Band saw for cutting bowl blanks

[Dahl Troy Perry]

I am up grading my 14 in Grizzly band saw it has 6 1/2 in cutting height . As you know that is not good for putting a log half on and cutting round. My Grizzly is heavy 485 lb. I'm looking at the Grizzly 17 in with 12 1/2 cutting height 345 lb and a Ricon 14 in with 13 in cutting height 305 lb. Should I look at something else what are your thoughts I will be useing this for cutting large peices mainly and want to spend less than $1000.

[Gary Max]

Chainsaw over 5hp---- you will find it does a better job and cost less to run.

[Roger Chandler]

Dahl,

I looked at the Rikon 14" the newest model a couple days ago..........that is one nice bandsaw, and it has gotten good reviews on the Fine Woodworking website. Also, I have an 18" Jet bandsaw, and it has a 12" height cutting capacity..........it really works well with a 1/2" 3tpi blade on it for cutting blanks. My problem is that I like keeping a 1.25 inch - 1.3 tpi blade on it for resawing.......man that thing will rip through a log and make lumber like crazy! I use a resaw sled I built with it, and for anything 12 inches or less high, it will cut anything I need.

A Grizzly 17" saw is also a good one.........

[John Keeton]

Dahl, I have the 17" Grizzly, and I have been very happy with it. I know nothing of the Rikon. The Grizzly will cut about anything I put on it.

[Steve Vaughan]

I've got the delta 14" that's probably 20 years old and did a rebuild on it. All new Carter bearing guides, added the riser block a couple of years ago, and earlier this year put on a 2 hp motor on it. I really was looking to put a 1 1/2 hp motor on it, but I happened to be at a tractor supply store that had the 2 priced the same as the 1 1/2, so I said what the heck, I'll take that one. I've got the 12" height, and the 14" limitation, width-wise, but if my blanks are to the outside of the blade, then the 14" width doesn't really matter. On yours, you might consider the block and motor upgrade, that'll make quite a difference for ya.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Dahl,
I have a MM16 and it works well on green wood with the right blade. But more often then not, especially with a heavy blank I do exactly what Gary recommended. I knock the corners off the blank with a chain saw and slap it between centers. When we saw the log in half with the chain saw the face we created has to lie on the band saw bed. If they are not flat the band saw blade will bind making the piece difficult to push. That's dangerous. If you chain saw the corners off the blank it takes little to round and true up a blank on the lathe. Smaller bowls and lighter blanks are easy on the band saw because the bottom is usually more true.
faust

[brian watts]

i have a grizzly 14" with a 6" section to make it cut 12" thick. yea i bog it down cutting 12" osage but that not to often..

[Jamie Donaldson]

If you want a real bandsaw for roughing turning blanks, go for at least 2 HP as a minimum, and that puts you in the 220v. range.

[Dahl Troy Perry]

Thank for the advice my Grizzly has a solid frame can't put riser in it.And it is a 2 hp 220v cuts good just no height. John is yours the polar bear like they have on sale for $795 and what size blade do you use to cut blanks 12 in dia that will make the turn?

[allen thunem]

if you want the definitive on a bandsaw contact louis ittura @ iturra design. this guy knows bandsaws.
i just bought a 17" grizzly extreme..

what a saw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Harry Robinette]

I'm using the Rikon 18 and it's great. I do wish it had a brake but it cuts everything that I stick into the blade with ease .2 1/2 hp 220
just my $.02

[David E Keller]

I've got the Grizzly 0513, and I've been very happy with it.

[Tim Thiebaut]

Great topic here, I dont own one, and have had no way to cut all of the wood I have received from people other then a small electric chain saw someone gave me years ago....what a pain that is, I am putting away a little here and there saving up for a bandsaw, I have been leaning towards the Jet...although the larger grizzlys might be ok to. I wil be watching this to see what else folks around here use...

[Richard Jones]

I have two Rikons, the 345, which is the big 18", 2 hp, and the smaller 14", 6" capacity 320. There are just a couple of things that I would change on each machine, but overall have been very pleased with both of them. I leave a 3/8" 4tpi on the big saw almost 100% of the time, and use it for dry and green bowl blanks and resawing with a sled. I have a big 1" x 3tpi carbide blade for it when things really get tough. The smaller saw gets everyday routine shop stuff through it with a 1/4" 6tpi blade. They are not babied. Make sure you get good blades, much more important than horsepower in my book............. I guess we need a new thread for blade brands and types.....:D

Rich

[John Keeton]

Dahl, I have the 513X2 Grizzly, and I believe I am using a 1/4", 3-4tpi Timberwolf blade. I would have to check on the size to make sure. Seems Suffolk makes a 3-4 skip tooth blade for general use. It seems to do fine, although it does violate the rules of how many teeth to have in the cut. A 3/8" blade will do better, but I am too lazy to change it. I also have a 3/4" resaw blade, but it does not do well with cutting radii.

[Bob Bergstrom]

+1 on a good chainsaw. Blocks get too heavy to lift and control on the bandsaw. I went through too many timberwolf blades sawing big blanks. A good electric chainsaw will pay for itself in it's versatility. If resawing for lumber then the get a bandsaw. My bandsaw has become another place to set stuff on while turning. Darn vortex.

[Prashun Patel]

Too bad yr 14" doesn't have a riser. I have the G0555 + riser. I wish I had a larger saw for other reasons. However, I can tell you that the key to cutting blanks is the right blade. My saw is only 1hp too.

You can spend a lot on 'green wood' blades, but I can tell you that any good quality 3tpi raker set blade will work well in blanks up to 10" tall (that's the tallest I've cut).

[Dan Hintz]

+1 on a good chainsaw. Blocks get too heavy to lift and control on the bandsaw. I went through too many timberwolf blades sawing big blanks. A good electric chainsaw will pay for itself in it's versatility. If resawing for lumber then the get a bandsaw. My bandsaw has become another place to set stuff on while turning. Darn vortex.Ove the last few months, Mike C. and I have cut plenty of blanks on his 20" BS... some approaching 12" in thickness and 24" in diameter. It's a pain, for sure, and making your chainsaw cuts parallel is a huge factor for the large stuff. Yesterday we did an 8-10" blank of White Oak that was 19" in diameter... the 19", 3HP Grizzly it was done on was struggling.

[Hilel Salomon]

I have a very old delta/rockwell 14" w/riser in VA, and an earlier model Jet 18" in SC. The Jet has only 10" height (actually not quite that even) while the Delta/Rockwell can do much higher. I also have lot of chainsaws and, yes, a chainsaw can cut a log in half or 3rds more quickly and more safely than a BS (unless you have a sled and a smaller piece). The problem is that if you want to get a piece rounded before it hits the lathe, the BS is the tool of choice. Approximate rounding is fine if your lumber is relatively green and relatively soft. If it is hickory, locust, hard maple, or some other truly hard wood, it sure is nicer to have it rounded before you put it on the lathe.
Hilel

[Reed Gray]

I have 2 bandsaws. A 6 inch (height) one, 1 hp motor, for cutting rounds. My other one is a Laguna, cuts 16 high, and has 4.5 hp Baldor motor for cutting logs. If you want to cut up logs, you need some thing a bit different from one for cutting rounds. Obviously more hp. Also the blade. On my small saw, a 1/2 inch 3 tpi blade. On the big saw, a 1 1/4 teeth at about 3/4 inch apart. Two separate cutting operations. The big saw is more accurate than my chainsaw, but the chainsaw is cheaper than my big bandsaw.

There are tricks to getting a flat surface with the chainsaw. I have plywood strips, in 1/2 inch increments, from 1 to 8 inches wide. I make a plumb line on both ends of the log, then lay the proper sized strip up on the log to mark the other side. Make a nick in the far side with the saw, then start the cut while eyeballing it for lining up with your plumb line. I push/cut with the far side of the saw down as far as I can go as opposed to rocking it back and forth, then cut down the front side, following the line. If I rock back and forth, I get way more bumpy.

Best purchases for my shop, in no particular order:

Oneida centralized 2 stage, 3 hp dust collector.

Laguna 16HD bandsaw.

Robust American Beauty.

robo hippy

[Ed Morgano]

Dahl,
We had a business for a while and had the 0513 saw. I also bought the pro series 17" for my shop. The only differences are the blade guides and the resaw fence. Actually, I liked the blade guides on the 0513 just as well or better than the standard roller guides on my saw. The high resaw fence is great, but you could easily make that for the 0513 if you do any resaw work.