[Burb]

So I picked up a used (but looks/runs like new) Grizzly G0555 1HP 14" bandsaw last weekend. Got it for almost 1/2 price of new. My plan is to use it primarily for resawing as I have a Craftsman 10" that I want to setup w/ a 1/8" blade for boxes and tighter curves. It has a 6" capacity, but most of the materials I use are 5.5" so I'm not sure this will be an issue. Before I start to use it, I need to put on a different blade as the previous owner used it for cutting 1/4" aluminum.

My thoughts were to do any planned upgrades at once. This is what I was thinking of doing:

- Check balance of both wheels while the blade is removed. Balance as necessary.
- Replace belt w/ segmented style belt.
- Replace Blade with ???
- Replace rubber tire w/ urethane one.

Questions:
- Of my "planned" upgrades, what do you disagree with?
- This has a rubber tire. Are there different "quailities" of urethane ones to put on? If so, wHich one would you recommend? Would you replace this now before installing new blade?
- Would you buy the 6" riser kit (~$84) now and buy blade accordingly? Is the 1 HP motor strong enough for a >6" resaw?
- What blade would you recommend (brand/TPI) for resawing hardwoods (mostly American)? (Specs says 1/8 - 3/4)
- It has factroy upper/lower ball bearing guides. Should these be replaced/upgraded? If so, with what?
- This has 2 factory cut speed available by changing pulleys, but I'd like to "set it & forget it". Should I use 1500 or 3200 rpms?
- Any other recomendations for upgrades or things to do before I put this thing to use?

BTW, doing versus not doing these upgrades is not about $$, but rather about what makes sense. I don't mind spending the $$ if its the right thing to do. I just don't want to do it cause "***" did it and he's cool


Thanks in advance for your comments and your willingness to help me out. It is greatly appreciated!!

Mark

 

[BWSmith]

Do what you want...its your saw.

I don't agree with the automatic assumption(by a lot of folks)that "segmented" belts are the end-all,be-all.Their original intention was from an inventory and expedience standpoint.Full-on factories have equipment(rightly/wrongly) where the belt goes around a spindle.They have segmented belts to facilitate replacing a broken belt and get machine back into service......"on the spot',so to speak.And they're kept on big arse rolls in maint. dept.And are only used until there's time to pull spindle and order the correct belt.

When Al Gore invented the internet,somehow these belts became the panacea for unbalanced equipment?Seeing how quality belts were on a decline....as well as the places that even know what a quality belt is......it served to gain traction for segmented belts.Go to any decent power transmission/belt supplier and having a little chatty,chat with their engineers may find you with a better belt at a much lower cost.just sayin.

 

[ryan50hrl]

The nice thing about segmented belts is they don't hold a set if you don't use them regularly. My father in law doesn't do much with his table saw these days, and at least once a year it needed a belt as the belt had conformed to the pulleys. When you turned it on the motor jumped all over the place and made a racket. Put a link belt on....and never looked back. It's alway smooth regardless of how long it sits

 

[woodnthings]

So I picked up a used (but looks/runs like new) Grizzly G0555 1HP 14" bandsaw last weekend. Got it for almost 1/2 price of new. My plan is to use it primarily for resawing as I have a Craftsman 10" that I want to setup w/ a 1/8" blade for boxes and tighter curves. It has a 6" capacity, but most of the materials I use are 5.5" so I'm not sure this will be an issue. Before I start to use it, I need to put on a different blade as the previous owner used it for cutting 1/4" aluminum.

My thoughts were to do any planned upgrades at once. This is what I was thinking of doing:

- Check balance of both wheels while the blade is removed. Balance as necessary.
(Balance is probably OK as is from the factory and difficult to do in the home shop without proper equipment....very sensitive.)

- Replace belt w/ segmented style belt.
(Some folks here love them...up to you)

- Replace Blade with ???
( A resaw blade will have 3 to 4 TPI and 1/2" wide is OK. 3/4" wide blades require much more tension and it's really not necessary. Brands of blades are Woodslicer, Timberwolf, Lennox, Supercut, all used by folks here successfully)

- Replace rubber tire w/ urethane one.
( Rubber tires in good shape are OK. but may be imbedded with aluminum chips in your case. Use a sanding block with care while the machine is running with the blade on. Sounds scary, but it's effective. I've done this at home, you are on you own... Urethane tires are available from www.peachtreeusa.com Rockler, etc.)

Questions:
- Of my "planned" upgrades, what do you disagree with?
- This has a rubber tire. Are there different "quailities" of urethane ones to put on? If so, wHich one would you recommend? Would you replace this now before installing new blade?

- Would you buy the 6" riser kit (~$84) now and buy blade accordingly? Is the 1 HP motor strong enough for a >6" resaw?
(Riser kit depends on max height you intend to work with. That may depend on the width of your jointer. :yes
- What blade would you recommend (brand/TPI) for resawing hardwoods (mostly American)? (Specs says 1/8 - 3/4)

- It has factroy upper/lower ball bearing guides. Should these be replaced/upgraded? If so, with what?
(Ball bearing guides are noisy when in full contact with the blade and should not be hard against the blade .002 away is best , a folded dollar bill)
- This has 2 factory cut speed available by changing pulleys, but I'd like to "set it & forget it". Should I use 1500 or 3200 rpms?
( The high speed is for all wood cutting, the faster the better.)

- Any other recomendations for upgrades or things to do before I put this thing to use?

A mobile base on a bandsaw is very handy, but that depends on your workspace.
A tall resaw fence is what I use on my 18" Min Max to keep the work vertical. I just capped over the existing steel tubing with a "U" shaped assembly from 3 piece of wood to make it easily removable and requires no clamps because it's a very snug fit.
A shop vac hose placed at the lower blade guide will get most of the dust, IF there is not a dust collection port built in.
The 1 HP motor is plenty for resawing 6" and under. If resawing a lot of 8" or 10" hardwood you may appreciate a 1 1/2HP motor.


BTW, doing versus not doing these upgrades is not about $$, but rather about what makes sense. I don't mind spending the $$ if its the right thing to do. I just don't want to do it cause "***" did it and he's cool


Thanks in advance for your comments and your willingness to help me out. It is greatly appreciated!!

Mark

You're welcome! :yes:

 

[WarnerConstInc.]

Rubber tires are way better then urethane. Link belts suck.

 

[Burb]

You're welcome! :yes:

Thanks again for your comments. Based on them, I will be doing the following:

- get mobile base. After using saw yesterday I determined I needed to be able to move it closer to my dust collector during use.

- urethane tires: The existing rubber ones are in fact LOADED with aluminum shavings.

- get 1/2" resaw blade.

Also, you make a great point about resaw height. My jointer is 6", so at this point no need to resaw higher/wider than that.

 

[Joeb41]

I have urethane tires and link belt on my Delta 14 and am happy with that combo. I am not a fan of riser blocks.

 

[rbk123]

My jointer is 6", so at this point no need to resaw higher/wider than that.

What happened to your 8" Grizzly?

 

[Burb]

What happened to your 8" Grizzly?

Hmmm. Never had wider than this 6" Grizzly. If I said I did I misspoke. But it'd be nice to get one.