New to the forum... starting up a "band saw centric shop"

[Wilbur Pan]

I serve active duty in the USAF. 2A553A Avionics technician for the C130J model.

I have no idea what skills that entails, but it sure sounds impressive. My guess is that you have some mechanical skills with your background. If that's the case, you might want to consider getting an older used bandsaw. The mechanism of a bandsaw isn't too complicated. I was able to restore an old Walker-Turner bandsaw to fine running condition, and I have no mechanical training whatsoever (I'm a pediatrician).

The advantage of this route is that you can pick up a vintage used bandsaw pretty cheaply if you keep your eyes open, and the old equipment was built like tanks compared to most of the offerings available today. This is not stuff that shows up in a spec sheet. these would be things like beefier castings, table trunnions, thicker gauge of sheet metal, and so on.

Just food for thought. Regardless, get the biggest bandsaw you can.

And yes, you can function quite well with a bandsaw only shop.

[Jim Becker]

To add to Mike's comments about blade drift...the blade, itself, will contribute to this factor. Even if the blade stays relatively sharp for awhile, the set may eventually become uneven from just running on the tires, depending on the type of saw wheel design and blade. New blades tend to cut pretty straight...and gradually that changes. You also want to dedicate any blades for resaw and other straight cutting work...with not even the "hint" of a curve. This will help minimize blade drift.

[Josiah Bartlett]

The nice thing about bandsaws is that a 17" or 19" model doesn't really take up any more shop floor space than a 14" model and is a lot more versatile. You may want to be careful about what voltage the saw needs, though, I lived in a lot of places that didn't have 240 volt power before I settled down and bought a house with a shop.

[Joseph Ragsdale]

Thank you everyone again for the thoughtful comments.

Wilbur,

A 2A553A is an Air Force Specialty Code. An AFSC is to the Air Force what an MOS is to the Marines or Army. The key parts are "2A" which means aircraft maintenance and "55" which means Integrated Avionics 5-level technician. The other "3" I don't know what stands for (haha) and the "A" stands for Communication, Navigation, and Systems which is the subset of "Avionics" I work in. As another example, "C" is Electronic Countermeasures.

In the miltiary, we like codes, abbreviations, and acronyms.

For instance, a typical on the job conversation might start as "We had an ACAWS on 45 for a SKE fail. I ran an IBIT on the PMA which gave me a fault code. I followed the FI and it had me replace the pedestal. Ops check good. I signed the job off in GO."

Makes perfect sense don't it?

I've looked around in my local area for some dinosaurs, but I haven't been able to find any. For the ones I have found, the owners don't want to give up for any price.

I've been looking at Grizzy on Amazon. The price difference between Grizzly and Jet/Powermatic seem too good to be true. For instance, the Grizzly G0513 17" band saw is $844 shipped. The closest comparison I could find is the Jet JWBS-18X which is $1,200. The Powermatic would be more expensive than the Jet.

Mike Spanbauer,

I have thought of going with some more hand tools. I have the money for a jointer, so I thought it would be easier to go that route than learn how to tune a hand plane and learn how to use a hand plane.

In addition to a lack of workshop space I also have a lack of woodworking time. I want to get the most out of the little time I have, so power tools are the way to go for me.

Mike Cutler,

Your comments on repeatability are right on. That's what I meant by accuracy.

I'll be using my 12" miter saw for most cross cutting tasks. My next saw will be a "rip saw" mostly. Being able to rip hardwood with "repeatable accuracy" is what I want.

Just out of curiosity, why is a 14" band saw "too small." If 17" or 18" is what I need, I'll go with that, but 14" looks like it can do the job. Most of the wood I'm going to cut will be no more than 4" thick and no more than 12" wide.

I haven't really thought about resawing. A 17" band saw can cut 12" vertically while a 14" can only cut 6" vertically.

Are the "a bigger saw will handle the wear better" comments really applicable to the higher priced band saws made by Jet and Powermatic?

[Mike Cutler]

Mike Cutler,

Your comments on repeatability are right on. That's what I meant by accuracy.

I'll be using my 12" miter saw for most cross cutting tasks. My next saw will be a "rip saw" mostly. Being able to rip hardwood with "repeatable accuracy" is what I want.

Just out of curiosity, why is a 14" band saw "too small." If 17" or 18" is what I need, I'll go with that, but 14" looks like it can do the job. Most of the wood I'm going to cut will be no more than 4" thick and no more than 12" wide.

I haven't really thought about resawing. A 17" band saw can cut 12" vertically while a 14" can only cut 6" vertically.

Are the "a bigger saw will handle the wear better" comments really applicable to the higher priced band saws made by Jet and Powermatic?

Joseph

There are a few variables in the equation, primarily they are all stresses and forces that effect the cut of the material.

You need a frame that is strong. The frame needs to be a rigid structure that can withstand the force of properly tensioned bandsaw blade. It needs to have weight/mass to damp any vibration induced by the blade during operation.

Wheels. You want big, heavy wheels. All of that rotational mass acting on the leading edge of the blade will aid in cutting a straighter line.

You need a spring in the tension mechanism that can compress to the requisite force to maintain the blade tension and not be bottomed out, or else all of the blade force, in pressure, will be exerted on the frame. "No spring, no bandsaw".

You want big bearings and arbors to distribute the force over a larger area, and increase the life of the bearing and the arbor.

Motor. You want power. The motor and the wheels are the heart of the bandsaw.

You need a blade that can cut through the 4" material that you referred to in your post. 4" thick hardwood is actually a pretty thick piece of wood. For a bandsaw, or a tablesaw. It will take some power to cut through cleanly and efficiently. If you intend to rip 4" thick pieces of hardwood, that is essentially a resaw type operation. It may not be for bookmatching, but it is still going to require that a blade more closely defined as a resaw blade be used.

Guides. Quality guides make all the dofference in the world ensuring that a blade traks true. there are many different types though,and all have their supporters, and detractors. Good ones aren't cheap though.

While an 17/18" saw can resaw 12" under the guides. The real test is how well it can do it. Same with the 14", in abscense of a riser block it is limited to 6", but once again how well can it do it. That is the real test. This is where all of the variables come together. Long rips and resawing. Where power, rotational mass, vibration, guides and blade all work together. Is the blade tracking true, or is it leading and bareling in the cut?
The higher the quality of the cut, the less handtool work, or planer operations are required after.

In a shop with a tablesaw, a 14" Jet or Powermatic would be a very nice compliment. Your objective though is to replace the tablesaw with a bandsaw. This means that the bandsaw has to replace the tablesaw for it's sheer power eventually. In my mind this means a big, heavy powerful machine to replace a big, heavy powerful machine.

Do you really need a big bandsaw right now? No, not really. If your work is going to be limited to smaller items, and you're willing to do some extra "after the cut work", a 14" will do very well. There are a lot of people that have successfully used a 14" BS exclusively and done some fabulous work.
However, I do believe that down the line, you are going to want the bigger bandsaw for the power it will afford you. You'll want a quality bandsaw so that you spend less time setting it up in between cuts, and less time fiddling around with it.

Remember though. It never hurts to have two bandsaws in one shop someday. If the Jet or the Powermatic fit your budget and space requirements. I'd say go for it. In the eventuality that you do end up with a larger machine, you can set up the 14" for more "curvy' type work, and the larger one for more milling associated tasks.
Between the Jet and the Powermatic. I'd recommend the Powermatic. I have the Jet, but I like the location, and orientation of the Powermatic's lower guide bearings better than Jet's. They decreases the effective distance between the upper and lower guides. Essentially the blade is supported better.

[Dave MacArthur]

Well said, Mike! I agree with everything he said.
Another point--if you're willing to pay what it costs for a 17" or 18" grizzly, for some other 14" saw, there is one simple answer--DON'T. I would take a 17/18" grizzly over a Jet or Powermatic 14" of any flavor, any day, especially if you'd get it cheaper. Yes, it sounds too good to be true, but 500 posts here on SMC from satisfied owners establishes that it is nevertheless true.

[Joseph Ragsdale]

A very thoughtful post thank you.

I'm thinking the following will do well based on my research:

Grizzly G0513 17" Bandsaw $844
Grizzly G0586 8" Jointer $839
Two Mobile Bases $144
DeWalt DW734 12" Planer $399
DeWalt DW7350 Stand with Mobile Base $100

$2,326

Not too shabby.

[Mike Cutler]

Joseph

The G0513 is very close to the Rikon 10-340 that I have in construction and appearance.
I have mine setup with a 1" Lennox, 2-3 varipitch, Tri-Master blade. Nice blade, big $$$ though. It is a lot of saw for the money in my opinion. I haven't regreted the purchase.
I think you'll be pleased with the G0513.