I’m looking at my options for 14" bandsaws but notice the 17" grizzly 40th anniversary edition seems like its worth considering. Aside from the obvious size increase how does it compare to the usual 14" saws? Is something like the Laguna 14|12 or Rikon 10-324TG 14" saws have any advantages?
Maybe a silly suggestion, but I’ve been thinking about building a bandsaw. There are some really good YouTube resources on building them. Matthias Wandel and Marius Hornberger are great starting points.
If you see yourself doing a lot of resawing, a larger bandsaw would allow you to run a wider blade which, coupled with extra hp, helps make pushing larger boards through easier.
I have a 14" Laguna and rarely miss the extra capacity. I don’t do a whole lot of resawing and when I do I’ll use a 1/2" woodslicer blade which handles everything I throw at it. Otherwise, I mostly keep a 3/8" blade on it.
If you’re ok buying used, a vintage 14" Rockwell Delta is a great saw for the money.
Also, Alex Snodgrass on YouTube is a great resource for all things bandsaw.
I just recently got the 17" Grizzly myself. The other choice was the Laguna 1412. I’m sure I’d be happy with either but the decision came down to Grizzly being able to deliver to the house. You need to be prepared to get a ~300lb. crate from the curb into your shop. There’s no guarantee the driver will help you - and if they do you should tip.
You have to consider power, too. The 2HP Grizzly comes wired 220V, so you need service to wherever the saw goes, plus a plug and an outlet from the hardware store.
The blade it comes with is almost useless - too high TPI. I’d ordered a 5/8", 6-TPI blade and it came before the saw did, so that’s what I started with.
I’ve had the Laguna 1412 for a long time and am happy with it. A bigger saw will have a couple of advantages:
The larger wheels allow the blades to bend less and therefore will have longer life
The longer blade length gets you more teeth per blade so your blades will last longer
A larger saw will be able to exert more tension, allowing you to use thicker/wider blades
So the usual advice is to get the biggest saw you can afford, assuming you have the electrical setup for it. Footprints are pretty similar.
With my 14" saw I primarily use 1/2" x 0.035" Lennox Dimaster Bimetals blades and get great results. With a 17"+ saw I could use a wider blade with lower TPI and resaw faster, but as a weekend warrior those time savings don’t add up.
I work for a hardware store, and I want to give you some insight on how I choose what to buy. It’s all about what needs the most repairs. If you call your local repair shop, they’ll happily tell you horror stories about brands that don’t hold up, and why. Editing to add that you should find out what the repair process is like, because some brands have specific requirements when you’re getting repairs… like licensed repair shops only. I don’t know a whole lot about the brands that make bandsaws, but to get a warrantied repair done for some major power tool brands, you need to go to an approved shop. I hope that makes sense.
Other than that, I think the comments hit the salient points - buy something that fits your workshop, and has the power to do what you’re going to be doing.
I don’t have any insight into the different brands, but the ones you posted are all decent. I’m also interested in seeing what an expert has to say, but my gut wants to say “if you have the space, go bigger.” The biggest bandsaw in the world is still able to cut smaller pieces of wood.
The extra horsepower on the larger one will be nice to have. A lot of it depends on what you’ll be doing. A general woodworker making birdhouses has different needs than someone making furniture. If you’ll be changing blades a lot, getting something that is easy to make quick adjustments with would be worth the extra money. Every blade change requires changes in tension and adjustments to the upper and lower blade guides. That being said, blade guides can be upgraded in the future.
Portability is something else to consider. A larger machine is more difficult to move around the shop.
Looking forward to seeing some more answers from experts! I would also like to know more about how to choose a good bandsaw, I have been looking at getting a used one but prices are all over the place and I don’t know who makes a good one.
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