My wife has approved a band saw purchase! 14", 16", or 17"?

[Robert Mayer]

My wife is letting me buy a band saw. My only questions is which size do I need? I can afford to purchase a 14" this week or I could save up for about 2 months and get a larger 16 or 17". What advantages do you really get for getting a 17" over getting a 14"?

[Brad Schafer]

simply, a bigger saw usually provides bigger sawing capacity (either to the left or top). motor maybe bigger, too. others with more experience may have an alternate opinion, but it also seems to me that the bigger saws are intended for bigger work, and are therefore built a little more solidly.

Wilke Machinery has a nice looking new Bridgewood unit on their website...

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[Jim Becker]

Bigger is better in that you can run a larger variety of blade widths (read: wider for resawing) and they generally have more power on board. The bigger machines are also stiffer which makes tensioning more realistic when you want to use those wider blades. If you can be patient in order to fund a larger machine, you'll be happier in the long run and less likely to want/have to upgrade.

[Robert Mayer]

I think I probably should wait to get a larger one. I have about $500 to spend now so I could be in the market for a good used machine now. I probably will hold out for a 17".

[Mark Singer]

Jim,
Something about the size of an aircraft carrier?

[Ted Shrader]

Buy right - buy once.

That doesn't necessarily mean bigger is better. What is right for you or what you can envision? I have a Jet 14" w/ riser. It works for me now. The saw is well tuned and can resaw as wide as I need. Occasionally I think I might like a larger one, but am faced with floor space problems.

For any size you choose, get good quality blades. Timberwolf^© blades from <a href="http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/">Suffolk Machinery</a> are the ones I use.

So there is no universal "right" answer - hence all the options available. Just do your research and get some hands on time your candidates. The right one will become apparent.

Ted

[Aaron Heck]

My wife is letting me buy a band saw. My only questions is which size do I need? I can afford to purchase a 14" this week or I could save up for about 2 months and get a larger 16 or 17". What advantages do you really get for getting a 17" over getting a 14"?

So you can afford to buy the Powermatic or Laguna 14" saws at $850 and $1300 now, but you need to save to get the $750 17" Grizzly? I think someone's dipping out of your savings account! :)

Aaron

[Robert Mayer]

So you can afford to buy the Powermatic or Laguna 14" saws at $850 and $1300 now, but you need to save to get the $750 17" Grizzly? I think someone's dipping out of your savings account! :)

Aaron

LOL, my wife would never let me steal the savings. I found some 14" band saws for about $400. I would like to find a used 17" for about $600 or less. The laguna's are too pricey for me.

[Glenn Clabo]

I waited a very long time to get a machine that fit into a price range that made sense for someone like me who doesn't make a living at woodworking. I was spoiled by some machines that I've used in the past. My primary need was resawing so I wanted a machine that would do 12" material. After a few people, in particular Terry Hatfield, bought a Grizzly 17" and gave it good grades...I bit the bullet and bought one. I really can't say anything bad about it...so give it a good look while your saving your pennies.

[Aaron Heck]

LOL, my wife would never let me steal the savings. I found some 14" band saws for about $400. I would like to find a used 17" for about $600 or less. The laguna's are too pricey for me.

Robert, just messing with you on the above. Yeah, I'm pretty much in the same boat as you. The Grizzly G0555 for around $400 get pretty high praise. If you have a Rockler locally, they're selling the 28-206 for $409, which is about $200 off what you'll find it for at Woodcraft and other stores. I was initially considering each of these two above saws, but always like the Grizzly 17". And then I've recently begun hearing about the new Powermatic 14" saw. It seems to be totally decked out. Like the Delta Limited Edition 14" but better. I don't know whether the PM 14" or the Grizzly 17" is a better buy in the long run. I have never had a BS, so I don't even really know what I'm going to totally use it for. I just know I want one bad and that's pretty much my last piece of machinery.

Aaron

PS If you find a used 17" for less than $600 in my area, let me know! :)

[Mark Valsi]

Don't mess around with a little 14 incher !!


Bigger is better in this case !! No kidding, if you stick with Wood working fora few years, you'll be happy you bought the bigger one.

If you buy the small one, in a few years, you will be wanting a bigger one,

and don't ask me how I know that !!

[Steven Wilson]

The question should be what do you want to do and not do with the saw? For me, the answer was
1) resaw of 14".
2) cut wet bowl blanks without stalling the motor.
3) rip thick stock while leaving a fairly fine finish.
4) I don't need to use blades under 1/4".
5) I don't need to move the saw while cutting.
With those requirements I needed a saw with a fairly large motor (3hp or greater), significant capability under the guides, 20" or larger wheel diameter to properly support a 1" wide carbide blade, and a stout enough frame and spring to properly tension carbide tipped blades. The saws that fit my requirements were from ACM (Bridgewood, Felder, Laguna), Agazzi (sic?), and Centaro (MiniMax MM series). After careful consideration I choose the Minimax MM20 as the saw that would serve my needs the best. Why, great service and support, very stout frame, best guide assembly, 16" resaw capacity, and 4.8hp motor. If I had somewhat lesser requirements I would have considered the Minimax MM16 (smaller capacity but a stong saw) or S45 (18" capacity, slightly lighter frame, cost competative with the asian imports but a better saw) or maybe some of the asian clones (Jet, Grizzly). If I didn't need to cut wet bowl blanks or accurately rip thick stock I would have kept my Jet 14" (which was souped up a bit with a better spring and stuff).

I'm looking at adding another bandsaw for doing tight work on the end of timbers (make a pergola). For that I need a saw that I can mount on wheels and move around while cutting and the need to handle 1/8" blades. I'm thinking that the little Jet 12" bandsaw would fit that need fairly well and cheeply.

So, what do you want a bandsaw to do and not do? Then the folk's here can direct you to saw that will fit your needs.

[Robert Mayer]

When it says a 16" band saw, where do they measure that from? is that the maximum thickness that can go through the saw?

I am completely new to woodworking. But I am positive this is something I will love to do forever so I am buying up equipment I need as I can afford it. I am not sure exactly what projects I will be getting into with it yet. I think something larger than 14" is where I want to go. Now I just have to find a used one at a good price.

[Aaron Heck]

I think I'm of the opinion that bigger isn't always better. I'm pretty new to this too, and to my untrained eye, the Jet 16" seemed like a heck of a bargain. But, it seems when you start comparing apples to apples, it's pretty stripped down.

I hope it's ok to post this, but this was a pretty interesting discussion just the other day.

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB2&Number=770578&fpart=1&PHPSESSID=

Aaron

[Jim Becker]

When it says a 16" band saw, where do they measure that from? is that the maximum thickness that can go through the saw?

The "inches" quoted for a given saw generally refer to the diameter of the wheels. The vertical capacity is a separate measurement and the one you need to consider relative to resaw capacity (along side power, etc). The wheel diameter will affect how wide a blade you can carry, both from a practical physical standpoint (wider blades are thicker and don't bend as well to tight radiuses) and from a tensioning capacity. Smaller saws generally cannot put as much tension as larger machines can that that also affects blade capacities.

[Paul Downes]

I have the grizzly 17" and really like it so far. 12" resaw capacity and 2 H.P. motor. The table is very solid. Couldn't beat the features to price comparison to other machines.

[John Shuk]

I was always under the impression that the "inches" given were from the rear support to the blade. As Jim said Resaw capacity may be an issue for you. I have a Laguna LT16. The LT14SE is a comparable saw and is very nice. What I like about it is that you have 12 inches of resaw. If you never use it to resaw it is nice to have for bandsawn boxes or boxes you can build whole and then bandsaw the top off. When considering affording a saw you might want to look at what you get for the money spent. I looked at the Jet and it looked viable. I then realized that I may want to soup the saw up later. when I looked into getting better guides and some other things I found that I would wind up spending more than if I bought the better saw out of the box. The hardest thing to do when we get the go ahead is wait for the right tool. My advice is to wait and gently remind SWMBO that you are saving for a better saw because in my case when I actually go to spend the bucks she is known to get amnesia! I have a Laguna Jim has a Mini-Max and there are some other great saws out there. The new Delta 18" is pretty nice as well for a good price. If you think you aren't getting a big enough saw you probably aren't. Good Luck.
John

[Charles McKinley]

Hi Guys,

I bought the Jet 18" this summer. After seeing the Grizz 17" in person I have major buyers remorse. I feel the Grizz 17" is the best saw for the money. Grizz has also brought down the price on the 19".

I also recommend getting the Iturra design catalog. There is a lot of good information in it.

Happy hunting!

[John Hammer]

When it says a 16" band saw, where do they measure that from? is that the maximum thickness that can go through the saw?

I am completely new to woodworking. But I am positive this is something I will love to do forever so I am buying up equipment I need as I can afford it. I am not sure exactly what projects I will be getting into with it yet. I think something larger than 14" is where I want to go. Now I just have to find a used one at a good price.

The larger the wheel, the less flex it gives the blade which causes brittleness and breakage. My 14 in. Delta has hardly ever broken a blade. My 10 in. broke one almost every time I used it. You can also put the riser block and rip to around 12 inches.