Band saw dilemma.

[john davey]

I am getting more into tuning and hand tool work. But I find a bandsaw is needed for both of those practices. Roughing bowl blanks requires a fairly large unit and ripping and curve cuts are necessary in the hand tool world. Granted they can be done without a band saw but I am getting older and well...... I currently have a delta 14 inch saw that is fine for woodworking. But it's resaw is small and I really cant get a good size bowl on it. The way I see it I have a few options...



1. Add a riser to the 14 inch saw I have and use it

I really do not see anything wrong with this but will it handle bowls or am i kidding myself.

2. Sell the 14 inch saw and get a 17 inch saw.

If I went this route I would get one with a good sized blade for bowls so I would need to change blades when going back to flat work. I do not have the room nor the money to keep the 14 inch saw and get a 17 incher. That 14 inch would need to be sold to fund part of the new saw.

I could at some point in the future add a small 10 inch bandsaw for the flatwork and then I could keep the bigger saw set up for bowls.


So my questions.... If you turn bowls and do flatwork what are your setups. Is blade swapping not that bad? Do you have 2 saws? If so is that rikon worth anything. (maybe that should be another post). OR is a 14 inch saw with the riser a good compromise?

Thanks, John...

[Andrew Hughes]

Hi
John I have two bandsaws one for resawing and one for small stuff,It's really a good way to go if you can swing it,if you like your delta I say keep it and save up for a big one.Start your quest.And keep your enthusiasm alive!

[john davey]

I would if I could Andrew but space is also a concern. I am not sure if the Rikon 10 inch saw can be used on a benchtop or needs a stand. If it needs a stand then in reality it isn't going to be much smaller than a 14 inch saw. I do not have room for two. If I did Then saving up for the larger would work. But for now it is one saw and a small one stuck under the bench. Or changing blades :( .... John.

[Judson Green]

I'd probably go for the riser, see if ya like it, see if the saw can do what you what it too do and if not.... then sell it. And sell it for more cause its got a riser block installed now. I haven't the foggiest how easy it is to install one though, lucky mine was already installed. Something else that might help, a bigger table. Just ½" MDF with some reinforcing ribs underneath.

272626

[Mark Engel]

I have the Rikon 10" saw and use it on the bench. No stand needed.

I did add the Carter Stabilizer to the Rikon. That was a great upgrade.

[John TenEyck]

I added a riser block to my 14" Delta; took less than an hour. If you do it, make sure you tighten the bolt really, really well when you put it together. I found some deflection problems that I eventually traced back to that bolt not being tightened enough. I already had a 1.5 HP motor on it. I would not install the riser without at least a 1 HP motor driving it afterwards, and a 1.5 - 2 HP would be even better. Now I can easily resaw 10"+ veneer, cut bowl blanks, and do flat work. I leave a 1/2" x 3 tpi blade on it most of the time, but changing a blade only takes 5 minutes so it's not a big deal when I have to. This arrangement is certainly not a production solution, but for a mostly hobbiest it works fine.

[Whit AndersonIL]

You might want to ask on the "Turner's Forum" about a bandsaw for bowl blanks.

I have a Delta 14" bandsaw. When I started turning I bought a riser for my bandsaw so I could cut bigger bowl blanks. I found I still had trouble cutting them. My motor struggled to cut through that much green wood. The blade deflected. Sometimes the green wood closed on the blade and I had to use a chisel to get it loose. In short, I had a lot of trouble with my bandsaw and green wood.

A friend with more turning experience told me that he almost never uses his bandsaw to rough bowl blanks. He draws the circle on the flat side of the log and uses his chainsaw to cut off the four sides. Then he takes the chainsaw and cuts each of the four remaining corners off up to the circle (creating an octagon). Then he mounts the blank on the lathe and starts cutting. It is a bit bumpy for a couple of minutes, but then the piece is round and ready for more careful work on the lathe.

I've started doing this and it works fine for me. Of course you need a chainsaw and a good system to hold the log while you cut it up.

--Whit

[Jeff Erbele]

While a riser may be an economical solution and add capacity, I have problems with the concept. One is modifying; stretching a smaller machine, expecting it to do the tasks required of a larger machine. It will not be as rigid. All of your existing band saw blades effectively become useless, dispelling the economics of the solution.

I would opt for the larger band saw and change blades as needed. Usually changing blades is not a difficult task. A wider blade twists less, but limits the minimum radius one can cut. Narrow blades are best suited for tight radii. Your typical projects will dictate which one is installed in the saw as the default. One can also plan your work to avoid frequent blade changes. When you do something, say preparing bowl blanks, do several at a time, reducing the need to change blades as often.

A 17" band saw will do everything a 14" band saw does, except maybe better. You can probably avoid the 10" bench-top idea all together. For more intricate work, such as tight radii on relatively thin flat stock, a scroll saw is probably the better machine for the task.

One more thought is, if you are gluing thinner stock together for your bowl blanks, saw the circles before gluing, before you exceed the band saw capacity.

[Judson Green]

This has a lot of merit. You could get a electric one and run it indoors. And keep the band saw.

[Guy Belleman]

Get a 17" or 19" and be done with it. Dealt with a 14" for years and wished I had upgraded sooner. Get a good blade.

[Myk Rian]

I have a 1966 Delta 14" w/riser, and love it for what I do. I've made 1/16"x12" veneer with it.
Many people look for a Delta 20" on the used circuit for re-sawing and blanks.

[Cary Falk]

I had a 14" Delta with a riser for a few years. Even with the stock 1 hp motor resawing was very slow. I upgraded to a 17" grizzly and am happy. If I would have had some more money at the time I would have gone with the 3 hp 19". The 18" Rikon gets great reviews also and goes on sale for $1000 once or twice a year.

[Gus Dundon]

14" band saw with riser and great blades can do your job. But get a bigger one, more power cuts better. I suggest not
to sell your 14" band saw. Just add a larger saw and you'll be happy with it. Goodluck on your decision either you
remain with 14" saw or get 17" band saw.

[Frank Drew]

I used an older Oliver 18" band saw for both flat furniture work and roughing out bowl blanks, the latter usually with the table tilted. My dream band saw for all-around use would be a Tannewitz 24", or maybe a similarly sized Yates "snowflake".

[Peter Quinn]

I don't do any turning, but my instincts are they call it "roughing out" blanks for a reason. You might get a little bit smoother cut at the upper end of height capacity on a larger more rigid band saw than on a 14" w/riser, but does that matter? The lathe does the clean up. For furniture parts, I never had a problem with my 14" saw w/ riser, I stepped up to a 20", same basic resaw capacity but it does it faster and a bit smoother. What I really like are the increased table size and they lower table height. I'm 5'7 and had to stand on a box to be at the angle I prefer for cutting curves, the larger saw is a perfect height for me. So I'd think you don't need the larger saw unless this is a commercial operation, or the blanks you want are beyond 12" height.

[Frank Drew]

I don't do any turning, but my instincts are they call it "roughing out" blanks for a reason.

Quite right, Peter; the idea is just to remove some of the larger chunks of the wood that are going to come off anyway, and it's not intended to be anything but rough. Saves you a bit of time on the lathe, and balances the blank a bit for easier going in the early stages. Whit was absolutely correct that a chain saw can also be used to whittle the log down to a more manageable size.

[Sid Matheny]

I put a riser block on my Grizzly myself but you really need 2 people to do it and stay safe.


Sid