# Harbor Freight 14inch Bandsaw



## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Hi All

I wondered if anyone on here has the Harbor freight 14inch bandsaw? If so what do you think about it? Can you compare it to say a Grizzly or Jet 14 inch saw?

I have a little 9 inch that I grew to love but just need some more power and capacity.

With a 20% off coupon and the sale for $350 it can be had for $280 and that is hard to beat, unless its a piece of junk.


----------



## IrreverentJack (Aug 13, 2010)

Pat, Search HF Bandsaw, Harbor Freight Bandsaw and Central Machinery Bandsaw here. You'll find all kinds of info. 
-Jack


----------



## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

I have the older model, the upgraded model has some nice features, but the basics are the same… (The new one has hinged doors and a longer tension rod). The Grizzly has some much nicer features, particularly the fence and tension release… I added those to mine… A LOT of folks don't use the tension release even though they have them, so it's not a big deal for them… I think nbeener added a Carter ratchet rod to his…

Anyway, long winded answer, mine is a good cutting machine, I am very pleased with it. I have a neighbor with the a Ridgid BS1400 and he has had severe vibration problems with it. My HF just keeps chugging along…

IF I could hit the rewind button in my shop history, I would have bought a second hand Grizzly instead…


----------



## dlmckirdy (Oct 27, 2009)

I have one I got in November last year. After researching almost all of the 14" bandsaws, I realized that they all use the same castings, and most of the same parts. I also got the riser kit. Make sure you get the newest model, as it has all the upgrades all the others have (improved dust collection, 4-speeds, larger diameter upper guide shaft with ball and spring stabilizer. When you order the riser kit, make sure that they send the right one, or the upper guide bar will be too small.

I have had no trouble with it (the toughest part of assembly is aligning the motor pulleys). The stock blade sucks! I have used Highland WW Wood Slicer, Olson All Pro, and Highland general purpose blades. The highland GP blade didn't last well with very hard woods, and the first Wood Slicer couldn't handle hidden staples. I Have new 1/2"x2/3 toothWood Slicers and a timberwolf 1/4"x6 tooth blades I will be trying later today.

Good luck in your search.


----------



## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

I have one and I love it.
I installed the 6" riser and a Kreg fence. 
I am not too crazy about the fence.
I bought it used for $100.00. 
It had been used only once before

http://www.harborfreight.com/14-inch-four-speed-woodworking-bandsaw-67595.html


----------



## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

I took a look at HF bandsaw, but wasn't impress.
I went with Grizzly G0555P Bandsaw


----------



## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Steven H

Care to elaborate?


----------



## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

The bandsaw Quality did not meet my standards
same goes with dust collector

Thats Why I went for Grizzly tool

It really depends what your using the bandsaw for.
Lets say your using the bandsaw everyday, 8 hours 1 day.
This bandsaw won't last long.

If just several days in a week, it will be fine


----------



## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

None of the Harbor Freight tools are meant for heavy duty use.
Grizzly and Jet are made in same factory.
The only difference is the features, finish, price,...etc.


----------



## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

Gotcha, I will not be what would be called a heavy user by any stretch of the imagination.

I would probably use a few hours a week, but want something that can do what I want when I do need it. To me I am interested in something that will give smooth accurate cuts and won't fall apart the first time I push it a little.


----------



## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

I have a Delta 14" b.s, and I wouldn't trade it for a Grizzly or a Harbor Freight for anything…..


----------



## newbiewoodworker (Aug 29, 2010)

I had a 14" Delta… newer model('04 supposedly… bought it as a floor item from Lowes)... Worst purchase of my life.. The angling arm, broke twice. The second time the day after I had it fixed. The motor arced. And originally, the spindel of the motor wore a nice sharp hole in the guard…. but that I think was the fault of the monkeys at Lowes… Delta bought it back… after I got the BBB involved.. lol…


----------



## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

I just thought I would bump this up one more time to see if anyone else had an opinion.


----------



## redhorse (Sep 16, 2009)

I bought a Porter Cable 14" bandsaw a few weeks ago. So far so good. Regular price is 399. I wanted a saw that I could resaw on. Resawed some eastern cedar tonight. I am new to resawing but I believe the saw did a fine job. I couldnt find very many reviews on the saw but I am happy with it.


----------



## brendandahl (Jan 14, 2011)

I have the older version of the HF bandsaw. One thing to keep in mind is the cost of all the little upgrades the HF bandsaw needs. To get it to a usable state I added a riser, kreg fence, cool blocks and a longer tension rod. One thing that was a pain was getting the Kreg fence setup correctly. Out of the box it fit well but the track that the fence slides on sat 3mm too high which meant there was a gap between the fence and table. For most people this probably wouldn't be an issue but I cut very thin wood(violin ribs) so the wood would slide under the fence. In my blog I'll be posting how I fixed this in a bit. The bolt holes may have changed position on the new version though.

I picked it up off Craig's list for $75 dollars so its hard to complain, but I was originally planning on getting the Rikon 14". The Rikon has a large resaw without a riser and the frame seemed very stiff. I've also seen a Jet 14" in store and it seemed very similar to the HF bandsaw but just had an overall nicer finish. Like other people have said they all come from the same factory but different companies require different features and quality.

In summary: its not my favorite piece of equipment, but it works.


----------



## Raymond (Mar 12, 2008)

I have the older HF model, and have been extreamly happy with it, i to have the riser block, and ballbearing balde gudes. It has worked very well for me and would very much recomend it.


----------



## Pitzerwm (Jan 31, 2014)

I want to get the riser, and HF doesn't sell it any longer. Above, they seem to think that the Grizzly and Jet were the same. Anyone buy one of their kits and made it work on the HF?


----------



## TObenhuber (Jan 15, 2014)

> I want to get the riser, and HF doesn t sell it any longer. Above, they seem to think that the Grizzly and Jet were the same. Anyone buy one of their kits and made it work on the HF?
> 
> - Pitzerwm


I'm interested to know this as well. I have read the answer is yes. Might buy this saw if I can sell a few more projects and get the funds up.


----------



## dlmckirdy (Oct 27, 2009)

I have had my saw for six years. I use it more than my table saw. A few years back I saw a photo of a HF bandsaw with a mustard colored riser block. The Powermaster, Jet, and Grizzly machines are essentially the same as the HF machine. Rember that along with the riser, you will need a longer blade guard along the frame, extended blade guard in front, and a longer blade guide rod (these all come in the riser block kit). You will also need 105" blades. The kit I got had a too small diameter guide bar, but a local machine shop shop milled a groove in a proper size bar for only a few dollars.


----------



## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

Nothing like reviving a 6 year old thread 

Virtually all 14" cast iron frame bandsaws from the 50's on up use the same basic castings… IIRC, somewhere along the line, Delta sold off their old used molds to Asian manufacturers, which grew the clone market. The main difference is the machining of those cast parts. Since the riser block uses two locating pins to mate the surfaces in proper alignment, not all manufacturers drilled their holes in the same places. So in a nutshell, you can probably use any riser kit designed for one of those saws, but may have to drill some new indexing holes (or just don't use them if you are feeling lucky).

And as mentioned, there is more involved than just the riser block.

Cheers,
Brad


----------



## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

All the Delta clones are pretty much the same. The only differences are finish and paint. Other than that, A cheap HF BS can be made to perform like a saw costing 2 to 3 times more. All it takes is tweaking it, something not everyone wants to do or knows how to do. If you want a BS that is "ready to go" out of the box, you will have to pay top dollar. For those with empty pockets, a HF BS is the answer. That goes for any tool. Can I compare it to a Jet or Powermatic? No, nor can I compare a Chevy C1500 PU to a $80,000 Ford PU.


----------



## Pitzerwm (Jan 31, 2014)

Thanks for all of the help. It appears that the key is the dia. of the extension post. The HF is 3/4" with a slight flat area.

What would help me is if you guys would measure your post on yours, whatever the brand. I do know that powermatic won't work.

Thanks again.


----------



## Pitzerwm (Jan 31, 2014)

Update: A friend had a jet kit that he couldn't use JRB14. The block needed the 2 holes on the bottom enlarged a bit and he had ground off the studs but they weren't in the right place, so I drilled 2 new holes and added the studs. So that part went well. The guide post was 7/8" and the HF needed a 3/4" one, so I will need to get one and grind a flat part on one side so the screws that hold it in place have someplace to "grip". So as soon as I get the post, I'm golden.

Thanks again for all of the help.


----------



## dlmckirdy (Oct 27, 2009)

The Newer HF saws have an 18mm dia guide bar. 3/4" is 19.02 mm. I had a 3/4" drill bit that I used to ream out the holes for the guide bar in both the saw frame and the guide "shoe". My machinist milled a v-groove as opposed to a flat for the set screws, as you get a better grip as opposed to a flat (his personal experience with machine tools).


----------



## Pitzerwm (Jan 31, 2014)

Another update: I got a 3/4" hot rolled steel post, and it fit the top part perfect and you just needed to sand a bit for the bottom part to fit. A friend milled a flat edge on one side, works perfect.


----------

