SAW GLOAT/ bandsaw setup help

[tom holton]

I just came into possession of a brand new (still in box) Reliant DD90 14" band saw. Yes, I know its not a real gem of a saw, but for the total amount of $0.00, I think I got a deal. My dad's friend had it in his garage for a few years and asked my dad if anyone wanted it...

Any tricks setting this thing up? What should I watch out for?

Thanks,

Tom

[glenn bradley]

Should be pretty straight forward. It is a near twin of the Harbor Freight according to FWW who reviewed this saw. Probably some good stuff here: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuideProduct.aspx?id=5640

The usual applies; wheels coplanar, blade tensioned correctly, guides positioned, table square and all that. Do yourself a favor and go through a thorough setup before you start judging the saw. In an article a bandsaw "guru" setup a Ridgid vs. a Laguna and got indistinguishable cut results in the end. The Laguna, of course, takes much less fiddling. As my dad always says "Money or time; one way or the other, you gotta pay".

[Ted Shrader]

Tom -

Congrats on the saw. The price was right!

In addition to Glenn's general set-up comments, be sure you get good blade(s). A good blade can improve a bandsaw's performance greatly. I prefer Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery (http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/). They will make custom sizes to fit your machine.

Regards,
Ted

[tom holton]

THanks for the input. Havent set up a bandsaw before, it looks a tad painful sitting in that box right now. BUT, seeing as what I had to go thru with my TS, it cant be much worse. I have high hopes for my FREE saw. I figured that a few tweaks, a good blade and some patience and I mihg thave a pretty decent machine.

TOm



Should be pretty straight forward. It is a near twin of the Harbor Freight according to FWW who reviewed this saw. Probably some good stuff here: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ToolGuide/ToolGuideProduct.aspx?id=5640

The usual applies; wheels coplanar, blade tensioned correctly, guides positioned, table square and all that. Do yourself a favor and go through a thorough setup before you start judging the saw. In an article a bandsaw "guru" setup a Ridgid vs. a Laguna and got indistinguishable cut results in the end. The Laguna, of course, takes much less fiddling. As my dad always says "Money or time; one way or the other, you gotta pay".

[tom holton]

TED, what tooth count is "General Purpose" for a 14" bandsaw? I dont know whats in the box right now, but for starters, Ill probably look for a GP style blade.

Tom


Tom -

Congrats on the saw. The price was right!

In addition to Glenn's general set-up comments, be sure you get good blade(s). A good blade can improve a bandsaw's performance greatly. I prefer Timberwolf blades from Suffolk Machinery (http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/). They will make custom sizes to fit your machine.

Regards,
Ted

[Chris Schumann]

Having recently purchased a new bandsaw and new table saw, I can say your bandsaw should take a lot LESS work than a table saw. I spent about ten hours on the table saw, but 4 of that was just for leveling the stamped table extensions.

[Curt Harms]

Hi Tom and congratulations on a good deal. If you're not familiar with bandsaws, consider obtaining a book on the subject. Mark Duginske and Lonnie Bird are two authors frequently mentioned. A properly set up and tuned bandsaw is a much more useful and accurate machine that a poorly tuned one. If you choose to go with Timberwolf blades, call them. They'll ask you what you plan to do with the saw and will recommend appropriate blades. A 1/4" 6-8 tooth per inch and a 1/2" 3-4 tooth per inch would be a good place to start. Also think about whether you want a riser block or not. It's silly to have a bunch of blades become useless when you add the riser block and need longer blades.

HTH

Curt

[Ted Shrader]

TED, what tooth count is "General Purpose" for a 14" bandsaw? I dont know whats in the box right now, but for starters, Ill probably look for a GP style blade.

TomTom -

For general use 6 TPI will work. You will want different width blades for different radius curves. Wider ½ - 3/8" are better for straighter cuts - i.e larger radius. Narrower 3/16 - ¼" for sharper corners. Fewer TPI 3-4 work better in thicker stock.

The blade really makes the saw if it is well tuned. A good blade can really improve and average saw. Match the blade to the task at hand and all will go well.

There is probably a 3/8" - 6TPI blade in the box to get you started.

Regards,
Ted