i was at lowes and am in need of a decent small bandsaw i saw two the delta 9'' and the gmc 9'' with laser line they are both the same price i just wanted to know what you guys thought.

 

Can't speak for the GMC line as I've never heard of them but I have some larger delta equipment and have no complaints at all

 

We have a small Delta at work and cut metal all the time, no complaints here either. Just get good quality blades. The blades I use come from DoAll.

 

here is the link for the gmc one http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=prod...-38307-LS9BSUL

 

I use a vintage Tannawitz bandsaw at work. We cut magnesium and aluminum all day long, so I know a bit about blades. We use Lenox TriMaster blades. 236 inches long, 3/4 inch front to rear(for easy turning) and .035" thick. Three teeth per inch, carbide tipped. The best available as far as I'm concerned, for aluminum and magnesium alloys. At times we cut through 30 inches at a time of alloy.

At one time the company bought a bunch of inexpensive blades thinking they could save a few bucks on the bottom line. We went through that batch of cheap blades so fast, the volume we used offset the price considerably.

The best thing you can do is buy a good blade.

 

Bandsaws are very useful but what are you going to cut with it? If you can save for a larger machine do it because some time in the future you will want cut something larger that a 9" capacity (from blade to throat) machine will allow. Check out the band saws on this site (http://www.grizzly.com/products/item...grizzly&box=20).

If you're just cutting bar stock, square channel or small parts then maybe the small Bandsaws should work. Although the small saws tend to be for wood use only because they tend to be of lighter construction, lower Hp, higher speed and have poor blade guides. You can always install a metal cutting blade but you will quickly notice the other short comings of the small machine.

Other more thing to consider when using wood band saws for metal work is the combination of saw dust and hot metal chips in the bottom wheel compartment. This can be trouble waiting to happen. Wood blades will not hold up to metal cutting but a metal blade will cut wood with some minor issues. Most Wood band saws will only have one speed, which is usually too fast for metal cutting.

Good blades will make a world of different but will cost more. When selecting the correct pitch try to have two to three teeth of the blade in contact with the thickness of the work piece. Using a too large of a pitch for the work piece will just break off teeth and dull the blade faster. But when cutting sheet metal just pick a blade with the maximum pitch possible and feed the material in very slow.

 

I have the Delta 9", no complaints with it. If I was to use it everyday I'd probably get one a little more durable. I've had this one over a year now and haven't had any problems with it.

 

I agree with Koconno. You will be disappointed in the smaller machine. I also agree that GRIZZLY rocks!