Need Band Saw ADVICE PLEASE

[John Sanford]

In a normal world, it would be a toss up between the General and the Laguna. With General gone, Laguna's continued existence gives it the nod. After that, again, toss up. There's TONS of support info and aftermarket bits for the Delta, not so much the Rikon.

Van Huskey is the Creek's Bandsaw Whisperer, so listen to him.

[Jeff Miller]

I have decides to keep the Craftsman and not buy new yet......too undecided

I have been watching Facebook and Craigslist ....I have seen a lot of good deals but all too far away

About the time I get a new one a smokin hot used one will show up

Thank You Everybody for all the advice

JEFF

[Bill Adamsen]

While you gots of good advice, it sounds like you are "on hold." It also sounds like you are heavily considering size, weight and logistics (distance in getting the darn thing back to the shop and setup) as considerations. Don't get something so large that you kill yourself getting it delivered and setup in the shop.

You ask about fences and that's a great question. One of the big weaknesses of bandsaws I've observed. Maybe because bandsaw tables are generally poorly designed and small. I added a Laguna extrusion (driftmaster?) to my large bandsaw and it was easy to configure and functions very effectively. Especially for ripping and veneer cutting which is a large part of how I use that saw. It is similar to, but even larger than the two position unifence. But my saw had a large cast iron top and heavy steel fence to attach the vertical fence to. And as I mentioned, it satisfied a requirement You've already identified the fence as an important attribute and it might be beneficial to drill down into that to understand why you think that. It might provide insights into what you want the saw for.

[lowell holmes]

Or you could add an aftermarket rip guide like I did on my 14" Jet. I am totally happy with it.