horizontal band saw

grsthegreat · Jun 13, 2020

Actually..... i have many industrial outlets not protected thru gfci and inspectors are ok with it. Dont know why. I did a new cabinet shop about 10 years ago... only gfci was in bathrooms.

Kyle_in_Tex · Jun 13, 2020

Big Barn said:
From my experience they all have the same castings with minor bolt on differences, and different motors and colors.

BB is right, these are almost all the same. Some come with a gear box, and some come with a belt and multiple pulley system. The pulleys are a bit simpler and longer lasting.

But above all, there are a few things to making a saw cut well.
1)Blade thickness, get up to a 3/4" thickness, (not kerf width), and you'll be better off.
2) Hydraulics. Simply put, the hydraulic system of lowering the blade can make or break a saw. Slop in the hydraulics, or if it is not easily regulating blade drop. Fix it.
3) Bearings. Keep good bearings on the blade's guide system, and keep the metal guides adjusted for your blade's kerf width.
4) Bi metal blades. Because I have a bunch of newbies using my saws, I skip the chart that shows how many teeth per inch is recommended and I usually just buy 10-14 tpi. These last longer for student workers.
5) Coolant, I run coolant on my horizontal, and it stays messy and needs exchanged right now. But my roll in vertical I use a lube stick.

WranglerX · Jun 13, 2020

TractorGuy said:
If the circuit has any outlets near a water source it is required to be GFCI. Doesn't matter if it's residential or industrial. That said most tool environments shouldn't be on a GFCI circuit. BUT my GFCI in my home originates in my garage of all places. It almost never trips.

Believe the distance is withing 6 feet from any plumbing/water source....

Dale

kennyd · Jun 14, 2020

This shouldn't turn into a GFCI discussion thread, it's about a band saw. I was merely making a comment to the OP as to what I thought some of the negatives are.

joeu235 · Jun 30, 2020

I picked up this Greenlee 1399 off a Facebook add. $650. I had to mess with the wheel alignment for about an hour and now it seems to run great.

MickeyDBC · Jun 30, 2020

Looks like a nice saw and easy to move out of the way when you are not using it. Make sure to spend the money and get good (not HF) blades - they will cut much straighter. We run a Behringer automatic bandsaw about 5 hours a day and get over a month on a good blade vs. a day or two on a "less good" blade.

sandman2234 · Jun 30, 2020

Wells, Roll-In, Ellis would be my choices. I also use a Hatbor Freight horizontal because it is cheap and easy to drag out for quick projects. I have a 20" Roll-In is a great saw.

Kyle_in_Tex · Jun 30, 2020

Roll ins are great saws and so simple. currently have a roll in copy cat made by Jet. The hydraulics have been toast for years. I just adjust the counterweight.

WranglerX · Jun 30, 2020

joeu235 said:
I picked up this Greenlee 1399 off a Facebook add. $650. I had to mess with the wheel alignment for about an hour and now it seems to run great.

View attachment 661635

Looks pretty much like thew "WELLS" saw we had when I was in work world....

Dale

crazyal · Jul 1, 2020

Unfortunately you will never know if they are the same saws. They are most likely made in the same factories but HF most likely specs the lowest quality bearings. The castings could start off the same but the Grizzly could have tighter specs when it comes to things like flatness. Also who knows what the differences are in the motor. I've bought my share of HF and Grizzly stuff and HF is about as low as you can go quality wise. Grizzly seams to be a step or two up but not at the top. If the HF one lasted you this long then the Grizzly probably would as well for at least as long. Used is always hit or miss. I have a friend who went from a HF band saw to a Kalamazoo. About as different as you can get. But he went from the small HF to a 13"x18".