Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy Harris View Post
That's my thinking. I'm okay with the idea of taking an excruciatingly long time resawing a 12" board, as I won't do it much (if ever). Two hours of resawing one board at the bandsaw beats two hours of resawing by hand, any day. But I want the option to do a board that big if the need ever arises, even if it's a slog. And since space and mobility are more important than time, I don't want a big, industrial saw. A saw I can't store or move is infinitely worse than a saw that is frustrating to use.

Basically I've got a square, round and triangular hole to file, and I can only have one block to fill all three. I know one block is never going to perfectly fit any hole if it can squeeze into all three. I have realistic expectations, despite what some people seem to think. There will be massive gaps. There will be problems. I know that. But there is also a solution somewhere that provides the best compromise. And that's what I'm looking for.
2 hours to saw one board? You must have some big guns to use a handsaw for 2 hours. And you are indeed a patient man. But fortunately, you don't have to be that patient, because the good news is nearly any bandsaw that has 12" of resaw height can cut 12" maple faster than that. I think my 14" Delta can cut 10" maple, oak, etc. at around 0.25 ft/min with a 1/2" x 3 tpi blade. My big saw is 12 fpm, easily, for comparison. So, knowing your level of patience, just go buy the best used saw you can find that has 12" of resaw capacity. Anything from 1-1/2 hp on up will meet your stated needs. You won't need expensive carbide blades, either. A low cost 1/2" x 3 tpi will cut it just fine until it dulls.

John