Menu
What's new

Looking at bandsaws

Westley Rosenbaum said:
...Does any place carry Grizzly machinery? Or would I have to order it online and have it shipped? ...
Click to expand...
Grizzly only has three stores, so unless you're close to Springfield MO, Bellingham WA, or Muncy PA, you'd need to order and have it shipped.

However, Shop Fox tools are made and imported by Grizzly, and they are sold at tool dealers all around the country. Shop Fox generally has a few more bells and whistles as the equivalent Grizzly tool, and they sometimes cost a bit more, but they are essentially the same. When I got my bandsaw, I was looking at the standard Grizzly G0555, but found the Shop Fox W1706 (which is essentially the souped-up GO555X that Bart linked to) at a local dealer for about $50 more than the regular GO555 would have cost me by the time it shipped.
 
Vaughn McMillan said:
Grizzly only has three stores, so unless you're close to Springfield MO, Bellingham WA, or Muncy PA, you'd need to order and have it shipped.

However, Shop Fox tools are made and imported by Grizzly, and they are sold at tool dealers all around the country. Shop Fox generally has a few more bells and whistles as the equivalent Grizzly tool, and they sometimes cost a bit more, but they are essentially the same. When I got my bandsaw, I was looking at the standard Grizzly G0555, but found the Shop Fox W1706 (which is essentially the souped-up GO555X that Bart linked to) at a local dealer for about $50 more than the regular GO555 would have cost me by the time it shipped.
Click to expand...


Vaughn

From what I read the Shop Fox W1706 has a 1 HP motor & the Go555x has a 1 1/2 HP motor.
 
Yep, you're right, Bart. My error. The non-"X" GO555 has the 1 hp motor. Still, the Shop Fox ended up being the better deal for me...it was an upgrade from the regular GO555 (with things like the quick tension release, enclosed base, and cast iron wheels), for very little extra by the time I factored in the shipping costs vs. the local sales tax.
 
Vaughn McMillan said:
Yep, you're right, Bart. My error. The non-"X" GO555 has the 1 hp motor. Still, the Shop Fox ended up being the better deal for me...it was an upgrade from the regular GO555 (with things like the quick tension release, enclosed base, and cast iron wheels), for very little extra by the time I factored in the shipping costs vs. the local sales tax.
Click to expand...

Fer de record ;) The Grizzly G0555 has always had the quick tension release as standard equipment.
BTW, I have never understood the marketing stragety behind Grizzly making/importing/selling Shop Fox tools. It's a puzzlement. Oh, well. I never outsold Wal-Mart either. :eek:
 
Frank Fusco said:
Fer de record ;) The Grizzly G0555 has always had the quick tension release as standard equipment.
BTW, I have never understood the marketing stragety behind Grizzly making/importing/selling Shop Fox tools. It's a puzzlement. Oh, well. I never outsold Wal-Mart either. :eek:
Click to expand...


They do it because it it opens up a whole other market for them & they don't have to make many if any design changes.

So now they make a bit more money by someone in timbucktwo walking into a Shopfox distributer & finding a well made tool priced closer to what they can afford. This also makes it possible to spend the money thats burning a hole in their pocket more quickly.
 
Although I have read to the contrary; my experience using 3/4, 1 and 2HP saws has been that less than 2HP for resaw takes a very patient man. I would save awhile longer and get a 2HP saw. The Griz G0513 is about $750.

It took me 18 months to save for my replacement jointer. After buying a 6" against everyone's advice, I took the loss on selling it and finally got the 8" I needed. I would do the same on your bandsaw if I were you.

P.s. I have the G0513X and love it so my view may be a bit slanted. ;-)
 
Well folks I know it's been quite some time since I've been on here. I have been working about 70 hour weeks for awhile so I haven't had much time to do anything :) BUT now I am off again (sucks that carpentry can work out that way), so I had some time to look around on some websites. Upon recently receiving the Grizzly catalog and pondering for awhile, I was JUST thinking about ordering the G0555 and luckily checked craigslist. There's a guy selling one for 250 and lives about ten minutes from my house! I'm excited enough that I wanted to call right away, but it's about 12:45am right now... I GUESS I'll wait til the morning :) But hopefully it's still for sale, it hasn't been up for too long... wish me luck!
 
I just read this entire thread...don't know how I missed it before.

Westley, I agree that the GO555 is probably the most bang for the buck and it will serve you well, with or without a riser block. I've never read a bad review on it. Even at full, new price it's a good deal but if you can get that one for $250 you have scored big time!

I'll keep my fingers crossed (figuratively) for you, too. Good luck! :)
 
Hey thanks for all the support so far guys! A little update... I checked the page again this morning and instead of 250 it now says 350. I called him and told him I was interested. He said he had his wife type it all up for him on craigslist and this morning he noticed she accidentally put 250, he said he almost had a heart attack. So the price moves on to 350, but I still figured it's going to be a steal. If I were to buy a new one and have it shipped it would be about 480. His story: he said he recently retired with a shop in his backyard and just started collecting this stuff when they decided they want to move. Now lives in a ranch with no shop and has nowhere to put the stuff. He claims it's only been used a few times. From the picture (not TOO detailed), he seems to be telling the truth it's in pretty good shape. The way I look at it, even at 350 slightly used, I can't imagine something like a bandsaw depreciating in quality too much. For example if I'm off working and rough framing I'm using a circular saw for a good portion of the day. Well that thing gets a beating sometimes... accidentally dropped off the saw horses (if someone dare puts it up there :eek:), maybe a little dirt kicked in it, possibly get rained on a bit. But with something like a bandsaw it doesn't get that kind of abuse. I know I'm rambling on here but do you know what I mean? I'm just trying to say is the used value of this thing at 350 too much? Thanks again guys!
 
Westley Rosenbaum said:
...I'm just trying to say is the used value of this thing at 350 too much? Thanks again guys!
Click to expand...

It's worth it. See if he's got any extra blades, etc., for it, too.

Unless it's been badly beaten up, that saw should last you the rest of your life.

FWIW, while I didn't like some of their testing methods, Wood Magazine just gave that saw a 'Best Buy' rating.
 
Ditto...jump on it. :thumb: If you decide for some reason you don't need or want it, you should be able to sell it for that much (or even more) later.
 
Well here it is! Thanks for all the support guys, you made my decision much easier. The thing is in excellent shape, barely any sawdust on/in it. One thing that is kind of weird about it is he put this paint-like layer of black stuff on the table(2nd pic). He said it's to keep it from rusting. I've never seen anything like that before, I usually just oil something down like that. Oh well I'll just keep it on there because there's no sense trying to sand it off then I won't have a perfectly flat surface. Have you guys ever heard of anything like that? It's not just paint, it almost has a rubbery feel to it, kind of hard to explain. Anyway, final price was 350. Thanks again everyone!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4006-1.jpg
    IMG_4006-1.jpg
    67.7 KB · Views: 23
  • IMG_4024-1.jpg
    IMG_4024-1.jpg
    47.3 KB · Views: 26
  • IMG_4004-1.jpg
    IMG_4004-1.jpg
    56.6 KB · Views: 22
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top