# 1986 Grizzly 18" bandsaw



## Kickback (Mar 9, 2011)

I saw an ad over the weekend for a Grizzly 18" bandsaw and i contacted the seller. He emailed me that the saw was still available so i called him today and he said there was another guy who was in front of me. So he took my number and said if the other guy didn't contact him by 7:00 pm. he would call me back. I figured it was a lost cause but he called me back saying the other guy decided not to buy it. So I am going to pick it up tomorrow. He only wants $150 for it and has all of the original manuals and a bunch of bandsaw blades for it. So I figure that it is worth the risk to get this saw for $150. I could not find any really good info on this saw online as I guess the company went through some change in ownership back then and the numbering scheme for the machines changed etc. It is a G1131 but from what i found online it could be a G1012 but the pics and manuals for that saw differ from the pics I have of the actual saw. Does anyone ave any better info they could possibly share with me so I know what I am getting myself into here. It has to be better than my little Shopsmith 11" bandsaw which is very much performance challenged to say the least.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Buy it.

Band saws are simple machines. As long as it does not have
broken castings or major parts missing it can be tuned and
improved to make high quality cuts. 18" saws are beafier
than 14" saws in several respects so along with increased
capacity you'll get less vibration.


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## Kickback (Mar 9, 2011)

Thanks that is what I wanted to hear and what i was also thinking. Will post up pics after i pick it up.


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

I have a cousin to this saw. Remember it is easy to take the table off, which lightens the load considerably. There is a whole lot of weight here.

You might want to be sure you have (metric) tools along. Taking the motor off would be helpful too.

Be prepared, if it has not already been done, to invest a roll of teflon tape in making all the machine screws snug in tapped holes.

Kindly,

Lee


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## superstretch (Jan 10, 2011)

I have a G1538 that looks very similar.. Perhaps a little variation where the motor and drive is placed, but the body looks almost identical. Its only a 16", but I picked it up for $250 and its been worth every penny.


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## Kickback (Mar 9, 2011)

Awesome can't wait to go get it.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Congratulations Kickback, you scored! Don't forget to turn on the motor and hear it run. In any event, 150.00 is a very good price.


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## MoPower (Feb 6, 2009)

How come the good deals are always too far away from me to be able to jump on? LOL


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## SASmith (Mar 22, 2010)

I have the same saw. It work pretty well. 
Mine takes up to 1 1/2" wide bands.
From what I found online about it there is a weak point in the blade tensioning mechanism.
Grizzly no longer supports the saw with parts but enco sells a clone and you might be able to get parts through them if you need to.


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## Kickback (Mar 9, 2011)

So I drove an hour and a half to NJ to pickup the Grizzly 18" bandsaw this afternoon. Got there and met Tom the owner and he was as cirdial as can be. He immediately showed me the saw and we plugged it in and ran it. It ran fine although it is quite noisy due to the blade guide bearings needing to be replaced and the metal blade guides. The saw seems to be in almost new condition and i am very pleased i was able to purcase it. Someone had told me that the only real problem these saws had was that the blade tension spring was suspect. As it turned out Tom had first hand experience with this problem as the saw years ago while sitting in the shop just suddenly went bang and what he found was that the blade tension mount had broken into pieces. This OEm part was very poorly manufactured out of really horrible metal and could not withstand the stress of blade tensioning. So Tom called Grizzly and they said they had no parts for it as the saw had been discontinued and failing to find any suitable retrofit parts he decided to make his own parts. I took some pictures you can see below but he did a fine job of manufacturing his own parts to fix the problem out of very stout steel. He also made a new solid metal piece that sits behind the blade tensioning device that is used to adjust the tilt angle of the upper blade wheel. I took it out when i got home to check it out and it really is a nice job of basement machining that he accomplished. So I need not worry about tensioning the blade as that problem has been resolved. The other thing mentioned was the hardware and that I may need to use some teflon tape to tighten things up. I have not initially found that to be a problem but did notice that most of the little screws that thread into the cast iron are somewhat loose fitting. If it becomes an issue I will drill them out larger and use larger hardware to remedy that issue.

The stock fence is a serious joke why they even included it is a mystery to me as it is so poorly made that I wouldn't even consider using it on a cheap tool. That will not be a problem either as I have a Kreg fence that was on my Shopsmith bandsaw that i will mount onto the Grizzly. The tires seem to be in very good shape and the wheel bearings seem to be very tight and silent. I am pretty excited about the acquisition and after a little bit of tuning and tweaking i think that the saw will perform quite well for me. It looks like I may even be able to make up a riser block for it and increase the resaw capacity which would really be nice. I think a 6" riser would be sufficient but i guess checking on what size blades are available first would be in order. The current blade length is 124" and the saw had some type of Swedish made 1.5" resaw blade on it when I picked it up. Tom also gave me a bunch of other saw blades so i should be all set to at least get started.










Here is the owner manufactured blade tensioning assembly



















Here is the Swedish made resaw blade never heard of the company but I am sure some of you have










And here is the manuals and a bunch of blades he included for me


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Jackpot! You've got over $150 in blades there. The previous owner's repair looks factory. He should have been a machinist. Ya dun gooood here!


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## Kickback (Mar 9, 2011)

gfadvm,
You would not believe the stuff he used to make the parts with. A simple drill press with cross slide vise and Harbor freight welder and patience I guess. He really did a nice job given the lack of high tech machining tools he has.


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## Dwain (Nov 1, 2007)

You scored big. Congratulations!


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## RibsBrisket4me (Jul 17, 2011)

WOW! That sucker should work nicely for many years!


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## Fishinbo (Jun 11, 2012)

Definitely worth the risk! A picture is worth a 1,00 words. Check out www.bandsawmanuals.com


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## SirFatty (May 5, 2012)

I have an opportunity to purchase the same saw, it was used primarily for resaw operations (the owner made gun stocks). Was wondering if you found the purchase to be worth it still?


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

Yeah, it should worth the bucks! Read the previous comments and you should know why.


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## SirFatty (May 5, 2012)

@surfside: on paper, you're right. However, I would like feedback about the real-life usage of this machine.


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## Kickback (Mar 9, 2011)

I have been pretty happy with the bandsaw. It only cost me $150 plus a 2 hour drive to get it and i thought that was worth it. It isn't a top of the line bandsaw but it cuts quite well for me. The blade guides on one side of the blade broke actually the guide holder which is just cheap pot metal but it has not seemed to cause any poor performance. Does seem to have power to spare which is nice and i wish it had more resaw height which I think could easily be rectified by having a riser block made. If you can get it for $150 or less I would say go for it but anything more than that price and i would say pass and wait for a better saw/deal.


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

SirFatty: Told yah!


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## crashn (Aug 26, 2011)

i have the SAME SAW!!!!!! Got mine on CL also, a little bit more than you paid. Have not used it much, but its time to buy some blades. Are you sure they are 124"? I tried to measure mine, took it off and ran a piece of string around, but got 3 different measurements.


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## SirFatty (May 5, 2012)

Thanks for the update, Kickback. Glad to hear that after some use, it's still worth the money. I think I will offer the guy $125…


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## Surfside (Jun 13, 2012)

We'll wait for pictures, SirFatty!


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## crashn (Aug 26, 2011)

For those just following the thread, or those new to the thread just searching for this particular 18" grizzly, the blades are 121" NOT 124" as speculated earlier. Before Mike was kind enough to copy the manuals for me, I bought some 124" blades, but they are indeed too long. Good thing highland has a great return policy!!


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## jtpryan (Apr 17, 2011)

I have that same saw and I need the table insert for it. The hole appears to be 2 15/16", any idea where this could be found? I don't have the model number (Says 180 on the plate) so it is tough for Grizzly to assist.


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## VolcanoMike (Oct 16, 2018)

Aloha From Volcano Hawaii!
Looking at all the dates, I hope i have not come to the part too late..

I just picked up an 18" 1986 Grizzly and trying to find parts and tires. I order tires but the flew off also tension mechanism has been totally rebuilt and wheel tracking not so good. 
Second time i turned on saw the old motor smoked….so i just bought a new one but having trouble keeping blade on wheel BUT I LOVE THIS SAW.
Any thoughts welcomed!
Aloha, Volcano Mike


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## TVC (Oct 31, 2020)

Hi all, I'm new to the forum. I have an older Grizzly 18" bandsaw, like the one Kickback has (G1131). I've been trying to find a manual for it online, but no luck. Does anybody have a manual? Also, any suggestions for a fence? I'm tempted to make my own, but if there is a "must have" fence for this saw, I'd look into it.

Thanks.


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## Rooger (Oct 13, 2017)

Look at Model G1012 manual.
Always check for runout on the lower drive assembly. Mine has .01" play and when resawing with a 3/4" Woodslicer blade I get a washboard surface. The blade moves laterally about 1/16". Wheel surface is flat. I have same problem with 5/16" & 7/8" blades.
Tried new neoropene tires, new drive belts and Kreg fence. Straight cut but rough surface. Will try either a 3/4x.01" shin or spacer but will probably need new bearings. I have more invested in upgrades than I paid for the saw..
I will call Grizzly tech service tomorrow for ideas, then my better than average machine shop.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

You hit a bonanza..nice find and it looks to be a good saw to last you for quite a while!.

We have an old 14" Grizzly in our shop in Arizona and it had a pot metal bracket on the tilt mechanism for the top wheel. It broke out in the front on one side and I made a steel piece that screwed in place of the broken half and it works fine now. He did a good repair on yours…better than new!

cheers, Jim


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

NICE score.


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## Sportsdad7 (9 mo ago)

I was lucky enough to find one of these bandsaws for free. I did pay for the new fence the owner had purchased. He was having trouble with tracking and I think I found the issue. To Kickback, the OP. I see you posted a photo with a copy of the color manual. Grizzly was able to supply me with the white manual but I would be interested in a copy of the color manual. Of course I would be willing to pay for copying and mail costs. I am just trying to find information on the numbering system on the tension system and hope that is mentioned in the color manual since it isn't in the Grizzly G1131 manual. What a great group to have this information for a 35+ year old saw. Steve. [email protected]


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