Best bandsaw all the way around

[Mike Mahan]

I am struggling with reviews and looking at every bandsaw I can find. Laguna is purported to be the best, but Rikon is good, too. I want to cut my own veneer and use it for other functions as well. I looked at a Hammer recently, but $2k is a little steep.
Building furniture for my home and kids. Refinish what is in our home and theirs. Bandsaw is critical in the long run. Everything else will be with hand tools.
I would really appreciate your suggestions & feedback. I don't want to buy something now and wish I had something better later. Thanks everyone.

[Mike Heidrick]

Welcome. Minimax, Agazzani, Felder, each would easily be a diferent solution equal or superior to a Euro Laguna. What size saw are you looking at for $2K? That wont really buy a high end euro saw new so maybe Chiwan is what you are seeking. Rikon being good is a perspective based on value and price overall. Grizzly easily out values Rikon these days IMO.

[Van Huskey]

Welcome to the Creek!!!

If the Hammer N4400 (which is my best buy in the 2K Euro market) is pushing it then either used or a new Asian saw is where you are going to land. Felder, Agazzani, Laguna and Minimax are the most available Italian saws, of the three I think the Minimax is the best built but the ones to buy at any price point varies since they are all very good and some offer better values at specific price points, but all these saws are going to be starting closer to $3k than two.

Rikon, Grizzly and the Asian built Laguna saws offer the best values in the under $2K arena, with a more specific budget and more specifics about what you plan to do with the saw (veneer cutting, resizing via resawing, countour cutting in relatively thin stock 12/4 or less, ripping etc) will help people home in on specific saws. In the end the sub 2K market is a good place to be looking for a used saw, if you are willing.

[Steven Hsieh]

Van

What is your opinion on Minimax and Agazzani guides? Do they need to be changed?

Thanks

[Van Huskey]

Van

What is your opinion on Minimax and Agazzani guides? Do they need to be changed?

Thanks

Note that MM has changed to Carter Micro-precision guides which were/are used on a LOT of US built iron saws.

As far as switching out Euro guides to say Laguna my opinion is it depends on what you plan to do with the saw. Many if not most mid-sized (16-24") Euro saws get used in hobby shops as dedicated resaw machines, with a serious resaw blade and the tensions these saws can put on them and the resulting beam strength guides don't play much of a role in resawing (for visual proof look at the MM16 video Sam did, it is on the Minimax website). Therefore I do not feel any need to replace them if resawing is the main or only use for the machine, now if you plan to make one of them an all rounder I would like to have the Laguna guides, though the Euro guides will work fine the Laguna guides do have advantages for controlling smaller blades.

[Rick Fisher]

A buddy and I took ownership of a bankrupt cabinet shop last fall .. We sold off all the machinery with the exception of a Hammer 4400 and a Multi Router..

I already have a bandsaw, I kept the Multi router and he kept the Hammer.. I have played with it a few times and have to say, if I ever have the space for a smaller bandsaw in my shop, it will be a hammer .. Its a fantastic quality machine, extremely capable.. I would put it in the league, perhaps just below the MM-16 ..

You want a great bandsaw, Mini Max, Aggazani, Euro Laguna or if you wanna keep the bill near $2000 but not sacrifice.. the Hammer..

[Len Mullin]

Did you guys who are replying read the post and understand it completely? I don't think so, because if you did you wouldn't still be talking about $2000-$3000 dollar saws. In the last part of the posting he has already stated that $2000 is out of his reach. Hopefully Mike will correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way that I read his posting. Plus from what he has stated he intends to use this saw for, I don't imagine he wants to spend that amount of money anyway.JMO
Len

[Peter Kelly]

If you're willing to look around a bit, 20" Rockwell / Delta (Crescent) saws pop up on Craigslist and Ebay pretty often. Usually priced under $1,500.

[Ed Griner]

Any ACM bandsaw new or used is the way to go. Unfortunately most woodworkers that have a 20" or bigger bandsaw still have their 14" including me. Good Luck

[Joseph Tarantino]

I am struggling with reviews and looking at every bandsaw I can find. Laguna is purported to be the best, but Rikon is good, too. I want to cut my own veneer and use it for other functions as well. I looked at a Hammer recently, but $2k is a little steep.
Building furniture for my home and kids. Refinish what is in our home and theirs. Bandsaw is critical in the long run. Everything else will be with hand tools.
I would really appreciate your suggestions & feedback. I don't want to buy something now and wish I had something better later. Thanks everyone.

rikon 10-325 is the way to go. costs < $1000 new. if you can wait for the once or twice a year woodcraft sale, they go down to between $750 and $800. i have an 18" jet and i can unequivocally tell you that is NOT the brand to buy. buying a jet or powermatic new is an absolute waste of money. but check your CL for rikon BSs. you won't find many and i attribute that to them being so good their owners don't want to part with them. the 10-325 is always rated at or near the top in any comparative tool test it is part of. with 13" of resaw capacity and a 1.5hp motor, it should veneer whatever you want. and for customer/technical support, i've only seen one negative comment across 4 WW forums over the past 8 years that ever said anything negative about rikon's support. IMHO, both the tool and the company are first rate.

[Peter Blair]

I recently purchased the Laguna 14" SUV and it is a peach.

I upgraded from a Delta with an extension and the difference is monumental.

Gotta admit I looked at both it and a Rickon at Woodcraft but the size of wheels castings etc swung my vote.

I use it mostly for preparing wood for my wood lathe and it took a while to adjust to the lower table especially when doing flat work.

I did have to do a few modifications but in my humble opinion it was the right choice. I'd buy another on in a minute.

Please note I am NOT a technical writer but I did post a review of the saw here:http://www.woodbowlsandthings.com/page3/page3.html

[Chris Rosenberger]

I started out with a 14" Delta band saw about 40 years ago, I later added a second one. A few years ago I decided to get a larger band saw. I got a Mini Max MM20 based on information from this forum & sold one of the Deltas.
Although the MM20 was a nice saw, it had more power & a little taller resaw, I could not do much more with it than I could do with the 14" Deltas. I could just do some resawing faster.
I had the MM20 a couple of years, when someone offered to buy it. I sold it & bought another 14" band saw. The only thing I missed from the MM20 was extra power to do resawing.
As I have aged & somethings are getting harder to do, about a year & a half ago I decided to again get a larger bandsaw to make resawing easier. This time I went the low cost rout. After doing a lot of research, I went with a Grizzly 514X. I have not regretted that choice at all. I has lots of power, a large table with a rack & pinion tilt assist, a very nice fence & quick blade tension release. I liked it so well, about 2 months later I replaced the other 14" Delta with another Grizzly 514X. The best part is that I paid less for the 2 514Xs & a Grizzly 8" jointer, than the cost of one MM20.

[glenn bradley]

Did you guys who are replying read the post and understand it completely? I don't think so, because if you did you wouldn't still be talking about $2000-$3000 dollar saws. In the last part of the posting he has already stated that $2000 is out of his reach. Hopefully Mike will correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way that I read his posting. Plus from what he has stated he intends to use this saw for, I don't imagine he wants to spend that amount of money anyway.JMO
Len

Unfortunately people get really emotional about bandsaws and just start tossing their favorites out there without considering the OP's goal :o. Again, unfortunately, the OP did not give a price range. He simply stated that "$2k is a little steep" but, I do understand your statements and the desire to make the thread more valuable as opposed to a re-ringing of the same old bells :).

Mike, can you give us a better idea of your price range and actual use. No tool is "beige" and does "it all" well. Do-it-all items, like tablesaw combinations blades, are a sacrifice in nearly all areas in order to do many things at an 'acceptable' level. You would not be the first on here to realize the value of a larger saw and a smaller saw in the same shop. I know that sounds extravagant but, it really isn't that much of a stretch based on what you may save on time and labor.

If you are unsure, I would start with a smaller saw like one of the 14" cast iron clones or the newer steel framed 14"-ers. This saw will handle a multitude of tasks if given an array of blade selections. Once you have used it for a year or so, you will have developed a pretty good idea of what your larger saw should be and can choose with much less chance of suffering buyer's remorse. JMHO.

[Richard Dragin]

Based on your questions, stated price range and intended use....I'd recommend a Grizzly in the 17" -19" range. A 14" saw will really limit re-sawing and band width and usually need a riser block which means you have already outgrown the machine. The MM and Agazzani are out of your range, Laguna and Rikon are only slightly better and don't justify the higher cost. You'll get the most for your money with the Grizzly and based on your starting point it will be hard to outgrow,

[Van Huskey]

Did you guys who are replying read the post and understand it completely? I don't think so, because if you did you wouldn't still be talking about $2000-$3000 dollar saws. In the last part of the posting he has already stated that $2000 is out of his reach. Hopefully Mike will correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way that I read his posting. Plus from what he has stated he intends to use this saw for, I don't imagine he wants to spend that amount of money anyway.JMO
Len

I honestly think everyone got it, I at least in part was responding to other parts of his post regarding European saws. In my mind there is no need to be specific until I understand his actual budget, it could be $600 or it could be $1800. To me there is no real all around bandsaw and would like to know what his exact planned uses are and the lower the budget the more one has to skew your choice toward those uses.

[Mike Mahan]

Thanks very much everyone. A little knowledge goes a long way. I'm better prepared to make an informed decision. I appreciate all of your replies.
Mike

[Prashun Patel]

Building furniture for one and kids is exactly how I use my saw. I got a grizzly g0514x2. I thought it was good value for the money and I will likely never need to upgrade. IMHO its mor Ethan enoough for the most avid hobbyist like me.

[Van Huskey]

Mike, there are bunch of us ready to pounce if we just had a better idea of your budget and usage, you will get a lot more specific info as soon as the budget is nailed down!

[David Kumm]

I would look for a used ACM- Laguna, Felder, Bridgewood 540 or a Centauro 20", perhaps even a Meber. They come up all the time for less than 2K. The 540 size is a good combination of size and frame strength. The older 18" saws tended to be a little light for resawing although adequate. If you have the room and find any euro 24" within your range buy it. Dave

[Erik Loza]

...there are bunch of us ready to pounce if we just had a better idea of your budget and usage, you will get a lot more specific info...

That is the very same question I ask every prospective customer and interestingly, maybe get a concrete answer 1 out of 5 times.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA