Andrew Joiner
12-21-2008, 2:49 AM
I've been looking for a bandsaw. Done lot's of reading up on resawing,and the pro's and con's of various saws.
I was inspired by what Christopher Schwarz says about the new 18" Powermatic in his review here:
http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/editorsblog/default,date,2008-08-26.aspx:
"The saw has an 18" resaw capacity under its bearing-style guides, which all adjust independently (nice touch). As evidence of the stoutness of the saw, Barry dropped the blade guide all the way down to the table. Then he invited us to try to move the guides. No dice. The guides are rock solid."
I finally got to see some saws in person, but not the new 18" Powermatic. I tested 4 saws in the store. The two 18" steel frame saws had a lot of flex in them when I pushed on the guide posts. One was a Jet and the other was a Steel City.
The 14" cast iron frame saw in the store was stiff and solid. I would expect a bit more flex with a riser installed, but I would bet not as much as the 18" steel frames.
This has me wondering how this flex effects resawing. It can't help!
The 18" saws say they can tension a 1" blade, but the 14" is best at tensioning a 1/2" blade.
So what's better a 1" blade with a flexing guide post or a 1/2" blade with a stiff guide post?
What saw do you have and how much flex do you have in your guide post? Was this a big factor in your saw choice?
I was inspired by what Christopher Schwarz says about the new 18" Powermatic in his review here:
http://blogs.popularwoodworking.com/editorsblog/default,date,2008-08-26.aspx:
"The saw has an 18" resaw capacity under its bearing-style guides, which all adjust independently (nice touch). As evidence of the stoutness of the saw, Barry dropped the blade guide all the way down to the table. Then he invited us to try to move the guides. No dice. The guides are rock solid."
I finally got to see some saws in person, but not the new 18" Powermatic. I tested 4 saws in the store. The two 18" steel frame saws had a lot of flex in them when I pushed on the guide posts. One was a Jet and the other was a Steel City.
The 14" cast iron frame saw in the store was stiff and solid. I would expect a bit more flex with a riser installed, but I would bet not as much as the 18" steel frames.
This has me wondering how this flex effects resawing. It can't help!
The 18" saws say they can tension a 1" blade, but the 14" is best at tensioning a 1/2" blade.
So what's better a 1" blade with a flexing guide post or a 1/2" blade with a stiff guide post?
What saw do you have and how much flex do you have in your guide post? Was this a big factor in your saw choice?