My Bandsaw died over the weekend.

[Stephan Larson]

Well this is my first time with a thread. My old craftsman bandsaw died over the weekend. So now I HAVE to buy another new tool :D. I have looked at some of the ads but wanted to get the groups advise as to size and what makes works best for ya'll. My much better half doesn't begrudge me my tool addict vice since she repeats the rewards and since I bought the 46-460 she has been playing on it to :D. So now the Question is how big to go? 14, 18, or 20? and what brand works for ya'll. I do use it to do some resawing but mostly it will be for making bowl blanks. Thanks for any advise and thought I might not reply I have been looking at most of the beautiful work that get posted and am impressed with the craftsmanship.

Stephan Larson

[Nick Mastropietro]

I have a Powermatic 14" (13.5" from blade to upper frame are)however I purchased and installed the 6" riser block which gives me 12 verticle blade clearance. This is great for resawing wood. I'm sure there are other great bandsaw manufacturers but this one works really well for me. I use Timberwolf blades and really like those as well.

[Bill Wilcox]

Personally, I would get a minimum of a 14" BS. I would look around on Craigs list and find one that you can get for less than new. I also would highly consider adding a riser block to a 14" saw. I picked up a perfect condition 14" Rigid for under $200 and am picking up a riser block kit to add to it. The saw also came with a large series of blades so I will first usr them up till dull then add the riser block.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have the Grizzly G0555X with the riser block. 90% of the time I cut green wood blanks but do resaw on it with a woodslicer blade. 4 yrs+ no problems.

[Bob Hampton]

I have the jet 14" with the riser block and it does all i throw at it ..but...my nephew bought the jet 18" with roller bearings for the blade guides instead of the cooling blocks and it is one sweeeeet bandsaw to cut on ..nice and smooth and no lack of power at all.
If i were to do it all over again or have to replace my 14" i would definitely go with the 17 or 18" i think it would really be a nice change

Bob

[tom martin]

Welcome to the Creek Stephen!
You didn't mention your budget, There are a lot of options out there. I have an older Laguna 16" with a 2.5 hp motor that will resaw 12". The new ones will go 16!
If mine were to die, I would look into the grizzly, minmax, laguna, and powermatic. I would be looking for at least 3 hp and 14-16 inch resaw. I would also keep an eye on craigs list, ebay and other auction sites. I have seen some very good deals on quality used equipment.
Good luck,
Tom

[Joe Scarfo]

The Army says... "be all you can be".. I believe in... Buy all that you can buy....

Years ago I picked up a 14" delta used and recently picked up a used Jet 18"... I love'em both....

"buy all that you can buy"...


Good Luck
Joe

[Roger Chandler]

The Army says... "be all you can be".. I believe in... Buy all that you can buy....

Years ago I picked up a 14" delta used and recently picked up a used Jet 18"... I love'em both....

"buy all that you can buy"...


Good Luck
Joe

I'm with Joe on this. I started out with a 10" 3 wheel bandsaw, then went to a 14", and now have an 18' Jet. I still have all 3 and use them, but if I had the space and the money, I would go for nothing less than a 20" and maybe more. It allows you to process wood for turning, make veneers and cut logs into slabs or boards.

Back when, I never even considered the thought of needing to do something that a 14" model could not handle. If a person is pretty certain that all they are going to do is just a little "hobby turning, [pens, small bowls, etc] then the 14" model will probably be all you need with a riser block, but when you really get serious about woodworking, and want to do a lot of things considered "advanced level" then you will wish you had all the bandsaw you have space and budget to absorb.

[Roger Chandler]

My 14" bandsaw died 2 years ago, and I replaced the tiwanese motor with a Baldor. For the same Hp. rating, the baldor motor has probably twice the torque, and where I could bog the other one down, I have never bogged the baldor down, and now I am cutting bowl blanks from logs and doing some resawing with it, where I used to not be able to do resawing.

Even on my Tiwanese saw, the baldor frame fit perfectly.., just thought this might be an option for you.

[Skip Spaulding]

The "Griz" that Bernie has is rated right up there in the 14" size. I have an old Reliant w/riser block, can't seem to kill it, but would probably consider Grizzly for the money when it goes.

[Brian Kent]

I chose a 17" because it will handle resaw better and because it will still take a 1/4" blade without a problem.

Grizzly 514X2

[Montgomery Scott]

Like you I wanted a BS that would be used frequently for cutting log sections for turning rounds. I ended up buying the MiniMax MM16. With 4.8hp and 16" resaw there have only been a handful of times where I needed more capability. It's been an excellent saw and I would buy it again.

[James Combs]

I just installed a new 14" Rikon and have done some quick test resaws with it. Seems to have plenty of power. Has a nice resaw fence and is usually on sale at Woodcraft. I post some pictues in the equipment forum. If you want to take a look go here. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=134189

[Jeff Rich]

If I were to buy a new band saw I would look at the Jet 18" , most of the 14" bandsaws are too tall for me to feel comfrtable hoisting a big chunk of green wood up and too small of a table.I mention this because I have the Jet14" and an antique Delta 14". I do have a riser on the Jet, which I need to adjust because of blade wander...
The Jet 18" has a lower table and more power, which when cutting some glue ups would come in handy, at least for me.

[Jim Silva]

I'll 2nd the Rikon 14" deluxe. Good HP + approx 12"+ resaw capacity. Good customer service and decent price.

I've had one for 3 years with no problems.

Jim

[Ronald Fox]

and my wife discovered it and now uses it more then I do to cut out bandsaw boxes, lol.

The 12" height is great, and the 2 1/2 HP is plenty of power to resaw and cut blanks and green wood. I'll second the timberwolf blades. The only blades I use,

Ron

[Stephan Larson]

I have been looking at the Jet 18" 3 HP unit and trying to talk myself into that. I have looked at the Grizzly as well but the one year warranty versus the five year with Jet and the made in "Americas" does pull weight as well. Rodger, my old BS just is to far gone to want to spend almost anything on it. I would have to total rebuild it and my time is limited enough in the shop.

Thanks again All

Stephan

[Lance kanaby]

Highland Hardware has a Steel City 14" with the riser block already installed, 1.5 HP motor, roller guides and much more for $699.00. My fried purched this saw two months ago and I can honestly say I have never seen a better built machine and the price is incredible! I have the Jet 16" and really considering selling it in favor of the Steel City!

[John King]

If you cut a lot of bowl blanks, buy as much horsepower as you can afford. You can never have too much horsepower when cutting bowl blanks. It's safer cutting bowl blanks when you have HUGE horsepower because it reduces the amount of pressure you must apply to the blank when cutting. The saw blade easily slices through the blank. It does not get bogged down in the wet, green wood.

So, consider horsepower first. Adequate cutting height for resaw or cutting bowl blanks will come along with the horsepower.

I have a MiniMax 16 with a 4.8hp motor. It has never failed to meet my expectations when cutting bowl blanks and resawing. - John