I am close to finally buying a bandsaw. I've been looking at 14" saws
from Jet, Grizzly, Delta, and General. I've pretty mush ruled out
Grizzly based on reviews here and in magazines, my shop time is limited
and I want to make sawdust not fuss with the tools. The Jet open stand
sells for about $400 w/ a 3/4 HP motor. The Jet and General about $600
(closed stand 1 HP motor) the Delta about $750 (similar specs to Jet and
General). I've used my FIL's General and liked it and haven't cut wood
with any of the others. Can the motor on the open stand Jet be upgraded
later? What do you think cost/functionality i.e. which is going to give
me the best value? Right now I'm leaning toward the $400 Jet or the
General. With two pre-school children I don't get a lot of shop time
now, but I expect that to change as they get older. I don't want to get
too little saw and I don't want to buy capability I'll never need.
John
My Grizzly has a TEFC motor. Sawdust doesn't bother it though it sits
out back. One of the few good things about this saw.
Tom Kohlman wrote:
>
> I bought Delta 14" with closed stand only a month ago for less than $600.
> Looked identical to the Jet other than color. I am new to the bandsaw
> (other than the meat cutting variety where I could do 75 pork chops a
> minute) but from what I see the closed stand is a plus...it throws off alot
> of sawdust for such a thin blade but that may be the particular blade I am
> using as I experiment with resawing. Not so sure how well the motor is
> protected on the open stand model. In any event I have to say that I am
> "taken" with the new possibilities and have tended to use it in many cases
> where I would have gone to the TS or CMS
>
> "George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > The motors on closed or open stands are upgradeable. Just a word from a
> fool
> > who took four times longer than it should, mind the side of the motor the
> > cap/CB box is on before you install if you've the open stand. The bottom
> > door doesn't open well with the box on the right!
> >
> > I've the Delta. Still built like a tank out of good aged iron, and the
> > lower guides are right up top to control the blade for me. Love it. I
> got
> > the open stand. Paying that much extra for tin didn't appeal. Put some
> > casters on the stand, couple pieces of ply for shelves, and you've got a
> > great saw and no wasted floor space.
> >
> > "John Quinn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > I am close to finally buying a bandsaw. I've been looking at 14" saws
> > > from Jet, Grizzly, Delta, and General. I've pretty mush ruled out
> > > Grizzly based on reviews here and in magazines, my shop time is limited
> > > and I want to make sawdust not fuss with the tools. The Jet open stand
> > > sells for about $400 w/ a 3/4 HP motor. The Jet and General about $600
> > > (closed stand 1 HP motor) the Delta about $750 (similar specs to Jet and
> > > General). I've used my FIL's General and liked it and haven't cut wood
> > > with any of the others. Can the motor on the open stand Jet be upgraded
> > > later? What do you think cost/functionality i.e. which is going to give
> > > me the best value? Right now I'm leaning toward the $400 Jet or the
> > > General. With two pre-school children I don't get a lot of shop time
> > > now, but I expect that to change as they get older. I don't want to get
> > > too little saw and I don't want to buy capability I'll never need.
> > >
> > > John
> > >
> >
> >
--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA
...........................................
I'm an influential person,
gravitationally speaking.
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I bought Delta 14" with closed stand only a month ago for less than $600.
Looked identical to the Jet other than color. I am new to the bandsaw
(other than the meat cutting variety where I could do 75 pork chops a
minute) but from what I see the closed stand is a plus...it throws off alot
of sawdust for such a thin blade but that may be the particular blade I am
using as I experiment with resawing. Not so sure how well the motor is
protected on the open stand model. In any event I have to say that I am
"taken" with the new possibilities and have tended to use it in many cases
where I would have gone to the TS or CMS
"George" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The motors on closed or open stands are upgradeable. Just a word from a
fool
> who took four times longer than it should, mind the side of the motor the
> cap/CB box is on before you install if you've the open stand. The bottom
> door doesn't open well with the box on the right!
>
> I've the Delta. Still built like a tank out of good aged iron, and the
> lower guides are right up top to control the blade for me. Love it. I
got
> the open stand. Paying that much extra for tin didn't appeal. Put some
> casters on the stand, couple pieces of ply for shelves, and you've got a
> great saw and no wasted floor space.
>
> "John Quinn" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I am close to finally buying a bandsaw. I've been looking at 14" saws
> > from Jet, Grizzly, Delta, and General. I've pretty mush ruled out
> > Grizzly based on reviews here and in magazines, my shop time is limited
> > and I want to make sawdust not fuss with the tools. The Jet open stand
> > sells for about $400 w/ a 3/4 HP motor. The Jet and General about $600
> > (closed stand 1 HP motor) the Delta about $750 (similar specs to Jet and
> > General). I've used my FIL's General and liked it and haven't cut wood
> > with any of the others. Can the motor on the open stand Jet be upgraded
> > later? What do you think cost/functionality i.e. which is going to give
> > me the best value? Right now I'm leaning toward the $400 Jet or the
> > General. With two pre-school children I don't get a lot of shop time
> > now, but I expect that to change as they get older. I don't want to get
> > too little saw and I don't want to buy capability I'll never need.
> >
> > John
> >
>
>
"Walt Conner" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I would sure examine the "fit and finish" of the knock offs compared to the
>real thing, the Delta, before making a final choice.
I saw some disparging words writting about some of the smaller Deltas...
Something about use of thin sheet metal. I saw what I thought might be a good
price on a 14" Jet (<$600), but then another search turned up a Central
Machinery 32208 4-speed 14" for $319 (including shipping) at an outfit called
Harbor Freight Tools.
So, is this Central Machinery tool any good? I can't seem to find much about
them on the web, and I never heard of them before. Also, is Harbor Freight
Tools ok to deal with?
I'm probably still a ways off from getting my first bandsaw, but what I'm
looking for needs to have a cutting height of at least 5 inches. I don't
anticipate doing a lot of resawing, but I might do *some*.
So, have at it with your opinions on bandsaws -- I want to hear the voice of
experience.
--
Howard Lee Harkness
Texas Certified Concealed Handgun Instructor
www.CHL-TX.com
[email protected]