Grizzly GO506 bandsaw review?

[Mike L B]

I'm thinking about getting one. They are discontinued and I'm having a hard time finding any reviews on them. Does anyone have any experience with this model?
Thanks

[brofessor]

Sorry I do not have a g0506 model and after looking it up it seems to be a rather scarce model. I can however comment on my similar g0566 bandsaw and will say I like it. Specs seem similar. The 4600 fpm blade speed makes quick work when ripping. Little vibration and a very solid fence unlike how easy the g0555 fence likes to sneak when a little force is applied. Pick up the add on alluminum resaw fence (h7528) and all it requires is to drill a hole in the current fence and that works great. For the right price and condition I would say go for it. Hope this may help if not good luck!

[Mike L B]

Thanks for the info.
I looked at it tonight. It looks like it's in good condition and it sounds great.
The table and bare metal has surface rust but that shouldn't be too hard to clean up.
The blade guides look like they will be a pain to adjust, an Allen wrench and 2 or 3 box wrenches will be necessary.
The most interesting thing is it only has 9 3/4 inches of resawfor an 18 inch saw and there is no throat plate in the table the blade slot just gets wider where the blade runs through the table.

It comes with seven blades and he's asking 600.

[brofessor]

Yeah my blade guides require a wrench and an allen too. Definitely a pain to adjust. 600 seems good. I paid $1000 for mine used. That does seem odd for the throat plate. I'm not a fan of my current throat plate as the gap is rather large when cutting thin strips. But I just use a 14" bandsaw for more delicate work instead of trying to meddle with a zero clearance. Have you gotten to try it out, run a board through it?

[Mike L B]

Yeah, I made a few cuts last night and it did just fine.
I think it would cut much better after a good tune up.

One thing that was strange is that he has it in a Shop Fox mobile base and the bolts that hold it together stick up high enough that you can't close the lower door. A piece of plywood under the saw would probably take care of the problem.

This will be my first real bandsaw. I'm not sure if it's the right way to go, I've been planning on getting a 14 inch Shop Fox but I really like the idea of a bigger machine with a brake.

[EvilTwin]

Use it for awhile and if you like it, keep it. If not, you can probably move it for what you paid and get something different. No tool is perfect, you just have to find the one that suits you best.

[Mike L B]

Excellent advice,
Thank you!!