14" w/ riser or 17/18" Bandsaw

[Justin McCurdy]

I have a small 10" Bandsaw that I use for intricate cutting right now. I would like to own a saw that I can keep setup for resawing. So, a couple of questions:

1) Is 1.5HP enough to push a 3/4" blade through 12" boards without hiccup?

2) Will I be happy with the results from a 3/4" blade for resawing?

3) Will I regret purchasing the 14" bandsaw shortly after I get it home?

Thanks everyone...

[John Bailey]

Resawing is not only a matter of horsepower. The strength of the frame comes into play also. If your purpose is resawing, you will be much better off with the larger bandsaw.

John

[Dave Falkenstein]

I have a 14" Jet bandsaw. It might be a 1HP version. Timberwolf recommended running 1/2" resaw blades, not 3/4". I think generally, 14" bandsaws are going to feel the pain running a 3/4" blade through 12" of material. If you want to do that kind of resawing on a regular basis, and if you have the budget and the space, I'd be looking at bigger saws.

[Wade Lippman]

3) Will I regret purchasing the 14" bandsaw shortly after I get it home?



I had a 14" for about a year and upgraded to a 19". I was lucky to sell the 14" for what I paid for it (thanks to Amazon, who sold it at 40% off originally), but still wish I had done it right the first time and saved the trouble. The difference is pretty dramatic.

The nice thing is that a big bandsaw doesn't take up any more room than a small one, not is it all that much more expensive; unlike big jointers or tablesaws...

[David Weaver]

I have sort of an amalgamation of what you're talking about - one of the 1.75 hp 18 inch bandsaws (Jet JWBS-18X). Power isn't that much of an issue with a good blade, like a timberwolf. It WAS an issue with the stock blade before I had the guides right, too (but I may have been able to make it bind with 3 hp in that case). I use mine for a combination of things, and it will resaw large wood that size OK, especially with a new blade. If I was going to resaw that kind of stuff all the time, though, and that was 90% of the work the saw did, I'd opt for a 220 saw with more power.

that said, the motor has enough poo to make it so that it isn't an intolerable experience, and for anyone who is a hobbyist, it's fine.

I'm not really sure how you would use the 5 hp that some 16 and 18 inch saws are starting to come with - unless you wanted to bend a really big blade.

The resaw blade I use now is a 3/4ths inch 3tpi table saw. It's amazing how much it can cut when it's set up correctly.

Without a doubt, get the big saw. You'll really appreciate the weight, rigidity and stability of it.