Good bandsaw?

[Rick Dohm]

I have found a Fay and Egan 30" band saw for a pretty reasonable price qnd in apparently good condition, but I don't know anything about them. I visited the OWWM site, but it didn't offer anything along the lines of a "review". It has only about 10" of resaw clearance, and, especially for such a big saw, I wonder if that is adequate in your collective opinion.

As always, your views are greatly anticipated. :D

Rick Dohm

[Dewey Torres]

Check what the re-saw height, horse power, and actual height of the saw and make sure all fit your needs and shop.

[Alan DuBoff]

You need to find out exactly what it is. Does it have babbitt bearings or ball bearings? Is it solid?

Does it have the fence and miter?

It is most likely an older c-frame style cast iron saw.

If it's direct drive and/or newer with ball bearings, and you got a good deal lined up, snap it up.

[John Bailey]

That should be a good saw if it's in good shape. Remember that all saws of this vintage may need a little attention before they are in good shape.

John

[Frank Drew]

Rick

Resaw capacity more than 10" might or might not be something that's relevant to your needs; many here seem to resaw regularly, but I had a custom furniture shop for over twenty-five years and, other than quartered white oak for drawer sides, I very rarely resawed anything since I just didn't find it useful for the work I was doing.

I've never used a Fay & Egan machine but I've never heard anything bad about them.

[Kirk Poore]

Fay & Egan (and their predecessor companies) made bandsaws for nearly a hundred years, everything from flat-belt machines with babbitt bearings and no guards to 1960's vintage direct drive saws. Given good bearings (babbitt or ball), decent guides, well-crowned tires on balanced wheels, and a motor with enough power (3 or 5 hp in this case), it can be an excellent saw.

I don't know how important resawing is to you. I do little of it--I haven't found it worth my effort when I can get pretty much what I want from a mill. Unless you're slicing your own veneers or cutting up some huge crotch pieces for bowls, I'm sure 10" will do all you want. My 30" Hall & Brown will do 14"+, but since I don't do veneers I've never needed anywhere near that much. Slicing one thick board to get two thin ones requires preplanning, because you'll loose more in the kerf than you think you will.

Kirk

[Chris Padilla]

I dunno about the wheel size vs. resaw height. My MM20 (20" BS) will resaw up to nearly 16". I'm very much into slicing veneers and so far have used it up to 13". With the LOML liking thicking looking "boards" in her design, resawing and using veneers is the only economical way to get that look.... Frankly, I'd be disappointed with such a large saw and somewhat smallish resaw height....

[Rick Dohm]

Thanks for all your help. After following up with the seller with questions posed here, it seems he has decided it's too good to sell and has decided to keep it. Oh well...........:(

Rick

[Kirk Poore]

Rick:

Don't be discouraged. Big bandsaws come up for sale frequently if you know where to look, and they often go cheap. For example, there's a 36" Tannewitz that is featured in a live auction near me next week. I'm not in the market, but I bet it goes for under $1k. Local live auctions are your best bet to get great deals, but of course you also have to be prepared to move it if you win. There are also dealers, of course, where you will get a working machine, but it will cost more. Ben Rock at Pleasant Street Machinery in Dekalb IL is a good guy and has several saws on hand, for example.

You can also post a "want-to-buy" ad on the OWWM site. There are a lot of guys on that site that live in Wisconsin, and they can probably hook you up with something. Depends, of course, on whether you need it Right Now, Real Soon, or Sometime This Year Or Next.

Kirk