# Ridgid BS1400 Band Saw



## cmaeda

I have the grey version and it worked well out of the box. The only upgrade I made were the addition of cool blocks and there is very little vibration. I wonder if you got a bad one or maybe the newer, orange ones aren't as good.


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## kjwoodworking

Hi Howard, I was wondering about the last photo. Under the blue Ryobi, are those special band saw shoes you only wear when using that saw? Just kidding

Good review!!!!!


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## ferstler

I brought those slippers out there last year, because I already had two or three pairs in the house. I have no idea what I intended to do with them, but I suppose the idea is that if I come out there to do shop work and it is raining I can take off my regular shoes and kind of relax in those slippers. I sure would not advise going barefoot on that plywood floor.

I have heard that the earlier grey BS was maybe better than the newer orange model. Maybe it was made in USA. I do know that some people have had serious trouble wiith the newer version, including vibration problems and even casting-flaw problems. As I noted, my own unit now works quite well after the mods I discussed in the review. It is a very conventional band saw, and once diddled with enough to get it right it is plenty good enough for a guy like me.

To keep it going for years I still have the steel guids in my parts storage box, and also have spare sets of tires for both the Ridgid and Ryobi units. And of course the induction motor in the Ridgid does not need brushes. Actually, I have spare brushes for virtually every tool in the shop that can have them easily replaced, and also have spare belts for most of the tools that have belts.

A few months back I tried to get a replacement belt for the Delta bench router/shaper that I also have, and Delta informed me that it was no longer available. (There is a photo of this unit in my shop-pictures section.) I saved the day by going to a vacuum cleaner repair shop and getting a cleaner drive belt. I had to get one that is seriously undersized, due to stretching at the high RPMs of the machine, but after a few trips back and forth I ended up with a replacement. I also kept the stock/size number for future needs.

Howard Ferstler


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## Beginningwoodworker

Thats a nice review.


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## CedarFreakCarl

I've got the same model. Mine doesn't really vibrate, it just sort of throbs while running. One thing I noticed in the manual was not to tighten the belt too tight. Maybe I got a belt that was in a little better shape than yours, I don't know. One thing that I've heard that will help with the vibration is to put a piece of 3/4" plywood between the base and the saw where it bolts together. What little resawing I've done on this thing has been painfully slow. I don't think 3/4 hp is really enough to warrant a riser kit to attempt 12" resawing. I gave up that idea and purchased an 18" Rikon. I still love the Ridgid and use it with a 1/4" blade for the smaller curvy stuff for which it works great.


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## bayouman

That was a great review. I also have the Ridged 14" bandsaw you have and mine vibrates really bad. I have rechecked it for proper set up according to the manual and still got very little improvement. I read a review in Wood Magazine ( I believe it was them) and they rejected the Ridged 14" because of excessive vibration. The review also noted that Ridged was coming out with newer model and they implied that the vibration problem would be fixed. This is the only Ridgid tool that (and I have several) I have found to be dissappointing. I was also dissappointed that Ridgid has evidently recognized the problem and done nothing to help those stuck with these machines. But some of the things that you suggested I will try. Hopefully I will get better results than I have so far.


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## douglbe

I also have the same band saw and I relieved 90% of the vibration by using a link belt, I just haven't got around to adding the 3/4 in mdf between the motor, stand, and saw. I will certainly try your method of balancing the wheels. This is a good review and you have pointed out some ways to improve its operation. Thanks for the tips.
I have had this saw for a year and I am not disappointed. I also have the Ridgid TS3660 table saw, 13" thickness planer (2 blade), and a Rigid 5" orbital sander and these are all solid well performing machines. Thanks again for the great tips.


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## rtb

Not quite certain how old your saw is but I purchased mine in 2007 and have experienced none of the problems that you. should any of them arise you have certainly told me how to go about fixing them. Excellent review.


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## dsb1829

Nice review. 
Your review pretty much echos my own:
http://lumberjocks.com/jocks/dsb1829/blog/5822

When shopping around the bearings seemed like a hot upgrade. After reading around a bit I think at this size saw it is just marketing. Of course people like to "upgrade" so you will find some switching to bearings and some switching to blocks. Personally I don't think the blocks are going to steer me wrong.

So you swapped out to a link style belt? Or was it a ribbed v-belt? I opted for a $5 Gates belt on mine, what a difference from the stock one.

I also ditched those grommets under the motor. Those are a joke right? I do recommend the ply or mdf covering on the stand, it really stiffens it up.


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## Julian

I've used this same bandsaw for a few years now with no real problems. I ordered carter ball bearing guides the same day I bought the saw, so I can't comment on the stock guides, as I never tried them. I will say that the motor is way too small for resawing, especially if you plan on running a riser kit. I'm planning/hoping to upgrade the motor next spring to a 1 1/2HP with the 6" riser kit.


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## ferstler

Hi, Julian,

I recently used the thing to resaw five-inch wide cedar boards with no problems. However, that is soft wood and no doubt harder stuff would be, well, harder to do.

Hi, Doug,

I copied the stock number off of the belt I purchased: 17405DR, with a sub stock number of 13A1030. I honestly cannot remember the brand, but I think I paid something like fifteen bucks for it. It was a segmented ribbed job, and I think the number will work with any brand.

I also did the same thing for my Ridgid jointer/planer, but the new ribbed belt actually resonated along its length when the jointer was operating, and caused more vibration than the original non-ribbed job, so I went back to that original. However, the belt that came with the jointer was way better than the weird one that came with the bandsaw.

Howard Ferstler


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## bennaco

i have the same saw. i bought it used and it is the orange kind. after wrestling it into my garage and setting the thing up, the vibration was so bad it was hardly even operational, and i am not a discerning machine consumer either.

after checking everything, i then concluded that it was the poorly balanced wheels (isn't that bandsaw construction 101?). after putting the wheel weights on (about 10 of them at varouis locations) the thing ran MUCH smoother.

Ferstler, do you remember what size weights you used?

Ben Thomas


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## ferstler

Hi, Ben,

I do not know the weight sizes. I acutally used some left over, u-shaped metal brackets that were designed to fit under cabinets and hold rubber feet. I crimped them onto the wheels (minus the feet, of course) to see if they were OK, and as luck would have it they worked fine. A more refined approach would be to go to a tire shop and pick up some wheel-balancing wights from them. Probably, the smallest sizes would be the best.

If a drill-press wheel is out of balance you should get it to behave by using just one weight on each wheel. (Car wheels that require very precise balancing for very high speeds may need more than one, some on the outside rim, some on the inside, because auto wheels are wide; a band-saw wheel is not wide.) The wheel will be heavier on one rim section of a band-saw wheel and a weight or two (depending on the exact weight total required) placed opposite that rim section should do the trick.

Howard Ferstler


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## woodspyder

SWMBO bought me one for Christmas. cause "I was a good boy"

Anyway I am completly pleased with this saw. It was very easy to assemble. It did have a serious vibration when I first started it but I was expecting that. The belt was wadded up in the box and had a multiple, twisted, set to it.

The lower wheel and drive pully were balanced out of the box. The upper wheel not so much. I balanced it by spinning the wheel and marking the bottom when it stopped. Then drilled holes and respun until it quit stopping in the same place every time. " I snuck up on this so as not to over shoot". I ended up drilling I think nine 1/8th" holes in the webbing.

I also put a link belt on it. It passes the nickel test, start, run, stop.


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## sunfirematt

i will be buying this band saw in the next week or so when i finish making space for it. i only have a 10 by 10 room for my little shop.if i mount this on my 36 inch tall workbench would it be to high to work off the band saw? also can anyone give me the space needed to mount it?


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## Seer

I just got this saw last Sunday. I got it set up and adjusted and it runs great no vibrations, noise just a very nice addition to my shop.


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## kosta

ridgid makes ok bandsaws


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## kosta

I used a new one once but when my friend took it out of the wrap all all that other crap the wheels were pretty of from one another


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## glassyeyes

Sunfirematt, the top measures 13.5 inches deep by 23 inches wide. I just finished setting this saw up on a mobile base, and I'm pleased with it (It is also marked model # BS14002). There is almost no vibration, the adjustments were easy to make, and the column was well aligned out of the box. Dust collection with the built-in port was just average. The trunnion mounting plate seems like it could be a little stiffer, but I'm still getting used to the saw. The included blade was decent enough, but I'm looking forward to buying a few better-quality ones (ANY SUGGESTIONS, ANYONE?) An MDF or plywood sub-base does seem to help dampen vibration, but can cause a small problem or two. I found the motor shaft was significantly out of parallel with the saw shaft, most likely due to the slop induced by hand-drilling through the wood sub-base. It was simple enough to cut two pieces of 1/2 inch plywood and screw them down to the top deck at a right angle to the saw shaft, pinching the motor's mounting plate; they keep the base of the motor aligned, yet permit it to be tightened.

The mobile base and plywood sub-base had one side-effect I didn't anticipate; it raised the saw table a little too high. I had to shorten the legs about 2.5 inches to get a good working height for myself.


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## SamS

I was able to reduce the vibration to an acceptable level by loosening the tension of the belt. The instruction manual gives you a way to guage proper belt tightness, but I have had better results by setting it quite a bit looser


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## jp93274

If and when these go on clearance i will pick it up


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## jp93274

Well it went on clearance ! $184.00- 10% coupon ! great deal

P.s also got the Ridgid drill press! 149.99-10% sweet!

Yes i am excited but now "my shop tools" all are life time warranty, and the repair center is less than 10 min away!


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## basboy

I wish I had got a 10% coupon. I paid full price at 184.00 and I am so excited about working on the bs with all the cool tips from lumberjock associates. this place is so cool.


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## kenn1320

I dont mean to hijack this thread ferstler, but jp93274 and Choate, where did you find the deal on this bandsaw?
thanks,
Ken


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## RJAimar

Solid review. I really like the stand you have underneath your jointer. Any advice for me on doing the same? I don't have a lot of space in my shop, and it would be nice to be able to tuck it out of the way when I don't need it.

Thanks,
Ryan


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## ferstler

Hi, Ryan,

The first version of the stand under that jointer used the same wooden base, but I used 3-inch, hard-rubber casters (all were rotatable) that simply would not roll well on my workdeck outside of the shop. So, I went to Harbor Freight (yep, Harbor Freight) and purchased four inchers that had soft-rubber rims. Those perform very well, because the tool now rolls softly over my shop threshold and smoothly negotiates the boards making up the deck surface outside. I also like the fact that the stand and wheels raise the jointer work surface to a more comfortable level. Ditto for the stands I built under my two band saws. I like working high up.

The main thing to remember is to have the wheels on the wooden base under the factory base that is broad enough for all four contact points between the wheels and floor to never be inboard of the mounting points of the stand base itself. If they are inboard at any time the jointer is at risk for falling over when in use. I used this approach with the two band saws, too, as well as with several other tools in my shop that sit on movable stands.

Howard


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## Juansnapon

Love the table extention on the Ridgid BS1400 I will have to build one my self, just picked a BS up for $184 at Home Depot. Do you still have the part number of the segmented V belt you used that Ridgid is just to stiff.


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## ferstler

Hey, Juan. I have hunted high and low for that alternate choice belt stock number I wrote down and it appears to be somewhere in a "safe place" where I will never be able to find it. I did look on the belt itself, however, and the number on the edge was 40517, and the belt is made in USA. (What, not in China?!?) I could not find a brand name on it, unfortunately, so you will have to work with a good auto-parts stock clerk to zero in on the details. I took the Ridgid belt in when I was shopping for the replacement, and the clerk on hand did a good job of sizing the replacement to the same parameters. He may have a cross-reference chart on hand that will have multiple-brand stock numbers and if he hits on the one I noted above you are done.


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## WillTheEngineer

Hello, do you ridgid band saw owners out there, have a second (addational) supporting metal plate under the metal table top? Just wondering if this was an addation that was added later.
Thank You


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## ferstler

If you can, offer up a bit more in the way of a description, and if possible photograph the thing and post it here.

Howard Ferstler


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## WillTheEngineer

festler, below is a a picture of the underside of the table top that came with my bandsaw table. I was wanting to know if the older versions, that most people added 3/4" plywood to for strength, had this additional bracket (has an L lip to reduce flex), or is this a new addation ridgid made to improve strength, etc…
This was purchased July 2010.
Thank You


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## ferstler

OK. I thought you were talking about the cast-iron work table. You are talking about the stand the saw sits on.

Yes, mine did come with the extra metal bracing, but I added to that with the 3/4-inch piece of mdf underneath, too. I simply installed it between the L-lip sections. I had to use my own longer screws for this work, of course.

Howard Ferstler


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## dstenson

Thanks for this excellent review and more importantly to me, the tips for improving performance.
I've had my BS1400 for five years and had come to just accept its performance as good enough.

After reading your tips, I've balanced the wheels using stick on tire balancing weights, replaced the belt with a link belt, replaced those rubber stoppers with a 3/4 inch piece of mdf and reinforced the top with another larger piece of 3/4 mdf. And finally, since I was cutting mdf anyway, I cut a shelf to sit on the leg braces in the middle of the stand.

I simply can't believe how much of an improvement these changes have made in how smoothly the saw runs, the vibration and that "chugging" motion are simply gone.

Thanks Howard, I feel like I just got a new saw! .


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## rtree

Great Review. Better yet you have offered solutions to my vibration problem. Got mine last Christmas and have been expanding my shop ever sense. Finally got room to assemble it. (Yea, I know, it's June) Got it all set up and turned it on and it vibrated like crazy. Went here first to see if anyone else had the saw and BINGO I found your review. Thanks a million, I will followup after I get it fine tuned and eliminate the vibration and let you know what I did if it was any different. 
RT.


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## DMIHOMECENTER

Mine is due any day now. If I experience any of these symptoms, I will certainly appreciate the problem-solving advice found in this thread. Great review ! Thanks.


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## MrRon

Here is a modification I made on my 1400 BS. I added the 6" riser; relocated the motor to a shelf below the saw; added casters to the legs; added rollers for the top guides and cool blocks on the lower guides; replaced the bands with polyurethane bands; added a premium Starrett blade; added a link belt. All these mods has made this saw equal to any saw in it's class and at half the cost. Vibration is almost non-existant; the blade doesn't drift when resawing. The location of the motor makes the CG lower, so the saw is more stable. The only thing this saw lacks, is power. The motor is 3/4 hp. I think a bigger motor would go a long way in improving resawing. I bought this as a discontinued saw from HD about 4 years ago. I think I paid around $175 for it. I am very happy with it now that I have improved it.


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