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Help with Tool Choices (Bandsaw and Planer)

2K views 24 replies 18 participants last post by  Surfside 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have a budget of about $850 to buy a bandsaw and I have been looking at the Grizzly 17" Anniversary G0513ANV edition for about 6 months now. But what I am trying to decide now is if I should go smaller and buy the 14" G0555LANV for $300 less and then buy the G0505 12-1/2" Planer too. I plan on going to the Grizzly location in Springfield, MO so I will not have any shipping charges.

I am new to woodworking but have always wanted to build a shop and in the words of the Dave the Drunken Woodworker "make stuff". One of the things I want to do with the bandsaw is re-sawing so I want to make sure I have one that is powerful enough to get the job done. I also see a lot of bandsaw boxes in my future.

I welcome any and all advice to help me with this decision. Thanks.
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
If you're doing any resawing it's REAL nice to have a planer, I'd say it's necessary, but I know may of the LJ's here are far better at using a hand plane than I am. I run a 14" with a riser block which = a 105" blade. I use a 1/2" blade for resaw and just recently ran a lot of oak which doesn't zip through like a board on the TS but, it does the job well. In this hobby there are always more tools or accessories to buy, and if you look to upgrade the saw to the 17" its always easy to sell a well maintined saw on CL
 
#3 ·
I would say it depends on what you are cutting. I've found that most of the time I've used a bandsaw, I don't exceed 6" in terms of work to cut. However, most of my lumber comes in just under 8" (the jointer I use has an 8" capacity), so plan your re-saw capacity based on what size lumber you generally get.

To complicate things, you could always go with the 14" and add the riser kit. However note that the 17" has a more powerful motor, making it better for re-saw. Not that it can't be done with the 14".
 
#4 ·
Have you considered buying used and stretching your money further? A used bandsaw (around 200) and a used planer (around 250) would leave room for a used jointer, and some bandsaw upgrades. You would have everything you need to mill and resaw lumber.
 
#6 ·
I have been looking for a used bandsaw on CL now for at least 9 months and nothing has been available in my area that I think I would be happy with. Can anyone suggest a different place to buy a good quality bandsaw used besides Craigslist?

ChefDHAN - Thanks for the advice. I definitely think a planer is necessary, just trying to figure out if I should wait for that until my next bigger purchase.

paxorion - Yes I do know that motor is bigger on the 17 which is my primary dilemma with this decision. In this case I do believe bigger is better. Thanks.

BinghamtonEd I just bought a used 6" Grizzly jointer from CL for $125 so I already have that but thanks for thinking about what I was asking. This is exactly why I came here for advice.

jmartel - I have read some good reviews of the lower end planer from Grizzly. Is there something I should know about it?

I am not a heavy user of this equipment (at least not yet) I'm in the very beginning stages of getting started in woodworking but I also know that if you don't get the right tools to help make you successful you won't stick with it for very long.
 
#7 ·
NoPhilter - I'm familiar with your situation, re: scouring CL for some time now and finding nothing to fit my specs / price point. I do occasionally get some leads from the local woodworking club, of which I am a member. As a matter of fact, a recent mailer from the club mentioned an upcoming estate sale that has many items for sale. Plus there is a woodworking machinery sales company in town that sells both new & used (although they always put $$ into the used units making them almost as much as new). Just thought I'd pass that along in case you could try either of those methods to expand beyond CL.

Good luck with your search.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
Buy the big bandsaw and pick up any used benchtop
planer for $100 or something. The benchtop planers
are more similar than they are different and they
all will get the job done. Later, look into getting
something like a 4 post Invicta style planer or something
like a Belsaw… anything 220v is going to be an
upgrade from a benchtop in ways that are hard
to describe, in addition to being less annoying
to listen to.
 
#9 ·
The 17" bandsaw will last you a lifetime if cared for. If you really get into resawing or using your bandsaw as a sawmill you would find yourself wanting to upgrade from a 14" if that's the route you go. Good deals on bench top planers are out there, sometimes you have to be patient, but you can usually find one that's been used very little for half the cost of new.
 
#10 ·
Ok, lets get back to basics first.
To mill a board with power tools you will need a Jointer to flatten one face and one edge, then a surface planer to make the two faces parallel, and a table saw to rip the two edges parallel. now you have a straight and square board.
(You can use hand planes to accomplish the same thing like Roy Underhill does, but it's a learned talent and a lot of work.)
Now if your board is 5/4 and you want some 1/2" stock, re-saw it on the band saw and then use the planer again.
Band saws are a great tool in the shop and open up new areas of woodworking. but the root tools for woodworking are #1 the table saw, #2 the jointer and #3 the surface planer.
You need to think about what you want to make in your shop to start out … If your first projects will be household furniture, you most likely won't need a band saw, but if you want to make band saw boxes … well you see where I'm going.
I have a LJ friend that was recently setting up a shop and looking for tools at a reasonable price … he joined a woodworking guild (club if you will) and found that many of the guys had unused or upgraded tools gathering dust. I have found things on the bulletin board at the wood supplier's store.
I hope this gives you some ideas and helps with your decision
 
#11 ·
You could always make your own bandsaw. The plans seem affordably priced. There are several YouTube videos on the various builds as well as a few posts here on the LumberJocks forums about it. In the reader built section it appears that some have been leveraged for resawing.

I haven't made one myself although it's on my 'get around to it' list. I bought a Gil Bilt bandsaw at a yard sale years ago that needs to be rebuilt as various moves have not treated it kindly.

Anyway, just an avenue you may not have been aware of. So far the YouTube videos all seem happy with theirs, but on viewing building it does seem to be an adventure.

Best of luck
 
#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
If you are open to fixing up used machines, you can get some really great deals if you are patient :)

I picked up an old bandsaw and jointer for cheap, rebuilt both and sold the jointer for slightly more than what I spent in total to buy and restore both of them. Basically wound up with a better than new Delta 14" bandsaw for free.

If you are planning on doing any resawing with the bandsaw, a jointer and planer are pretty much required unless you are good with hand planes (which I am NOT!).

Cheers,
Brad
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Join your local woodworking club. I've only been a member of my local club since this spring, but there have been a couple big sales from guys who were (sadly) getting out of woodworking. Members also list their old tools in the club's newsletter when they upgrade or decide they don't need a tool any more.

Several woodworkers here on LJ seem to like having 2 bandsaws-one set up for resawing and one for curves. So you might as well buy whatever you don't think you'll be able to eventually find secondhand.

Right now Grizzly has free shipping on some of their 14" bandsaws, including the G0555LV. If you plan on driving out-of-state to a Grizzly showroom to save on shipping, keep in mind that you'll have to pay sales tax that you otherwise wouldn't have had to pay if you live in a state where Grizzly does not have nexus. Also factor in the cost of fuel and your time. I've passed up a few good deals because it wasn't worth it to me to save a couple hundred bucks if I had to drive 6-12 hours roundtrip, especially after factoring in the cost of gas.

I was looking at some of the bigger saws and planned on buying new after watching CL for more than a year and only seeing 12" or smaller saws and one overpriced 14" Craftsman. Just when I was about to bite, I found a G0555P on CL with riser block and Kreg fence/micro-adjuster/resaw guide and a couple sizes of blades for under $500 used. It wasn't my first choice since I was hoping for cast iron wheels, but the price was good enough for me and I can keep watching for a used deal on a bigger and/or better bandsaw.
 
#15 ·
Right now Grizzly has free shipping on some of their 14" bandsaws, including the G0555LV. If you plan on driving out-of-state to a Grizzly showroom to save on shipping, keep in mind that you ll have to pay sales tax that you otherwise wouldn t have had to pay if you live in a state where Grizzly does not have nexus. Also factor in the cost of fuel and your time.
- Rob
Thanks Rob I actually live in the same state as Grizzly so sales tax is a given but I also have 10% on tools at Grizzly. The wife and I don't mind the cost of gas because we like to go on road trips but all great points to consider. I'm lucky to have a wife that let's me do these things and also is very interested in getting the bandsaw for her too.
 
#17 ·
If you are open to fixing up used machines, you can get some really great deals if you are patient :)

I picked up an old bandsaw and jointer for cheap, rebuilt both and sold the jointer for slightly more than what I spent in total to buy and restore both of them. Basically wound up with a better than new Delta 14" bandsaw for free.

If you are planning on doing any resawing with the bandsaw, a jointer and planer are pretty much required unless you are good with hand planes (which I am NOT!).

Cheers,
Brad

- MrUnix
I am not confident enough to buy tools that need to be repaired. Not sure I have the knowledge to be able to fix them to proper working order. Safety first for me.
 
#18 ·
You could always make your own bandsaw. The plans seem affordably priced. There are several YouTube videos on the various builds as well as a few posts here on the LumberJocks forums about it. In the reader built section it appears that some have been leveraged for resawing.

I haven t made one myself although it s on my get around to it list. I bought a Gil Bilt bandsaw at a yard sale years ago that needs to be rebuilt as various moves have not treated it kindly.

Anyway, just an avenue you may not have been aware of. So far the YouTube videos all seem happy with theirs, but on viewing building it does seem to be an adventure.

Best of luck

- sepeck
I'm definitely not good enough to be attempting to make my own bandsaw at this point. I am definitely what you would call a newbie.
 
#22 ·
Nophilter, theres a shop fox 15" w1742 planer on st.louis CL for $450, been on there for a couple wks, might get it even cheaper. Sounds like a good deal.

- weldoman
I should have mentioned my shop is in my basement. That planer looks too big and heavy for me to get down in my basement without a hospital visit afterwards. LOL Thanks very much weldoman for the information though.
 
#24 ·
I've had a lunchbox planer, and that 15" four post planer is not even a comparison. Get some friends to help you put it in your basement. It is quieter,and will plane a multiple more wood than a lunchbox. You need to have 220 power though. Even the dust collection is good on the 15" planers.
 
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