Bandsaw Withdrawals

[Tim Dorcas]

Last year, I bought a King 14" Bandsaw with a 6" riser. Given it's feature set it should have been a joy to work with. But even with upgrades it was never quite right. So finally last week I brought it in to get fixed. I have not been able to work since.

In any earlier thread, someone asked if they should get a bandsaw. I can say even in its previous form, I can't think of a project that I didn't use it on. Whether working with small pieces, creating my own veneer, or using it to create tenons for my workbench, it was always in use.

It has been almost two weeks now and there is still no indication of when I am going to get it back. All I hope is that they get it fixed soon.

Tim

[Joseph Cascio]

Did you ever use you bandsaw for ripping planks of say 2 X 10 or so??? I do not have the room to get a nice table saw.. I Have the Festool Circular saw with the guides so 4 X 8 sheets are covered and the table saw I do have is an old craftsman just wondering what you have done with yours.. J

[Steven Wilson]

I use to have a 14" Jet and ripping wasn't its forte. For accurate ripping you want a saw with the beam strength to support a fairly wide, fairly thick blade. I've since sold that saw and bought a MiniMax MM20 - that rips stock nicely. I generally use that for ripping any piece thicker than 2". It gives nice, accurate rips because it can properly tension a fairly thick, fairly wide, carbide blade - almost as clean as a tablesaw.

[Jim Becker]

I've been using mine more and more and yes, I'd be lost without it.

[Pete Bradley]

For accurate ripping you want a saw with the beam strength to support a fairly wide, fairly thick blade.

Not necessarily so, despite what that unfortunate section of Duginske's book says. A well-tuned, high quality machine will do top-quality rips all day long with a 3/8" band. In an otherwise outstanding book, the fundamental limits on applying classical static beam theory to a band saw blade were not made clear enough. I have to believe the writer meant that all other things being equal, more depth will deliver more rigidity.

Pete

[Steven Wilson]

Pete, If Northfield makes a 14" saw then I would be inclinded to agree that a 3/8" wide (and thicker than woodslicer/olson/Timberwolf) blade could possibly produce a decent quality rip. With the variety of bands I tried on my Jet (which was very well tuned up) I wasn't impressed with the finish quality of the cut, it always needed some work (a pass or two on the jointer). No problem with the tracking, no problem cutting to a thickness, but I did notice the blade slightly deflecting near knots and areas of grain change. Steping up to a more ridgid saw (MM20) that could properly support a 1" carbide blade made all the difference. The finish quality is generaly sufficient for assembly and the tracking is dead on - no overshooting final width to account for cleanup with a jointer. I guess it all depends on what your definition of quality is.

[Don Bullock]

I've found that a variety of saws - table saw, band saw, CMS, and even a jig saw - to be very valuable in creating my projects. Yes, there is some duplication, but sometimes having the "right" saw for the project makes it a lot more fun. Like you, I would not like to try to get by without my band saw. I hope it comes back soon in the proper working condition.