Small Bandsaw Recommendations

[Tim Boger]

Greetings

I have a Jet 14in Bandsaw that serves me well for the most part, what I'm thinking of is to get a second bench top style of bandsaw for very small blade applications .... probably 1/8 and 1/16in blades for small bandsaw and puzzle boxes.

Changing blades is a pain on the Jet.

Has anyone here had good service from one of the many inexpensive light duty bandsaws available?

Thanks,
Tim

[Jerome Hanby]

I hear good things about the Rikon...

[Rich Engelhardt]

If it says "Delta Shopmaster" on it, run away,,,run away fast....

The irony of this is that I bought the Delta instead of the Ryobi - stupidly thinking the Delta name meant something...
People that have the small Ryobi tend to rave about how good the cheap little machine is...

[Tim Boger]

If it says "Delta Shopmaster" on it, run away,,,run away fast....

The irony of this is that I bought the Delta instead of the Ryobi - stupidly thinking the Delta name meant something...
People that have the small Ryobi tend to rave about how good the cheap little machine is...


Thanks for the advice, very useful.
Tim

[Steve Kohn]

+1 on the Delta Shopmaster. I've got one I gladly sell you.

I replaced it with a 1950's era restored Delta Homecraft machine with a Carter guide. Talk about night and day differences in construction.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd get a Rikon.
Else, consider a scroll saw.

[Bernie May]

I have the 10" Rikon and love it. It pairs nicely with my 14" Rikon. I too bought the little one to not have to switch blades as often. Next up after middle child is out of law school in another year will be a 16-18" very heavy duty saw for resawing that I can leave a 1" carbide blade on. I know I will be putting down $2,500+ on this next saw. The real problem will be where to put it in my already overcrowded double garage shop.

[Bob Faris]

I've seen many recommendations for the Craftsman 10" bandsaw, which is apparently made by Rikon. It gets mostly positive reviews and is on sale now for $170.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/ProductDisplay?partNumber=00921400000P&storeId=10153&sName=Band+Saws&vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&catalogId=12605

[Van Huskey]

First, don't waste time looking for a 1/16" blade nobody makes them any more, I think Starrett of someone else makes a 3/32" now. The 1/16" were just not useable for most people and most cuts. I say this but there could be some band stock left around but I don't know of anyone that has any, so I guess it may be worth a look.

My first inclination would be to tell you to look for a used Inca if you really want a quality small saw. My second choice would be to suggest to search for a used 14" saw similar to the Delta clone you have now and outfit one of them with a Carter Stabilizer. Finally, if space dictates you need a small benchtop and you don't want to search for a small older used one (good ones can be found but tend to be rare in decent shape) then the Rikon 12" would be my choice or maybe their 10". Once you get below 14" a LOT of the saws tend to be toys. Honestly, I think your best approach would be another used 14" saw with the stabilizer, chances are when you get the bigger saw you can get most if not all your money back.

PS you may be able to find a older Craftsman 12" saw, they made a TON of them, they are almost always popping up on CL and Carter makes a stabilzer for it, I would do that before buying any of the new saws, they aren't an Inca but there are decent.

[Rich Engelhardt]

BTW - the Delta Shopmaster is no longer made - but - they do crop up used.
The only people that seem to have anything good to say about them are the people that are selling them...

I believe I'd junk mine first before I even gave it to someone - they are that bad...

[Tim Boger]

I want to thank all that have offered their recommendations, it's really cool to be a part of this forum.

Time to digest the info and start looking for a deal.

Thanks again guys !!

Tim

[Jeff Heath]

I rebuild old woodworking machines. I've opened up quite a few, so I can tell you without hesitation that if you want a very good, reliable small benchtop saw, look for an older Craftsman (made in USA), Walker-Turner, Delta-Homecraft or Duro (made by craftsman). Any of these older cast iron small bandsaws from the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's will run circles around anything you can buy new today. The bearings for the Craftsman saws, if you need to change them, are $8 apiece.

I see these benchtop saws for sale on Craigslist all the time for $25 to $75. Many of them have been sitting in a basement or on a shelf for the past 40 years, hardly used at all. I've personally owned at least one of the all the above mentioned saws, except for the Duro, so I can tell you with certainty that they are much better than a Jet or Rikon, etc......if they are tuned up.

Jeff

[Tim Boger]

I rebuild old woodworking machines. I've opened up quite a few, so I can tell you without hesitation that if you want a very good, reliable small benchtop saw, look for an older Craftsman (made in USA), Walker-Turner, Delta-Homecraft or Duro (made by craftsman). Any of these older cast iron small bandsaws from the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's will run circles around anything you can buy new today. The bearings for the Craftsman saws, if you need to change them, are $8 apiece.

I see these benchtop saws for sale on Craigslist all the time for $25 to $75. Many of them have been sitting in a basement or on a shelf for the past 40 years, hardly used at all. I've personally owned at least one of the all the above mentioned saws, except for the Duro, so I can tell you with certainty that they are much better than a Jet or Rikon, etc......if they are tuned up.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff for the insight, over the years I have steered further and further away from Craftsman tools as they seemed to be middle of the road on a good day.

Popular opinion sure says otherwise ... great advice!

Tim

[Jeff Heath]

For the stuff made in the last 30 years or so, I couldn't agree more with you. Mostly junk, in my opinion. The old stuff was made well, though, for home shop sized equipment. Personally, I have all larger machines, weighing 1500 lbs. and up. But, I have a 1949 Delta Homecraft 8" saw which is the saw I take to jobsites with me. I completely rebuilt it, and it cuts better and more accurately than any plastic jobsite saw or contractors saw you can buy today for $800 or less.

One of my drill presses is a 1967 Craftsman 150. It weighs about 300 lbs, and is built like a tank......all cast iron. Not one ounce of plastic on the entire machine.

Good luck.

Jeff

[Van Huskey]

Thanks Jeff for the insight, over the years I have steered further and further away from Craftsman tools as they seemed to be middle of the road on a good day.

Popular opinion sure says otherwise ... great advice!

Tim

Their are a lot of good 12" Craftsman saws, Walker-Turner made some, King-Seeley and several other manufacturers made them for Sears, there were even some snowflake models made in the 40s. Some of the early Emerson built saws are still a good bit better than the current lot. They were made when 12" saws were about all a serious hobbyist could afford so they were made to serious hobbyist standards.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

And I'll add a +1 to the suggestion for one of the Inca 10.5 inch saws. Superb quality, not made anymore but I've seen some great buys on them. It would probably be the last power tool I would part with.

[Kevin W Johnson]

I've seen many recommendations for the Craftsman 10" bandsaw, which is apparently made by Rikon. It gets mostly positive reviews and is on sale now for $170.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/ProductDisplay?partNumber=00921400000P&storeId=10153&sName=Band+Saws&vName=Tools&cName=Bench+Power+Tools&catalogId=12605

This is on sale thru tomorrow (Saturday), you'll have to buy online and pickup instore (I think to get sale price) and if you use the coupon code MAYDEALS, you'll get another $15.

This band saw is a sister to the Rikon 10-305, not sure if it's exactly the same inside (the outisde appears to be) as I haven't looked at the Rikon in person. But for $155 + tax, I just had the wife pick up one of these (the Craftsman) tonight to go along with my Rikon 10-325. My main purpose for this one I think will be aluminum and scrolling type cuts. It's still in the box out in the shop at the moment, so I can't give a review on it yet.

[Barry Mabery]

I agree with Van. Picked up a Craftsman 12" with a C'man 1/3 HP motor, no base, for $25 thru CL. The PO said his father in law had cleaned it up, but it looked nearly new, considering it's a mid-50's vintage. Came with a 1/4" blade that has worked well enough for small work and a 1/8" for curves. I'm not home, so can't recall if it's King-Seeley manufactured, but it is cast aluminum, the guides are decent and the price was definitely right.
I plan to set it up to cut dovetails with a shop built jig. It's nice not to have to change blades on my W-T 14".

[Kevin W Johnson]

I agree with Van. Picked up a Craftsman 12" with a C'man 1/3 HP motor, no base, for $25 thru CL. The PO said his father in law had cleaned it up, but it looked nearly new, considering it's a mid-50's vintage. Came with a 1/4" blade that has worked well enough for small work and a 1/8" for curves. I'm not home, so can't recall if it's King-Seeley manufactured, but it is cast aluminum, the guides are decent and the price was definitely right.
I plan to set it up to cut dovetails with a shop built jig. It's nice not to have to change blades on my W-T 14".

Do you have a picture of your Craftsman saw? I did see a 12" listed for sale recently, it's the only thing I've seen that might be that old and maybe desirable. Everything else is 0-15 year old junk. Including a B&D bandsaw that is drill powered, no kidding, the label on the saw even says so. I ended up buying new, simply because the used market for anything desirable in my area is so sparse. It's like a CL dead zone.

[Bob Faris]

I rebuild old woodworking machines. I've opened up quite a few, so I can tell you without hesitation that if you want a very good, reliable small benchtop saw, look for an older Craftsman (made in USA), Walker-Turner, Delta-Homecraft or Duro (made by craftsman). Any of these older cast iron small bandsaws from the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's will run circles around anything you can buy new today.

Jeff


The problem I have with many of the older 10" and 12" bandsaws is that they really aren't portable. They are as big or almost as big as a 14" bandsaw. The things I like about the newer 10" Rikon and Craftsman saws are they are relatively small, can be stored in a cabinet or under a bench, have integral motors and the weight is manageable.

http://images.craigslist.org/5L65Ke5H73Ib3Le3J5c5bb6aff9680d0d1181.jpg
1950s Sears and Roebuck 12" bandsaw currently
on Craigslist

[Ben Kiefer]

I have a small 10.5 inch Inca bandsaw. I couldn't ask for anything more from such a small saw. They seem to pop up on CL once in a while, at least around here. A guy had one for sale last month for $100!

[Van Huskey]

I have a small 10.5 inch Inca bandsaw. I couldn't ask for anything more from such a small saw. They seem to pop up on CL once in a while, at least around here. A guy had one for sale last month for $100!

The question is why do you not own two now...

[Bill ThompsonNM]

The question is why do you not own two now...
My thoughts exactly, A few at $100 and you could give up blade changing!

[Keith Hankins]

Greetings

I have a Jet 14in Bandsaw that serves me well for the most part, what I'm thinking of is to get a second bench top style of bandsaw for very small blade applications .... probably 1/8 and 1/16in blades for small bandsaw and puzzle boxes.

Changing blades is a pain on the Jet.

Has anyone here had good service from one of the many inexpensive light duty bandsaws available?

Thanks,
Tim

I have a big 17" BS that I have a carbide resaw blade on and change overs for little stuff a royal pain. I decided to get a smaller 14". I went a bit different. I started watching www.searchtempest.com (http://www.searchtempest.com) (searches all the CL's in your area by zip. Waited patiently and a 16" walkerturner showed up for around a 100 bucks no motor. Decided to get that rehab it and use it for the small boxes etc. I bought the bearings and a new motor and in the mean time while just looking a 1934 Delta 14" showed up for 225 bucks. All original including decals. I bought it just to say I had the original year. I put a set of carter guides and a new timberwolfe blade and now I have a sweet setup for cutting small stuff. It's really nice not to have to fool with change overs. Now the only issue is I"ve got 3 bandsaws. At 900+ lbs the walker turner will be a sweet machine but don't know If I'm going to keep it or sell it after fixed up. Of course I could sell the 17" and keep the WT since it's a better saw, but I'd loose the investment in the laguna carbide blade. Anyway Go old American Iron, it's out there if you are just patient! 10 times better than anything out today. Once you have used the old stuff you won't want the new.

[Tim Boger]

I have a big 17" BS that I have a carbide resaw blade on and change overs for little stuff a royal pain. I decided to get a smaller 14". I went a bit different. I started watching www.searchtempest.com (http://www.searchtempest.com) (searches all the CL's in your area by zip. Waited patiently and a 16" walkerturner showed up for around a 100 bucks no motor. Decided to get that rehab it and use it for the small boxes etc. I bought the bearings and a new motor and in the mean time while just looking a 1934 Delta 14" showed up for 225 bucks. All original including decals. I bought it just to say I had the original year. I put a set of carter guides and a new timberwolfe blade and now I have a sweet setup for cutting small stuff. It's really nice not to have to fool with change overs. Now the only issue is I"ve got 3 bandsaws. At 900+ lbs the walker turner will be a sweet machine but don't know If I'm going to keep it or sell it after fixed up. Of course I could sell the 17" and keep the WT since it's a better saw, but I'd loose the investment in the laguna carbide blade. Anyway Go old American Iron, it's out there if you are just patient! 10 times better than anything out today. Once you have used the old stuff you won't want the new.

Thanks for info Keith, I went out today and looked at an older Craftsman 10" bandsaw and it was garbage .... it looked like the blade guides were the plastic squares. I was under the impression that at some point the Craftsmans were using bearing guides.

I watch craigslist closely .... I'll find something nice one of these days.

Tim

[Ben Kiefer]

The question is why do you not own two now...

That is a good question. Honestly, I was sorely tempted. The answer is, I guess, the fact that I currently have 4 bandsaws and am already trying to sell two of them!

[Jeff Heath]

The problem I have with many of the older 10" and 12" bandsaws is that they really aren't portable. They are as big or almost as big as a 14" bandsaw. The things I like about the newer 10" Rikon and Craftsman saws are they are relatively small, can be stored in a cabinet or under a bench, have integral motors and the weight is manageable.

http://images.craigslist.org/5L65Ke5H73Ib3Le3J5c5bb6aff9680d0d1181.jpg
1950s Sears and Roebuck 12" bandsaw currently
on Craigslist

Unfortunately, (and I'm not picking on you here) the things that make those saws easier to move, lightweight, etc.....are the same criteria that make them a less quality saw than an old cast iron bandsaw.....whatever size.

I recommended the saws I did based on the knowledge that they are quality machines, assuming they are tuned properly. I cannot say that about the newer, lighter weight saws. There is a big difference in capability that most people don't get an opportunity to experience for themselves because they are a bit afraid of the older machines. I was simply trying to dissuade that a bit.

Grey cast iron absorbs vibration. Sheet metal does not.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Van Huskey]

Anyway Go old American Iron, it's out there if you are just patient! 10 times better than anything out today. Once you have used the old stuff you won't want the new. emphasis added


If we are still takling small bandsaws I agree, if we are talking all bandsaws I don't... plus you can still by new "old iron" bandsaws they just cost as much as cars...

[Tim Boger]

Their are a lot of good 12" Craftsman saws, Walker-Turner made some, King-Seeley and several other manufacturers made them for Sears, there were even some snowflake models made in the 40s. Some of the early Emerson built saws are still a good bit better than the current lot. They were made when 12" saws were about all a serious hobbyist could afford so they were made to serious hobbyist standards.

Hey VH .... here is a response to a Craigslist post I have going, are you aware of this brand of saw?

"Hello, I have a 12" Marc 1 Variable Speed Band Saw if you are interested. The saw is at my lake house so i do not have any pictures available at this time. If you would like i can get you some."

Thanks,
Tim

[Bill White]

Might sound odd to some, but I have a Magna/Shopsmith 11" BS on a power stand. It was given to me. This little feller has been my go-to BS for almost 15 years. Broke the front cover recently. The new style cover has a dust collection port and blade tensioning window.
They show up from time to time, and are a quality saw with a design that's been around for many years. Parts are readily available.
Bill

[Chad Bender]

I'm late to the party here, but will put in another plug for the current Craftsman 10" that's a clone of the Rikon. I've got one and it works great. At the moment I've got a 1/2" 3TPI timberwolf blade on it, and the other night managed to resaw ~3/8" thick slices off of a 4"+ high piece of cherry That's near the capacity of the machine, but it didn't bog down or wander from the cut. No fancy tricks either - just the stock fence and a reasonably square blank to start. I've also got a 1/4" 6TPI timberwolf that I put on for curves.

The machine is portable, but I stuck it on a small Harbor Freight stand and find it much easier to use than off my bench (where the table height was uncomfortable).

[Van Huskey]

Hey VH .... here is a response to a Craigslist post I have going, are you aware of this brand of saw?

"Hello, I have a 12" Marc 1 Variable Speed Band Saw if you are interested. The saw is at my lake house so i do not have any pictures available at this time. If you would like i can get you some."

Thanks,
Tim

Unless it is a Marvel which I kinda doubt it is probably one of the Asian saws branded as Mark 1, I have seen a VS 14" version for wood/metal. If it is actually MarC 1 then I have no idea.