what kind of saw to purchase?

[jtrom]

It's a "Homebuilder" issue and there is a place for that.

Yeah that would have been the place to post it....I am new here and that was my first post....sorry

[Hal Bryan]

Yeah that would have been the place to post it....I am new here and that was my first post....sorry

No harm done - as you can see, this thread now lives in the Homebuilders Corner forum. I would have moved it sooner, but I was travelling for the holidays with limited connectivity.

[Chris In Marshfield]

I saw this saw recently at Harbor Freight and considered buying it:

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

It's a multi-speed rig that will go down to 600FPM. Don't know if it's appropriate for steel (I think those devices tend to be slower; less than 200FPM), but it'll probably be okay for aluminum. I have a friend with one, and he said it takes some tweaking to get it set up well from its out-of-the-box state. But it's been a pretty good unit overall, according to him.

I ended up with a different saw (Ridgid 14" another poster noted), so I may end up getting a dedicated saw for steel when the time comes.

~Chris

[flyingriki]

Yeah that would have been the place to post it....I am new here and that was my first post....sorry

Just let us know what saw you get and how it works out.

And HAPPY NEW YEAR to you!

[Tom Downey]

I saw this saw recently at Harbor Freight and considered buying it:

http://www.harborfreight.com/14-inch...saw-67595.html

~Chris

That looks like the Grizzly 14" saw
http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-E...Bandsaw/G0555X
My kid has one and it works great.

[Hangar10]

You can have the Rigid for the same price... I would recommend it as you can get parts and service if necessary. I've used mine pretty heavily for 3 years with no problems.

[holger]

The Grizzly is a nicer bandsaw then the Harborfreight, but useless for metal cutting with its 3000 fpm blade speed. Unless you slow it down somehow. The Harborfreight's slowest speed is 600 fpm, which works well for aluminum, and even steel. I've cut stainless steel with it, just going real slow and adding cutting fluid. The table and fence are quite lacking on the Harborfreight saw. Here is my dream saw (seriously considering it, seeing how much time I spend on my bandsaw): http://www.grizzly.com/products/17-M...r-Motor/G0640X . This one can be slowed down to 100 fpm.

[Tom Downey]

For that price you can buy a used Doall.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DoAll-DO-ALL...#ht_4271wt_983

[holger]

For that price you can buy a used Doall.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DoAll-DO-ALL...#ht_4271wt_983

I don't even have the space for the Grizzly, if I'm honest. Great saw for steel, but pretty slow for anything else, and no fence. I'd pick the Grizzly over the Doall.

[Tom Downey]

I don't even have the space for the Grizzly, if I'm honest. Great saw for steel, but pretty slow for anything else, and no fence. I'd pick the Grizzly over the Doall.

I live about 45 minutes from the Bellingham Grizzly outlet and go to their demo's and that is a great saw but a little large for the average home builder. I have an old Sears 12" that I use almost every day it is the handiest saw in the shop. (turn it on, zip, turn it off) They still support it with blades and sander belts, and all parts, I have never had to replace any thing on it. I do re-sharpen the blades for it, that is time consuming at 1 tooth at a time, but they are better than what you buy.