Which 7x12 bandsaw

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Looking at the baileigh bs712m or the jet equivilent, any good or bad about either? I used a jet 7x12 at my old job and it lasted for 7 years but i hear the newer stuff isnt the greatest quality. I like the vertical option of the baileigh but i hear the table it comes with is pretty cheap, not a big concern to me.. But these are things I'd like to be aware of, the baileigh has the inverter motor with easy speed adjustment and gear driven, this is attracting also over the old school belt drive.Also looking at 6x48 belt sanders. I cut and grind stainless steel sch40 mostly.
Reply:Ellis......Ellis
Reply:Originally Posted by wornoutoldwelderEllis......Ellis
Reply:OK, then this one... : http://www.harborfreight.com/1-hp-7-...saw-97009.html   Buy a few decent USA made bimetal blades and still have tons of money left....BTW, they all the same saw, just different color and a few have features like variable speed you simply don't need...And belt drive is the the chits cause it is simple and the VSD is simply not necessary on a bandsaw......But selection of different TPI blades most certainly are.
Reply:Saw the harbor freight, used that one as a replacement of a jet unit it hd bad hydraulic decent on delivery, coolant control wasn't as smooth.. And there was a broken one in the corner already lolI plan on getting good bi metal blades regardless of the unit. The baileigh is also a 1hp vs the jet 3/4. There are just a few ups, i know the benches and heads are the same casting but there are differences and baileigh is known for quality control.. I havnt had experience with jet customer service but they seemed solid as well...
Reply:FPNI.  If you don't like the price of new, then hunt down a used Ellis.My name's not Jim....
Reply:with a little work i bet the harbor freight saw would be a good buy.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Originally Posted by urbansmokerA little out of budget considering these are half the price haha
Reply:The HF saw is not bad. I have one and it works well but I will say that a swivel saw like an ellis is lightyears ahead of any of the ones shown in this thread so far. I know that grizzly makes a swivel saw similar to an ellis but for less money . It is still quite a lot more than the others.  cutting angles with the HF saw is very aggravating. With that said if your budget is under $1000 then you will not find a better saw for the money than the HF saw. Likewornout said , it is the same saw as the Jet and Balighe saw for way less money. It does have its draw backs but you can live with them. The biggest thing is get a good quality blade and and use 7tpi or less . The fine tooth blades get jamed in my saw. I have stopped using them. The course tpi works well and cuts fast and lasts very well. The only time I would use a fine tooth blade with it would be if I were to use it in the vertical position on thin metal. Get a 20% off coupon and buy it for about $650. Then get help loading it, it is very heavy.Last edited by thegary; 05-03-2016 at 07:20 AM.
Reply:I don't care much for Baileigh. No experience with Jet. I would get a Grizzly. Harbor Freight is probably decent too.
Reply:I bought the direct drive type from northern tool and the gearbox went bad with little use. When I took it back they didn't have any like that so I got the belt drive type. The belt drive is much better in my opinion.Yeah, I know, but it'll be ok!Lincoln Square wave 255Miller Vintage mig30a spoolgunThermal Dynamics Pacmaster 100xl plasmaSmith mc torchEllis 1600 band saw
Reply:I'll add my two cents here, I bought a used harbor freight 4x6 band saw for $100 bucks a few years ago, great saw.  Haven't used my abrasive saw since.  Did make a new stand for it, replaced the belt with one of those adjustable link belts, this eliminated the vibration being transmitted by the motor to the gear box.  Big improvement.  Also purchased new blades, don't go cheap here.  These saws come up used often on Gregg's List and other places, just keep your eye's open.  Once you square up the blade they work very well and you will not be sorry once you have one.  Build a new stand for it as the one that comes with it is very cheezy and tips over easily.  All and all this little saw is very nice.  Best regards, Bob
Reply:I got a 9 x 12 Northern Tool saw (belt version) used from CL a couple years ago for $500.  Great saw - no problems.  If you buy new, you might want to check around.  The NT saw has cast vise jaws, the HF had steel angle jaws last time I was at HF...they change the same version of this saw so often.  There must be a factory in China that pumps out the main castings by the thousands - Bailey, HF, NT etc. puts on their own motors, knobs and wheels - looks the same to me.
Reply:I ordered one of these and I'm gonna pickup it up in about a week.  I'll post up how it ends up working. I got it for $900 with a discount card I had received, plus a $50 online discount code from retailmenot.com 1st on WeldingWeb to have a scrolling sig! HTP Invertig 400HTP Invertig 221HTP ProPulse 300HTP ProPulse 200 x2HTP ProPulse 220MTSHTP Inverarc 200TLP HTP Microcut 875SC
Reply:If all of these were the same price would you guys have chosen the baileigh given the option?
Reply:No...The variable speed and gear drive to me seem like trouble waiting to happen, and not cheap to repair.Baileigh makes some really decent true industrial tools, but they also sell several imports that everyone else sells, and they only have the maker paint them a different color and swap a few features....Just like all the other guys including HF and Griz and Jet.I FULLY understand what you are facing because I fought the same choice for years and tried other saws....I finally just ponied up the bucks for a decent large super quality USA made saw and it is a done deal and my son will be using it long after I am dead.
Reply:'' I finally just ponied up the bucks for a decent large super quality USA made saw and it is a done deal and my son will be using it long after I am dead. ''Hey , ONLY THE GOOD die young ! Sooooooooooooooo YOU and ME will be using our saws a longgggggggggggggggggggggggggggg time !!   As for the Grizzly, there was a post from a member that bought one and it was so poorly casted, that he returned it and bought a Ellis. I could not find it this morning.
Reply:Went through this same decision process a couple of weeks ago. Lots of import saws out there that all look the same and have good and bad reviews. I decided this would be the last saw I would buy so I ponied up and ordered the Ellis 1600.  Should be here by the end of the month.GraysOrnamentalIron.com
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1As for the Grizzly, there was a post from a member that bought one and it was so poorly casted, that he returned it and bought a Ellis. I could not find it this morning.
Reply:hey, all you other Ellis guys.There is ONE thing these 7X12's have that we need.....See that little extra valve on the hwy downfeed cylinder?...That is an on/off valve, a petcock......with a valve like that on ours it will make it lots easier to make many identical cuts without always having to tweek the downfeed knob above it.....We could raise the saw head a little or a lot and flip the valve off/closed while we position work, then just flip valve open and saw would resume feeding at same rate as last cut.I am certainly going to ask ELLIS to consider adding one to their saws.
Reply:Here's my experience with the Jet: http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...41#post6277741-Chris
Reply:I'm not a fan of Harbor Freight but I did buy one of their little 4x6 saws for my home, I use it to fix things for neighbors and friends. I have an Ellis at my shop and it's way better, for the money the little 4x6 is a good saw. Iv'e had mine for 5 years and have made well over a thousand cuts and it's still going strong. Iv'e cut everything from 2x2x1/4 angle to 4 inch channel with my saw. I think I payed $115.00 for it, it's hard to beat for that amount of money. Buy a good Ellis blade and keep the blade speed at the slowest setting to prevent the blade from getting hot and it will work well. If you have the money to buy an Ellis I highly recommend them.
Reply:Originally Posted by Mr. SmithHere's my experience with the Jet: http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php...41#post6277741
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1I apologize, I thought it was a Grizzly. Well, the good news is you have a REAL saw ! I love mine !
Reply:Originally Posted by BD1I apologize, I thought it was a Grizzly. Well, the good news is you have a REAL saw ! I love mine !Well i pulled the trigger on the jet belt drive 7x12, no mitering head. got it through home depot with a 3 year extended warranty after the 2 year jet warranty is up. I didn't have any problems with the two jets i used at my last job  and they had it for 7 years used every week day for 8 hours a day and one of the two finally keeled over and died after that long so this was the deciding factor, figure how much could go wrong if i have a 5 year warranty on it. The baileigh only has a 1 year. Jet Will be here next week so well see how it looks and I'll post pix, Also a deciding factor was blade speed, the jet went down to 80fps and the baileighs slowest speed is 125. I cut stainless steel pretty much exclusively so this pointed me toward the jet. Hopefully i have a good experience.I'm getting the baileigh 6x48 belt sander though 1.5hp  for 1k is pretty enticing.Mr smith I'll check out your review on the jet, could just be a bad egg.Last edited by urbansmoker; 05-04-2016 at 10:15 PM.
Reply:Mr smith, bummer about your customer service, hopefully i won't have to deal with that... I know these castings are from taiwan so is the baileigh.. Well see how everything looks. Maybe a year later they took whatever complaints to heart and made changes? Well see haha
Reply:Here she be, looks amazing i think i got a good one. But only time will truely tell. The fit and finish looks pretty damn good to me
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