Ridgid BS1400 Band Saw, 14-Inch

I am an avid woodworker. Out of the box this saw will take care of routine hobby cutting needs. However, if you are looking for a machine that will do precise work, you WILL need to shell out a lot of extra dollars to get this saw to perform.

I purchased this saw and have been disappointed in many areas. Vibration is the #1 complaint. I am no woodworking rookie and have tweaked everything multiple times. At the end of the day, unless I build my own stand, this machine will always have what I consider to be unacceptable vibration levels. I planned to perform some re-sawing in excess of 6" so I called Ridgid to inquire about the 6" riser accessory. They are trying to charge $218 plus $22 shipping. The part is available for ~$100 elsewhere and Grizzly (which I have read fits this saw) sells theirs for $67. The fact that Ridgid would charge over HALF the cost for this kit is an outrage. Also, you will have to shell out more money to buy rails and a fence for this...Read more

I am an experienced woodworker and found this saw to be a very good value once tweaked. On initial assembly, the saw has unacceptable levels of vibration. It's now very smooth. Here are the tweaks.

1. Cut a 1/2" sheet of plywood to 14"x24" and mount it on top of the stand. Use the stand top as a pattern to cut the bolt holes. This will stabilize the stand and provide an even mounting surface for the saw and motor. You will need 4 5/16x1.5" bolts for the motor and 4 5/16x2" bolts for the saw.

2. Replace the belt that comes with the saw. I used a Dayco 15395 Fan Belt (http://www.amazon.com/Dayco-15395-Fan-Belt/dp/B000C0TAJ0). You could also use a link belt, but the fan belt is excellent.

3. Line up the pulleys with a straight-edge. The motor pulley is designed for a straight-edge on the outside edge.

4. Tension the belt by using a quick clamp to push the motor away from the saw. You can apply the pressure directly between...Read more

I have used this tool extensively over the past year. It was the only 14" bandsaw available to me locally at the time, and had researched and used other ridgid products and assumed it would be fine. A bandsaw, especially a cheap one, is unlike other power tools in that setup is more critical. By the time there is minor vibration from inferior belt, pulleys out of plane, slightly unbalanced wheels, bandsaw wheels out of plane, wheels slightly out of round, unsolid stand... you have an unuseable machine for resawing that will trip breakers from too much load on motor and not saw much. It is important to learn tool setup, and this saw will teach you that, but the problem is at the end of the day, you will pay for some aftermarket stuff just to get it to run right, spend a ton of time, and then you still wont have a fence, a table with positive stops or a good stand. The wheels will always be aluminum even if you get them balanced and get good ones. I wont give mine up because I...Read more