horizontal band saw

[TractorGuy]

I had the Homier brand 4x6 for years. It tore up the spur gear and sat unused in my garage for a while. I ordered a gear for the HF saw and it was similar but not exact. It was brass and I was able to cut the boss down to make it fit my Homier. Lasted a couple of more years until the motor went so I chunked it. It was always finicky on it's best day. I replaced it with a cheap plasma cutter. Not the same but works for most stuff I need to cut. Cuts stuff the band saw wouldn't and does it fast.

 

[Big Barn]

I’m quite certain the import 9x12s are built a bit better than the smaller units.

 

[kennyd]

I upgraded to this almost two years ago, money well spent and I love it!

Horizontal Metal Bandsaw (BS-21M) | Baileigh Industrial

It is accurate out of the crate, does miters extremely well, super easy to use, love the fact that the vise never moves, and the variable speed is fantastic.

 

[kennyd]

I upgraded to this almost two years ago, money well spent and I love it!

Horizontal Metal Bandsaw (BS-21M) | Baileigh Industrial

It is accurate out of the crate, does miters extremely well, super easy to use, love the fact that the vise never moves, and the variable speed is fantastic.

I wanted to expand on this some more.

I really wanted a stationary vise for ease of mitering-the stock is always in the same place so you can easily add infeed/outfeed tables, variable speed, and hopefully made in the USA when I was researching. I was looking hard at the Ellis 1200, real hard in fact, I like the wheels it had, and it was lighter then the BS-210, but is has a huge footprint and only has three speeds versus infinite speeds of the BS-210 (It uses a 3-phase miter and VFD drive for speed control). The accessories for the Ellis where pretty expensive too.

In the end I chose the smaller footprint and variable speed, then added a heavy duty mobile base from Rockler Woodworking. Other features I really like are the blade tension gauge, manual down feed handle as well as the cylinder controlled down feed with auto-off switch, adjustable stop and quick acting vise for repetitive cuts.
Baileigh had a 17.74% sale around July 4th when I bought it, that basically covered the shipping fees

The saw has a coolant pump system, but I run it dry to eliminate the mess and hassle, so what if I go through an extra blade or two in my lifetime LOL. I did have to open the control box and disconnect the pump wire since it has no switch, if I start using coolant I'll add a switch somewhere to control the pump. The one negative I have is that GFI circuits don't like it, I guess because of the VFD maybe, so I have to run a cord to a non-GFI protected outlet when I use it.







Hope this helps...

 

[joeu235]

I upgraded to this almost two years ago, money well spent and I love it!

Horizontal Metal Bandsaw (BS-21?M) | Baileigh Industrial

It is accurate out of the crate, does miters extremely well, super easy to use, love the fact that the vise never moves, and the variable speed is fantastic.

Good looking saw. Any negatives? How square are the cross cuts?

Nice website and business. Hope you are doing well.

 

[kennyd]

Good looking saw. Any negatives? How square are the cross cuts?

Nice website and business. Hope you are doing well.

The saw was dead-nuts square out of the box, it even includes a measured test piece to show it was accurate. The only negatives I have was it trips my GFI outlets as I mentioned in the second post, and the included blade is marginal that I did not mention.

Thanks, we are doing very well here.

 

[WranglerX]

I would check or replace GFI beaker, quietly spoken in quite a few forums they are not all the are supposed to be....

Dale

 

[TractorGuy]

Just picked up a Clarke 7x12 off FB Market for $300. I wasn't planning to replace my old saw that died since I bought a plasma cutter but I figured this was too cheap to pass on.

It's made in China but looks much better built than my old 4x6 was.

 

[grsthegreat]

The saw was dead-nuts square out of the box, it even includes a measured test piece to show it was accurate. The only negatives I have was it trips my GFI outlets as I mentioned in the second post, and the included blade is marginal that I did not mention.

Thanks, we are doing very well here.

most of these industrial units are designed to work in business shops, which do not require GFCI outlets. even service (old time gas stations) dont require GFCI as they give issues with alot of tools. I have not wired any industrial shops or service stations for at least 5 years, but i dont think the rules have changed..... at least where i live.

 

[TractorGuy]

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.

 

[grsthegreat]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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".