopfox is a bit more expensive, but not much.

Jack

Dave wrote:

The only difference between the 2 is the price and the name.

"Steve knight" wrote in message
news
myself I would take shopfox over grizzly if they have the same model.
better switches and motors and warranty.

"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" wrote
in message news:Xq-dnYGF8aGC-


Did a quick check on some of the specs I could find. The Shopfox seems to
be significantly heavier (256 vs. 210 shipping weight) and the Shopfox
comes with cast-iron wheels whereas the Grizzly has cast aluminum.

Now, I don't know if that's good or bad either way. Intuitively, the cast
iron seems better (and out here in NM, rust isn't an issue).

The cast iron wheels will provide more momentum longer when the sawing gets
tough and ultimately probably with less vibration if they too are balanced.

I'm sure a million people have chimed in on what bandsaw is best which
they prefer etc. But hey, why let that stop me

I have the G0555. I absolutely love it. I use it all the time for
quick cuts here and there, I've resawn 8/4 6" alder for bookmatched
drawer fronts (worked great) and I even rip most of my wood with it
(and then let it aclimate again and do final jointing/planing/ripping).
I love it. I mostly use a 1/2" blade and have been very happy (if you
haven't figured that out by now). I must say that I don't think I'd
honestly be happier if I had spent more on another unit. Certainly not
twice as happy

Now, as a side note, you mention you want the riser block. I assume
you want to resaw stuff bigger than 6". That might actually push the
motor a bit. I don't know that you'd want to do that. Although it
would just entail pushing the wood through really slow, your call. I
mean if you're _rarely_ going to do that I wouldn't spend the extra
cash on it. If you're planning on doing that pretty often then I would
rethink your purchase because I don't think the G0555 is really
designed for that (as a constant use I mean). I would look at a 2hp
model personally.

In my whole shop (and I have pretty much all the power tools -- I'm
never done collecting hand tools I only have two items that I would
upgrade if given the chance. I'd like an 8" jointer for the longer
beds and I would upgrade the bandsaw as well. But here's the weird
part, only because I use it the most and I "presume" it would be better
to have more power there ... who's to say it would really make that
much difference.

Heh, not sure I've helped, but at least I own the product you're
looking at and it might help having my perspective as a current owner.

Good luck,
Mike

That's a good point. I don't think that I would find myself using the
extension much at all. I just figured that it's good to have when you
need it.

I'm not a profession woodworker (don't even come close to the same zip
code!) and don't expect that I'll even do anything more complicated than
some nice boxes, clocks, etc. It's just that I keep hearing that it
makes sense to have the riser block from the start.

I assume that using the riser block doesn't detract from the standard
sawing (other than maybe 1/2" of lost width capability).

Jack

Mike in Idaho wrote:
I'm sure a million people have chimed in on what bandsaw is best which
they prefer etc. But hey, why let that stop me

I have the G0555. I absolutely love it. I use it all the time for
quick cuts here and there, I've resawn 8/4 6" alder for bookmatched
drawer fronts (worked great) and I even rip most of my wood with it
(and then let it aclimate again and do final jointing/planing/ripping).
I love it. I mostly use a 1/2" blade and have been very happy (if you
haven't figured that out by now). I must say that I don't think I'd
honestly be happier if I had spent more on another unit. Certainly not
twice as happy

Now, as a side note, you mention you want the riser block. I assume
you want to resaw stuff bigger than 6". That might actually push the
motor a bit. I don't know that you'd want to do that. Although it
would just entail pushing the wood through really slow, your call. I
mean if you're _rarely_ going to do that I wouldn't spend the extra
cash on it. If you're planning on doing that pretty often then I would
rethink your purchase because I don't think the G0555 is really
designed for that (as a constant use I mean). I would look at a 2hp
model personally.

In my whole shop (and I have pretty much all the power tools -- I'm
never done collecting hand tools I only have two items that I would
upgrade if given the chance. I'd like an 8" jointer for the longer
beds and I would upgrade the bandsaw as well. But here's the weird
part, only because I use it the most and I "presume" it would be better
to have more power there ... who's to say it would really make that
much difference.

Heh, not sure I've helped, but at least I own the product you're
looking at and it might help having my perspective as a current owner.

Good luck,
Mike

On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:42:18 -0700, "mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net"
"mywebaccts (at) PLUGcomcast.net" wrote:

Groan ... I am going nuts trying to decide which bandsaw to go with.
Based on previous advice, I should dig up some funds and go for the
absolute best I can afford. But money is a bit tight.

So anyway ... I've compared the Grizzly G0555 and the Jet 708115K
(JWBS-14CS). Equipping each with a riser block and taking into
consideration S&H, rebated and discounts, the monetary comparison is:

Grizzly - $552
Jet - $571

Both seem to get rave reviews from users. For a hundred bucks more, you
can get the Jet 710115K (which gives you an extra 1/4 HP).

So, between the Grizzly and the Jet, does anyone see a great difference?

Thanks! I know I've been beating this issue and probably will still be
doing so, but maybe I can just DO it and buy one!

Jack



I'd never buy Jet over Grizzly - jmo