Small bandsaw recommendations

[Jeff Heath]

If you already have an older cast iron c-frame 14" Delta bandsaw, anything you buy that is new, and made of stamped steel, is going to be a downgrade. Cast iron bandsaws perform better than steel ones because of rigidity. If you look in the vintage used market you will find 12" cast iron saws as well. Being able to properly tension a blade, without having the frame of the saw flexing, is going to yield your best cutting saw, even in a compact package. None of the currently made stamped steel saws is going to outperform the saw you already own.

[Kevin Adams]

Zach, they are not easy to find as they haven’t been made for a while, but hands down the best benchtop bandsaw made IMHO was the direct drive Swiss Inca (green one). You can find them once in a while for sale. I’ve owned one for many years and it is just about perfect with good power, great guides, and smooth running. That said, I agree with others in that I would get your old Delta up and running as that is a fine saw, just not truly portable if that’s what you want.

Hope this helps.
Kevin

[Nick Decker]

If you already have an older cast iron c-frame 14" Delta bandsaw, anything you buy that is new, and made of stamped steel, is going to be a downgrade. Cast iron bandsaws perform better than steel ones because of rigidity. If you look in the vintage used market you will find 12" cast iron saws as well. Being able to properly tension a blade, without having the frame of the saw flexing, is going to yield your best cutting saw, even in a compact package. None of the currently made stamped steel saws is going to outperform the saw you already own.

Maybe one of you engineers can clarify this for me. I was under the impression that steel framed saws were stiffer than cast iron saws of a comparable size. Google tells me that cast iron has more compressive strength, while steel has more tensile strength. I suppose the manufactured qualities of each material would figure into the answer, as in, are we talking about cheap Chinese steel or expensive Japanese steel?

[Jeff Heath]

Steel frame saws are inferior to cast iron saws in vibration dampening qualities and in rigidity...i.e...being able to properly tension a blade without deflecting the structure of the saw. Because of that, it's easier to eliminate frustration from using a small bandsaw (and of course, the bigger saws like my 27" and 30" and 36" bandsaws) because they hold their setups much better. Even on a small saw, like a 12" Delta or Walker Turner, their c-frame construction, all cast iron, makes for smoother cuts because of the vibration dampening qualities.

My 16" Walker Turner bandsaw, which is my "small" saw, used for scrolling and tight radius curved work, can be tensioned a lot better, and I can easily resaw 10" wide persimmon boards ( a true North American ebony) with a 1/4" blade (the saw has a 12" resaw capacity under the guides) because I can easily crank up the tension on the blade. The saw can handle it. My former 18" Jet saw vibrated a lot and couldn't resaw tougher woods very well because of it. I learned my lesson and replaced all my new Jet machines with American iron and never looked back. Major upgrade in every category.

The other nice feature is that the stiffer cast iron saws can handle larger hp motor upgrades. Putting a 2 hp motor on the 16" Walker Turner was a piece of cake, even though they were sold, back in the 1930's and 1940's, with a 3/4 hp motor. The saw handles the larger motor with ease, which just makes it a better saw all the way around.

[Nick Decker]

I can understand the superior vibration dampening effect of cast iron, because it's softer metal. It's the claim about rigidity that I have a problem with, for that same reason. When I bought a bandsaw, I followed the advice of several people here who told me that a steel framed 14" saw could apply more tension to a blade than a cast iron 14" saw. Not that the steel-framed saw was a better saw in all respects, just in being able to apply more tension to a blade without damaging the saw.

[andy bessette]

...a steel framed 14" saw could apply more tension to a blade than a cast iron 14" saw...

That is baloney.

[glenn bradley]

And we now see the value of using caution when learning things on the Internet.

[Nick Decker]

Not sure what you mean by that, Glenn. I'm aware of the danger of accepting everything I read, which is one of the things I like about this place. It seems to have quite a few people who give good solid advice.

I hear Jeff's argument, and also see that he's talking about "old arn" that was made in the 30s and 40s. I understand that, and that some folks think that those are the only tools worth owning.

I've learned to disregard much of what Andy says, based largely on his own signature.

What I'm trying to understand has more to do with the properties of cast iron vs. steel, and if perhaps I was misinformed about that.

[Dave Cav]

I'd make room for the 14" since you already have it!

That would be my vote as well. Once it's tuned up it'll do anything you need for it to do within reason.

[Geoff Crimmins]

That is baloney.

Are you sure? I'd be shocked if the the steel-frame Laguna 14 SUV can't tension blades that are well beyond the capabilities of a cast-iron Delta 14" bandsaw.

--Geoff

[Andrew Seemann]

You would be hard pressed to find a better small modern bandsaw than that 14" Rockwell if it is in good condition, especially if you want to go through 2" of maple or walnut without stalling the motor.

[Roger Marty]

Old 10" Homecraft if you can find one. I have one and it is nice.

[Darcy Warner]

Rubber wheels would suck, seems like an odd material to make a wheel out of.

[Ryan J Carpenter]

Some things to extract from an engineering side that are getting a little obscured. 1) steel is much stronger than iron - which means that a pound of steel can be the the same tensile strength as 1-5+ pounds of iron depending on chemistry and heat treat. 2) both iron and steel are expensive and the newer companies spend quite a bit of time rearranging the material to reduce material cost while still giving strength to meet their tension goals (likely less than old iron machines where engineers were not trying to save every pound to be globally competitive or avoid shipping cost).
3) There are many ways to reduce vibration and having a heavy machine (steel or iron) is one one of the easiest as it is hard to perturb a heavy mass. Something an old machine will give you that the current woodworking market doesn't demand from new machines.

[Pete Staehling]

Yes, it is. These are remarkable little saws, and you can usually find one for under $50.....at least I have seen many for this much or less. I have a little 8" Homecraft table saw that I rebuilt to be my portable jobsite saw. I hung a 1&1/2 hp motor on it, replaced the bearings, and cleaned it all up. It has a 2" DOC, and I can easily rip 8/4 hardwood with it with nice, clean cuts. Great little saw, and twice as nice as those plastic crappers at the Home Depot for several hundred bucks. I paid $20 for mine, and put $100 worth of bearings, belts, new blade and the motor into it.

If I saw one for $20 that needed a $100 spruce up, I'd immediately reach for my wallet.

Rubber wheels would suck, seems like an odd material to make a wheel out of.

Rubber wheels?