A Woodnetter asked his fellows recently what their thoughts were on a battle between the Grizzly G5013 and the Jet JWBS-18X. For the record, the 17″ Grizzly G5013 placed first in our survey for our band saw buying guide. That said, the Jet is a fine machine worthy of consideration.
A bit of detail for you – the OP (original poster) plans to use the saw for a great deal of resawing. In his words: “As for resawing, most of the furniture we make uses 1/8″ thick shop veneer laminated onto baltic birch. The woods are almost exclusively exotic (i.e. very hard and very expensive, which is why we use veneer). So the ability to resaw as wide as possible (within the price range of the Grizzly and Jet) is crucial.”
One commenter suggested off the bat that he start looking at the 19″ models if he planned to do mostly resawing. And while there wasn’t a landslide of responses or suggestions the thread is great for any professional woodshop owner looking at 17-19″ band saws for production work. Read the original thread here: Which machine? 17″ Grizzly G5013 2HP vs. Jet 18″ 1 1/2 HP
The Grizzly won by a narrow margin…
Grizzly G5013: 3 votes
Jet JWBS-18X: 2 votes
Thread of Origin:
Which machine? 17″ Grizzly G5013 2HP vs. Jet 18″ 1 1/2 HP
Other Resources:
What’s the Best Band Saw? Benchtop vs. 14 Inch vs. 17 Inch vs. 18 Inch
Grizzly Tools – What is Your Opinion?
A Band Saw Buying Guide: 6 Considerations That Save Woodworkers Money
Band Saw Tire Maintenance
Woodworking Without A Table Saw
