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I have been authorized by my wifeboss to get a saw. Not much of a budget, and this seemed to have the best specs for the price. 12" resaw capacity. I can't see needing more for at least a while. Only concern is 2 HP. Certainly better than my 9" delta 3/4 HP. Good or Bad decision? http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-Bandsaw-2HP-w-Cast-Iron-Trunnion/G0513X2

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It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

If you plan to resaw anything of thick or wide dimensions, I suppose you could do it with this saw but in order to cut more accurately
I suspect you'd have to build a table support in order to minimize the table deflection. Also the 2HP motor will likely be a disappointment
to you though not at first comparing to a 3/4 HP motor. If you want a Grizzly, and are willing or able to budget a better model
this is the one I have in my shop. http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-5-HP-220V-Extreme-Series-Bandsaw-with-Brake/G0636XB
It is a genuine workhorse and I've never regretted investing in it. Compare the features side by side to the one you're considering
and you'll see there's no comparison other than the fact that they are both Grizzly 17" Bandsaws. Grizzly is certainly not the
best bandsaw made but for the price range, the 17" Ultimate is a steal. And should provide years of satisfying use. I don't
know exactly what your needs are and it could be the one you're looking at would be all you need.

Here's another recent discussion along this topic line http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=21678

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Thank's Bill. I don't think I can convince my wife to let me spend the extra dough on a saw that I "will probably never use". I have been flipping through the Grizzly catalog for a LONG TIME now and hoped 2HP would cut it. I'll see if I can accidentally order the model you suggested, and try to sort it out when it arrives.

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It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

oh yeah Bill, Congrats on the 300,000 post.

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It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

I've got that saw and like it a lot. I bought it with the intent of dedicating my old Laguna to resawing and using the Grizzly for everything else. I pretty quickly decided to make more room in my shop and get rid of the Laguna (an older one and not a great machine).

I've resawn maybe 30 sets of various wood with no problems but nothing wider than 8". I'm cutting with a Timberwolf thin kerf so I suppose it's possible a beefier blade could bog down. It's a bit slow but it cuts true. The frame is solid and it runs quiet and with little vibration. Even the guide arm is pretty rigid. And it's adjustable so you can true it's vertical movement. Even better, it was only about .005" out of plumb to begin with.

Only beef is that the base is a little flimsy and the thing needs a brake!

Obviously it's not meant for resawing 10 hours a day but for a general purpose saw that will handle a few days of resawing a year, I can't imagine doing better for the money.

Only other caveat is that I've know Grizzly tools to vary in quality from one tool to the next but I've only seen that with the bottom end stuff.

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

I second Kent's thoughts on this saw. I find the 2 HP a little underpowered but if you are only going to be re sawing occasionally it will do the job if you are not in a hurry.

If time is a factor go with the higher HP.

Cecil

I have the extreme 19 inch band saw . The one thing that I would suggest is to upgrade to the ceramic guide bearing and go with the lennox resaw blade. They are outstanding and are designed for the job. I have no complaints with my saw ( 3 hp ) .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Have it at the Moll shop. Works great. Used for resaw only and does maple, mahogany, ziricote, coco all of it with ease. Love it.

I didn't plan on resawing a full 12" but hoped 8"+ on occasion would be ok. sounds like all the nay sayers have bigger saws. If 2HP is only slightly deficient, how much is enough?

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It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

Based on what your needs are, It's not worth getting in trouble with your lovely wife by biting the bullet on the big one Looks like there are some satisfied customers here for the 2HP and if it seems that it would meet your requirements and you have the support of your wife, I'd say go for it. I got by with my 1HP 14" Jet with the 6" riser block for years. When I decided to start doing some serious resawing, I decided that I wanted to invest in a saw that would not break the bank but give me years of satisfaction. The Jet is still in use for all the misc stuff and the Griz is dedicated to resawing with the occasional blocking up of some firewood


Thanks, it was both a surprise and a blessing.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Personally Robert, I think you will be just fine with that saw. I think that as you move through building you will be using the saw for many other operations and only sometimes to re-saw. I have a Hitachi that I run 3" wide bands on and it is only 3 hp and will chew through anything I throw at it! I have a second re-saw that is larger and I run a 5 hp on that with 1.25" bandsaw mill sawblades for cutting spruce. I works just fine but I would like more power for it and will probably change the motor to either 7.5 or 10 hp in a while. But for you, I think that 2 hp will be lots if you are diligent on your blade selection and keep it for re-sawing and keep it sharp. Use the savings to take your dear wife to dinner!

Shane

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Canada

Robert,

The one Todd is suggesting is a nice saw and it is currently on sale. At just $500 over the one you're considering, you can upgrade to a better saw with more capacity, a foot brake, and the Rack & Pinion table like the one on my saw. There is very little deflecion on this type table and it won FWW's test for best in class. (the table design that is). Here's the link for the saw Todd is referring to. http://www.grizzly.com/products/19-3-HP-Extreme-Series-Bandsaw-with-Brake/G0514X2B You can stay on good terms with your lovely wife, and still save enough to take her out to dinner all the while getting more saw for your money.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

The g0514x2B has a motor brake instead of foot brake. Does this matter or just convenience?

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It is better to try and fail, than never try at all

A motor brake is good. From the looks of it the motor brake is electronic. I don't know much about it but a brake is a brake when it comes to upgrade in safety. Better than no brake at all when using power tools.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

I have this very saw Robert and I am completely satisfied. If you pair this saw up with a 1" Lennox Woodmaster CT, the saw cuts effortlessly. I've cut through honduran rosewood, hard maple, bubinga, movingui, black locust, cherry, ash... and the saw had plenty of power to cut through 8.5" - 9" without bogging down. For the price, you can't go wrong. For those with saws that can handle a 1" blade, try the Lennox Woodmaster CT. It will be the only resaw blade you will ever use going forward.

I get my Lennox blades from these guys:

http://www.spectrumsupply.com/woodmasterct.aspx

Vince