# Shop Fox W1706 Review - Satisfied Customer



## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

You can tell it's a virgin saw (new), It's dressed in all white!!!

Congrats, on your new saw!
I'm sure you are going to luv putting this saw through it's paces.
I'm courious, what is the resaw capacity?

We need to see some resawing, some curves etc…...
Now then, how many bandsaw boxes have you made, or are slated to be made???


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## Tedstor (Mar 12, 2011)

Thats a nice looking machine. The cast iron wheels are a very attractive feature. Many 14" machines come with aluminum wheels.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Thanks for the review,cool looking saw.


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## RUINTUIT (Jan 2, 2009)

Looks identical to the GS555 which I like. Resaw to 12" on the GS. I also didn't have very many memorable issues with putting mine together. When buying one of these, it would be a outright shame not to install the riser block at the same time. I find I use it for a lot of log sawing for turning blocks, and you can't do that without the riser.

Thanks for the review.


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## superdav721 (Aug 16, 2010)

Great review and I am glad you are happy. If there is one power tool I use it is a band saw.


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## JL7 (Apr 13, 2010)

Good for you Rob…...looks like a dandy. Enjoy.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

If I'm not mistaken here but I think the Shop Fox (similar to the Grizzly) is an upgrade compared to the G0555 and G0555p. I own a G0555p and it performs great as should your new Shop Fox. Congrats to you !


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## bullhead1 (Mar 29, 2012)

I have the same saw and have had no issues with it. I've done both resawing and cutting out curved items. I wish I would have got the riser block right away. I've only have three blades so I'm waiting until those need replacing then I'll probably get it. Thanks for the heads up on the install of the riser block. After you change blades a few times I got used to adjusting the bottem guides. Happy sawing!


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## toeachhisown (Eddie) (Mar 30, 2011)

nice band saw choice DY , give me the fever to replace my ole ridgid ,looks like a workhorse


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Looks like you got a gr8 deal. A bit o tweekin, and she'll be fine, and you'll be very happy.


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

In discussion with the very helpful staff at Leveane Equipment Supply here in Charlotte, NC, the Shop Fox and Grizzly, while two different companies, are owned by the same people.

According to them the Grizzly line is targeted towards "residential" use and the Shop Fox "industrial" use (light use verses heavy use).

The parts are nearly interchangable though the Shop Fox suppossedly is a bit more robust with better fit and finish. As I don't have the two side by side I can only go by what i was told and can see in on-line pictures.

Additionally, I like that Shop Fox is sold through a local dealer verses mail order.


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

That's a nice looking bandsaw .Congratulations! How's the performance of it?


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

So far I'm very pleased with the performance.


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## woodshaver (Mar 21, 2009)

Amazon.com gives you a magnifier to view the saw. From what I see it's really close to my G0555P.
My Grizzly is a 2 speed but it don't have cast iron tracking wheels, and your base is closed where the Grizzly is open. The Fox or the Grizzly are very good choices! Two things I would like to see on the Grizzly is a light and wheel brushes. I had to add those to my saw. 
All in all I really like my saw and I'm sure you will get many years of enjoyment from your new Shop Fox
Congrats! 
Tony


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

Tony, this BS is also two speed.


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## woodshaver (Mar 21, 2009)

Oh! OK! that's cool! I must of missed that! Did your saw come with wheels brushes and a lamp? I added those to my saw myself. http://lumberjocks.com/projects/61007


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

Nope, no wheel brushes or lamp. I am removing the after-market brushes from my old BS and adding them to the Shop Fox. The lamp … I haven't decided yet.


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

Oh…it is two speed but its not a quick change. You have to reset the belt/pulleys


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## woodshaver (Mar 21, 2009)

On my Grizzly you shift the belt to the other set of pulleys. Should be easy to do and should be the same on your BS. 
I have not tried the other speed yet. Maybe I should try it out to see what it does.

I like a lot of light so I took the lamp off my 9" Delta BS and attached it to my Grizzly. Work out well! I used a tooth brush for the bottome wheel brush. So far so good!


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## hcmthree (Mar 28, 2010)

I have had one of these for about two years and it does perform very well once setup. 1/16" resaws on ten inch boards are easily accomplished (with riser block, of course). My only complaint is with the wimpy cast aluminum trunion. Mine cracked and failed under a fairly light load on the table. I was able to repair it and strengthen it, but it remains very flexible. It does not make a lot of sense to me to mount a heavy cast iron table on such a lightweight aluminum casting. If anyone knows of a beefier replacement trunion please let me know!


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## Jenine (Sep 6, 2013)

Hi! Thanks for your review! I have a question for you…I just bought this saw an hour ago, and the store agreed to deliver it for me on Tuesday. So, I have a few days to make a decision but wanted to get your opinion.

I have a super ghetto bandsaw that was souped up with carter bearing guides (retail at $179) and a Kreg bandsaw fence with the resaw guide and a micro-adjuster.

My question is, how happy are you with the stock bearing guides and the fence? Trying to decide if I want to list my old saw on Craigslist WITH those upgrades and charge accordingly since both upgrades are less than a year old, or if I should strip my old saw, install them on the new Shop Fox, and then list my old saw in the free section (without the parts, it is such a piece of crap that I'll be happy to just have it out of my shop).

Also, have you used any other blade size other than the one recommended? It wants a 93 1/2" and I have three BRAND NEW 92 3/8" blades here (yes, weird size, for my weird 1979 Enco saw). Hoping I can still use them, they were custom welded so I can't return them


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