Bandsaw input...

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penhead

penhead

Local Chapter Leader
Joined
Aug 21, 2004
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Location
Chesapeake, Virginia, USA.
yes, I do know this is a penturners forum and many are looking for a _small_ bandsaw,
but there are also many here who do more than turn pens, so a little feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I am looking seriously at the Steel City 14" bandsaw with granite top (50100G).
Anyone have one of these or know of anything good/bad about them?

I know that Steelcity will be dropping this model in the new year, and coming out with a newer version, but not sure if waiting on the new tweaks and then spending another $250 for the new model will be worth it.

I would also be interested in opinions of other bandsaws of the same quality and in that price range...$650 for the 50100G sounds like a good deal to me...right...maybe..??
 
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I received the Steelcity bandsaw from my wife last Christmas (18", cast iron top). I have mostly liked it except for a few problems. 1) The rip fence has a little hickup along its length where the bracket meets with the main part of the fence. This causes a small hickup in whatever you are sawing that is over 9" as it moves from contact with the bracket to the fence. 2) Occassionally when I turn it on, the motor freezes and just hums. 3) It is difficult to get the guides to support the back side of small blades. Of course after I had it and identified these problems, my local Woodcraft dealer said they were aware of each of these issues (but too bad). If I could do it again, I might just beg my wife to move up to the Powermatic. On the other hand, Steecity offers a lot for the money. Good luck.
 
I recently took a bandsaw safety class, and the saw you are looking at was one of the two saws there. The granite top is VERY nice to work with, and I really liked it. The problem with the saw was, the blade guard. It was very awkward to work with and see behind. The saw was very nice though with the roller guides and all. The entire class was very excited about the saw, and being able to use it, but the consensus was that the blade guard was a major sticking point in purchasing it. Most wanted to modify it, or would not purchase the saw because of the blade guard.
 
Have my 14" Delta (USA made) with the riser block for some 9 years now and I am very happy with it. Couldn't have a better saw. At the time, there were not too much choices, Delta or Jet. I took the Delta Platinum edition because the Dealer gave me a good deal, there was a mail-in rebate and it came with a lot of accessories, mobile base, circle jig, riser block and a handful of blades.
 
I bought the ridgid 14" from Home Depot about 8 months ago and its been great. No problems, cost $369 , uses the same riser as the jet and similarly designed. And by registering my warranty online i recieved a lifetime warranty on everything except blades and tires. Cant beat that.
 
I also have the Ridgid w/6" riser, I have owned it for about 4-5 years, (They say that the mind is the first to go right, Ed?), and have not had any problems at all with it. I purchased the Kreg precision fence for it after trying the round tube type fences and it is great.
 
Thanks all for the input..!!..
With the feedback (and insistance from SWMBO) am thinking I will pass on the discounted SteelCity discontinued model this year (always a reason why things have a steep discount, right )...
Hadn't considered the Rigid, but will take a look now.
After watching David Marks cut veneer on his BS so many times, I have this urge to try it. But am surely sure that my current HF BS won't even come close to working for that.
 
Another question then, is anyone with a bandsaw that has the riser block installed, have you had any problems with alignment. I have read a few reviews of various vendors and a few have stated they had problems with alignment of the riser and thus throws off the cutting straight, especially when using the fence.

One of the "improvements" that SteelCity is making in next years model of their 14" bandsaw is a cutting height of 12" without the riser block.

And I believe it's the Laguna 14" that does the same thing.
 
Regardless of the saw you eventually go for, the chances are the balde supplied with it will be poor.
Spend some money on a few high quality blades and you will be amazed at the difference this makes.
More often than not poor prformance on a bandsaw is down to poor quality blades.
regards, beejay
 
I haven't heard of anyone having either cant or twist problems with an extension (mine is a delta and evertything went right together). That doesn't mean it can't happen. In that case, a few shims should correct the problem.

Marc
 
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