3-wheel bandsaws?

[Allan Speers]

In a recen thread, several members have made me consider keeping my vintage 12" Craftsman bandsaw.

I have a 19" Grizzly, so resawing and ripping are taken care of. Of course it would be nice to have a second, small BS for cutting curves, and I figure I can make a new base that minimizes the Craftsman's footprint, enough tat I can justify the space it will take in my tiny shop.

- But I'm thinking, for cutting curves it sure would be nice to have a larger throat.

I'm considering getting a 3-wheeled BS, such as the 10" by Craftsman. these, of course, have very large throats, given the overall size.

Are these saws any good, or just a hunk of frustration?


I found this thread, warning about small 3-wheelers being prone to breaking blades:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...-3-wheel-maybe (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?199664-Smaller-bandsaw-3-wheel-maybe)


But I'm wondering: Would this still be a problem with some of todays super-thin blades?

Also: If one is only using this saw or cutting curves, would it not be possible to keep the tension a little low, thus minimizing the breakage problem? Or would that not help, anyway?)

Does anyone have such a beast running well?
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And finally, blade-breakage considerations aside, are there really GOOD 3-wheeled, small bandsaws?

[Travis Porter]

I have had one 3 wheel bandsaw, and I do not want another. Mine was a Delta model, but it looked almost identical to the Craftsman. I spent a fortune in blades and was always running out of blades.....

Low tension did not help....

[Steve Eure]

Mine is a piece of junk. I am currently looking for a larger saw myself. Not only are the blades prone to breaking, no one except Sears carries that size blade in my area. I've tried custom blades and they fared no better. Another problem is trying to replace the blades each time. You actually need three hands to keep from cussing. Blade changing for me was time consuming and flustering. Also the pins used for blade alignment are junk also.

[Bruce Page]

My first bandsaw was a small 3 wheeled Craftsman. I don't recall breaking too many bands with it but it would throw the band if you pushed it even just slightly too hard. I don't have many fond memories with it.

[Allan Speers]

Wow. That bad....



Well OK then.

Thanks, guys.

[Anthony Whitesell]

I agree with Bruce on the newer-older all plastic 3-wheelers by Craftsman. There are also some much older metal 3-wheelers. I don't know how those where. Allan, which generation do you have, are you speaking of?

[John K Jordan]

I understand 3-wheel bandsaws are by nature harder on blades since the wheels are generally smaller diameter so the blade has to bend to a tighter radius every revolution. I had a small one once and it was junk. I worked on one for a neighbor and it was junk. That is the end of my experience!

JKJ

[Bob Vavricka]

A friend had one that he couldn't keep the blade on. He let me borrow it to see if I could get it to work. I spent hours adjusting and trying it. I couldn't complete a short cut without throwing the blade. I returned it to him and made the comment that I didn't think it would even make a good boat anchor. It was a Delta brand.

[Rich Riddle]

I liked my three wheel bandsaw so much that I gave it to the nagfly at the local woodworking club. He's continually complaining about its adjustments. In theory they are great. The best of the worst was the old Inca model.

[Bryan Cramer]

Here's a three wheeled bandsaw http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/bandsaws/50throat.htm

[Bruce Page]

Here's a three wheeled bandsaw http://www.northfieldwoodworking.com/bandsaws/50throat.htm
I bet Northfield has worked the bugs out of theirs.

[Bryan Cramer]

I bet Northfield has worked the bugs out of theirs.
That thing has a 20" idler wheel. I think it said it takes a 21' long blade!

[scott spencer]

3 wheel bandsaws are harder to make track and more prone to breaking blades. I had a Grizzly version that was awful.

[Jim Barstow]

I had an Inca (Swiss) 3 wheel bandsaw that required patience to get to track correctly. Once that was done, it was fantastic. You can still find them used. I ended up selling it because I found myself doing more resawing and it wasn't really powered for that. Blade breakage wasn't an issue. I actually had a 1/16" blade on it for a while and it functioned like a scroll saw. I kept an example of a 3" thick incredibly tight spiral I cut that was made up of interlocking pieces. Wish I had space for it along with its big replacement.

[Rod Sheridan]

I liked my three wheel bandsaw so much that I gave it to the nagfly at the local woodworking club. He's continually complaining about its adjustments. In theory they are great. The best of the worst was the old Inca model.

LOL...............No good deed goes unpunished..........Rod.

[Mac McQuinn]

My 1950's Craftsman, King Seeley (3) wheeled saw does fine with the correct blade and swapping out the tires for urethane items along with properly adjusted quiet blocks. That said, I've only used it for 6,9 & 12mm ply.
Mac

[Allan Speers]

I had an Inca (Swiss) 3 wheel bandsaw that required patience to get to track correctly. Once that was done, it was fantastic. You can still find them used. I ended up selling it because I found myself doing more resawing and it wasn't really powered for that. Blade breakage wasn't an issue. I actually had a 1/16" blade on it for a while and it functioned like a scroll saw. I kept an example of a 3" thick incredibly tight spiral I cut that was made up of interlocking pieces. Wish I had space for it along with its big replacement.

The larger (20") Inca 3-wheeler looks fairly well made. Tempting if I had the money but they seem to sell for a lot, plus they are awfullly thin on the ground.

There's a guy online who sells special blades for 3-wheelers. They are about half as thick as a normal blade. I dunno how well they cut, but that would likely solve the breakage issue, at least with these "mid sized" saws.
- And even more so if you only use 1/8" to 1/4".
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The bigger issue seems to be alignment.

I'm thinking that if you were only using one of these to cut curves, you could probably get away with using only 1 blade, so as long as it can be properly setup ONCE, even if that's difficult, it could be a very nice addition to the shop.

Well, maybe someday I'll take a chance, if one comes along for cheap.