Bs1400

[cjh20]

There seems to be a lot of discussion about various issues with Ridgid's Band Saw. Some of these are design problems like having to remove the trunnion to remove the lower bearing assembly or not being able to open the lower door. Some defects are due to poor quality control (wheels out of balance) or low quality parts (tire failure).

I'd like to try to get an idea of how many BS1400 owners have had issues with their saw that required replacement or modification of a part. I don't want to consider design flaws, just poor quality control or parts (these can be easy fixes for Ridgid). I also don't consider the poor quality blade an issue; it is reasonable to expect the need to change blades.

You can select more than one problem. Your answers will remain anonymous. Please post other issues not listed.

Thanks.

[BadgerDave]

Seeing that today is election day, what is the + or - error factor of this exit poll?http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_17_5.gif

[cjh20]

BD and others,

I am considering increasing the poll's sample size by sending a PM to members who have posted that they own a BS1400, but don’t know if this is appropriate. I don’t want to spam anyone, just let them know about the survey. So many members log-in so infrequently that they probably will never see the thread. Do you think this would be okay, or an abuse of the private messages?

[American and Proud]

A new belt was a choice, but there was only a choice that it fixed the vibration problem, it did NOT fix it.
I did add the plywood to the base, and the lower rails, a link belt, Orange Urathane Tires , Bought " Mastering your Bandsaw" DVD with Mark Duginske , followed his steps , looked at several other articals on bandsaw tune ups, Lets face it , the wheels are CRAP , totally out of balance ! You could scramble eggs on the d*mn thing.
It is a crap shoot as to whether you get a good one or not, no wonder I dont gamble, I did on this bandsaw and lost.
It WILL be fixed , one way or another.
My gut instinct was to buy another saw, but the price suckerd me in. Lesson learned, Ridgids Quality Control is NONexsistant, and there Customer Service is turning a blinds eye on it's customers, I saw in yet ANOTHER recent post were C.S. said to one fellow customer "their unaware of the PROBLEM" that was for tires slipping right OFF the machine, there are PLENTY of post stating the PROBLEMS with there bandsaw all over this there own Ridgid forum .
To be "unaware" is INEXCUSABLE !
Save yourself the TROUBLE and buy ANOTHER BRAND !:mad:

[American and Proud]

Private Message Away ! Let all the BS14002 and BS1400 owners Send a resounding "Hell NO were not gonna take it anymore"! Maybe THEN Ridgid will OPEN there eyes and FIX the PROBLEMS ! I'm disabled, already took one saw back( never assembled that one fully as there was damage to parts inside the box), and now they want me to load it in my van haul it an hour and a half's drive away to a service center, to diognose CLEARLY out of balanced wheels , I did the dionostics and research already, just send out "computer BALANCED" wheels as they claim they are , without making the Customer jump through hoops.
Don't they realize FUTURE CUSTOMERS actually read these forums, and base the decision to buy or NOT to buy there products?,Pretty darn FOOLISH of them NOT to.

[American and Proud]

As for other options on the pole, I havent even been able to run the saw to determine if those OTHER issues will rear their ugly heads yet!:mad:

[Rafael]

At this point I would either return the saw and get your money back and buy the grizzly equivalent or spend some more and get a much better BS, OR you could try balancing the wheels yourself, it's not really that hard. You can google "how to balance bandsaw wheels" and read up on it.
A lot of people seem to be getting to stressed over this BS, it's not worth it.
I had a Rikon lathe that was quilte frankly a POS. Rikon tried to help me but the reality was that the design or quality control really sucked and out of 3 lathes none worked correctly. I returned it, got my money back, and bought a Jet that cost more but is noticably nicer. Rikon customer service was excellent, I dont know how Ridgid is treating you folks on this one. It was 3 months old and woodcraft took it back without hesitation. Good outfit.

[American and Proud]

Wow such poor poll'er turn out, let your voices be heard, good or bad but at least fill out the poll ! :eek:

[BadgerDave]

Considering that this poll's primary purpose was to point out negative experiences with the RIDGID BS, I think the low number of responders speaks for itself. Most owners of the RIDGID BS don't appear to have had any of the problems that the poll addressed.

Taking into account that this is a RIDGID BB, if the RIDGID BS was plagued by these problems wouldn't it make sense that we'd have heard of these problems many more times than we have?

I sympathize with anyone who has had problems with their BS but considering the tens of thousands of these units that have been sold I think these problems are more of a rarity than a common occurrence.

[Ronald]

I disagree. With over half having balance problems and nearly that amount having tension problems, that is just too much. The problem with this type of poll is that is useless in the sense of getting a problem corrected.
The way to get it corrected and identified is to let the MANUFATURER know! You can whine and cry all day on the forum, but that will get you nothing. The only positive side is venting the frustration so you don't blow a gasket!

The people having these problems should bombard Ridgid Customer Service and forced them to correct the problem!!! For them to say the wheels are computer balanced is just not the case (from what I have experienced).
Ron

[BadgerDave]

You didn't say what it was that you disagreed with so unfortunately I can't speak to that.

I can on the other hand speak about your statement "about half having balance problems and nearly that amount having tension problem, that is too much". If all of the responders to the poll only checked one box each that would equal a total of 13 responders to this poll. But, as you were allowed to check as many boxes as you'd like, it's also possible that only six people participated in the poll. Hardly an overall representative view of the quality level of the RIDGID BS.

I totally agree with you that this type of poll is generally useless. My original tongue in cheek reply to this thread was meant to relay that feeling.

A much better poll would have included two more boxes to check. One box for asking the question, "Did you take your saw to a Service Center and did the Service Center confirm your claims?" and the second box for asking the question, "Are your claims of problems with your saw solely based on your diagnosis?.

[cjh20]

Considering that this poll's primary purpose was to point out negative experiences with the RIDGID BS

No, that is not why I started this poll. The poll was started in large part because of Rafael's comments in the thread BS1402 Link Belt Useage (http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9682). In that thread he stated his band saw hasn't had the issues that have been recently posted. That made me wonder how many owners have not had problems. In many cases there wouldn't be a reason to post the lack of a problem.

I think one of the functions of this board is to assist owners that have problems with their tools, so it shouldn't be surprising to see a disproportionate number of problems posted. Therefore, it can be difficult to ascertain the true extent of a problem. My opinion of this saw (an opinion that I have shared on this forum) is based not just on my personal experiences but also on those who have also posted their experiences. After reading Rafael’s opinion of his saw, I am certainly willing to consider the possibility that the saw’s performance is better than my view of it. Perhaps the problems are the exception, not the rule.


That is why I started this poll.

[cjh20]

I totally agree with you that this type of poll is generally useless. My original tongue in cheek reply to this thread was meant to relay that feeling.

The meaning of your original reply was not lost on me. I hope that mine was not lost on others. I believe this sort of poll can be insightful if many owners take the time to respond. Like an exit poll, sample size is important.

[Someguy]

As stated many times before in other threads and forums. People who don't have any problems never post anything about thier tools.If thier BS1400 runs good they wont even look at a thread about them.For every one we do hear about, there are 10K that have not had problems. I am a BS1400 owner with no complaints. I broke the tension spring, by overtightening and never releasing it at all in several years. One phone call and I got a new spring in the mail in a few days. I have no complaints about my tools or CS on them.

[cjh20]

Someguy - Thanks for responding to the poll. I certainly hope that everyone who has enjoyed their bandsaw also responds.

I use to hate detensioning my bandsaw at the end of the day until I got a Fast Tensioner (http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/browseproducts/Quik-Crank-Bandsaw-Tensioner.html)from Highland Hardware. I was leery at first but finally got one and am really glad that I did.

[papadan]

I have the Gray model and have no complaints about it. Been a real good saw for my needs.

[Rafael]

ANd you cant beat it for the price.
I look at it this way, You either spend $350 or so or spend $2000, anything in between is either overkill or inadequate.
If the ridigid just had a bit more HP then it would be a real gem for the price.

[wellsw]

Well. I got my bandsaw for christmas and was very excited. have many other ridgid tools and all have been great. well first use the tire slips off track. I try to reset it a couple times and it lasts for about a minute. so I order the orange ones from rockler... after reading about the balance issues I decided to check while I wait for the tires to arrive. 13 1/8 inch holes clean through and still out of balance.. I'm not sure if i should continue or not... the wheels settle slower now but still a definate heavy spot. what do you think?? I assume a return to home depot is out of the question now. can you buy other replacement wheels??

[Rafael]

Call ridgid and tell them about your wheels, maybe they'll give you new ones even after you've made the ones you have holy.