Grizzly Band Saw (G0555)

How to Use This Guide

The Grizzly G0555 is a 14-inch, 1 HP band saw that handles curves, joinery cuts, and light resawing well. It ships ready to tune, not ready to use. Plan a 1–2 hour setup session and replace the stock blade before you judge it.

This guide covers the full picture: whether the G0555 fits your work, how to set it up step by step, which blades to buy, what goes wrong and how to fix it, and which upgrades are worth the money.

Deciding whether to buy: Start with Part 1 and Part 2.

Already bought one: Jump to Part 3 (setup) and Part 4 (blades).

Something isn't working: Head to Part 5 (problems and fixes).

Grizzly G0555 at a Glance

The G0555 is Grizzly's long-running 14-inch band saw. It's a capable option for hobby woodworking at around $550: cast iron table, two-speed motor, aluminum fence, quick-release blade tensioner. It needs a proper setup session and a blade swap out of the box, but once dialed in it runs quietly and handles general hobby work reliably.

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In this guide:

• What the G0555 does and who it's for
• How it compares to competitors
• Setting it up correctly
• Blade selection
• Common problems and fixes
• Upgrades worth doing

Part 1: What the G0555 Does and Who It's For

A band saw is a continuous loop blade running over two wheels. Unlike a table saw or miter saw, it cuts curves: tight scrollwork, gentle arcs, and freeform shapes that no straight-blade tool can manage. It also resaws: slicing a thick board into thinner slabs along its length. For most hobby woodworkers, a band saw is one of the most useful additions to a small shop after a table saw.

The G0555 is Grizzly's answer to "which 14-inch band saw should I buy without spending $800?" According to Grizzly's product page, it has won Best Value from WOOD Magazine and Best Industrial-Grade Band Saw from Tool Digest. Those awards reflect its position: not the most refined saw at this price, but the one that delivers the most capability per dollar.

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What the G0555 handles well

• Curves and scrollwork. A narrow blade cuts tight curves cleanly — from bandsaw boxes to gentle arcs and freeform shapes.
• Joinery blanks. Cutting tenon cheeks, rough-sizing parts for later fitting, crosscutting boards.
• Light to moderate resawing. Boards up to 4–5 inches thick cut reliably with a quality blade. Boards up to 6 inches standard (12 inches with the riser block) are possible at a slower feed rate.
• Non-wood materials. The two-speed motor drops to 1,500 feet per minute (FPM) for plastics, soft metals, or foam. That two-speed option is absent on most competitors at this price.

Where it struggles

The G0555 has a 1 HP motor. That's enough for a hobby shop. It is not enough for daily heavy resawing of 10–12 inch hardwood boards. If resawing wide lumber is your main use, the G0555XH (1-3/4 HP, ~$750) is the better call. At 1 HP, resawing wide stock is doable but slow. You feed the wood; you don't push it.

The stock blade that ships with the saw is poor quality. Many owners blame the G0555 for performance problems that disappear once a good blade goes on. Replace it before you judge the saw.

The bottom line

If your shop produces furniture, boxes, and occasional curved work, the G0555 will handle it. Set it up properly, swap the stock blade, and it runs quietly for years. The owners who are frustrated with it usually skipped one of those two steps.

Part 2: How It Compares to the Competition

The 14-inch band saw market is crowded at $400–$700. The G0555's key differentiators at this price: two-speed motor, cast iron table, fence included standard, and 110V/220V convertible.

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Jet JWBS-14CS: About $50 more. Has a reputation for better out-of-box precision with fewer tracking adjustments needed on arrival. Stronger US dealer service network. If you want a saw that arrives better tuned and you have a local Jet dealer, it's worth the premium.

Rikon 10-325: Similar price. Solid build, compact footprint. Smaller installed base than the G0555 means fewer forum threads and YouTube tutorials to reference when something needs adjusting.

WEN 3962T: The budget option at ~$350. Fine for light curve cutting. The 1/2 HP motor can't resaw hardwood reliably. Buy it only if budget is the hard constraint and you're cutting curves in thinner stock.

Grizzly G0555XH: Same footprint, bigger motor (1-3/4 HP), 12-inch resaw height without the riser block. If resawing is a regular task, this is worth the extra $200. If it isn't, the standard G0555 does everything you need.

The call: For a first band saw for general hobby woodworking, buy the G0555. If resawing wide boards is your primary use, buy the G0555XH. If you want better factory tuning and have a local dealer, the Jet JWBS-14CS justifies the $50 premium.

Part 3: Setting It Up Correctly

Most G0555 owners who report problems had them because the saw wasn't set up properly, not because the saw is defective. Setup takes 1–2 hours the first time. After that, blade changes take 10–15 minutes and re-tracking takes 5.

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Step 1: Assemble and connect power

Attach the table, fence rails, and legs (if your model includes them). The G0555 ships wired for 110V and plugs into a standard outlet. You can convert to 220V by following the voltage conversion section in the manual (better for resawing; more on that in Part 6). Connect a 4-inch dust hose to the port at the back.

Step 2: Check wheel coplanarity

Remove the blade. Open both wheel covers and sight down the two wheels from the front. They should be in the same plane. If the upper wheel tilts toward or away from you relative to the lower wheel, adjust it using the tracking knob on the back of the saw before doing anything else.

If you installed the H3051 riser block: the arrow cast into the back of the block points toward the motor side. Installing it 180° off causes persistent tracking problems that no amount of adjustment corrects.

Step 3: Install blade and set tension

Flip the quick-release lever to the left to lower the upper wheel. Slip the blade over both wheels with the teeth pointing down toward the table, facing forward. Re-engage the lever.

Turn the tension knob clockwise until the indicator aligns with the mark for your blade width on the tension scale. For a 3/8-inch blade, that's the 3/8" mark. The scale is accurate. Don't guess.

If the tension rod feels sloppy or won't hold tension, the Grizzly support article on tension rod adjustment has the full procedure: use two 14mm wrenches to access the lower nuts on the tension rod shaft, lower them until they contact the sliding housing, then turn them up 2–3 turns and tighten.

Step 4: Set blade tracking

Run the saw at its lower speed setting. Open the upper wheel cover and watch where the blade sits on the wheel. It should track in the center of the wheel crown, the slight high point in the middle of the tire.

Adjust the black tracking knob on the back of the saw. Turning it one direction pushes the blade forward; the other pushes it back. Make small adjustments and watch the result. Recheck after the first few minutes of running. The blade settles slightly as the tires warm up.

Step 5: Adjust upper blade guides

The upper guides use eccentric bearing mounts. According to Grizzly's official blade guide adjustment article, the side guides should sit 0.004 inches from each side of the blade. A folded dollar bill makes a workable feeler gauge.

Position the guides just behind the blade gullets (the valleys between the teeth). The thrust bearing (behind the blade) should not touch the blade when the saw runs unloaded. It only contacts when a cut pushes the blade backward. Grizzly's YouTube video on blade guide adjustment for the G0555 series shows this procedure visually if reading it doesn't click.

Step 6: Adjust lower blade guides

Same as Step 5. Use a flashlight; the lower guides are harder to see.

Step 7: Square the table

Hold a reliable square against the flat of the blade (the body, not the teeth). The blade should be perpendicular to the table surface. Adjust the table tilt until the square reads 90°, then tighten the tilt lock and reset the 0° stop screw.

Step 8: Set fence parallel to blade

Measure the distance from the fence face to the blade at the front of the table, then at the back. Adjust the fence until both measurements match, then lock it.

Step 9: Test cut and check for drift

Run a straight line freehand through a piece of scrap pine. Watch whether the cut veers left or right. Some drift is normal. Nearly every blade drifts slightly. Mark the drift angle, then set your fence to match it. Alternatively, increase blade tension. Better tension often eliminates minor drift.

RELATED: Band Saw for Woodworking Throat depth, resaw capacity, and how to choose the right 14-inch saw — plus the three blades that cover everything.

Part 4: Blade Selection

The stock blade that ships with the G0555 is the saw's single biggest liability. Replace it before you make any cut you care about. Most of the tracking problems, drift, and motor bogging that owners report in forums disappear with a quality blade installed.

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The two blades most G0555 owners need

The workhorse: 3/8 inch × 6 TPI hook tooth

TPI stands for teeth per inch: more teeth means a smoother cut, fewer teeth means faster material removal. According to Fine Woodworking's essential bandsaw blades guide, the 3/8-inch, 6 TPI hook-tooth blade handles general curves, joinery cuts, and light resawing. That covers the tasks that fill most shop sessions. A hook-tooth blade has a slightly forward-angled tooth face, which cuts aggressively without catching. Buy Timberwolf or Olson in this size and you have one blade that covers 80% of your cutting.

The resaw blade: 1/2 inch × 3 TPI hook tooth

For resawing, width and fewer teeth matter. Wide blades resist deflection under load; lower TPI means larger gullets (the valley between teeth) that clear sawdust faster. The Woodcraft blade selection guide confirms wide, low-TPI blades handle resawing best. The Wood Slicer (Highland Woodworking) and Timberwolf both work well here. The Wood Slicer is thin-kerf. Thin kerf means a narrower blade width, less material removed per pass, and less strain on a 1 HP motor.

Critical rule: Don't run a 3/4-inch wide blade on the standard G0555. The spec sheet lists it as the maximum, but at 1 HP, a 3/4-inch blade in hardwood bogs the motor. Stay at 1/2 inch as your widest blade.

Blade selection by task

On tensioning

The flutter method (minimal tension until the blade stops fluttering) often under-tensions. Under-tensioned blades drift more and wear faster. Tension fully per the scale indicator, then pluck the blade with a finger. A correctly tensioned blade sounds like a low bass note. A loose blade flops.

Part 5: Common Problems and Fixes

Every problem on this list is fixable. None of them means you bought a bad saw.

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Blade won't track: rides the front edge of the wheel

Adjust the tracking knob (back of the saw) until the blade centers on the wheel crown. If the blade keeps riding forward regardless: check tire condition (the tire should have a slight crown, not be flat across its width); check that any riser block is installed with its arrow toward the motor side.

Vibration and noise

Spin the wheels by hand without a blade. If a wheel wobbles or doesn't rotate smoothly, the tire may be out of round. Replace it (urethane replacements outlast the stock rubber). If the wheels spin smoothly but the saw vibrates under power: replace the V-belt with a link belt like PowerTwist Plus (~$25). Link belts eliminate the once-per-revolution thump that V-belts produce.

Motor bogs during resawing

Three causes, in order of likelihood: blade is too wide (use 1/2 inch max), blade is low quality (replace the stock blade), or the saw is running on 110V under heavy load. Converting to 220V provides more consistent torque for resawing.

Blade drift

Every blade drifts to some degree. If drift is severe, increase blade tension first. This alone often resolves it. If drift persists, mark the drift angle with a freehand test cut, then set the fence to match that angle. If drift stays bad after a quality blade is installed and tension is correct, check that both wheel tires have similar crown profiles.

Blade guides sparking or burning the blade

The thrust bearing is set too close. It should sit 0.004 inches behind the blade when the blade runs unloaded. A dollar bill gap is the right clearance. The side guides should contain the blade, not grip it. If the guides contact the blade at rest, reset them. If this is a recurring problem, the Carter blade guide system ($100–$150) solves it: easier to set, more durable, won't spark.

Rubber tire coming off the wheel

Re-glue with contact cement. When replacing tires, warm urethane replacements before installation. They're stiff when cold and much easier to stretch over the wheel when warm.

Part 6: Upgrades Worth Doing

The G0555 doesn't need much to perform well. Prioritize in this order.

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Don't run a 3/4-inch blade. The spec allows it; the motor doesn't want it. Buy a good 1/2-inch blade instead.

The G0555XH is not a bolt-on upgrade. It's a different, heavier saw with a more powerful motor. If you find yourself consistently pushing the G0555's limits on resawing, sell the G0555 and buy the XH. Piling upgrades onto the standard model won't change its motor.

Sources

Research for this guide draws on Grizzly's official product documentation and support articles, owner experience from Sawmill Creek, LumberJocks, and Woodworking Talk, and blade selection guidance from Fine Woodworking and Woodcraft.

• Grizzly G0555 product page — official specs and pricing
• Grizzly G0555 owner's manual — assembly, wiring, and maintenance
• Grizzly support: blade guide adjustment — official guide adjustment procedure
• Grizzly support: blade tensioning — official tensioning guidance
• Grizzly support: tension rod adjustment — tension rod repair
• Grizzly YouTube: blade guide adjustment — visual setup walkthrough
• Fine Woodworking: essential bandsaw blades — authoritative blade selection
• Woodcraft: choosing a bandsaw blade — comprehensive blade guide
• Sawmill Creek: G0555 resawing for real — real resaw performance data
• LumberJocks: G0555 owner opinions — multi-owner consensus
• LumberJocks: G0555 frustrations thread — documented common problems
• Woodworking Talk: G0555 vs Jet JWBS-14CS — direct competitor comparison
• Woodworking Talk: G0555 upgrades — owner upgrade experiences
• Dakin-Flathers: bandsaw TPI chart — TPI reference data