looking for a bandsaw,,

[jeff oldham]

right now I have the old delta benchtop bandsaw,,sm400 and one of the tires broke and you can get them on e bay for about 30.00,,i have considerer to get a new bandsaw but I actually don't know which one to buy,,i have looked at the craftsman,,rikon,,and grizzly,,i have found a used 12 in hitachi on craigs list,,cb13f for 300.00 and a ridged for the same price,,could anyone tell or give me some advice on buying one,,actually I don't have room for the hatachi or ridged,,but it seems like a lot better saw that the benchtops I have seen,,thank you

[Van Huskey]

First, both those saws are overpriced and likely more than they paid for the new. The CB13F retailed for about $250 and Lowes dumped them for between $90 and $150 when they quit carrying them about 8-9 years ago. The Ridgid (depending on which exact version, I assume it is a 14") got dumped on the maret when Home Depot closed them out for under $300 some even under $200. The Hitachi seemed to be a fine little saw, Hitachi is actually known for building some AWESOME small saws, while this one is not one of those it is good for the size but a $100 item in my book, based on the age and what they sold fornew. The Ridgid was an "OK" budget 14" saw and they had lots of little issues but most people got such good deals on them the warts weren't an issue. There is lots of info about fixing the vibrations etc here and around the net. If it is dead smooth running I might see near $200 but in general I see $150 for those as a good deal.

[Geoff Crimmins]

What sorts of things do you use your bandsaw for, and do you hope to use it for anything else in the future? Knowing a bit more about what you're trying to do will help everyone give you a better answer.

--Geoff

[jeff oldham]

some resawing,,and I wanted to get into making bandsaws boxes

[glenn bradley]

some resawing,,and I wanted to get into making bandsaws boxes

Hmm, two very different functions. Bandsaw boxes benefit from small blades and perhaps a guide made for scrolling type work (certainly not required). Resawing benefits from the opposite; a blade that wants to cut and stay straight.

This certainly doesn't mean you can't have both ;-) since you are looking at a 12" saw I assume resawing will be in the 2" - 4" heights and not what a lot of folks here think when they hear the word "resaw".

If small saws are the order of the day the Craftsman 10" saw (http://www.sears.com/craftsman-1-3-hp-3.5-amp-10inch-band-saw/p-00921400000P?sid=IDx01192011x000001&gclid=Cj0KEQjwkdHABRCHiZ2gs6yGh50BEiQAA91WluxD4QN-AloQsXDP7WlnaA2SMkNZcGORd4FIiPzSzxMaAiys8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds) gets good reviews from owners and is under $200. If you want a 14" cast iron saw (the de facto standard in home shops for the most part) the Grizzly clones get good ratings and seem to be the best bang for the buck in new saws of this class.

I don't know how the used market is in NC but, used 14" CI saws seems to abound across the country with varying prices and conditions. I don't have enough shop time to tinker with used gear but, have found a few good deals on well cared for used tools. One is a Delta 10" saw that I have used for years.