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The blade guides adjust easily, both upper and lower, but the lower are not so easy to access. The 1 1/2 H motor seems fine on 120V power. Couldn't be happier with it. I got the riser with the bandsaw. Overall, it's all I expected and more.
It was easier to add than I expected, but you do need a helper.The saw is heavy enough to be extremely stable with no vibration, yet quiet. The on and off is within easy reach; the light is a welcome accessory. The lever tension control works nicely. Both the miter guide and the rip fence are sturdy.
I picked it up at the carrier on the 3rd at noon. I also believe this saw to be too small to exert enough tension for a 3/4" blade anyway, so I will stay with 5/8" or 1/2" for resaw work. The table was flat. Great service Grizzly.I had it together within a couple of hours, riser block and all.
Overall I am very satisfied with this machine. Threads and holes were all very exact and lined up well. I also believe single guide bearings are not wide enough to stabilize a 5/8" resaw blade. After adjusting the guides and getting everything tight, I turned it on.Very quiet saw, I'm impressed. It made it through just fine, good straight resaw, even with a 3/8" cheap factory blade.The guides are all right they adjust well and all that but,I will change them out for Carters.The back of the blade runs on the side of the thrust bearing. I ordered the saw on the 2nd at 10am.
All the parts were fit and finished very well. The wheels were coplaner right out of the box. The manual says it can take a 3'4" blade, way too big for single bearing guides. I set the fence for about 3/8"I took it slow. I drove into my drive about 1pm when the UPS guy showed up with the riser kit. (Riser block did not change this).The only blade I had was the 3/8 105" that came with the riser kit.
The delivery service could not of been better. It passed the nickel test right off the bat.I had a 2*6 By 8" piece of scrap oak.
You cannot contact the people you need to talk to directly. I was worried about spending this much money on a saw I had never seen. It got to the point that I cancelled my payment through my credit card. This was frustrating and avoidable but I truly believe that if I did not strong arm them I would still be waiting.
After they resolved my issues with the drill I decided to give them another shot. I went to my local Woodcraft and tried all ot there bandsaws out. All of my problems were actually for the G7944 Drill Press. The GO555X is a much better saw than the Jet or others that are in the same price range. If you have a problem and you call customer service they are very nice and understanding, they tell you that someone will contact you to solve your issue but they never do. This went on for weeks for me. I am glad I did.
Now that I have this one and can compare it to the others, there is no comparison. The problem with Grizzly is this. Then all the sudden I was a priority with a manager at Grizzly. Just be ready to deal with customer service if it comes to that. Why the 5 stars you ask.
In conclusion, everything fit together well, there was no vibration, the table's straight as an arrow and it everything seems to work perfectly. My primary concern was that there'd be a bunch of issues out of the box that'd be a pain to deal with (wheels not coplanar, vibration etc). This was my first band saw, so I did a ton of research. Well, I can happily say that EVERYTHING worked perfectly out of the box. I couldn't be happier, thanks Grizzly. I also purchased the 6" riser kit which went on without any issues whatsoever (but it does take two people to install it).
It has performed flawlessly. This way all I needed was someone to steady the saw while I hoisted it up and moved the base into position. I used a block and tackle with a 3/8" eye bolt attached to a convienient hardpoint in the frame. I've had this bandsaw for a few weeks now and have been using it to cut bowl blanks for woodturning and a few veneer pieces. Only minor adjustment was needed on the tracking of the upper wheel, which is easily performed via an external knob.The 4" dust port works reasonably well, only a small bit of sawdust is left on the table which may be swept towards the blade with a bench brush after cutting is complete to send it to the dust collector. I had the saw base on a mobile base to help move things around.If you do not have some burly friends to help, get the lift gate truck delivery option. Once attached to my dust collector, I no longer needed to sweep / vacuum up the area around the saw.The saw was easily set up, with only minor assistance needed to lift the saw on to the base.
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