Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on June 8, 2014 at 7:48pm

A machine with a good thick cast iron bed is essential on my view if you are going to do much work with it, and as powerful a motor as you can get. After owning a bandsaw for a couple of years, I now see the advantage of easily adjustable blade guides. I like my Record, but I've seen what looks like better blade guide arrangements on other machines such as the Makita..tho' whether in practice they work better or are easier to adjust I don't know. Also, have good look at the fence to see how robust and rigid it is. I bought a used 12" saw, and use it a lot...but I daresay I'd go for a 14" if I had the chance.

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on June 9, 2014 at 11:59am

There seems to be a big feature, power, and accuracy gap between band saws in the $130-$200 range and the $600 and up range. (I couldn't find anything priced between about $200 and $600--unless you hit a really good sale at Woodcraft.)

Based on appearances and some online rumors, I'd say that the $130-$200 Craftsman, Rikon, and a couple of other brands are all made by the same mfg. I ended up buying a Skil brand for about $125 at Lowe's. It at least comes with a fence and a miter gauge and appears to come from a different mfg. than those listed above. It doesn't offer the precision I would expect for $2000 and up, but I understood that from the outset. The higher priced tools offer solutions for which my problems are completely inadequate.

Wayfinder: Like you, I wanted to avoid power and do hand cutting and carving. However, the little Skil bandsaw sitting there on its homemade stand is proving to be endlessly useful for roughing out shapes, nibbling notches, resawing scraps for guitar ribs, etc., etc. Keep your expectations modest, and the thing can be useful on a daily basis.

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Permalink Reply by ron carlson on June 9, 2014 at 1:28pm

I bought a Rockwell Bladerunner. It's versatile and portable. Not a bandsaw as such. More like a heavy bladed scroll saw on steroids. It walks right through heavy stock without hesitation. Change blades and it can finesse the small detail work also. I'd go traditional bandsaw if I had the room but I don't. It's turning out to be a nice compromise 

RC

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Permalink Reply by David McQueen on June 9, 2014 at 1:33pm

Stay away from three wheel band saws. I had one years ago and unless all three wheels were perfectly aligned,, it would throw the blade every time.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on June 9, 2014 at 2:33pm

Thanks for all the feedback. I have been using the table saw for when I need to resaw lumber, but I would really like to use the band saw for that. I have just had so much trouble getting it to track straight and true. I know it has a lot to do with the setup of the blade, and I have read countless articles and watched several videos on how to get the blade on square. It is better than it was, but I guess I need to work on my technique some more.

I agree on not getting a three wheel model, I had one before and it gave me fits.

I do a lot of neck work with the band saw, and I really would appreciate the deeper throat of a 14 inch over the 9 inch I have now. (That really sounded smutty, didn't it?)

I think no matter how I cut it (pun intended) I am going to end up spending close to 400 bucks on one. If I get one with a stand, I won't have to tie up workbench space any more.

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on June 9, 2014 at 6:59pm

I reckon $400 is the least you need to budget for if you want a serious machine. By serious machine I mean 12-14" throat, cast iron table, decent induction motor. You won't get a bench mount machine like that, it will be stand mounted or frestanding..and it's going to weight 150-200 lbs. It looks like prices in the USA are lower than Europe for similar gear, but consider a lightly-used one...you'll get a lot more for your money.

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Permalink Reply by David McQueen on June 10, 2014 at 12:53am

Actually, good quality, heavy duty tools, don't really wear out and if they do, the major manufacturers do have replacement parts and there arelocal tool repair services. Check out your local yard sales and Kijiji listings. There are some good deals, especially if you have done your homework and know what you want and what it is worth new.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on June 10, 2014 at 3:23am

I was looking at a Grizzly. They are a bit pricy, but the biggest drawback is that they ship freight, and I would have to make arrangements to be home when they deliver. They say you need to live where they can get a semi truck into, which I do not. If I were to go that route, I would have to find out where their shipping depot is and go pick it up. If they DID deliver to my house, I have to have sufficient helpers on hand to get the box off the truck, the drivers will not assist at all.

I like the fact that the Grizzly has the adjustment knobs for the blade guides instead of allen screws.

Still researching...

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Permalink Reply by David McQueen on June 10, 2014 at 3:51am

If you want to do some more drooling, take a look at Busy Bee Tools. they are Canadian, but ship to the states.

http://www.busybeetools.com/

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on June 10, 2014 at 4:35am

Nice stuff!

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on June 10, 2014 at 8:44am

I am sniffing around this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/G0580-14-Bandsaw-3-4-HP-Grizzly-Industrial-...

Any idea how much performance difference there would be between the 3/4hp and the 1hp model?

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on June 10, 2014 at 10:02am

My Record 12" is a 1HP...and it's OK, but I would prefer a bit more power. It's fine ripping 3" black walnut, but for working 4" oak and stuff like that, you need a brand new good quality blade to cope with it efficiently. If you are cutting softer thinner timber, I'm sure it will be fine, but don't confuse the thickness of timber they claim you can get under the guides with what it will actually cope with cutting.

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