Anyone have this 4x6 band saw?

[Ferrous]

I'm going to buy a 4x6 horizontal band saw, as I'm not too pleased with the cut quality, noise, and mess of my HF chop saw. Not to mention the crappy HF 14" abrasive discs made in Russia that will give you 8 to 10 cuts through 2x2 square .120 tubing if you are lucky, and less than one cut if you get a dud.

Anyone have this 4x6 Grizzly? Has it worked out well for you?

http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw-w-Swivel-Head/G9742

Actually, I'd go for the 7x12 if I could afford it. Footprint is not much bigger than the 4x6, and it has a coolant system. But the 4x6 is more in my price range.

I want clean straight cuts. I know the HF, Jet, Grizzly, Turn-Pro are all made in China or Taiwan and I've read that they share a lot of the same parts, but I gather some are better made than others, and I've heard that Grizzly is a good company to deal with in terms of warranties, replacement parts, etc.

I'm limited by my budget to import saws, but I just don't think I want to buy anything else from HF, as I'm not too impressed with the quality of the tools.

[ace4059]

I have that exact same one. I have had it over a year now. I like it for the price. It cuts good. The only problem I have had was the hydrolic down feed arm leaks. I called grizzly the first week I had it and they sent me another one, it leaked, a few months later I had them send me another one. It leaked also. I gave up on it and just use it with a leaky cyclinder. The auto off switch could be better but I still like it. Part of the problem is it needs to be adjusted and I really dont know how. The saw cuts very well. It is a better made cheap machine. For the money you cant go wrong, just get some good blades.
-Ryan

[usmcpop]

Homier lists one that looks almost identical to that Grizzly for $200. Unfortunately, they haven't had one of their truck sales around here in a long while, so I haven't been able to check one out. If I could get it locally without paying for shipping, I'd give it a try.

http://www.homier.com/detail.asp?SessionKey=LckqVAHW%2fx4OFsmTIH99dDyFD3 mPl82YE%2fRg7XJLSFUuv191p2bCnepJZPIVkVzfPco%2bd0mt 81aJ&dpt=&cat=&sku=03111

[RickSidebottom]

I have the homier version of this saw. I have been using it for over a year. It does a good job for the $, and much cleaner than my chop saw. I highly suggest the bi-metal blades, they are worth the extra money.

The biggest problem has been with the plastic handle in the vice screw. I broke it, but it is still usable. In the move to the new shop, one side of the motor mount broke. Again, I think it was my fault. I found a loose screw.

I don't like the angle gauge, it pretty cheap and not real accurate. I do like the swivel head feature and the dual miter capability (left and right)

It does everything I need right now. On a scale of 5 I would give it a 4.

Hope this helps. I like grizzly tools, and if there had not been a Homier truck sale locally, that is most likely the saw I would have bought.

[Ferrous]

There's a used Ramco RS-90 for sale on Ebay and the seller is local. It looks like a nice old saw and I bet it will go cheap. Unfortunately, it is way too big for me. It'll handle 13" wide by 8.5" tall material. Alas, I have no space for a saw that big. The footprint is more than double what the 4x6 runs.

I might just continue checking the used market for a while to see if I can find an older American-made saw for a good price. All I've seen so far though have been big ones like this Ramco, so I wonder if there are any small American-made horizontal band saws in the 4x6 size. Is that a common size only in the China saws?