Bandsaw Advice

[Brian Vega]

Yes, it is another guy asking another question about bandsaws. I have read more threads here than I can remember and am in the middle of reading Lonnie Bird's book. I have also read several magazine reviews others have posted. But I would still like here more thoughts.

My hang up is not necessarily which brand of saw to buy but which size. I am sure I will ask the brand question next. :)

My 2 options are 14" with a riser block or a 18". Only looking at 14" with 1.5 hp or higher.

Right now I am purchasing pre-milled boards and am looking to resaw them. Most of the boards are 8" or less.

My understanding of trade offs:
14": less power, slower resaw cuts, skinner boards, continued lust after a bigger saw:o

18": more $$$ (but not that much more :p ), bigger footprint

The Money Question: Will a good 14" saw (Powermatic, Rikon 10-325) handle the boards I am currently using and an occasional board 12 inch board or bowl blanks.

I would like to stick with the local WoodCraft store becuase support and helping the local guys.

Thanks for helping a newbie

Brian

[Pete Brown]

Add to the trade-offs:

14": limited blade widths, also can't tension or use carbide blades. More flex (in most cases)

In reality, the footprint is similar until you get into huge bandsaws (like 24" or 36" models)

Pete

[glenn bradley]

A blend. The new Rikon is a 14" but sports an impressive re-saw. It has reveiwed well as you probably have found and is sold by Woodcraft. Just my .02.

[RichMagnone]

I agree - the difference in space used between my old Griz 14" and my new Rikon 18" is really very little. If you are in the hobby for the long haul, you'll end up with an 18" one day anyway, so if the $$ is not a problem, I would go bigger. Bigger tables, easier setup, more power.

[Richard Keller]

Really and truly, riser blocks should not be made for 14" band saws. Unless you are cutting balsa wood or styrofoam, you'll never have enough power. It's not just that though. You can't tension a blade enough on a 14" band saw to cut through 12" which further compounds the problem. It took me about ten years in woodworking, but I did finally figure out, it's worth the wait. Save the $$ and buy the saw you really want, and buy it once.

The cheapest tool is the one you buy once.

Richard.

[Robert Waddell]

Brian,
IMHO do what Rich said if you can afford to. If not Glenn has the second best solution.
Rob

[Curt Harms]

Yes, it is another guy asking another question about bandsaws. .....

My 2 options are 14" with a riser block or a 18". Only looking at 14" with 1.5 hp or higher.

Right now I am purchasing pre-milled boards and am looking to resaw them. Most of the boards are 8" or less.

My understanding of trade offs:
14": less power, slower resaw cuts, skinner boards, continued lust after a bigger saw:o

18": more $$$ (but not that much more :p ), bigger footprint

The Money Question: Will a good 14" saw (Powermatic, Rikon 10-325) handle the boards I am currently using and an occasional board 12 inch board or bowl blanks.

I would like to stick with the local WoodCraft store becuase support and helping the local guys.

Thanks for helping a newbie

Brian
Hi Brian

I wrote up a review of the Rikon 10-325 a week or 2 ago. If You search under my user name, it should come up. I haven't had a lot of time to tinker with it yet. The widest White Oak I've resawn is about 8" and that worked O.K. as long as I didn't try to overfeed. An operation like that produces a LOT of sawdust:) . The original motor suffered from SIMD (sudden infant motor death) but Rikon was very good about sending me another. The biggest limitation with 14" wheels is You really can't use thick bandsaw blades like carbide, they will fatigue and fail prematurely. I'm running a 3/4" Timberwolf PC blade and it seems fine for resawing. Sawing green 12" bowl blanks might be more than it's comfortable with, I doubt I'll be sawing bowl blanks anytime soon. If You have the room and budget, the 17" & 18" saws aren't a lot more money and You get an extra 1/2 H.P. and larger wheels. I prefer the steel frame over the cast iron saw with riser but many are using the 14" cast iron saws with riser blocks successfully and I can't argue with success. I didn't have the room for the larger saw and it would have been harder to get the larger saws into my basement. I'm happy with my decision.

Good luck with your search.

Curt

[Skip Spaulding]

I have a 14" Reliant with riser block, use it mostly for bowl rough outs with 1/2" blade. I have tried resaw with limited success. Works great with smaller blades on smaller stock. Go for 18" or larger if you plan on resawing much of anything in hard woods of any size!