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Thread: Does anyone sell a decent small bandsaw?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
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    82
    Thanks for the suggestions. I don't really want to use a Makerspace or group shop because I live in Southern CA now and it's a pain to drive anywhere. I know woodworking in an apartment is not a great idea, but it was a hobby I loved and I miss it and am willing to deal with awkwardness.

    There looks to be someone selling a ton of vintage bandsaws around here on craigslist but they all seem overpriced. No Incas right now, unfortunately.

    90% use of the bandsaw would be for ripping thin pieces, no re-sawing, and perhaps a few curved cuts every once in a while. A portable table saw would be ideal, but I believe all portable saws use a LOUD direct drive motor so I don't really want to go that route. I wish SawStop put the same motor as the PCS into their jobsite saw but I guess that would make it too heavy.

    Bandsaws are nice and quiet and produce little dust. Even during a cut they aren't that bad.
    Last edited by John K Jordan; 01-25-2020 at 12:45 PM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    2,203
    I'd hold out for an Inca. Eagle Tools in LA sold a lot of that brand years ago so there's a fair amount out there particularly in Southern California. Matter of fact, there's an Inca 259 table saw in Fountain Valley currently listed on Orange County CL. Needs a home!

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    West Simsbury, CT
    Posts
    384
    Agree with Peter, I didn’t check your location. I would contact Jesse at Eagle Tools as they get machines in from time to time.

    Kevin

  4. #19
    I have had the smaller inca for about 30 years bought from Jesse at eagle tools, when it was new I can still remember how well it cut and even resawed, the wheels are way out of balance but still works and it was beat to death when I had my biz...

    Mark

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Dickinson, Texas
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    7,655
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  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Posts
    989
    Peter Millard took a look at a number of the low-end bandsaws: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...CSUU2aI7UCk9Iq
    As I recall, he seemed to get something useful out of most of them.

    I think a lot will depend on what you are trying to get done -- roughing out curved cuts that get further refined is pretty different from resawing.
    Before I had a bandsaw, I got a couple of projects done with an old scroll saw. Definitely not the optimal tool, but the projects came out fine.

    Used will be cheaper than anything new.

    Hopefully you'll find a path to scratching that maker's itch.

    Matt

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
    Posts
    5,548
    Nick,

    I read your post again, and this time it stood out to me that you want it for ripping stock. In the back of my shop I have my dad's old Ryobi BS50N. I have stored it for 15 years, since he died, but I have no use for it.

    This is not like today's Ryobi tools. It is actually a small resaw machine, with a 2" wide stellite blade on it. In the 80's it cost Dad over $1500. It has a Resaw capacity of about 6", and throat of about 9". The weird thing about it is that the motor looks like it belongs on a SkilSaw, and it is original to the machine.

    Both Ryobi and Hitachi made these machines in 6" and the larger 12" resaw capacity. Somewhere on this site is a great thread by a Canadian gent who renovated the large Hitachi, removed the universal motor, and put a big induction motor on it. Sorry, his name escapes me.

    My machine was used by my dad to rip 2x4's into strips which he made into little orange crates to sell at craft shows. Not very much use since new. It is a bench model, on a 2x4 stand.

    I am about 40 miles from you, if you would like to look at it.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  8. #23
    Justin Depew is an engineer/woodworker who works out of his apartment. He has some ideas on his website you might find helpful:

    www.justindepewdesign.com

    Or try this for tools you can build yourself:

    https://woodgears.ca/
    Last edited by Mark Daily; 01-25-2020 at 2:47 PM.

  9. #24
    Felder has a new Hammer saw that looks pretty nice

    https://us.feldershop.com/en-US/en-U...mer-N2-35.html

  10. Quote Originally Posted by Matthew Hills View Post
    Peter Millard took a look at a number of the low-end bandsaws: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...CSUU2aI7UCk9Iq
    As I recall, he seemed to get something useful out of most of them.

    I think a lot will depend on what you are trying to get done -- roughing out curved cuts that get further refined is pretty different from resawing.
    Before I had a bandsaw, I got a couple of projects done with an old scroll saw. Definitely not the optimal tool, but the projects came out fine.

    Used will be cheaper than anything new.

    Hopefully you'll find a path to scratching that maker's itch.

    Matt
    FWIW I have three bandsaws in my shop and they all see daily use. They are an old Delta 14" with a riser block bought used and inexpensively, an inexpensive 9" Ryobi bought new years ago, and an 8" Delta that I picked up used for $40.

    The 14" Delta is a workhorse doing a lot of re-sawing and other heavier duty tasks. I cut a lot of veneers and sound boards for musical instruments on it. I also prep stock for lathe projects. I do segments for segmented stuff on the table saw, but do a lot of the other tasks on the 14" Delta.

    The little saws are mostly used for cutting small parts. One has a fence on it for rip cuts and the other has a crosscut sled. I know that is a bit unusual, but I make a lot of tiny parts and find that setup works really well. I also cut a fair amount of curves on them. In many cases the cuts are touched up on either the 12" disc sander, one of the belt sanders, or the spindle sander. Some of the time I don't bother to cut very precisely preferring to cut rough and sand to the line, but it depends on the task.

  11. #26
    From your description I would just get the newer Rikon 10” saw. That and a good jointer plane will do you well in an apartment.

    I have a 19” saw and have never really needed 3/4”. It’s a nice to have, not need to have for the things you describe.

  12. The Inca 10" is a great saw , agree with the folks that also recommended it.

  13. Quote Originally Posted by kent borcherding View Post
    The Inca 10" is a great saw , agree with the folks that also recommended it.
    Maybe in California there are more of them, but I have never even seen one and I was looking at the ads for a used band saw for a long time back when I needed one and was living in Maryland. I haven't seen any here in Tallahassee either. If I did and the price wasn't too crazy, I'd probably buy it to replace one of my little band saws, but I suspect you could wait a long time for one to turn up locally in a lot of the country.

  14. #29
    I was willing to sell my three wheel for what I felt was a fair price. A forum member contacted me asking to buy it. When I said how much he lost interest.

    Then this weekend I was looking at Craigslist local to me and I saw my saw in the same exact condition and the seller was asking $1750.

    I thought to myself you gotta be kidding. Then we’ll I guess my asking price is as fair as I thought it to be.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Atlanta
    Posts
    1,592
    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Staehling View Post
    Maybe in California there are more of them, but I have never even seen one and I was looking at the ads for a used band saw for a long time back when I needed one and was living in Maryland. I haven't seen any here in Tallahassee either. If I did and the price wasn't too crazy, I'd probably buy it to replace one of my little band saws, but I suspect you could wait a long time for one to turn up locally in a lot of the country.

    When I lived down there , it was hard to find any woodworking equipment new or used. I doubt much has changed. INCA was never a big seller like Delta or even something like Festool. As I recall they had two sources : Eagle on the left coast and Garrett Wade on the east. Given the tools cost 3-4 times what a comparable domestic piece cost they just weren't big sellers. I think much the same happened worldwide because they went belly up years ago.

    I see INCA stuff pop up in Atlanta every year, but I'm not sure what you'd consider crazy prices. Most stuff I see is $800-1000. Personally, I'd consider Patrick's find at $1750 to be absurd.

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