[TheForge] replacement 4X6 horiz band saw

[ries]

Completely untrue. There are 20 or 30 factories on Taiwan alone making  
these, and probably 50 more on the mainland. There are major  
differences between them. Even in size- I have seen as much as 4"  
difference in length of the cast iron bow, and weight differences of  
30 to 50 pounds.
Some have UL motors, others giant cast iron boat anchors of smoke  
making motors. Some have actual bearing blade guides- others have bent  
sheet metal. Some have 2 bearings for guides, the best have 3, with  
two of those adjustable- the back and one side. The JET brand saws  
have the word JET cast into the frame in 2" tall letters- and they  
sure dont grind that off to make it a harbor freight saw.

There are hundreds of foundries in china- there are more licensed  
Meehanite foundries in China than in the USA, and, then, there are  
also more Meehanite foundries in Taiwan than in the USA. So casting  
quality can vary greatly, from backyard to aerospace quality.
In Taiwan, small family businesses will specialize in one thing- so  
while 20 companies may make bandsaws, another 20 will bend sheet  
metal, or make motors, or machine cast iron wheels, and so on. So  
sometimes you will have similar components, not made by the name on  
the saw, in 2 different brands.

The good brands, like Grizzly or Jet, have their own quality guys, on  
their payroll, over there.

And no matter who makes em, you get what you pay for. A UL motor costs  
probably fifty bucks more than the cheapos. You can get a .50 cent  
switch, or a ten cent one. You can get brand name fasteners, or  
bearings, or no name. Each importer makes their own saw specs up from  
a menu of options, and then tries to get the factory to keep up the  
quality- an ongoing task.

Me, I have had good luck with Jet, with about a half dozen taiwan made  
Jet tools in my shop still running after 10 to 20 years- and this, a 3  
man shop that mostly does stainless, tons of it a year. I have seen  
Harbor Freight or Northern lookalikes, and the quality differences are  
obvious and real.

Obviously, none of these are real quality machine tools- a good  
$10,000 Amada or Do-all bandsaw is in a whole nother league. But there  
is a difference between a $150 bandsaw and a $350 one, and it is  
measurable in swear words.


Ries


On Oct 13, 2009, at 4:17 PM, James Davis wrote:



from what I've see of 4x6 band saws they ALL appear to made by the  
same company in China just a different paint job.

Jim Davis
            In God We Trust

Be who you are and say what you feel...Because those that matter,  
don't mind, and those that mind, don't matter!







> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:38:56 -0700
> From: artgawk at thegrid.net
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] replacement 4X6 horiz band saw
>
> My doughty Rong Fu bandsaw is worn out and not worth fooling with any
> longer..it has 500,000 miles on it and the gearbox bushings are too  
> worn
> to align the the bottom wheel any more.
> I was looking at the Grizzly G0622 4X6 horizontal offering at $340..
> Looks like $100 leaps to go up from there in quality.
> I don't mind used, but i'm out here in the sticks.
> Any suggestions for better low budget options would be appreciated..pf
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Ries Niemi
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http://www.riesniemi.com/