| Review by GaryK | posted 484 days ago | 3559 views | 1 time favorited | 36 comments | ![]() |
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- Steel City 50100G 14-Inch Deluxe Granite Bandsaw
- Brand: Steel City | Category: Bandsaws

Here it is. The Steel City 14” Granite table bandsaw.
The grand prize for the 2008 Winter Challange
http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/msojka/blog/3434
Now since I just got it, this review covers just the assembly and some preliminary
performance results and features. After I have used it for a while I will add an
addedum to this review.
Since I also purchased the 6” riser block I will do a separate review for that.
Assembly: Here is how they arrived:
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The base came in the small box. Here are the parts layed out:
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Here they are all together. The nice part is that the wheels are integrated into the base so it’s not an add on.
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Here is where the manual was wrong. The manual shows a hole in the top of the base, but as you can see here it’s been moved the side. No problem, just a little head scratching.
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Here is the main saw still in the box. Since I had only myself to put it together I separated the top and bottom half. No big deal since I was going to add the 6” riser the next day anyway.
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Here it is mounted. I put the belt on and it was already perfectly aligned. I don’t know if they all come like this but this one did.
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Now here is where I made my own modification. A light was included, but it has a separate plug and since I was going to run this off of 110V and not 220V I decided to take off the power switch and terminate the plug
into the live side of the switch. WARNING DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU REWIRE THE MOTOR FOR 220V
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Here you can see the wire routed through the back making a nice clean install.
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Other than mounting the table and fence that’s about it for the assembly.
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Now here are some of the features:
One nice feature is the 1 1/2 hp motor that comes wired for 110V but can be rewired to 220V.
I was surprised to see a T-Slot in the table and not just a slot. That allows me to use my miter gauge from my table saw without having to remove the washer. Great!
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Here a are a couple more. A resaw bar that you can mount to the fence. Now they really thought this out.
The difference between the surface of the fence and the face of the bar is exactly 1”. You will see the point of this when you see the scale in the next picture. The second is not really a feature but they included a blank table insert. This is great because you can use it as a guide to make more to use as zero clearance plates.
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Here is where that 1” I talked about earlier comes into play. There are two scales for the fence. One with the resaw post installed and the lower one without it. Another great feature.
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Another nice feature is the built in tension release lever. It allows you to release all the tension on your blade in less than a second just by flipping the lever. This makes changing blades a snap and removing tension when not in use. Not sure how important that is but I’m sure it would give you a longer life for the spring.
The upper blade guide is raised and lowered via a rack and pinion style control.
The included light is also a nice feature.
And last but not least is the upper and lower ball learing blade guides. No carter bearing upgrade needed here.
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Here is another great feature. A 4” dust collection port. There is kind of a scoop to help catch the sawdust.
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Here is some preliminary performance results. After I installed one of my favorite 3/4” Woodslicer blades,
I resawed a piece of 3/8 thick, 5” wide peruvian walnut. into 3 pieces 3/32 thick. With a combination of the saw and blade just a light sanding is necessary.
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So with two cuts I get three pieces from one 3/8 piece. Here you can see the piece at the left is a little thicker since that is the cutoff. All in all a great saw.
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-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
























36 comments so far
JC
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98 posts in 549 days
posted 484 days ago
Nice!
-- JC - Central PA - www.affyx.com
CharlieM1958
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6680 posts in 970 days
posted 484 days ago
You’re just rubbing it in! :-)
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
TomFran
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2465 posts in 746 days
posted 484 days ago
Congratulations, Gary, on being the fortunate one the get this great saw! This is a real beauty.
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
Bob #2
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2663 posts in 773 days
posted 484 days ago
Nice score Gary.
It looks well made and carefully fitted. You will enjoy that tools for many moons.
Bob
-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner
Dick, & Barb Cain
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6381 posts in 1051 days
posted 484 days ago
Congratulations Gary!
A great prize, now I’ll have something to compare features with my Rikon.
-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1
Dominic Vanacora
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502 posts in 621 days
posted 484 days ago
Thanks for the information. I love the saw and this my just push me into buying this one. I would also purchase the riser as you have. Very nice review. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
-- Dominic, Trinity, Florida...Lets be safe out there.
RCT
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15 posts in 502 days
posted 484 days ago
Hi Gary
What is “The 2008 Winter Challenge” I guess I should know but I don’t.
Thanks RC
-- "Ya but what does he know anyhow?"
GaryK
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9429 posts in 740 days
posted 484 days ago
RC – you can read about it here:
http://lumberjocks.com/awards/winter_2008
I hope that there is a Summer Challange 2008 coming up.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
sharad
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570 posts in 556 days
posted 484 days ago
A nice review with ample pictures.
Sharad
-- patanjali
John Gray
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1427 posts in 637 days
posted 484 days ago
Nice review and great looking saw.
-- Only the Shadow knows....................
MsDebbieP
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13441 posts in 912 days
posted 484 days ago
great review.. learned a few things re: bandsaws!
Congrats.. what a prize.. what a prize!!!
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Patrick Jaromin
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273 posts in 584 days
posted 484 days ago
Excellent review, Gary. Thanks for sharing your prize, even “virtually” Enjoy it, you’ve earned it.
-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog
juniorjock
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750 posts in 517 days
posted 484 days ago
Congratulations.
-- JJ...... I guess you could say I'm a 54 year old "juniorjock". — Make things with wood.
GaryK
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9429 posts in 740 days
posted 484 days ago
Someone asked me if there were any real advantages of the granite top.
It won’t rust.
It won’t warp.
The bottom surface is flat allowing you to use any type of clamps. Try putting a clamp on a cast iron top with all the webs and ribs under it and you will know what I mean.
You can also use it for anything that requires a dead flat surface.
That’s all that I can think of for now.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
teenagewoodworker
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2374 posts in 520 days
posted 484 days ago
congratulations that looks like a really nice band saw. the granite top is cool how it has all those things that make it better. also it absorbs vibration. and it makes it look cool. congrats on the saw and great review.
mrtrim
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1702 posts in 632 days
posted 484 days ago
well you earned it my friend ! sounds like a great saw , hope it gives you many years of service ! well done
Chris
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1415 posts in 742 days
posted 483 days ago
I’m in love!... with the saw that is. :)
-- Chris
gizmodyne
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1633 posts in 841 days
posted 483 days ago
Very cool. Glad you are enjoying it.
-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne
cajunpen
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5952 posts in 817 days
posted 483 days ago
Good review Gary and Congratulations. The last thing that I won was a turtle, when I was in about 6th grade. Never won anything nearly that nice – happy for you, and hope you enjoy it for many years to come.
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
Blake
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2560 posts in 626 days
posted 483 days ago
So so cool! Congrats. You earned it.
-- Check out my new website! http://www.blakeweberwoodworking.com
Davedust
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5 posts in 495 days
posted 483 days ago
Sweet, this is in the running for next big buy. Any problems with chipping of the garnet? Its amazing how the people that actually use the tools review them and what we find, versus what the advertising pushes
-- Im not rich, just single with no kids...
jockmike2
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5707 posts in 998 days
posted 483 days ago
Very nice Gary, You are the man. That is one nice saw. WOW! mike
-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com
Brad_Nailor
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1081 posts in 709 days
posted 483 days ago
Congrats again…you deserved the win with that amazing box. I have to say thanks for this awesome review. Obviously, you were thinking about it before you even cut the tape on the boxes. It’s great that you take us through the whole process with lots of great pictures. You have definitely made up my mind…I want one of these!
-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"
ND2ELK
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5053 posts in 525 days
posted 483 days ago
Congratulations Gary. Looks like a great saw. I am going to have to buy a band saw for my shop and will be interested in what you think of this saw after using it a while. What was your winning project?
Tom
-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa
dalec
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566 posts in 640 days
posted 483 days ago
Congrats Gary!
Thanks for sharing your prize with us with the assembly process, riser installation and performance of your new tool.
Dalec
Scott Bryan
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16273 posts in 573 days
posted 482 days ago
Gary,
Thanks for the review. I thought about one of these especially with regards to the granite top but couldn’t talk myself out of moving away from the Powermatic line. If I had a review like this available at the time I probably would have made the switch since it appears as if your saw has all the amenities that the Powermatic does.
Does the saw have a dust collection port?
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
Karson
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21155 posts in 1152 days
posted 482 days ago
Gary great review and a nice set of pictures. I’m glad that it is working out great.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
GaryK
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9429 posts in 740 days
posted 482 days ago
Scott – Yes id does have a 4” dust port on the back. I forgot to mention that. I will update my section on features. Thanks
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
rikkor
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11345 posts in 626 days
posted 482 days ago
Great review from a well deserving winner of the contest. That is a sweet resaw set-up.
teenagewoodworker
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2374 posts in 520 days
posted 482 days ago
after reading this review a couple of times and speaking with Marc about how he got his sponsors i think I’ll try them also. it looks like a great brand and there are so many questions about the brand. maybe i can convince them that i can introduce their brand to the woodworking community and their sales will increase. again congrats on the saw and enjoy it. i can’t wait until you post some projects that you did on this bandsaw. thanks for the post.
grovemadman
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558 posts in 523 days
posted 480 days ago
I have heard some good things about this company, especially the service. From the reviews I’ve read about other tools in the Steelcity line up they compare well with Delta and as I mentioned better service. Anyway you look at it they are nice tools and even more so as a prize. Congrats Gary!
-- --Chuck
pashley
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448 posts in 469 days
posted 449 days ago
What, no diamond blade?
-- http://newmissionworkshop.com
gator9t9
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294 posts in 456 days
posted 436 days ago
Really nice review ….Yes you earned that prize.
Thanks
-- Mike in Bonney Lake " If you are real real real good your whole life, You 'll be buried in a curly maple coffin when you die."
azwoodman
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44 posts in 132 days
posted 132 days ago
This review really helps! I am in the process of researching which bandsaw will do the trick for me (features/cost) and I have heard great things about the Steel City lineup. Thanks for your feedback.
-- -Spencer, Mesa Az (http://www.azwoodshop.com)
BTKS
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225 posts in 216 days
posted 6 days ago
GaryK, just added the 6in riser to my SC 50100G. Wow, I really like it. I picked mine up last December and used as is until I dulled the original blade then added the block. I put a Carter 5tpi 1/2 in blade in and re-sawed some cotton wood. Cut like a dream.
When you use the post, where do you position the apex of the curve in relation to the lead edge of the blade? I tried aligning the two and it worked okay, just didn’t know if there were any pointers to getting the most out of this set-up. Do you re-saw at 1500 or 3000. I’ve only set it at the lower speed because I’m not overly experienced with the bandsaw and I think I am a little less likely to kink or break a blade at lower speed.
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, BTKS
BTKS
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225 posts in 216 days
posted 6 days ago
Just tried Oak, about 7 to 71/2 across. Cut like a dream on slow speed. Good finish, would be better if I practiced and maintained a steady feed rate. BTKS