Best small Bandsaw

[David Justice]

I have a 17" bandsaw for resawing, but I want a small 9 or 10 inch one for smaller cuts. Any opinion on the best one out there?

[Zachary Hoyt]

I don't know about the best, but I am very happy with the Rikon 10-305 I bought a few years ago, and I suppose the 10-306 is just as good from what I have heard. I had an old 3 wheel 10" Delta that was kind of a misery, and a 10" Montgomery Ward that vibrated pretty badly and I couldn't get it in balance. Then for a few years I used an 18" Jet bandsaw for everything, till I bought the Rikon to go with it. I waited till there was a sale from Acme Tools and with 3 spare blades I was able to get it for $200 or so with free shipping. I'm very happy having two bandsaws, it saves me a lot of trouble either changing blades and guides or cutting with the wrong blade.

[Jay Norton]

I have a Rikon 10-3061 and have been very happy with it.

[Matthew Hills]

If you have the floor space, a vintage 14" delta or jet is very functional and gives a bit more throat clearance.

If you are thinking to put it on a benchtop or on a rolling cupboard, then a 10" rikon or used inca are pretty good.

The 10" craftsman is often suggested as a more budget-friendly version of the rikon, and can often be found for a good price on cragislist. Mine worked okay, but didn't run as smooth as the inca I replaced it with. The toolless blade change on the new rikons is attractive.

Matt

[Larry Frank]

I have the 10" Rikon and very pleased with it. I also have a 16" Jet for resaw. I am amazed at how much I use the small Rikon.

[David Justice]

Thanks guys! Sounds like the Rikon is a good choice.

[Wes Grass]

I've have/had a desire to add a 10" Rikon as well, once I get some actual shop space. Changing to a narrow blade, and bending over to do contour cutting on my big saw is annoying. The thing is, casually looking at them on a trip to Woodcraft awhile back suggested maybe I'd be happier with a 14". Yeah, quite a bit more money, and more floor space, but also that much more 'swing' thru the frame. I remember the very first contour cut I had to do on my old Laguna 16" wouldn't clear.

[Tom M King]

I have two of the Craftsman 10" saws. They were the same as the Rikon 10-305, but the doors are a different color, with a different name badge on them. I keep a 1/4" blade on one, and an 1/8" with a Carter stabilizer on the other one. They do fine for small saws, for me. I'm sure the 306 is better, but for 165 new for the first one, and the other of CL for 100, they do their jobs just fine. The one with the 1/4" blade is my most used, out of four, bandsaws.

[Matthew Hills]

Tom,
have you made any changes to the tires or guides on the craftsman saws?

I do use my small bandsaw for a lot of random small cuts -- key is having it set up with a general-purpose blade and having it close to my bench. Plug in the shop vac, start it up, and a cuttin' we will go.

Matt

[Tom M King]

I have not done a thing to them. I bought the first one to use up on a roof, cutting Cypress shingles lengthwise to fit each one to fantail hips, on a pretty big roof. I found it a lot better than I expected it to be, and bought another one that popped up on a closeby CL. The only thing I've done to them, so far, is put new blades on them, when needed.

[Larry Frank]

Tom's post reminds me of the Carter Stabilizer. I have one on my 10" bandsaw. It works very well with the small blades.

[Stewart Lang]

I have a 17" bandsaw for resawing, but I want a small 9 or 10 inch one for smaller cuts. Any opinion on the best one out there?

I just bought Grizzly's 9" saw and I was extremely impressed. I had a 21" bandsaw before and their 9" saw is basically the same saw just hit with a shrink ray lol. It's got ALL the features, like quick release, adjustable guide bearings, etc. The doors are solid sheet metal and the fence is good. Adjustments are easy and work well too. The table is sheet metal instead of cast iron, but the saw is only $275 or whatever, and it's still very thick sheet metal so I can't complain, it works good.

I'd definitely recommend the Grizzly over the Rikon, unless you purely need the Rikon's slightly larger size.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

I strongly recommend Makita LB1200F Band Saw. It is small and very well made. It has a decently powered motor. Easy to change blades and setup. Mine is one of favorite tools in my shop.