Time for a new bandsaw...help me out...

[Tim M Tuttle]

Looking to get a new bandsaw. I resawed a 6 foot long 5" 8/4 piece of walnut last night on my little 10" WEN bandsaw and it about died. Took me a good 20 minutes to make the cut, stalled multiple times, but she did the job. I was pretty proud of her.

Regardless, I've wanted to get a new bandsaw for a while. Laguna is running a special for the month of April. There is the 14/12 and then the 14bx. I don't know much about bandsaws but the biggest difference here looks to be power. Most of what I will be doing is resawing walnut, maple and other hardwoods so the power would most definitely come in handy. I am also making a lot of cabinets so I will be using it to cut out toe kicks, etc.

The 14/12 is a little under $1000 right now and the 14bx is around $1350. The other options I am looking at are the Grizzly G0513X2F and G0513X2BF. They are 17" models. All of my options have 12" of resaw capacity.

Anyone able to point out more differences I am not seeing? Recommendations? Thanks

[Jacques Gagnon]

Tim,

did you have look at Malcolm Schweiser’s review of the Rikon bandsaw he recently acquired? This could possibly be another option to consider.

[John TenEyck]

More power = faster resawing. The ability to adequately tension a 3/4" blade would be an advantage, too, so that normally means looking for a saw rated for blades 1" wide, as few saws can put 25K psi on the largest blade they are rated for. Personally, I would go with a 17" saw because it will allow you to use thicker caliper blades that would not survive long around a 14" diameter wheel. For general use any of the 14" saws you mentioned will be fine, and some of them will work well for resawing, too, but you your choice of blades will be more limited.

John

[Tim M Tuttle]

More power = faster resawing. The ability to adequately tension a 3/4" blade would be an advantage, too, so that normally means looking for a saw rated for blades 1" wide, as few saws can put 25K psi on the largest blade they are rated for. Personally, I would go with a 17" saw because it will allow you to use thicker caliper blades that would not survive long around a 14" diameter wheel. For general use any of the 14" saws you mentioned will be fine, and some of them will work well for resawing, too, but you your choice of blades will be more limited.

John

So you think the 14bx is out? This saw will get fairly infrequent use.

[John TenEyck]

So you think the 14bx is out? This saw will get fairly infrequent use.

No, not at all. That's a very nice machine and I thought of buying one or the 14SUV while I was researching new saws, but finally decided to go big and got the G0636X. But that's in a completely different price (and weight) range. I ultimately decided against the 14" saws because you can't put a 1" blade on any of them and I wanted to slice lots and lots of 10"+ wide veneer. For typical hobby use, however, the 14BX and similar saws would be a great choice.

John

[Justin Rapp]

Tim,

I just went through the same exact decision making process you are now starting. I tend to over-research so I went to woodworking shows to see the various common brands in person. At woodshows I saw Powermatic, Jet, Rikon however was unable to see Grizzly or Laguna as they just never had any setup there. I honestly was not happy about the fit and finish of the Rikon models. I know they have a big following but I felt the machine wasn't for me. I also dropped Grizzly. I know they make some fantastic equipment and some not-so good. For some reason, I always have Grizzly in my mix of machines and never pull the trigger on one and go another route.

So - was very close to going for a Jet JWBS-15 but honestly wanted more HP so I could cut logs without a stall or taking a long time for a cut, so the Laguna 14BX 2.5hp was now on my radar. I took the risk a few years ago with Laguna and purchased a 6" jointer from them and it's a fantastic machine. Fit and finish was great, works like a charm, is quite and one of my favorite tools. So I recently pulled the trigger and the Laguna 14BX was delivered to me last week. I spent time this past weekend getting it set-up and of course wiring a 220 circuit. I made a bunch of test cuts including resaw and am very impressed. I also really like the ceramic guides and the setup seems quick and easy compared to roller bearing guides.

From the prices you posted above on the 14BX at $1350, you are looking at the 2.5 HP model. The 1.75hp model running 110v is on sale most places for $1259 right now.

You might also want to contact Morgan at Laguna and see if he has a demo model available. My 14BX was a demo and from what I can tell, never cut a piece of wood. Was on display at a trade show and I save a fair amount of money. http://lagunatoolsoutlet.com/contact/

Good luck with you choice and keep us up to date on your research!

[Tim M Tuttle]

Tim,

did you have look at Malcolm Schweiser’s review of the Rikon bandsaw he recently acquired? This could possibly be another option to consider.

I did not. Can you point me in the direction to where it can be found?

[Jacques Gagnon]

Tim,

My apologies, I misled you. Malcolm’s review was about his new Rikon drill press.

J.

[Jim Becker]

Tim, if you can't find a stouter used Euro saw within reasonable distance, consider one of the heavier 16"-17"-18" Grizzly saws. A 14" saw is a 14" saw and they are not ideal for re-saw work for both stiffness and power reasons and the inability to tension the kind of blades that are generally preferred for that kind of activity. You CAN re-saw with a 14" saw as long as you are patient and are not doing it day-in-day-out, however. I'm very much a MiniMax fan and that's what I own, but what's most important is what you want to do with the tool and that dictates the size and capacities you need to go with, regardless of the color/brand.

[Justin Rapp]

Jim,

I have the Laguna he is looking at and it is not a light-weight 14" saw and built for resaw (at the hobby level) . However, it can only go up to a 3/4" blade, however plenty of choices out there.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Tim,

My apologies, I misled you. Malcolm’s review was about his new Rikon drill press.

J.

I got the stuff to hopefully wire up the bandsaw this weekend. I did get both drill press and bandsaw but only did a review on the drill press so far. That said, I did a whole lot of research before buying the Rikon. I have used a Jet 18” regularly that I do not like for various reasons that I won’t bash them on here. The reasons I went with Rikon was: 3hp motor, blade brake, easiest adjustment on the market in my opinion, very well made, great bang for the buck, and a lot of thought in the details on this machine, such as the included resaw attachment for the fence and the keyed lockout (I have a small child and my shop is in the house.) Really when comparing other saws I can only think of one thing on any other saw I really liked better, and it was a gimmick- the disc brake on the Laguna. It looked like a motorcycle brake, but do I need a vented disc brake over just a plain old brake on a bandsaw? Nah. On my Bike, yes, but on a bandsaw I didn’t see that it made enough difference. The easily adjustable guides on the Rikon were a real sell for me. I hate setting up the Jet that I have free use of.

I depended a lot on reviews in my research, but did have hands-on with Powermatic, Jet, Laguna, Grizzly, and some “old iron” before landing on the Rikon. (Edit: all were good but the Rikon for me was the most for the money.) Soon I hope to have a review. I have a lot of parts to cut out for the boat build and some resawing to do.

Still have to put her together, which is bolting on the table and a few other parts and wiring the plug. I just redid three rooms in my house- busy week. No time.
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[Jacob Reverb]

Tim,

did you have look at Malcolm Schweiser’s review of the Rikon bandsaw he recently acquired? This could possibly be another option to consider.

+1

Been pleased with my 18" Rikon 10-345...

[andy bessette]

...Most of what I will be doing is resawing walnut, maple and other hardwoods...

Don't cheap out this time. You need a real resaw machine. A used MiniMax 16 is in the right price ballpark.

[Justin Rapp]

Don't cheap out this time. You need a real resaw machine. A used MiniMax 16 is in the right price ballpark.

That is an amazing machine, but I think it comes in at $2K over what Tim is looking at in price.

[andy bessette]

That is an amazing machine, but I think it comes in at $2K over what Tim is looking at in price.

I bought mine for $1500. Paid close to the same for my 20" Agazzani. OP is considering spending $1350 for a 14".