Try to get in touch with Armand. He recently aquired a 14" OAV bandsaw. Its very similar to the Grizzly G0555, only without the fence.

thanks for the reply. will do.

i tried to send a pm to Armand but it seems i need to edit my profile to be allowed to do so, but got an error message when i tried. anyway i'll just hope he'll stumble to this thread.

hi armand,

thank you very much for the very informative reply. i've visited the OAV web site and checked the 14" models, and these seem to be in the 1/2 to 3/4 hp range. could you tell from your experience whether OAV bandsaws within these power range could rip narra flitches of 6" thickness without difficulty, feeding of course at the rate the machine can take. the price if it still stand today compares favorably with the equivalent models of JB and Torq, if the units featured at the OAV web site are as impressive as they look, and they looked well built and clean. will visit vics construction within the week to take a closer look at their units.
again thanks.

My 14" OAV bandsaw from Vic's is 1hp. I havn't tried ripping more than 3" so I cant answer your question but should not be a problem, use the appropriate blade for different tasks. A 3tpi blade will slice your 6" stock without any issues.

Sharing some pics of my 14" bandsaw.

1. With fence and vacuum hose attached.

2. Another shot

3. The fence, made of mahogany wood and part of C-clamp. The wing nut is for the drift adjustment. A quarter turn of the clamp quickly locks and unlocks the fence.

4.

that's a sturdy looking clamp. hope you don't mind my filching the design idea. i gave vic's construction a call and it seems that the only model they have at the moment is the 14" 1/2 hp. thanks for all the help. cheers.

@rsegador: That is their standard reply as base on their catalog, but the actual unit is 1HP. It happened to me before 1 purchased my BS, I was ready to settle for what they have but I was surprised that the unit is actually 1HP. You need to go there and see for yourself, they are willing to show you the bandsaw still in the box and you can inspect the motor. The upper wheel cover label indicates its 1HP and the motor itself is 1HP 220v 60hz. They are very accomodating even if you tell them you just want to see the unit.

I agree with Armand. Its probably just a typo error. 1/2 HP is too weak for a 14" bandsaw that can be upgraded to 12" resaw capacity.

just sharing what i learned today from a craftsman ... when i brought the red nato hardwood to a craftsman's shop (in Tupi in South Cotobato) today to have him make it into doors for the house we are constructing, i had a fruitfull discussion with the owner with regards to the tools his using for the furnitures his making ... i ask him why his using a band saw instead of a table saw. his extensive explanation, it's more functional as he can do a lot more with a band saw compared to a table saw. if he needs to cut large boards, he just use his circular saw for it and the rest, he use the band saw ... come to think of it, it make sense coming from a man who really is a craftsman when it comes to woodworking ... when a guy builds furniture without nails, you learn to respect his expertise 🙂 ... cheers

Boo!

just sharing what i learned today from a craftsman ... when i brought the red nato hardwood to a craftsman's shop (in Tupi in South Cotobato) today to have him make it into doors for the house we are constructing, i had a fruitfull discussion with the owner with regards to the tools his using for the furnitures his making ... i ask him why his using a band saw instead of a table saw. his extensive explanation, it's more functional as he can do a lot more with a band saw compared to a table saw. if he needs to cut large boards, he just use his circular saw for it and the rest, he use the band saw ... come to think of it, it make sense coming from a man who really is a craftsman when it comes to woodworking ... when a guy builds furniture without nails, you learn to respect his expertise 🙂 ... cheers

Boo!

Just like what I said in my previous reply..a bandsaw coupled with circular saw makes you a craftman.

Hi armand, i am planning to build a homemade bandsaw... Kung ok lang pwede ko ba mahingi ang dimension ng bandsaw mo? Yung diameter ng wheel tsaka height from bottom wheel to upper wheel. Thanks... Iniisip ko kasi kapag gumawa akong sarili kong size ng bandsaw wala akong mahanap na saktong blade. Or customized ba yung blade ng bandsaw?

was finally able to save up enough funds to buy a band saw. having looked at the oav band saw displayed at mario mechandising and the torq band saw displayed elsewhere i came to the opinion that they may not be that different after all from the john benzen 14" model rbs350a which seems to be a rebrand of d&d band saw of china. the body and frame are made of thick guage steel sheet, rather heavy at 94 kgs. came with 1100watts motor (1.5hp), 548mm x 400mm table, standard 1/2" 4tpi blade, a fence, but with the mitre missing. bought a spare metal cutting blade of 1/2" 3tpi at mario's, 3tpi wood cutting blade seems to be nonexistent in manila.
with the metal cutting blade the band saw rips through a 4" thick piece of timber easily. even made the mistake of not checking the timber for nails before ripping, and managed to split an embedded 4" nail lengthwise, with the blade none the worse for it. but before i can proceed with my timber ripping and cutting project, i need to save up further funds to buy bulk blades and silver brazing kit to weld band saw blades. there is not that many place where you can go and have you band saw blade welded. and my place is too far from manila.

Well then, congratulation on your new purchase, I am pretty sure you will be saving up more funds for there will be more tools to be had in the future. Simply enjoy your passion for woodworking.

CHEERS !!