Cheap Bandsaw for Resawing

[Jimmy Harris]

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

It's not as bad as it sounds. And no, I'm very skinny (except for my pot belly). You just take lots of little breaks to catch your breath and focus on keeping loose and taking big, easy strokes and use your whole body. It also helps with a D-8 with the thumb hole, so you can get two hands on it and split the load. You'll be sore when done, for sure. But I'd rather resaw for 2 hours than cut dovetails for two hours, with that short motion.

And I'm looking to start off with cheaper blades. I actually kind of like sharpening stuff, and I've seen some videos on bandsaw blade sharpening, and it looks easy enough. It's just a giant handsaw at its heart. So I'd like to try non-hardened teeth first and see how that goes. Then if that doesn't work, slowly progress through the more expensive blades until I find what I like and what works best. The way I see it, blades are consumables. So if I regret a bad purchase with one, it's not like I'm stuck with it for life. I was gonna buy a new blade one day anyway. So might as well find out what I'm upgrading from, instead of just what I'm upgrading to.

[Edward Weber]

And I'm looking to start off with cheaper blades. I actually kind of like sharpening stuff, and I've seen some videos on bandsaw blade sharpening, and it looks easy enough. It's just a giant handsaw at its heart. So I'd like to try non-hardened teeth first and see how that goes. Then if that doesn't work, slowly progress through the more expensive blades until I find what I like and what works best. The way I see it, blades are consumables. So if I regret a bad purchase with one, it's not like I'm stuck with it for life. I was gonna buy a new blade one day anyway. So might as well find out what I'm upgrading from, instead of just what I'm upgrading to.

When you know what saw/blade length you're getting, I would suggest starting with Supercut Blades. They are far less expensive than many of the names you hear people talk about on this and other forums.
IME their carbon steel blades as just as good as anyone else's for almost half the price.
https://supercutbandsaw.com/

Just a suggestion