Ridgid Band Saw BS1400 No Longer Avail. from Home Depot ? Did I get the last one ?

David, let us know what you think when you get yours. I’m sort of in the market for a band saw, but I wasn’t giving the Ridgid too much consideration based on reviews I’ve read. If it’s relatively easy to tune up, I might try to get one at a discontinued bargain price.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

There has been speculation off and on for the last 3 or 4 years that Ridgid/OWT will be coming out with a new bandsaw. It seems that every time this comes up it’s just because a local HD has decided not to stock it any longer. Lack of sales would be my guess as to the reason for those stores deciding not to carry them any longer. On the other hand, RIDGID/OWT is famous for introducing updated models of their tools without any prior notice so who knows?

I wasn’t impressed of Ridgid bandsaw, so I bought a Grizzly G0555P

-- shdesign3.com

I bought one cheap from an auction, and immediately tuned it up following Michael Fortune’s articles in Wood and FWW. He uses this bandsaw for his furniture work. I have also put the Grizzly riser block on it, absolutely no issues doing it, fits perfectly (I painted mine black…)

In addition to reinforcing the stand, and replacing the blade and the drive belt, I would really recommend changing out the tires. In fact, no one change appeared to have as big an effect on the internal movement, and the only thing that had a bigger effect on cut quality was the obvious replacement of an old and worn stock blade with a WoodSlicer from Highland Hardware.

Overall, I am very happy with it – I have spent $200+ on upgrades, but at $120, I was way ahead of the game. My stepfather has a granite table SteelCity 14”, a very nice machine but no real difference in performance now. In fact, in the process of tuning up the Ridgid, I learned enough that I have significantly improved his results on the SteelCity.

@CharlieM1958, I will certainly chime in after I get it set up, running and put through some real work. I already have a small bandsaw that works fine, but it is too small for re-sawing. Like the router tables, I like to have one dedicated to 1/4” and the other to 1/2”. I intend to set this one up for light to medium duty re-sawing and leave the baby set up for small and curved work.

The interesting thing about the reviews of this saw is that so many are glowingly positive, then most others are just down on the vibration until remedied, the crap stock blade, and the tires that come off. There’s also a hinge piece that’s holding the top wheel that has broken on some people that I will identify and beef up if possible from day one.

You might ask “Why buy a saw that needs a link belt, a new blade, urethane wheels, and a piece of plywood between the stand and the saw” ? My answer is that these are either customary (the blade and the belt) and/or an easy upgrade. It seems that very many of these have no problems at all, then the rest are improved out of their problems with the upgrades.

I will bet a steak dinner that I will end up with an awesome saw with all the upgrades AND the riser kit at less than $500 total cost.

Here’s a good how-to review from an Amazon purchaser:

I am an experienced woodworker and found this saw to be a very good value once tweaked. On initial assembly, the saw has unacceptable levels of vibration. It’s now very smooth. Here are the tweaks.

1. Cut a 1/2” sheet of plywood to 14”x24” and mount it on top of the stand. Use the stand top as a pattern to cut the bolt holes. This will stabilize the stand and provide an even mounting surface for the saw and motor. You will need 4 5/16×1.5” bolts for the motor and 4 5/16×2” bolts for the saw.

2. Replace the belt that comes with the saw. I used a Dayco 15395 Fan Belt. You could also use a link belt, but the fan belt is excellent.

3. Line up the pulleys with a straight-edge. The motor pulley is designed for a straight-edge on the outside edge.

4. Tension the belt by using a quick clamp to push the motor away from the saw. You can apply the pressure directly between the pulleys. This will also hold it in place while you tighten the bolts on the motor.

5. REPLACE THE BLADE. The ridgid blade that comes with the saw is very bad. Mine had a weld the bumped every rotation. I found the Bosch 1/2”x93-1/2” to be very good on this saw, and inexpensive.

6. Optional: I put 3” locking rubber casters with stems in place of the feet. Works great for moving the tool around the shop.

Overall, I think it is a very good tool once tweaked. With the cast-iron frame and beast of a motor, it should be something I can pass down to my kids.

-- If you're going to stir the pot, think BIG spoon or SMALL boat paddle. David Grimes, Georgia

For what it is worth, here is my review of the saw on this site:

http://lumberjocks.com/reviews/465

About the only other mods I have done since the review involved replacing the rubber-covered knobs with ones I machined out of wood. I like wooden knobs.

Howard Ferstler