Bandsaws; Resaw Capacity

[Nelson Bryan]

I'm sure it's been asked in various forms a million times here, and I've searched but I'm not quite finding the answer I'm looking for, so here goes...

I'm historically a power tool user that's gravitated toward the human powered hand tool and becoming more and more of a luddite. But I'm not Tom Fidgen crazy (yet).
I'm in the middle of deciding how I'm rebuilding my workbench and workspace over this winter and which powered machines I'm still keeping, selling and which ones I might buy over the course of a year or two. It seems like the powered machines I choose to keep will also directly affect what kind of bench I build and how big, etc.

Right now I have in mind to make anything from small boxes, trinkets...maybe a chess set with my kids, and more furniture. Probably next up dining table and chairs.

For a powered saw I'm really thinking to dump my jobsite saw and switch to bandsaw and a better circular saw with jigs, crosscut stations, or perhaps a tracksaw instead/too? So thinking about the bandsaw and just generally shopping around. Everyone always gives the blanket statement of "Get at least a 14 inch", "buy more than you think you'll need", etc.

So leaving actual bandsaw sort of off the table, I want to get into resaw capacity. I've noticed that not all 14 inch bandsaws are created equal. Some have no option for a riser, some do. Some come out of the box with 12+ inch capacity, and some are limited to about six inches. So the real question isn't exactly about the size. But more about how much resaw capacity is enough?

I guess I'm curious to hear from others who actually own a medium to large bandsaw and how often they resaw more than 5-6 inches? And if they do how often they do it? Or people who have a smaller one and if they have regrets, or how they work around the shortcomings of what they have.


-

Nothing is really off the table. I've been monitoring places like Craigslist and Facebook Market place. I've found some seemingly decent deals on old Deltas and Powermatics, or even older vintage units that have open wheels, but rebuilt with new motors and look to be in really good shape. Then every once in awhile used Rikons of various sizes.
The clearly really old vintage 14 inchers, they don't look like they can resaw more than about 5-6 inches. So if they had a strong motor I'm wondering if I'm gimping myself considering a 14 inch bandsaw that only has 5-7 inch resaw capacity?

Or I might pinch pennies for awhile and go out and buy new and am leaning toward something like a Rikon 10-326 or Laguna 1412.

Or heck, I just saw the smaller Rikon 10-3061 go new on Amazon for $400 and it and the 10-305 seem to go used for around $150-200. Benchtop model has some appeal from a portability standpoint, and a Roubo frame saw looks like a fun project for deeper cuts, so there is that in the back of my mind too.

Or maybe I'll end up with something like a 10 inch benchtop model and keep a smaller blade on it, and then look to get a 14 inch to keep around with a wider blade. So yes, I'm even thinking about getting TWO bandsaws. I don't know. I'm still mulling it all over. Yeah, I'm all over the place...

[John TenEyck]

It really depends upon what you plan to build as to how much resaw height you'll need. I regularly saw 12" wide veneer, so I needed a bandsaw with significant resaw height and a powerful motor. Not knowing much else about your plans, I'd say to forget any bench top saw, or cast iron 14", and get a 14" steel frame saw with at least 10" resaw height and at least 2 hp motor. That will give you resaw height adequate for most work and the ability to use a wide range of blades, both for resawing as well as finer work, in a package that won't overwhelm your shop.

John

[lou Brava]

Well IMO it's real simple pick a budget & get the most saw you can for that amount. I use a 14" Laguna SUV 3hp motor & it will resaw 10" materiel no problem it's guard would allow about 13" materiel but I've never tried anything that tall, got it used for 1000 bucks.

[Andrew Hughes]

I think a 14 inch bandsaw is the smallest you should buy.
93.5 inch blades are fairly easy to come by with a good selection of tooth configuration. Anything shorter the blades just don’t last very long and you’ll be stuck with fewer choices.
Good Luck

[Nelson Bryan]

It really depends upon what you plan to build as to how much resaw height you'll need. I regularly saw 12" wide veneer, so I needed a bandsaw with significant resaw height and a powerful motor. Not knowing much else about your plans, I'd say to forget any bench top saw, or cast iron 14", and get a 14" steel frame saw with at least 10" resaw height and at least 2 hp motor. That will give you resaw height adequate for most work and the ability to use a wide range of blades, both for resawing as well as finer work, in a package that won't overwhelm your shop.

John

Thanks, that’s helpful. So the older 14’s are cast iron and generally don’t have that much resaw capacity? Likewise, also probably can’t easily add a riser, I suppose.

So, aside from veneer do you resaw anything wider than about six inches?

I don’t think I’m likely to do veneers, but you never know. Like I said above, mostly around the house smaller stuff, boxes and more practical stuff like furniture are in my sights.

[Andrew More]

I've got a Laguna 18BX. I find myself resawing things pretty regularly, usually in the 7-8" range, since that's the size of the stock I use, since I have an 8" jointer.

As stated before a 14" cast iron, even with a riser block isn't very good at resawing. The blade you can use is limited, as is the amount of tension you can put it under. As a result you're going to have issues with it wandering, etc. They often also come with smaller motors which will stall out.

I know all this because I tried to use a riser block in my 14" Delta. I've still got it, but I only use it for curve work. The Laguna 18 BX with a 1 1/4" blade are what I use for resawing.

[Nelson Bryan]

Well IMO it's real simple pick a budget & get the most saw you can for that amount. I use a 14" Laguna SUV 3hp motor & it will resaw 10" materiel no problem it's guard would allow about 13" materiel but I've never tried anything that tall, got it used for 1000 bucks.

Yes, and that resaw capacity does have some appeal to me, but my question to you is how often do you use that resaw capacity you have? What if I get say a Laguna 1412, but then have a 15 inch wide plank I want to split?



I think a 14 inch bandsaw is the smallest you should buy.
93.5 inch blades are fairly easy to come by with a good selection of tooth configuration. Anything shorter the blades just don’t last very long and you’ll be stuck with fewer choices.
Good Luck

You make a very good point on blade availability. Kind of like the whole 6 1/2 vs 7 1/2 circular saw argument…

[mike stenson]

I have, and use, a 14" cast iron bandsaw with a riser. I ended up resawing a whole lot more than I figured I would initially. It works, but had I to do it over again I'd have gotten a steel saw. Even though I'd have not gotten as good a deal. Eventually I'll just get another bigger saw, but.. Well, that's my 2cents.

[Tom Trees]

Agreed with Andrew, bearing in mind, the footprint of most 14" saws is basically the same up to a budget 20" machine,
if they've got any sort of decent sized table,
unless you're in extremely tight quarters, and say, 2 or 3" matters, that is.

Lots of questions one could ask, like....
What about bookmatching panels for furniture, dining tables could be quite long.

What about having a wee taster of some amateur Matt Cremona shenanigans?

Have you got the time to restore, since you've mentioned all cast iron machines, guess you wouldn't mind "getting to know" the machine?

What sort'a space have you, does it need to move every time, i.e, for a car, and have you got ceiling height?

What about tenon cutting, or just not having to need an infeed of sorts, larger table is more of a doddle in that sense,
not to mention further away from the blade!

Tropical hardwoods, perhaps, carbide blades need more tension/hefty saw.

Have you looked at used three phase, as used often = half the price of new, & 3 phase = half that, again ...
Most modern motors for bandsaws are likely "dual voltage" which means if you see 220 v alongside any of these three notations ... delta / D / △ ,
and either 2 pole, meaning the RPM is 3600RPMish, or 4 pole RPM will be around 1800ish, either one is the norm speed on modern motors,
and the HP is not exceeding your socket, then you could cheaply get the machine running for not much cost using a VFD.

What sorta supply you got, upgrade down the road for extraction, regardless of what machine you get....VFDs are easy on the supply in this regards,
if yer running a half decent dust extraction system, due to the lovely easy adjust , soft starting feature, compared to single phase startup oomph what trips breakers.
Nuff said bout that, just mentioning many prefer that solution, (and the Italian bandsaw what goes with it)

I often see the likes going for real cheap, but not locally, like 500 quid compared to the cost of a budget 20" new machine, at about 3 grand.
Keep onto yer monies and think about it...unless something like a foolproof design old Centauro CO or similar pops up on your doorstep for what you might want to spend on the biscuit tins,
or perhaps something for twice that, what's in pristine condition, something with cast iron wheels at minimum, could prob get Italian saw with the same money if you wait.
I've probably left loads out.
Better to look at all the options, than go round and round comparing cheap saws head to head, coulda summed it up really :rolleyes:

Just spotted this today, but guess you don't live in Dublin
Not a CO, but a Centauro none the less, and single phase, these normally are quite pricey, and still being made today.
509389

All the best
Tom

[glenn bradley]

If I did mostly hand tool work I could see losing the table saw and going with a bandsaw only. I have smaller bandsaws and they are useful to a point. If a bandsaw was to be my main powered saw I would want (to quote Gary Rogowski) "a real one". :) That is, a saw that is up to easily doing everything I might require of it.

[lou Brava]

Yes, and that resaw capacity does have some appeal to me, but my question to you is how often do you use that resaw capacity you have? What if I get say a Laguna 1412, but then have a 15 inch wide plank I want to split?




You make a very good point on blade availability. Kind of like the whole 6 1/2 vs 7 1/2 circular saw argument…

Well not all 14" bandsaws are created equal. A 14" Laguna SUV uses a 125" blade and has a 3 hp. motor. It can tension a 3/4" Resaw King just fine not even near maxed out.
I had a budget & got the 14" SUV because it was the most saw I could get for the money. If money wasn't part of equation I'd have bought a bigger saw. However after using the 14 for bit I really have no need or want for a larger saw.
I've never had the need to resaw anything larger than 9-10". If your thinking of resawing 15" materiel you will obviously need a much more expensive saw than the ones you mentioned in your OP.

[John TenEyck]

Thanks, that’s helpful. So the older 14’s are cast iron and generally don’t have that much resaw capacity? Likewise, also probably can’t easily add a riser, I suppose.

So, aside from veneer do you resaw anything wider than about six inches?

I don’t think I’m likely to do veneers, but you never know. Like I said above, mostly around the house smaller stuff, boxes and more practical stuff like furniture are in my sights.

The cast iron 14" saws can't put much tension on a 1/2" blade, and don't even think about using a 3/4" one. I measured 12 ksi on a 1/2" blade on my Delta, which is half of what I comfortably run on my larger saw with a 1" blade. There's just no substitute for tension if you want to resaw efficiently - i.e. in a straight line and w/o blade bowing. Despite the low tension on my Delta, I put a riser block on it (a Powermatic one, no less, it's not hard but realignment to get the wheels parallel is important) and a 1.5 hp motor and I sawed a lot of 10" veneer with it, slowly and after very careful set up. On my larger saw slicing veneer is fast and easy with pretty much no care needed other than using a consistent feed rate. So, yes, you can resaw and slice veneer on a 14" Delta, but it takes very careful setup and operator attention. For your stated needs, it may be a workable option.

But at some point, you will want to resaw a board as wide as your jointer can handle and maybe even as wide as your planer. Of course, you can rip it in two, resaw the smaller pieces, and then glue them back together, but that's extra work and the grain match won't be perfect. There are always workarounds, but why go down that route if you can afford a saw that will meet your needs w/o compromise? A 14" steel spined saw capable of applying at least 20 ksi to a 3/4" blade, 12" of resaw height and a 3 hp motor would be a no compromise machine for most hobby woodworkers.

John

[Jim Becker]

A lot of 14" band saws don't have the stiffness or power to do a "great" job with resawing. There are a few that do a pretty good job in the current marketplace...steel frames, heftier motors, etc. Even so, they are not going to do "this one job" as well as a much larger machine will simply because of physics. John just spoke a bit about that. So you need to carefully consider what your plan will be, especially if the bandsaw is going to be your primary machine for ripping and resawing. Honestly, I have a heavy, steel frame Italian 16" bandsaw and while it does a nice job for what I ask of it, I'd want larger if I was doing a lot of resawing. In fact, I've visited another 'Creeker who has a larger one when what I needed was just not going to be practical on my own machine. So again, what you want/need to do should dictate what level of machine you choose to invest in...you don't want "a bandsaw", you want "the" bandsaw that will do the work you need it to do.

[Michael Burnside]

I think you should ask yourself where you'll procure most of your project wood from. Will you regularly need 14" of resaw? Will you need more? I typically resaw 7-10" and have never done 14", so what I have is perfect. Also keep in mind that unless you're resawing verneer, anything wider and the final product will have some serious risks of more than average wood movement.

For perspective, I just recently I took some 12/4 red oak, 11" wide and resawed in half for a CNC project where I made two custom feet for a coffee table. My Laguna 14BX with Resaw King blade made little work of the job. For me, that's plenty, it's proven in my shop and that's all I care about. I respect many of the other posters above, but quite frankly I don't need "more power"!

One more note, coming from a power tool guy, is that I often employ the use of my tablesaw for critical resaws. Say I want to resaw a 7" wide board. I'll rip one edge on the table saw about 30 percent through, flip it and do the same thing. Then I'll resaw the remaining.

All that said, the bandsaw isn't my main tool, it's an accessory. If most of what I did was on the bandsaw, maybe I'd have a different opinion and I'd want some kind of bandsaw that could resaw a small car? Since I've not resawed any cars or California redwoods recently, I'm pretty happy with what I've got.

[Russell Hayes]

OP you mentioned getting two bandsaws. You might get a 14" first, if it doesn't have enough capacity then get a larger steel frame saw later. Then use the 14" set up for curves with a narrow blade.

Changing blades on bandsaws is a royal pain and time consuming.

I use my 17" Grizzly mostly for rough lumber rips (wood too cupped to safely use the table saw) and resaw (but rarely more than 7-8") and I keep a 3/4 3tpi blade on it. My old blue JET 14" has a Carter stabilizer and 1/4" blade so when I need to cut a curve it's ready. I only have to change blades when they get dull.

And keep that jobsite table saw - you will need it for something one day.

[Cameron Wood]

Resawing, and everything else on a bandsaw almost call for different machines. Changing blade and set up is a hassle, & especially when tuned up for resawing, one wants to leave it that way.

I have one set up with a narrow blade for utility and curved cuts, and another with a 1/2" blade for rip/resaw. It's a 14" Delta & it would be great to upgrade but I'll probably continue to make do.

[Michael Burnside]

Resawing, and everything else on a bandsaw almost call for different machines. Changing blade and set up is a hassle, & especially when tuned up for resawing, one wants to leave it that way.

I have one set up with a narrow blade for utility and curved cuts, and another with a 1/2" blade for rip/resaw. It's a 14" Delta & it would be great to upgrade but I'll probably continue to make do.

Agreed. My BX is setup for resaw and I have a small Rikon 10" with 3/16" for everything else. In a pinch I can use the resaw for anything that is "mostly straight".

[Richard Coers]

With your incredibly broad description, no idea how anyone can narrow it down. My only advice, unless you make model ships, stay away from a bench top saw. They are underpowered and have incredibly lightweight trunnions and tables.

[Aaron Inami]

With your incredibly broad description, no idea how anyone can narrow it down. My only advice, unless you make model ships, stay away from a bench top saw. They are underpowered and have incredibly lightweight trunnions and tables.

I completely agree with this. I had a "decent" 10" benchtop band saw with cast iron table and so forth. I always hated using it because it needed to be moved around constantly. When I did use it, I always had problems with blade tracking and other stuff. It's gone now, but if I were to do another band saw, it would be 14" minimum. The Harvey 15" bandsaw is on my list as a overall general saw (but their 14" is nice as well). I can always go to my friend's shop if I need to re-saw on his giant 20" SCM. He's able to crank is blade tension up to 28 ksi, which makes for extremely excellent results in resawing or just sawing in general.

Some people have been happy with the lower priced Grizzly bandsaws, but they all have some minor compromise or annoyance. The Laguna saws are better.

[Josko Catipovic]

I have a 14" Delta w/riser. Got along just fine, although I went through a lot of Woodslicer blades trying to resaw 6"-8" oak. It worked, sort of. Then my local lumberyard got bought out/ruined. I switched to a sawmill and got a 5 hp Laguna LT18" to dress my own 8/4 and thicker stuff. Now most of my casework is bookmatched; I have a new attitude towards wood and what it can be made into, and a garageload of boule-sawn trunks.
But I agree with other posters - get a solid 14" and it should serve you for the bulk of hobby needs. My Delta still sees plenty of use, just not resawing. Some day, you might end up in the direction I took.

[John TenEyck]

I completely agree with this. I had a "decent" 10" benchtop band saw with cast iron table and so forth. I always hated using it because it needed to be moved around constantly. When I did use it, I always had problems with blade tracking and other stuff. It's gone now, but if I were to do another band saw, it would be 14" minimum. The Harvey 15" bandsaw is on my list as a overall general saw (but their 14" is nice as well). I can always go to my friend's shop if I need to re-saw on his giant 20" SCM. He's able to crank is blade tension up to 28 ksi, which makes for extremely excellent results in resawing or just sawing in general.

Some people have been happy with the lower priced Grizzly bandsaws, but they all have some minor compromise or annoyance. The Laguna saws are better.

Show me a better saw in its size range than the Grizzly G0636X. I've had one for 5 years. If there are any compromises or annoyances, I haven't found them yet. As close to perfect out of the crate as can be expected and flawless veneer and resawing performance with a Woodmaster CT on it.

John

[Nelson Bryan]

Ok, you fellows have definitely given me something to ruminate over this winter. It sounds like I'm definitely on the right track to be considering a 14 inch. I just didn't realize how drastically different even the 14's can be. Since I'm hard pressed for space though a benchtop option appeals to me, but just having a bandsaw on wheels probably solves that issue. Still, in the back of my mind I wonder how useful it would be to have something like the Rikon 10-3061 to cart around in an onsite fashion (not that I really do that).

I think I'll research various 14's, plan on looking for a steel frame. Like I said originally I was already leaning toward a Rikon 10-326 or Laguna. Both are at the local woodcraft about six minutes from my house, so I already played with their floor models a bit this past year, whenever I stop in.
But I'm going to be slow to pull the trigger on anything, I think. Unless I find an older vintage 14 that's only a few hundred bucks local and I'd consider it a "rental". For example in a nearby city there is an old open wheel 14 inch vintage Rockwell going for $150. He claims to have rebuilt it*. Would a cast iron be an awful purchase even if it's only a 6-7" resaw capacity if I found one for a couple hundred bucks? Just to get my feet wet, so to speak...


*Nevermind on this Rockwell. I actually found it. It's a 10 inch Homecraft made by Rockwell/Delta: http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1141/1988.pdf

[John Kananis]

If you're looking at the laguna 14/12, consider bumping up to the 14bx. I can't think of a better new saw in its class. I'm biased as I really like mine.


Ok, you fellows have definitely given me something to ruminate over this winter. It sounds like I'm definitely on the right track to be considering a 14 inch. I just didn't realize how drastically different even the 14's can be. Since I'm hard pressed for space though a benchtop option appeals to me, but just having a bandsaw on wheels probably solves that issue. Still, in the back of my mind I wonder how useful it would be to have something like the Rikon 10-3061 to cart around in an onsite fashion (not that I really do that).

I think I'll research various 14's, plan on looking for a steel frame. Like I said originally I was already leaning toward a Rikon 10-326 or Laguna. Both are at the local woodcraft about six minutes from my house, so I already played with their floor models a bit this past year, whenever I stop in.
But I'm going to be slow to pull the trigger on anything, I think. Unless I find an older vintage 14 that's only a few hundred bucks local and I'd consider it a "rental". For example in a nearby city there is an old open wheel 14 inch vintage Rockwell going for $150. He claims to have rebuilt it*. Would a cast iron be an awful purchase even if it's only a 6-7" resaw capacity if I found one for a couple hundred bucks? Just to get my feet wet, so to speak...


*Nevermind on this Rockwell. I actually found it. It's a 10 inch Homecraft made by Rockwell/Delta: http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/1141/1988.pdf

[Michael Burnside]

If you're looking at the laguna 14/12, consider bumping up to the 14bx. I can't think of a better new saw in its class. I'm biased as I really like mine.

Same here John. Great saw, like the foot brake too.

[Nelson Bryan]

Ok, thanks for the pointers. I know the regulars that hang out over at Woodcraft are all over the Laguna 1412 and the BX. Three of the employees own one. Then another fellow who works green wood was swearing up and down that the ceramic guides were an immense bump in reliability for him over what IIRC was a Delta, as rollers were always getting gunked up and trashed for him. Not that this would really be an issue to me. I think. (At least I don't believe so. I've got a couple of good locally sourced walnut, pin oak, and maple that's all harvested by a couple of good acquaintances and then air dried over about two to four years in a barn. I have mainly worked with Walnut, and can get it from them in 4/4 to 16/4 milled and planed on two sides.)

Any other brands worth researching this winter? Grizzly? Delta? Someone else? I think I've decided to just start stashing cash, and plan on some sort of a 14 inch...I don't think a larger one will be affordable, fit in my garage due to space limits, and I have no intention of rewiring any electrical either. I decided to check my electrical panel and it looks like I have a 15 amp circuit to the garage. So, I guess I better take that into the equation too. The only 220v I have is for the clothes dryer and the over...I don't think my wife is going to let me plug in there. :D

[John Kananis]

Running a 220 line is cake, don't let that stop you. The bx is a 220 machine with a 2.5hp motor, totally worth the battle with the other half. If cost isn't the issue and only space, then look at the 18bx, not much larger footprint.


Ok, thanks for the pointers. I know the regulars that hang out over at Woodcraft are all over the Laguna 1412 and the BX. Three of the employees own one. Then another fellow who works green wood was swearing up and down that the ceramic guides were an immense bump in reliability for him over what IIRC was a Delta, as rollers were always getting gunked up and trashed for him. Not that this would really be an issue to me. I think. (At least I don't believe so. I've got a couple of good locally sourced walnut, pin oak, and maple that's all harvested by a couple of good acquaintances and then air dried over about two to four years in a barn. I have mainly worked with Walnut, and can get it from them in 4/4 to 16/4 milled and planed on two sides.)

Any other brands worth researching this winter? Grizzly? Delta? Someone else? I think I've decided to just start stashing cash, and plan on some sort of a 14 inch...I don't think a larger one will be affordable, fit in my garage due to space limits, and I have no intention of rewiring any electrical either. I decided to check my electrical panel and it looks like I have a 15 amp circuit to the garage. So, I guess I better take that into the equation too. The only 220v I have is for the clothes dryer and the over...I don't think my wife is going to let me plug in there. :D

[John TenEyck]

If all you have is one 15 amp circuit to the garage, the first thing you should do is increase the service. Otherwise, after you turn on a few lights, you will be limited to handtools. That's not a bad thing, but forget that new bandsaw.

John

[Mike Cutler]

Nelson

I have two bandsaws in my shop. Both are older models, 20-25 years old, but hopefully the comparisons I can give may help you.
Th first bandsaw is a late 90's, Jet 14" Bandsaw, with 6" riser. Theoretically 12" of resaw. In actuality, not a chance that bandsaw will ever resaw 12" wide material with any consistency, or efficiency. Tropical hardwoods, not a chance.
The second bandsaw is an 18" Rikon 10-340, one of their first bandsaw offerings in the US market. This bandsaw has a maybe a little over 12" of resaw height, and I've pushed it to it's limit. It runs a 2/3 Lennox Varipitch bandsaw blade, 1" wide. ( Lately it's had a really nice 1", 3TPI, Starrett, carbide blade, but the same. This bandsaw can resaw 12" domestic and tropical hardwoods and keep the statistical deviation in thickness to < 30 thousandths no matter where measures, and most of this comes from me not applying uniform pressure and switching hands. The blade is parallel to the fence, and square to the table. There is no reason to compensate for "blade drift". Set the fence like the table saw and push it through.
There is no comparison when it comes to resawing with a 14" saw, versus an 18". A 14" cannot keep up. If you want resaw, for largish projects and bookmatching panels, even only 6" wide, a 14" bandsaw is not my first
choice.
No reason not to own two bandsaws. ;)

[Nelson Bryan]

So now I'm going to need to upgrade my power to the garage. Well, in that case I don't know now how feasible a bandsaw will be. It seems like there is no middle ground here. Perhaps it's time to turn to a frame saw for any potential large-ish resawing jobs.

[John Kananis]

Power first, man. Spend your money on a sub-panel for now. Save some cash and get a good saw, don't compromise - you'll need to replace any compromise in the future and it'll just cost you more in the long run.

A sub-panel won't cost that much, even with running a couple of 220 and 110 lines. If you have a little left over, spend it on lighting.

Frame saws are a fun project, I made myself a smaller 1-man saw years ago but don't think for a second that will solve your resaw problems... unless you enjoy pain and have lots of time lol.


So now I'm going to need to upgrade my power to the garage. Well, in that case I don't know now how feasible a bandsaw will be. It seems like there is no middle ground here. Perhaps it's time to turn to a frame saw for any potential large-ish resawing jobs.

[Kris Cook]

Show me a better saw in its size range than the Grizzly G0636X. I've had one for 5 years. If there are any compromises or annoyances, I haven't found them yet. As close to perfect out of the crate as can be expected and flawless veneer and resawing performance with a Woodmaster CT on it.

John

Wished I hadn't looked at this. Grizzly has them on sale. Sale ends tomorrow...

[John TenEyck]

Wished I hadn't looked at this. Grizzly has them on sale. Sale ends tomorrow...

Sorry for posing the temptation. IMO, and experience, there is no better saw for the money, and likely no better saw in that size range, than the G0636X. Of course, I'm biased since I own one, but if you compare specs, including weight, you'll see it's at the top of the heap. If you plan to never sell the saw, it's the best value saw out there. However, if you see yourself selling it down the road, you likely would get higher $'s out of a MiniMax, Felder, Hammer, or Laguna, because people perceive them as better, as you saw someone here state.

FWIW, I inadvertently put 42 ksi on a 1" Woodmaster CT, and the spring had plenty of capacity left. Moreover, the guides did not go out of plane. It is a very robust machine. And it means that it could easily tension a 1-1/4" blade to 25 ksi should one wish to use one for whatever reason. There is a least one saw in the list above that cannot apply 25 ksi to a 1" blade. A search here should tell you which.


John

[Matthew Hills]

Big saws are nice for: larger table, bigger throat capacity (forgetting to plan for the column is pretty annoying), and overall cutting power (blade speed, wider blade, etc.)

But, are you sure you need to resaw? (veneer? bookmatched panels? milling?)
or are you expecting to use it more as a powered rip saw to be followed by hand work?

For the projects you listed, a bandsaw sounds very useful for chair work; less so for table. And boxes would depend on the type of box...

I've got a 10" inca (nice small bandsaw) and a minimax 16" (similar to the grizzly).
The minimax makes me smile when I use it (particularly for milling), but my tablesaw and smaller bandsaw get a lot more use for most of my projects.

Jim Tolpin is another advocate of bandsaw as the powered tool to complement hand tools. Unfortunately, haven't seen any project videos from him.

IMO, bandsaws can be pretty bad for dust -- I'd recommend planning for running a shop vac with an undertable collection shroud (search for rob cosman video on bandsaw dust collection)

Matt

[Andrew Hughes]

Matthew you forgot to mention a attribute of a large diameter wheel bandsaw. A longer blade. At almost 15ft a carbon steel blade for my saw only cost 27 dollars from my saw service. It lasts a very long time.
I plan to buy coils and solder my own regular carbon steel blades it looks like I might be able to get that cost down to 10 or 12 dollars.
Longer blades cost slightly more last much longer
Good Luck

[Earl McLain]

Wished I hadn't looked at this. Grizzly has them on sale. Sale ends tomorrow...

I got the same e-mail, and came really close to ordering one on impulse. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed!! One day i may have a larger bandsaw, and 16" of cutting height would be ideal for cutting bowl blanks out of logs (standing vertically)--but this is not the time for me.

[Kris Cook]

I got the same e-mail, and came really close to ordering one on impulse. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed!! One day i may have a larger bandsaw, and 16" of cutting height would be ideal for cutting bowl blanks out of logs (standing vertically)--but this is not the time for me.

Earl - funny, I unsubscribed from the Grizzly emails and didn't see it until I saw John's post. That said, I am in the same boat as you and will wait for now.

[Alex Zeller]

If it was me I would add a second outlet to the dryer circuit. You can easily not use the saw when the other is doing laundry. Until I added extra circuits I had an extension cord and I would unplug the dryer, run the cord down to the basement. It wasn't ideal but you do what you have to.

[Curt Harms]

Yes, and that resaw capacity does have some appeal to me, but my question to you is how often do you use that resaw capacity you have? What if I get say a Laguna 1412, but then have a 15 inch wide plank I want to split?




You make a very good point on blade availability. Kind of like the whole 6 1/2 vs 7 1/2 circular saw argument…

Not really. There are many sources who will make any length bandsaw blade you want. Bandsaw blade material comes on a roll, cut off what you need and weld it. You're not going to go to your nearest big box store and buy a 133" bandsaw blade for example but somebody like https://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com, http://www.spectrumsupply.com/band-saw-blades.aspx or businesses like them will make whatever you need.

As far as resawing with a small saw, I have a Rikon 10-325 14" steel saw. It has a 1.75 HP motor and around 12" resaw capacity. I've resawed about 10" with it but I had to take my time and be careful to not overfeed it. It works for the occasional resaw but if resawing were any kind of frequent operation I'd want more saw. I've read where big stout band saws and track saws no table saws are more common in Europe, don't know how true that is.

[Nelson Bryan]

Not really. There are many sources who will make any length bandsaw blade you want. Bandsaw blade material comes on a roll, cut off what you need and weld it. You're not going to go to your nearest big box store and buy a 133" bandsaw blade for example but somebody like https://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com, http://www.spectrumsupply.com/band-saw-blades.aspx or businesses like them will make whatever you need.

As far as resawing with a small saw, I have a Rikon 10-325 14" steel saw. It has a 1.75 HP motor and around 12" resaw capacity. I've resawed about 10" with it but I had to take my time and be careful to not overfeed it. It works for the occasional resaw but if resawing were any kind of frequent operation I'd want more saw. I've read where big stout band saws and track saws no table saws are more common in Europe, don't know how true that is.

Percentage-wise, how often do you feel like you're resawing needs have required more than six inch capacity?

I'm still undecided what I'm going to do. Much of the reason I'm even looking into bandsaws is because of how much I hate my table saw. A couple kickbacks and then seeing just how gruesome those wounds can be...I didn't even use it for the bedframe I recently built, and I'll likely never use it again. Anyway, some of what the other guys have said lead me to believe I need to consider details, like electric needs I wasn't taking into the equation. From a financial perspective I just don't see that in the cards in the next two years. This thread has been somewhat discouraging to me, and is pushing me even more so into the Neanderthal mentality. It really seems like it's an all or nothing viewpoint most seem to hold in here. Perhaps it's time to build a kerfing saw, frame saw and see how how much resawing "needs" I actually have. They say necessity is the mother of invention. Perhaps by going without I'll discover other interesting techniques to work around the lack of a big, beautiful bandsaw.


I think I'm going to pivot back to thinking about my workbench needs for this winter, but taking an eventual bandsaw purchase into the equation for its build. Perhaps I'll work on a few smaller projects with my kids until this spring. Like picture frames, shelves, or some small bedside tables, etc. for now.

[Andrew Hughes]

I think your on the right track. A lot of what you write makes sense to me and mirrors what how I process wood for my amateurish projects.
I rip wood far more on my bandsaw then my table saw. It’s not because I don’t like my tablesaw I have a nice vintage saw that runs super smooth and cuts greats.
I use rough sawn boards when I can and prefer slab size.
Good Luck

[John TenEyck]

Look for a used 14" cast iron Delta. You should be able to find one in good shape for less than $500. It will run on 120V. It can resaw up to 6", slowly, but well enough, 100 times easier than doing it by hand. If you look at what people spend on hand tools, you'll find basic, used power tools to be a bargain.

If you are scared of your table saw, you should get an experienced woodworker to review basic use techniques with you.

John