Wilton Tradesman Bandsaw

fitzo

fitzo

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Aug 14, 2001
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Anyone have any experience with the Wilton Tradesman vertical bandsaw (no. 8201)? I am in the market for a new metalcutter and have neither the money for a Powermatic or Dake nor the ability to get a beast that size down into the basement shop.

This will not be used for any woodcutting, all metal. I seek feedback regarding it's sturdiness, how much plastic is used, how good the guides hold the blade straight, and especially how close will the guides adjust down towards the table to limit flex.

Jantz says they have a number of them out there and have had no complaints, but at the same time couldn't give me any references to call directly. Thus, I'm asking here.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you. :)
 
I have one and like it, no plastic parts that I can find. Good guides that will go down real close to the table, haven't checked how close. I use it mostly with a wood blade running fast and have cut a bunch of ivory scales but have also cut metal with it too. I use a 15 year old cheap grizzly metal saw for my metal cutting (it wont die) but would like to set the Wilton up for metal and get a cheap 14'' wood saw for ivory, I don't like to change it from wood to metal and back. The wilton is the best vertical metal cutting saw for the money, IMO.
 
Hi Mike,

Had mine with the rip fence since I started making knives and I love it, haven't had one problem so far. I haven't seen any plastic except the knobs and one of these days I'll change out the blade tensioning knob to a hand crank, but it's not really an issue. I don't like to change the belt positions (hard to reach for me) to adjust speeds so I have it set up for 3300 (wood) and 39 (metal) by moving the clutch in or out. You can also have it set up for 3000 and 142 with just using the clutch. I've used it for everything so far with these two speeds and can get a pretty clean and easy cut or rip. I've ripped thin slabs out of a titanium block, adjusted the clutch then ripped slabs out of a block of wood. You can adjust the blade guide from 0 (tabletop) to about 6" without the frame riser option. There's about 2" below the table to the bottom guides but with the blade touching the support bearings there really is 0 play.

:thumbup: It's a very good, sturdy, reliable saw, in this size and price range that I would recommend to anyone.

I'll admit, it's good to change the speeds for different types of metals but if you're a crippled up old fart like me it's pretty uncomfortable to change the belt positions :) If I bought it again and could afford the extra money, I would get the 8201 VS (variable speed)

Dave
 
Thank you, gentlemen!

I will do a little more research to decide VS or regular, but I feel pretty certain I'll get one or the other. I needed to know it wasn't a compromise POS, so I value your endorsements a lot.

Time to retire that old horizontal/vertical! :thumbup:

:)
 
fitzo said:
Thank you, gentlemen!

I will do a little more research to decide VS or regular, but I feel pretty certain I'll get one or the other. I needed to know it wasn't a compromise POS, so I value your endorsements a lot.

Time to retire that old horizontal/vertical! :thumbup:

:)
Click to expand...

What do you mean "retire"? hint hint ;) ;)

Are you going to start making knives again, Michael?

I want to be first in line to get one.
 
adammichael said:
What do you mean "retire"? hint hint ;) ;)

Are you going to start making knives again, Michael?

I want to be first in line to get one.
Click to expand...

It could possibly retire to New Berlin. We'll have to see what I end up doing. I have to make sure I can get the other one in the basement ok. That may be your price.....;) :rolleyes:

I don't know what I will be doing. In a moment's stupidity, I fired the forge and hammered out a blade a week ago because of the beautiful day and haven't been able to straighten up since. Getting really pissed at this back... :grumpy:

It hurts to sit on that danged saw bench anymore, though, and hard to get up, so I need something I can push my stool up to. Something with a fence to get nice straight cuts on plate stock will be nice, too. It'll probably be about a month. Call me when you get a chance.
 
you name the day and I will move your new saw into your basement for you no matter where your old one retires to.

Are we still going to do that project we talked about?

fitzo said:
It could possibly retire to New Berlin. We'll have to see what I end up doing. I have to make sure I can get the other one in the basement ok. That may be your price.....;) :rolleyes:

I don't know what I will be doing. In a moment's stupidity, I fired the forge and hammered out a blade a week ago because of the beautiful day and haven't been able to straighten up since. Getting really pissed at this back... :grumpy:

It hurts to sit on that danged saw bench anymore, though, and hard to get up, so I need something I can push my stool up to. Something with a fence to get nice straight cuts on plate stock will be nice, too. It'll probably be about a month. Call me when you get a chance.
Click to expand...
 
adammichael said:
you name the day and I will move your new saw into your basement for you no matter where your old one retires to.

Are we still going to do that project we talked about?
Click to expand...

Thank you, Michael. I need to figure out the best place to buy from. Jantz/Koval doesn't list the variable speed anymore. I'll probably shoot for about a month from now. I think it comes in two boxes so with my hand truck it shouldn't be terrible for someone who can bend a little bit. I will truly appreciate your kindness...

As for our project, yes, I would still like to do that this Spring and am looking forward to it a lot. As soon as my back improves (finally a bit better today) I'll get out in the smithy and clean out the leaves and such...it's a mess. Hopefully late this week. Part of why I fired the forge was to use the 4" of propane left in the tank, since we'll need a fuller tank to weld all day. At today's prices I'm unwilling to give them any free propane back... :o
 
Thanks! I talked to them. When one gets it shipped to a residence it gets quite a bit more expensive because the free shipping doesn't apply.

I found a Wilton distributor locally who will deliver it for free and offload to my garage. Then Mr. Kanter can come get it downstairs and haul away the old one in lieu of cash fee. By the time I get all said and done, it's a wee bit more expensive all told but not much. If it breaks, the people i have to deal with are 5 miles away.

Gonna get me a new saw soon! YES!!:thumbup:

Thanks, again, for the help, everyone!!!!:)
 
fitzo said:
Thanks! I talked to them. When one gets it shipped to a residence it gets quite a bit more expensive because the free shipping doesn't apply.

I found a Wilton distributor locally who will deliver it for free and offload to my garage. Then Mr. Kanter can come get it downstairs and haul away the old one in lieu of cash fee. By the time I get all said and done, it's a wee bit more expensive all told but not much. If it breaks, the people i have to deal with are 5 miles away.

Gonna get me a new saw soon! YES!!:thumbup:

Thanks, again, for the help, everyone!!!!:)
Click to expand...

you could have it delivered to me at work and the shipping might be cheaper. ( I always have things delivered to me at work. It is a buisness address with a loading dock so it saved me a ton of money) I would be happy to drive it down to you.
 
Hmmmm, that's an attractive way to maybe save quite a few bucks. Thank you. I'll talk this over with you before I place any order.:thumbup:
 
The Wilton Tradesman is a great machine for the money! JANTZ SUPPLY has four in stock now. Jantz has promised all customers confidentiality of information, so could not give any customer references, however, they use this machine, as well as many others in their "shop". Very good price on the 4 now in stock, glad you found one locally, it is always great to have a local machine supplier, but for those who do not have this option, JANTZ IS THE PLACE! If you need one, call 1-800-351-8900 or email jantz@jantzusa.com .
fitzo said:
Anyone have any experience with the Wilton Tradesman vertical bandsaw (no. 8201)? I am in the market for a new metalcutter and have neither the money for a Powermatic or Dake nor the ability to get a beast that size down into the basement shop.

This will not be used for any woodcutting, all metal. I seek feedback regarding it's sturdiness, how much plastic is used, how good the guides hold the blade straight, and especially how close will the guides adjust down towards the table to limit flex.

Jantz says they have a number of them out there and have had no complaints, but at the same time couldn't give me any references to call directly. Thus, I'm asking here.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you. :)
Click to expand...
 
I didn't find one locally, I found someone local who could order it for the retail price; they don't normally deal in machine tools. I haven't purchased yet. It may be worth the extra money though so I have someone I can look in the face if something goes wrong. I never heard back from you folks at Jantz with a delivered price on the variable speed after you said you'd get me a quote. That doesn't build confidence. :(
 
:o I am so sorry you have not been given a delivered price! I will make sure that we get it to you Monday! These are in stock so delivery is not an issue. I know we were waiting on a confirmation for the Rip Fence which we were out of, but this is absolutely no excuse for not responding to a freight quote! The delivery of this item is by Fed Ex Freight due to the weight and it is shipped in two boxes. They do not offer a "carry it in" service. Again, I apologize for the delay, and hope Jantz can be of service to you, whether on the Saw or any other items. (We have blades for this saw in stock).
 
Kenda, this was a quote for a Variable Speed saw, not the regular one. It would have had to be a special order and the person I spoke with was going to get me pricing and best shipping method.

While I wouldn't hesitate to order from Jantz in the future, on this occasion I think I will purchase elsewhere. Thank you for your concern. Take care. :)
 
I want to mention that I received a very nice call from Venice at Jantz Supply today. She graciously apologized for the lack of a callback on my request for a quote. One of those instances where one piece of paper gets covered with another and something inadvertently slips through the cracks. I can certainly understand that, having done it more than once myself. Jantz offered me a nice price on the saw and went out of their way to try to secure a best price on shipping and delivery into my home.

I also want to mention that I respect Jantz's concern for customer privacy and their policy of not offering references and was not flaming them in my initial post, just stating a fact. it's a very commendable protection of their customers.

It was a very pleasant conversation and I want to publicly commend their concern for providing excellent customer service. Thank you Kenda and Venice! I appreciate your efforts and look forward to future transactions.:)
 
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