Nearly all bandsaws come practically fully assembled and this was no exception.  Even if you took your time anybody could get the table bolted on and knobs screwed on in an hour or so.  Anybody but me that is.  I spent a lot of time going back and forth to Woodcraft because the first mobile base I bought was too small.  I paid $675 for the bandsaw because my local Woodcraft was clearing them out.

I decided to pay extra for the Jet fence, which isn't normally included with the 16" model (it is included for the larger models).  I'm glad I have a fence but I'm not thrilled with the Jet fence.  The problems with the fence are as follows:

1. It doesn't allow for easy adjustment so you can feed the wood crooked.
2. The resaw attachment isn't tall enough.
3. The fence's measurement pointer is too far away from the tape.
4. The fence's measuring tape isn't well marked.  It's like you're not even supposed to trust it.  It's just a rough guideline.

I've seen people write that they would rather rip wood on their bandsaw than their table saw.  I can't relate to that.  My unisaw is more accurate and the table is larger.  I can't imagine choosing the bandsaw for normal ripping operations.  That fact makes me wonder what a Minimax is like.

Resawing: This machine does a decent job resawing.  I've cut 8" of hard maple with it and it doesn't bog down unless you're trying to make it do so.  It can nicely tension a 1" blade; something 14" bandsaws do not do very well.  The resaw attachment allows you to feed the wood crooked.  That works ok but sometimes I see people with 1' tall wooden fences accurately slicing 1/16" of wood from their stock.  I don't get that kind of precision but it could be that I need more experience.  I've only resawed about 60 linear feet so far (11-18-03).  I should mention that the 17" cast iron table is nice and large which makes resawing a bit easier.  The resaw capacity is 10" so you don't need a riser block to have a reasonable capacity.

3-3-04 Update: I have a little more experience resawing now and I'm becoming more and more please with this bandsaw.  I can get slices down to about 3/32" and I think that with a little more practice I'll get down to 1/16" or so.  The key for me was ditching the resaw attachment and using the straight fence.

Curves:  This is an area where the machine exceeded my expectations.  I thought that the roller style bearings would not guide the blade as well and that the lower bearings were a bit too far from the table.  However, cutting curves is great on this saw.  I can't think of anything that would make it better, maybe an even larger cast iron table?

General Comments: Changing the blades is fairly difficult on this machine.  I looked at the 14" Delta X5 and I see how easy the path for the blade to enter and leave the machine is.  Even after doing it 25 times or so it still takes me 10-15 minutes to get it set up for a different blade.

It runs on a 110 volt 15 amp circuit.  Because I didn't have an easy way to run 220 volt service to the wall in my shop I planned on keeping my bandsaw I was really looking at something that would run on my existing electrical service.  If it wasn't for my electrical requirements I think I'd lean towards the 17" Grizzly G0513 in this price range.  I guess I could always return it if the machine was too sloppy.

I can really see how the quick tension release is important.  Because it takes about 15 or 20 seconds to set or release the tension for the blade, I tend to do it when I start and stop using it for the day.  Sometimes I forget to do it at the end of the day so I end up running to the shop to release the tension after dinner.  It would be great to have a simple lever that does the trick.

The bandsaw runs very quietly.  It is totally vibration free and easily passes the nickel test.

The dust collection is great.  It's only a 4" hose at the top of the lower cabinet but there is no sawdust left in there after I'm finished.  Some sawdust is left on the table but there isn't much you can do about that when resawing thick stock.  The DC doesn't even get a chance to suck it.  You can see my 6" to 4" reducer in the picture above.  The 17" Grizzly has dual 4" ports, I don't think this machine needs that.  It works very well as is.

The wheels are cast metal with spokes and very heavy.  I think their mass compensates for a motor that is less powerful than some of the other larger bandsaws.  It's not that the wheels are heavier than other large bandsaws, it's that they are nice and heavy and they work great.  This is an area where the Jet is better than the Grizzly, the Grizzly has aluminum wheels.  Presumable the Grizzly's more powerful motor compensates for that.

4-10-04 Update: I've just learned that the wheels are "cast metal" and not cast iron as I previously thought.  This doesn't impact my opinion of the saw in that it still has heavy wheels that help carry the blade through the cut.  However, I wanted to explicitly call out the change in the review.

The saw doesn't have a break so it keeps spinning for about 1 1/2 minutes after you turn it off.  The machine is so quite sometimes it's not obvious if it's running or still spinning down.  The top wheel is easily adjustable to get the blade to track correctly, the bottom wheel needs to be shimmed.

Photos of my bandsaw

The Good:

The Bad

Conclusion

When you don't buy a top-of-the-line machine you're taking a chance.  This machine is a good purchase for its $650-$750 price range.  However, the Grizzly G0513 is in the same general range and you don't have to spend and extra $110 for a fence.  Also, you get a quick release tension bar and who knows what else? 

On the other hand, I've heard reports of shaky quality across the entire Grizzly line and specific to their bandsaw that the rack-n-pinion assembly for blade guard height control was loose and sloppy compared to the Jet.  It's difficult to choose between the Jet and the Grizzly.

The Jet is a more solid machine with a larger table than the 14" bandsaws in its price range.  It should be noted that the Jet name is generally considered superior to Grizzly so you're taking a chance with that bandsaw too.

Someday I'll probably replace this machine with a dream bandsaw like the Minimax. However, until then I have a good machine in the shop that works for me.

Update 5-4-2004: