In the 14 years I've been with Popular Woodworking, we have been through more than a dozen bandsaws of all sizes and all makes. Though there were many good saws on that list, there was never one that we wanted to keep in our shop forever.

 

This year, however, we brought the Grizzly G0636X bandsaw into our shop at the magazine and we are in heaven.

 

This 17" saw out-classes and out-cuts many of the more expensive saws out there. And here's the important part- the saw stays in alignment better than any of the other saws we've tested over the years. One of the biggest flaws of many bandsaws is that you need to fuss with them a lot to really unlock their potential.

 

This saw's cast iron wheels are massive, the bearing guides are robust, and the rack-and-pinion tilting table is a joy. Everything that should be overbuilt is overbuilt.

 

The saw has plenty of guts thanks to a 5-horsepower motor, has a 16" resaw capacity, a real monster of a fence and all the niceties you'd expect from a first-class machine: foot brake, rack-and-pinion guide adjustment, quick-release tension, and lots and lots of steel. The sucker weighs 675 pounds.

 

I doubt this bear will ever be allowed to leave our cave.

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