Grizzly G0513X2 - 17" 2 HP Bandsaw w/ Cast-Iron Trunnion

I finally bought a bandsaw for woodworking, and again it was from Grizzly. Now this wasn't an easy decision because there are so many different models and manufactures on the market. And if you're anything like me you are willing to pay a couple of extra dollars for the better model that has that one little do-dad that makes it worth it.

Well this can go on and on until you end up looking at some high-end tool that seems like just the right one, only to come to grips with yourself and then you have take a step back and think, I don't really need this one, or that one, I can make do with the other one instead.

Some tools don't have that many models which makes buying them a little easier. But bandsaws aren't like that, which makes it hard to choose the best one for your money. Anyways, in the end I bought one from Grizzly.

Specs:

Motor: 2 HP, 220 Volt
Motor RPM: 1725
Max Cutting Width: 16-1/2 in.
Max Cutting Height: 12 in.
Cast Iron Table Size: 23-5/8" x 17-1/4" x 1-1/2" thick
Wheel Type: Computer-Balanced Cast Iron
Wheel Diameter: 17"
Wheel Width: 1 1/4"
Blade Guides: Ball-bearing with full enclosure protection
Bearings: Sealed and permanently lubricated
Floor to Table Height: 37-1/2"
Blade Size: 131-1/2" (1/8" - 1" wide)
Blade Speed: 1700 and 3500 FPM
Table Tilt: 5° left, 45° right
Quick Blade Change: Yes
Overall Height: 73 in.
Shipping Weight: 460 lbs.
 

Time For Assembly
 

What you see below are 17" diameter cast iron wheels that are computer balanced and are 1 1/4" wide. Each wheel has a tire made out of polyethylene which gives the blade something soft to ride on and some traction. This saw weighs about 400 pounds when it's all put together.
 

What you see on the table is the cast iron table (right) and a box full of hardware and components (left), a miter gage, hand wheel and a really well written manual. I've owned a bunch of tools over my lifetime and I would say that Grizzly has one of the best manuals and customer support in the industry.
 

Here is a really good selling point for any bandsaw, a cast iron trunnion. Most cheaper models have stamped steel trunnions but if you want a really good one cast iron is the way to go. You can also see the guild rollers for the blade here. Again there are many different types of blade guides out there but I prefer this style because they work great and I'm use to them.
 

Do you notice anything about the shapes of these cutouts? They resemble the head of a bear, a Grizzly bear to be exact. Cleaver! You can also see the upper portion of the full length blade guard.
 

The bottom wheel looks the same as the top one. Notice the brush at the top left and top right. This is to help clean the blade with the sawdust falling to the bottom of the cabinet where the dust collection comes into play.

The two arrows are pointing to pulleys meaning this saw has two speeds: 1700 and 3500 FPM (feet per minute). This is a nice feature, but I think it will be time consuming to change the belt from one pulley to the other.
 

Around back is the 2 horse motor that runs at 1725 RPM. This motor is wired for 220 volt which is perfect for my application because all my other woodworking tools use the same power. However, that short cord is going to be a problem but I'll talk about that later.

See those two bolts at the rear of the motor, those would need to be loosened, then you pivot the motor upwards a slight amount creating slack in the belt to change blade speeds. Not the worst arrangement but now you can see what I was talking about earlier.
 

Here is another nice feature, a quick release lever for changing the blade. Move that lever 180 degrees and the blade is either tight or loose. The round hand wheel below the lever is for tensioning the blade as well. If you were to get a blade that was slightly longer or shorter than the one you just removed, you would turn this hand wheel to make the correct adjustment.