No, no, I'm sure I'm in the right forum....

[Mike Cherry]

Hey again guys! I'm looking for some advice on a tool purchase. This tool is of the powered variety....maybe. I currently have a tv and a bench grinder, that's it for electrically powered tools. I'm interested in either a lunchbox planer or a bandsaw. More importantly, I'm interested in your thoughts on which one might make more sense. Now my reasons for wanting these tools are probably obvious but here goes: The planer would speed up stock milling, the bandsaw would speed up resawing and ripping. These are easily my least favorite tasks currently.

If you feel strongly one way or another about one of these types of tools, product recommendations would be awesome.

[ken hatch]

Mike,

My 18" bandsaw will be the last power tool standing.....Just saying.

ken

PS, most if not all lunchbox planers have universal motors. I get a headache just thinking about running one in the shop.....been there done that.

[Mike Henderson]

For stock preparation you can't beat a jointer, planer and table saw. The normal steps are to cut the wood to approximate size, go to the jointer to flatten one face and one edge, then to the table saw to cut the other side parallel, then to the planer to machine the opposite face parallel to the one you jointed.

You can do all of that by hand but it's a lot of work (and time) and you probably won't be as precise as the machine work.

Mike

[Even if you purchase S4S stock, what you'll get will likely have a bow, cup and/or twist. A jointer can flatten one face of that stock. And you need the stock straight and flat to do good work.]

[Patrick Chase]

Hey again guys! I'm looking for some advice on a tool purchase. This tool is of the powered variety....maybe. I currently have a tv and a bench grinder, that's it for electrically powered tools. I'm interested in either a lunchbox planer or a bandsaw. More importantly, I'm interested in your thoughts on which one might make more sense. Now my reasons for wanting these tools are probably obvious but here goes: The planer would speed up stock milling, the bandsaw would speed up resawing and ripping. These are easily my least favorite tasks currently.

If you feel strongly one way or another about one of these types of tools, product recommendations would be awesome.

Depends how you get your wood. Do you buy pre-dimensioned stock or do you work from the rough?

I'm very tightly space-constrained so I have a lunchbox planer (on a very low cart that allows it to slide into the space below some shelving) but not a bandsaw. I don't have enough room for a decent-sized jointer so I do that by hand. If I had infinite space it would have been more of a toss-up. I definitely miss the bandsaw whenever I have to rip book-matched pieces by hand...

[Jim Belair]

I have both but if I had to give up one it would be the planer. I could stand ripping to width by hand but ripping to thickness is beyond me.

[Frederick Skelly]

Depends on the work you like to do. I build small furniture and boxes. Don't hardly use my jointer or planer for this stuff (though I'm always glad I have them when I need them.)

So I'd get the bandsaw. Biggest one you can afford. You can do a lot with a bandsaw. I have a 12" JET I use constantly and 14" Rikon I use for bigger jobs. I love those saws.

[Mike Cherry]

Alrighty, I appreciate the responses so far. I'm seeing a pattern with the responses. The lumber I normally get is S2S, but I occasionally get rough sawn and S4S. I build small furniture, but I have plans to do some box making and a large desk for my wife. I was given more attention than I deserve from our very own Mike Allen concerning saw sharpening and thus far I have done fairly well resawing stock for drawers and such.

I suppose I am leaning towards a bandsaw mainly because I have become fairly decent at establishing a reference face and edge. The part that I dislike is thicknessing parts. Most everything I get from the local lumberyard is 4/4. When I need to take that down to thinner drawer parts it gets tedious and seems wasteful. Would a bandsaw not allow me to make quicker work of drawer parts or do you guys just plane away 1/2" of material or so. In the past, I have experimented with resawing drawer parts and then squaring them.

[Frederick Skelly]

Would a bandsaw not allow me to make quicker work of drawer parts or do you guys just plane away 1/2" of material or so. In the past, I have experimented with resawing drawer parts and then squaring them.

I'd use my 14" bandsaw to resaw those drawer sides. Seems a shame to waste 1/2" of a good board.

[Mike Henderson]

4/4 S2S or S3S material is about 3/4" (just a bit more). If you resaw that to get 1/2" material, you need to leave a bit more than 1/2" because the band saw will leave a rough face. Most people then put it through a planer or drum sander to smooth it and take it down to 1/2".

Even if your use hand planes to smooth the 1/2" material, you have to start with a bit more than 1/2".

It would be much easier to just put your wood through a planer to take it down to 1/2" and skip the resawing. What you have left from the resawing is not going to be usable for much.

Mike

[Ray Selinger]

Just saying, the new sheet metal bandsaws have more resaw depth than the cast iron 14" Delta and it's clones. Yes, you can add a riser, but to properly tension a resaw blade you may strip the tensioner and have to rebuild that as well.

[Shawn Pixley]

I differ from Mike here. My 4/4 S2S comes in at 13/16". I always resaw to get 1/2" stock. Maybe I'm cheap. Maybe I'm honoring the tree. In either case, I have a pretty large collection of thins in the lumber stack. Depending upon your space and/or prediliction, this might be a good thing. So in my opinion, the bandsaw is a necessity. However, I flatten and thickness with hand planes, so disregard my opinions there. My way is not for everyone.

[Dave Beauchesne]

My vote is for a well tuned bandsaw.

Dave B

[Mike Cherry]

Mike, I understand what your saying. I fall in line with Shawn though, I think, because I have a hard time chewing a 1/4" or so of material up into shavings. Not only because of the energy needed, but also the wastefulness. Now you might be right, I may never use that excess material. In the past, I would lay out a resaw line and then using my 5 1/2 ppi ripsaw cut to the outside of the line (the waste side) and then finish planing it to the line. The leftover stock has been used for drawer bottoms in several of my projects.

Of course, if I had all the answers, I wouldn't be asking. So I appreciate as much info as I can get.

[John K Jordan]

Over the years I've read many times that the first and most versatile stationary power tool to buy is a bandsaw. I believe it - I use my bandsaw(s) a LOT.

JKJ

[Daniel Rode]

I used to have a 14" bandsaw with a riser block so I could resaw up to 12". I recently bought a 9" Skill benchtop bandsaw. It's essentially a powered coping saw and I use it just to rough out curves. I miss my old bandsaw but I have a table saw and its enough. I resaw by cutting partway through with the table saw and cutting the center with a handsaw. It works well, but I'm going to get 3/8" where Shawn can get 1/2" with less effort.

Anyway, long story short, I can get by without a band saw but my planer makes my life much easier. I don't even care about the snipe and marks from nicks in the blades. It's not worth the time to fine tune the planer. I get it to about 1/64" over and clean it up with a hand plane. I don't want to spend the time taking 1/4" off a board with scrub plane. For that reason, I'll take the planer over the bandsaw.

[paul cottingham]

I would be pretty reticent to part with either, but I hate thicknessing by hand more than I hate ripping by hand. Jointing by hand is fine.

[Randy Karst]

Agree with Shawn, I resaw on bandsaw then plane to dimension. Surprisingly, the "thins" end up in quite few projects and not wasted. I have a lunch box planer (Makita 2012) but it gets very little use compared to my bandsaw (shop apprentice).

[Kees Heiden]

I think it is easier to live with only a bandsaw instead of a planer. I do have a (crappy) planer and a (crappy) tablesaw. I really miss the ability to resaw. With a bandsaw you can get the pieces close to thickness and finish with the handplanes. But with a planer you can't resaw stuff.

All this in theory of course. I would really love to get a bandsaw, but a good one with plenty of resawing capacity ain't cheap. A planer is a lot cheaper.

[Mike Cherry]

I think what got me thinking about this, is that I'm currently making a cutting board. It's an edge grain board but I'm alternating strips of hard maple and walnut. Thicknessing all these parts is pretty tedious. Though, the planer would handle this, I can see the bandsaw being overall more useful. I'm looking at the laguna14-12 and a Rikon 10-325.

[Chris Hachet]

I think what got me thinking about this, is that I'm currently making a cutting board. It's an edge grain board but I'm alternating strips of hard maple and walnut. Thicknessing all these parts is pretty tedious. Though, the planer would handle this, I can see the bandsaw being overall more useful. I'm looking at the laguna14-12 and a Rikon 10-325.

Laguna hands down IMHO.

[Phil Mueller]

For what I do, I wouldn't give up my lunchbox planer. I generally flatten one side by hand and then thickness with the planer. It's also relatively portable, so it can be moved outside for bigger jobs. My inside workspace is small, and while a bandsaw would come in handy on occasion, I really have no room for it. I must also say, I don't use much 1/2" or smaller stock...when needed, I buy S4S 1/2 or 1/4 and glue up for larger panels if needed.

Just a note; end grain doesn't always play well with a planer. Some have had no problems with very thin passes, but there are many reports of exploding end grain cutting boards inside planers. A bandsaw would probably work better. When I made up a dozen or so for Christmas gifts, I took them to a lumber yard and had them run it through their drum sander.

[Joe A Faulkner]

In my own journey, I acquired the planer before the bandsaw, and would not want to part with either. In addition to using the bandsaw to resaw boards, I've also used it to saw some small logs taken from my property. Some of these have had sentimental value (spalted maple from a tree that was home to a tire swing my kids loved).

Bandsaw recommendations like just about everything else tend to be a function of your budget and intended use. I wanted an 18" variety for the resaw height capacity, but was unwilling to spring for a MiniMax, Hammer or Italian made Laguna. Lot's of folks here are happy with their 19" Grizzlies, though some shared with me that using high tension resaw blades like the Resaw King did cause the frame to flex a bit. One guitar maker noted if he had to do it over he would have stepped up to the next tier of european made saws. I gave the Laguna 14' SUV a serious look, but in the end found the LT18 3000 series on-sale for only a few hundred more than the SUV. For a saw in the 2K range, I think it is a good value. Good luck in making your own choice. Let us know what you decide.

[Zach Dillinger]

The only power tool I wish I could use is the bandsaw.

[Prashun Patel]

I agree with Joe. Both are nice to have for me.

For my part, thicknessing is a necessary part of every project, but doing it by hand is tedious and strenuous. Therefore, my vote was and is to get a thicknesser first.

Then look out for a bandsaw, because its versatility gives your projects more possibility.

Now, there are planers and there are planers. If you just want a 12" lunchbox, you can be in the game for a couple hundred $$, new or used. If you want 15"+ or helical capacity, that's when you start getting pricey. I think the lunchbox planers can do about 95% of what I need them for, so if you are on a budget, the extra capacity or cut quality is a sacrifice I would make.

As for a bandsaw, I think larger is much better than smaller. A 14" will and has serve many people admirably. But I appreciate the step up in table size and resaw capacity MUCH more than I would a step up in planer ability. That's where I would and and do whip out the jointer plane.

[Adam Cruea]

To put it bluntly: You'll pry my Laguna out of my cold, dead hands. That's after you get my Delta drill press.

Bandsaws are indisposable. They can also easily be used to thickness stock if they are properly set up. I can take a 4/4 board, resaw it down to 7/8, then thickness plane it down and finish at 3/4 very easily. Bonus is that I can also get a veneer out of that resaw.

[Shawn Pixley]

I think what got me thinking about this, is that I'm currently making a cutting board. It's an edge grain board but I'm alternating strips of hard maple and walnut. Thicknessing all these parts is pretty tedious. Though, the planer would handle this, I can see the bandsaw being overall more useful. I'm looking at the laguna14-12 and a Rikon 10-325.

I have the Rikon 10-325 and it does what I ask of it. If I was buying again, I would get the Laguna 14-12.

[Mike Cherry]

Much appreciated guys, definitely leaning towards the Laguna!

[Mike Allen1010]

My vote is for a well tuned bandsaw.

Dave B

+1. Re-sawing by hand is without a doubt my least favorite hand tool task. I'm pretty sure this is why God invented band saws. I'm with Ken, the bandsaw is the last power tool I'd ever get rid of - and if I could find a huge, nuclear powered one I'd buy it.

I actually enjoy flattening, squaring and dimensioning stock with hand planes and handsaw's.That said, the vast majority of wood I use is hand tool friendly, S2S and I don't mind breaking a sweat in the shop. I'm a fat, old man so dimensioning stock passes as a workout for me.

Mike Cherry, given that you're put together like a D1 linebacker (who knows, that's probably true), I'm with Shawn - get the bandsaw and don't be afraid to break a sweat with hand tools dimensioning stock. Of course I wouldn't presume to say my opinion is worth a bucket of spit and YMMV.

Cheers, Mike

[Brian Holcombe]

If you can resaw stock, that will save you most of the effort of heavy thicknessing. I don't resaw everything because when doing it entirely by hand there is a breakeven point in terms of time where it's easier to take the stock off with a jack plane in a hurry. If you are proficient with the bandsaw you can probably knock it down to about 1/16" max.

Thicknessing by hand is good practice for when the machines are too small, I don't know of many home shops where a table top can be thicknessed, but practically every home craftsman wants to build a dining table at some point.

Mike brings up a great point, my preference in materials has changed quite a bit of the past few years as I transitioned into entirely hand tools, I tend to pick hand tool friendly hardwoods and do have a great appreciation of softwoods now and straight grain.

[Christopher Charles]

+1, my 18" Agazzani is by far the most used power tool in my shop and has paid for it self in the free lumber from friends that i've been able to mill using it. As Brian says, when well tuned and carefully used, it does most of the work of thicknessing (though I do have a lunchbox as well). I also use it to make shopmade veneers.

the Laguna would be a good choice if i were to do it again

C

[Randy Karst]

Hey Mike, Check CL too for a used bandsaw. I picked up a nice 14" Powermatic for $350 (after checking the saw out in person, the guy even delivered it for me).
Regards,
Randy

[Mike Cherry]

Oh wow, that's a great find for you!

[Patrick Chase]

I'm almost afraid to post this because it reeks of frivolous expenditure, but...

As I previously said I don't have a bandsaw because of space constraints. I do have a tablesaw, and when resawing I use it to kerf the perimeter before finishing the center with a handsaw as somebody else described.

To limit material loss with good/expensive wood or when book-matching I kerf the perimeter with one of these (http://www.infinitytools.com/10-Laser-Kerf-Saw-Blade-40T-1_16-Kerf-With-5_8-Arbor/productinfo/010-046/). Kerf width is 1/16", which is not much higher than typical bandsaw blades (though the dedicated thin-kerf resaw blades are down around 1/32"). IMO this only makes sense if your space constraints are much tighter than your pocketbook.

[Mike Cherry]

That reminds me of the "kerfing plane" made popular by Tom Fidgen. Anyone make and/or use one of those to resaw?

[Joe A Faulkner]

He also uses a frame saw like this one: http://www.renaissancewoodworker.com/rww-151-roubo-resaw-frame-saw-in-action/

Bad Axe sells parts for making your own.