# Rockwell 14 band saw



## BTracy138 (Feb 7, 2019)

I might pick this up this weekend. The seller said it works fine, but of course I will need to see it working when I get there. It looks like it may just need some cleaning up. That deck looks mighty rusty, lol

Any tips on what I should really look at when going to see it? He said he’d take $325.


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

Bill, Looks like it had a fence rail at one time (note bolt sheared off in the table left edge). Does he include a miter gauge that fits the slot. The insert is missing from the table top, but they are readily available. I would want to see it cut wood for that price ($325). I would like to see the condition of the tires as being good. Make sure the table tilts and locks. does the blade guide go up and down and lock. Are all the guide cool blocks (4) there and the bearings (1 upper and lower). Check the casting itself for cracks. There should be an adjuster with knob to tighten and loosen the blade (on the top) as well as a tilt adjustment on the side not shown in the photo, for adjusting tracking. Just make sure all the basic components are there. That's my 2 cents.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*older model, over priced .....*

Too much money for not enough machine. JMO No fence either. Pass on it. :|


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## justdraftn (Feb 20, 2019)

I had one like that. It was my Dad's.
It did not have the power or precision to resaw very well.
Don't plan on doing any real fine work on it.
I did find some ceramic guides, but they never really fit or worked very well.
I didn't even try to sell it and it was in much better condition than that one is.
I gave it to my neighbor.
Nothing will kill your band saw enthusiasm like a crappy saw.

YMMV


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## Buckmark13 (Jul 16, 2018)

Looks can be deceiving, but the appearance would lead me to believe the rest of the machine was probably maintained in similar fashion to the what we can see. 

For what its worth, I just recently picked up a 14" Delta for the same price. However, it had an upgraded 1.5 hp motor, newer tires, and 3 blades, two of which were brand new. Looked and ,most importantly, ran and cut flawlessly. I had to be patient and looked at a lot, but once I found this one I had seen enough to know to jump on it. 

Check it out, but be patient and the right deal will come along.


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## BTracy138 (Feb 7, 2019)

Ok thanks guys! I’ll pass on this even tho I’ve been looking for almost a year now and I can’t find anything near me, lol. Anything I find is either way out of my range or is complete junk, lol


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## BTracy138 (Feb 7, 2019)

I didn’t want to start a new topic, but I just found this 16” Delta. Looks like a bench top model. He’s asking $175. I’m asking if it has a fence and miter for the slot. He says he just put new tires and guides on it and it works well.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Oh boy, that's a three wheel bandsaw. Run for your life. I've never heard of anyone that had good luck with a three wheel bandsaw. Blades tend to not run true on those. 

I would be careful buying a saw that someone had put tires on. What is popular today is urethane tires. They are popular because all you have to do is stretch it on like a rubber band. Urethane tires have a tendency to come off the wheels because they are not glued on. Rubber tires are glued on so you can depend on them staying on.


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## BTracy138 (Feb 7, 2019)

I’m having no luck finding a used bandsaw it seems. It’s been a whole year of looking, and this is the best I’ve found, lol. I guess it’s time to sell a kidney and buy a new one, lol. Even new ones I see online all have someone who gives it a horrible review. What would anyone recommend as far as new goes? I’d want 14” or larger with decent height capacity. So far it seems Grizzly looks decent. I’d also want to stick to 110v and not 220v.


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## Buckmark13 (Jul 16, 2018)

The big question you need to answer is what do you think you're realistically going to use it for?

There a big difference in what you need if you're cutting small pen blanks vs. resawing thick hardwood or logs. 

Obviously you may not know everything just yet and that's the value of a bandsaw; it has tons of uses. But do you have a general idea of how you'll use it?


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## BTracy138 (Feb 7, 2019)

I want to turn large bowls on a lathe and would use a band saw for rounding off before starting on the lathe.


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## justdraftn (Feb 20, 2019)

BTracy138 said:


> What would anyone recommend as far as new goes? I’d want 14” or larger with decent height capacity.


Laguna 14Twleve.
Ceramic guides. The only way to go.
With a Laguna Resaw King blade, it will eat up anything 
that will fit in it. Milling raw logs is a breeze.
With an 1/8" blade running in the mini guides,
you can do the finest of work.


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

I would have bought the Rockwell personally!!!


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## MaintenanceMan (Jun 25, 2010)

I have a Grizzly G0555p that I bought new and has been worth every penny. Think I paid right at $500 for it. The blade tension release is unique to the grizzly's. I really like that feature. They also make an riser block so you can get some more resaw capacity for it. I picked one up, but have not used it yet.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The Rockwell would work ....*



BTracy138 said:


> I’m having no luck finding a used bandsaw it seems. It’s been a whole year of looking, and this is the best I’ve found, lol. I guess it’s time to sell a kidney and buy a new one, lol. Even new ones I see online all have someone who gives it a horrible review. What would anyone recommend as far as new goes? I’d want 14” or larger with decent height capacity. So far it seems Grizzly looks decent. I’d also want to stick to 110v and not 220v.



I know I advised against it as it seemed priced too high, BUT see what he would take? If that's all that's out there, then it's not the worst bandsaw ever, in fact many of the name brands are "clones" of this one.
Now, having said that, there's a dark horse bandsaw which I can highly recommend, a 14" Craftsman Pro. I own 2 of these, one purchased new, the other from Craig's List for $250.00. Both are 1 HP, super large cast iron tables and run great. Actually, they are Rikon clones, with a welded metal frame rather than cast iron like the Deltas, Grizzlys and the Rockwell. This means no riser block can be added, no big deal for most woodworking. Keep an eye out for those.


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## BTracy138 (Feb 7, 2019)

Ok thanks guys! Great advice as usual! He won't budge anymore on the price, so I'm just going to try and save up and sell some stuff to see if I can get something better. Thanks!


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## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

in my opinion, a really nice operating used 14" bs should fall in the $500 range. less IF your are lucky. I drove 3 hours to get mine for $350, (riser block, carter guides and aftermarket fence, needed tires and tlc/tune-up) 


I mean already having all of the necessary accessories - good tires, cool blocks or carter bearings, decent sized motor* if planning for resawing, fence, and miter gauge. used blades don't mean much to me.



* a good resaw blade will make a huge difference. I resawed over 6" walnut this week with my Delta/Rockwell 3/4 hp and had _no problem_. 1/2" 2 tpi Lenox blade. my 2 cents.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Purchasing any used tool depends on the individual, having the mechanical ability and equipment to rebuild a tool makes a difference, if you don't then you will expect pay a higher price for a machine in better condition, so it is hard to give advice about the price. Location plays into it as well, I can occasionally buy tools here on the West Coast of Canada and ship them to family in the prairies and still be ahead of the game.


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## Larry42 (Jan 10, 2014)

I have an older 14" Delta that I bought new. I bought it to make toys using mostly 8/4 hard maple. It came with a 1/2 hp motor that failed in a few months. Replaced with 1hp. Both the motor sheave and the driven sheave failed in less than a year, replaced with cast iron. The V belt also failed soon. The motor mounting plate was flimsy and had to be beefed up. There was no provision for dust collection. When resawing to it's max ht, 6" the frame would flex and start to induce waves in the blade as it loosened and tightened. I'd have to conclude the riser block is a bad idea. The pot metal holders for the blade guides failed. You may want to consider getting a set of Carter guides. All that said, these are light duty hobby machines and may be fine used that way. I bought a used Mini Max 17" for $400 that is a far better machine. It was made by Samco in Italy and rebadged Mini Max. Frame is welded steel and has about 12" of useable ht. I don't know what power it has and it may not be enough for serious continuous work. I rarely cut more than 6" on it now. There are a lot of Chinese 16 -18" bandsaws available. I think the Laguna is one of them. Look for one that comes with a standard motor mounting so it can be easily replaced when it fails. 
Here is an excellent presentation on bandsaws and using one.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Other welded frame bandsaws ....*

Here's name that's old and established, but not associated with large machines, WEN. :surprise2:










They are getting more exposure and pretty good ratings. Maybe worth a look, since the price is nice:
https://www.amazon.com/WEN-3962-Two-Speed-Stand-Worklight/dp/B01CHP7G34/ref=sr_1_10?hvadid=177781607645&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9016996&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=15101661693548870630&hvtargid=kwd-746796100&keywords=rikon%2Bbandsaw&qid=1551386788&s=gateway&sr=8-10&tag=googhydr-20&th=1


and this:
https://www.amazon.com/Delta-28-400...=1551387158&s=gateway&sr=8-11&tag=googhydr-20


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## BTracy138 (Feb 7, 2019)

After looking at everything, I'll probably save up, or wait for my tax return, or both, and go for that Laguna 1412. I love that it comes with the 12 inch resaw capability without having to add a riser, and the 1.75 horsepower 115V motor is plenty tough it seems.

I'm pretty good as far as mechanical capability, but I'm just inexperienced with these machines and I'm always afraid i will end up doing something the wrong way and breaking it beyond repair, lol I don't know if any of you saw my other post about an old 15.5" craftsman drill press that I bought for $70 and it had a seized up rusted quill. I ended up fixing it finally, but boy was that a nightmare, lol

Thanks!


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## justdraftn (Feb 20, 2019)

BTracy138 said:


> After looking at everything, I'll probably save up, or wait for my tax return, or both, and go for that Laguna 1412. I love that it comes with the 12 inch resaw capability without having to add a riser, and the 1.75 horsepower 115V motor is plenty tough it seems.
> Thanks!


Resaw is fun....but slicing up "irregular" wood is 
absolutely amazing. 










..and after you slice up that irregular wood...
you put on the 1/8" blade and create stuff like this.....


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