South Bend opens with 16” band saw

As part of its initial offering of professional woodworking machinery, South Bend Tools has introduced the 16” band saw, model SB1080, with a 14” resaw capacity.

“This is a band saw that was originally designed to compete against the very high-end Italian machines. The body is made of thick gauge steel to provide rigidness, especially needed when re-sawing,” says Grizzly’s founder and CEO Shiraz Balolia, who conceived and developed the new South Bend line.

“The spine that bears the most stress when resawing is made of double folded sections of this heavy gauge steel that creates an amazing beam that will not flex. The blade support bar is a 1-3/16” thick solid steel bar that easily supports the bearings firmly even in the most extended position. With a good blade, this thing cuts hardwood like butter and powers through without slowing down.”

The band saw is powered by a single-phase, 3-hp motor. Features include dual ball-bearing guides and a large cast-iron table that tilts up to 5 degrees left and 45 degrees right using a rack-and-pinion adjustment system. The floor to table height is 41”.

Other features include a foot-operated brake system, quick-change blade release/tensioner, cast-iron fence with two-position extruded aluminum resaw fence, storage area, cast-iron wheels, blade tension indicator, cast-iron table trunnion, and two 4” dust ports.

The SB1080 sells for $2,845.

Founded in 1906, South Bend began as a manufacturer of metalworking lathes. It was acquired by Balolia 12 years ago.

For more, visit www.southbendtools.com. 

This article was originally published in the April 2021 issue.