the right bandsaw for the budget turner?

[andrew zukewycz]

hello all,

im in the market for a budget bandsaw, and after allready purchasing a near worthless 9 inch sears and roebuck that couldnt cut a 1inch branch straight... i think something like a delta 14inch would be good, but im not sure. and since im gonna purchase used i was hoping i could get some input.

i cut stock from small items to felled tree half logs... primarily NE bowls and other stuff. im just looking for something that cuts straight so i can make bowls up to 5inchs thick or so...

any input would be great.

thanks
zuke

[Carlos Alden]

Zuke:

I just went through a simliar search. I have had a Delta 12" bandsaw for the last ten years and it's been great for all the things I've wanted to do. With 3/4 HP and a 1/2" blade it's also been able to do very adequate 6" resawing. However, I recently realized that I REALLY want to resaw things up to 12" thickness, and that I need a new bandsaw that can do that.

I just bought a 14" Jet new, and the riser block is on it's way (when the FedEx truck can plow through our record level of snow.) This bandsaw is pretty much the king of bargain saws right now: 4" dust port, 1.25 HP motor, quick release tension lever, etc. It's on sale through Woodcraft and Jet is giving out a double rebate of $100 total on top of that sale price through Dec. 31. It's coming out to about $550 including tax and riser block, which ain't bad, for a brand-new unit. Used units are here and there, but if you don't live in a metro area you could be waiting a long time to save a few bucks. When you find one you have to take the time and gas money to go look at it, and then if something goes wrong it's likely out of warantee.

I've bought some used things, but only if it's a screamin' deal that won't matter if it goes south. I picked up an older (1980's) Jet 6" jointer that just needed some new blades and some cleaning, $75.

But for a budget bandsaw that ought to do what I want (some occasional resawing but mostly general fairly precise cutting) I feel pretty lucky to have stumbled on this end-of-year deal. If you could find one of those older Delta 12" saws (#28-180) it might be enough for you. With a good blade it can do a lot. You might be able to pick one up for $150 or so. Here's a picture of one - mine is on a stand so it's much more like a 14" Delta.
http://www.purplewaveauction.com/a/2008/20080205/7749.JPG


Carlos

[Tony Bilello]

PowerMatic is better and Rigid might be OK. You might also consider adding riser blocks to them somewhere down the line. Obviously, if you could find a larger saw you will be much better off. Cutting turning blocks is hard on a bandsaw.
Without trying to start a war, remember that this is just my opinion. I think that no serious work can be performed with Sears Craftsman, Ryobi or Harbor Freight. There is a good reason that these brands are much less expensive. They will work fine for some people that do light work on occasion but will not hold up to rough work on a regular basis. Did I ever own these brands? Yes. Would I ever re-buy them? No way. I am a woodturner as well as a furniture maker.

[Mark A Johnson]

Before you throw out the bandsaw, you might want to get a better saw blade.

My 1st bandsaw was the 10" version from Sears. Reading on another WW website, I learned about Timberwolf bandsaw blades. Ordering a couple of different tooth count blades from Timberwolf, they truly work outstanding on both of my band saws. Even though I have purchased a larger 14" saw(never used the included blade), I still have my 10" and wouldn't sell it. The 10" gets more use then my larger saw. Great for resewing small stock.

So don't give up, invest in a real blade.

Mark

[Jim Kountz]

Dont overlook the 14" Grizzly saws. Save a few bucks and get a good saw too. Quite a number of people here on the creek have those saws and always have positive things to say about them. Add a riser block to them and you have 12" resaw capacity or the ability to rough out larger bowl blanks.

[Jim Becker]

Consider that you can also prepare your blanks with a chain saw or a reciprocating saw. You really don't need to create perfectly round blanks for turning. In fact, you'll find that a lot of experienced turners do not do that because it locks you into a particular orientation that may not be the best for displaying what lies inside of that wood. Putting a rough blank between centers and "playing with it" to get the best orientation is what they do.

That said, a typical 14" band saw can be easily used for preparing turning stock. I do agree with the "correct blade" comments, however. I use a Timberwolf AS series blade for this work as the blade is designed for cutting wet wood.

[andrew zukewycz]

that bit about the blade not being good was probably a good bet. that blade was so thin and chinsey!

i think i can find a good delta 14" or likebrand for 300$ or under.

thanks for all the help!

later
zuke

[James Manning]

Andrew,

Don't give up on finding something on CL, like you I wanted a smaller BS to handle the small projects and scroll work without swapping the blades on my larger mini-max BS. Below are some pic's of a decades old "12" BS made for craftsman by King-Seeley, these were heavy duty lil BS and can easily handle what you are looking for. I tore it down and sandblasted and repainted it the original color and fixed any problems of which was just some missing guides, and you can still get alot of the parts for these older tools online. If you do get one and tear it down, trust me and use a gear puller to get the wheels off the shafts, I bent the lower CI wheel because I used a bar to get leverage to pry off it off...:o! Also as other have said a TW blade makes all the difference in the world..........:) I will go out to the shop and take a few shots of the finished saw if you want.

104873104874104875104876104877

[Jim Kountz]

Andrew,

Don't give up on finding something on CL, like you I wanted a smaller BS to handle the small projects and scroll work without swapping the blades on my larger mini-max BS. Below are some pic's of a decades old "12" BS made for craftsman by King-Seeley, these were heavy duty lil BS and can easily handle what you are looking for. I tore it down and sandblasted and repainted it the original color and fixed any problems of which was just some missing guides, and you can still get alot of the parts for these older tools online. If you do get one and tear it down, trust me and use a gear puller to get the wheels off the shafts, I bent the lower CI wheel because I used a bar to get leverage to pry off it off...:o! Also as other have said a TW blade makes all the difference in the world..........:) I will go out to the shop and take a few shots of the finished saw if you want.

104873104874104875104876104877

I have one of these (very similar, different year) in near mint condition, needs new tires but they are still available from sears believe it or not. Too bad you're so far away Id let it go cheap!!