Craftsman Bandsaw ??

Check the blade length and the availability of blades for that length. There some speculation that this saw was made by Rikon, but I’ve read ample information that is for and against that claim. For me, when I was considering a bandsaw, I looked at whether I could order a blade from Lee Valley for the saw. That’s the only tidbit I can give you and at that point, you can put an effort in tuning up just about any saw so it will cut okay, if you put the effort in. As for the other saws that are available to you, they are all good saws as well.

Cheers!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

I have this bandsaw and have not had any rpoblems with it at all. It does a good job resawing.

-- Hope Never fails

Stay away.

-- Check out my new website! http://www.theeasellife.com

I was thinking about getting this saw also. I thought it was a Rikon also. Why do you say stay away Blake?

-- Tony, Ohio

Yea Blake . . . why stay away ??

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Craftsman has really slipped from its lofty perch as a provider of quality tools. I have been disappointed with every Craftsman anything I have bought in the last three years.

-- Maplewood, MN

My job is International trade consulting. I am currently in China and saw this posting so I thought it was a good time to explain a bit of what I know of this situation.

Few brands actually own factories. they get their items made in factories that manufacture to specification. For example, I have been in the factory where they make the Jet mini lathe. I have seen that lathe as well as others in other colors for other manufacturers. The only difference is the color and occasionally a few components.

Sears used to build most of the craftsman line through Emerson electric who assembled their line overseas. Sears made a choice several years ago to find cheaper ways to get their tools. They went direct to China to see who could make their tools cheaper. At that time, Sears seemed to remove quality from the line and suffered in reviews and customer issues.

Emerson took the loss and rather than loose the business, they created the Rigid woodworking line and started to sell through Home Depot. Now sears has seen some of the error of their ways and has begun to better the specifications of the equipment they buy but still fall behind the other brands out there.

As for this saw looking like a Rikon, I am almost positive that it is, only with a less expensive base with thinner metal to cut some cost. I understand that the Rikon, Craftsman, Grizzly, and others are made int he same location with a difference in internal components. According to my friends in China, Grizzly uses the best parts in their machines and Sears uses the cheapest. I don’t have the exact specs, but I would shy away from the Craftsman model. They are interested more in the mass market than the craftsman.

I am sure that the craftsman works, but I would choose otherwise.

-- making sawdust....

Great info motthunter. I have the Craftsman professional table saw, I posted a review on, and I am very happy with it.

-- Tony, Ohio

I have the Craftsman and would not buy it again. The odd blade length is an issue. I have to special order them from a company that makes them to length.

The bearings on the guides are not very good. I’ve only had the saw a year and have had one bearing go out. You can’t use guide blocks made by other companies.

Oh yeah, and the table tilt mechanism is a joke. It’s only supported on one side so it’s nearly impossible to set up an angled cut.

The fence is crap. I replaced it with a Kreg just a couple months after buying it.

Also, the wheel for tensioning the blade is on top of the saw. This makes it very difficult to tension the blade. I’ve had to get a step stool to get into a proper position to put enough torque to turn the handle. Unlike the Grizzly there’s no Quick Release tension lever. This means you have to release the tension by turning the tensioning handle when you are done using the saw, then tighten it back up when you want to use it again. (Or do like I do and leave it tensioned all the time because it’s too much trouble, thus decreasing the life of the blade.)

If I had to do it over again I’d spend a few extra dollars and buy a Grizzly, something like the G0513 or G0514x. After spending the extra money on a replacement fence and special ordering blades I probably could have bought the Grizzly for the same money. The only thing I’ve bought from Craftsman that I don’t regret is my drill press.

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

Zuki, I also have this saw. It works great. I have had one since they hit the local market and I have not had one problem with it. But I am one and maybe the only one besides Tony Z who is a fan of Craftsmans. I have a complete shop full of there tools, and I have not had one issues with any of them.

-- Guy Kroll

Tks guys.

Great information motthunter. I guess we all sort of suspected that . . . but now you have confirmed.

Iowa – your review is almost like all those on the Sears site. You should put it on the review section.

GuyK – you must ahve one of the good ones before Craftsman started cutting corners.

Well . . . its off I go again in the persuit of a cheap, but excellent bandsaw.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

Zuki, before considering a Jet read the reviews on Amazon. Not very good reviews.

-- Owen Johnson - aka IowaWoodcrafter

I will give two thumbs up on my Grizzly G0555.

-- Maplewood, MN