9" and 10" bandsaw questions

[Tom M King]

This is asking advice from those with hands on experience with machines of these sizes. I intend to put one on a sled, to ride on flat 2x8 tracks, to ride up hips on a roof that's getting Cypress shingles to cut fantail hip shingles. There are some number of hundreds of these shingles to individually cut. I already have the cutting sled built with a couple of self-adjusting clamps just waiting for the slide bar to fit whatever machine. 9" bandsaws are 45 pounds, and 10" bandsaws are about 65 pounds. 65 pounds is not bad, but 45 is better.

I understand bandsaws enough to get by with. I have a 24" Centauro overclocked a little with a VFD which sliced (resawed) the 2' shingles out of 4/4 boards in 3 seconds per pair of shingles, and a Delta 14" which is fine tuned to work great, but too heavy to bother to get on and off the roof, and too tall to operate on kneepads. It looks like one of the little ones is the right tool for the job.

Advice from anyone with actual time using one of these toy bandsaws will be greatly appreciated. Brand advice welcomed too.

[Steve Peterson]

I have a 20 year old Ryobi 9" bandsaw. It is rated 2.5A and something like 1/4 or 1/3 hp. You can stall the motor on a 1" thick cut if you go too fast. 1/4" thick cuts are no problem.

I had mine sitting near a window and the adjustment knobs degraded quickly with the UV light. They are easily replaceable.

Steve

[Tom M King]

Thanks Steve. That's good information. Probably more valuable than you thought. I'll look at the motor sizes on the different ones. The Cypress is pretty soft though, at 570 Janka at the most.

[Davis Young]

Tom, my experience with this category is limited to the Inca 340, of which I have two. With its Swiss precision engineering, this is pretty much the gold standard. Unfortunately, the company went out of business over a decade ago but their machines are still highly coveted and command top dollar on the used market. As to what is currently available, you'll be looking at Ryobi, Craftsman, Jet, Rikon, and a few others. From reputation alone, I would check out the Rikon 10-305 first and foremost. You're right in that most if not all are toys or at least toy-like, but generally Rikon does a good job with their engineering and their product line has a tighter focus (they do primarily woodworking machines) than the others so I suspect they pay more attention to design and features and I see it in many of their machines.

Having said that, might I suggest looking at the Skil flooring saw. Designed for the flooring installer, it is portable, about 25-30 lbs and has a handle. It can rip, crosscut, and do miter cuts. It doesn't do bevel cuts, though. Intended to be used on the ground (or in your case the roof) so the installer can make cuts without having to get up off his knees to do so, the saw is low slung and a lot more stable than a vertically-oriented band saw, especially on a pitched roof. This might eliminate the need for a sled and track arrangement. I think this could be worth considering.

[Larry Frank]

I have the 10" Rikon and use it for smaller things. I have found it is a good small machine. The guides are good and blades track well. I do not use it for resawing as it has a small motor. But, it cuts 2-3" easily. I paid less than $200 for it on sale and am happy with it.

[Mike Wilkins]

Another vote here for the 10" Rikon. Great little saw, adequate power, light enough to lift on/off a bench (although mine is on a stand), dust port already built in, decent blade guides. Got it to compliment a Laguna LT18. Woodcraft has one waiting for you.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I have the Rikon 10" and really think it's a great LITTLE saw. I've also owned the Ryobi 9" and I think that is one outstanding BS considering that it only costs 125 bucks.... I did sell it, since it's not a great little saw. Just a lot of bang for 125 bucks. But you seem to want to do commercial level work. I think you need to buy a commercial grade BS, not a consumer level one.

[Tom M King]

Thanks a lot guys. This has been a big help. Rikon 10" it is. I googled the Rikon 10", and found that Highland has it on sale for 200 bucks, and a nice little product video. I looked at a Skil in Lowes today for something like 120 or 30, and didn't want it. This Rikon looks like a nice little machine. An added benefit for me is the T-slot in the table. I don't need the fence, but don't have one on the Delta, so might put the Rikon one on the Delta.

For those interested in the fantail hip shingles, I found this link for a similar project. The roof I'm working on does still have the original fantail hips, which are done a bit differently than the courthouse project. http://www.rooftopsystemsengrs.com/interface01.htm

[Roger Pozzi]

I have the Rikon and it is good for what it is. You mentioned the T-slot being a benefit so, I must warn you, it is 5/8" which may limit its intended use for you.

[Tom M King]

Thanks Roger. I'm going to make the runner for it anyway, and it will just be for a couple of days use. I'm not going to be above the table, but will clamp a shingle to the sled by eyeballing marks top and bottom on the edge of the sled, and slide it through to cut and back out to take the shingle off. With a tapered entry on the runner, it should help the balancing act a little bit to have it captive.

[Tom M King]

Turns out the current Craftsman 10" is the exact same saw with different paint and name. 179.99 with free in store pickup right down the street from where I need to use it.

[Ellery Becnel]

I also have the Rikon 10". It does a very good job. I use it for my end grain cutting boards. I resaw all the time with it. I find the 1/4" blades 3-4 TPI work the best. I have cut white oak, purple heart, red oak, hard and soft maple, jarrah, etc. just to name a few.
I used the Alex Snodgrass method to set up this saw and have never had any issues with tracking or binding. I have sliced a 2" X 12" X .015 sliver of white oak just to see how consistent it would cut. It cut it without any issues. I used a micrometer to measure
the entire length. Within .001. I think if set up properly most saws should yield consistent repeatable cuts. I use just a standard carbon steel blade, nothing fancy. I have since bought band saw stock and now braze my own blades. Very pleased with the saws
performance. I have had it for 4 years. it is my little workhorse.

Ellery Becnel