Getting the right size bandsaw for rip cuts

[Mike Fritz]

There is a lot of discussion about bandsaws and resawing. I want to get one that will also do a good job with rip cuts as an alternative to my table saw. So I would really appreciate a discussion about the right type of bandsaw (and blade) for this application.

I make a lot of furniture with door panels so I am constantly creating 2.5" rails and styles. My current process is to cut them on the table saw about 1/16" larger and then do four light passes on my small wide belt sander with 100 grit paper to get back to 2.5" exact. I find even with a good blade on the table saw I have saw marks and I need to sand to get a final finish. Since I am already doing this sanding step it makes me rethink if I could just do the first cut with a good bandsaw. I start this process having run the wood on the jointer for one reference edge.

So how good a bandsaw and blade do I need to get to have a good rip cut product. Currently I was budgeting about $1500 for a new bandsaw and looking closely at the Laguna 14/bx 2.5hp and the Rikon 10-353. I do expect to do a lot of resawing to create hardwood panels for the doors. I do a lot of mission style projects where the panels have an interior verticle divider. So my resawing is in the 8" to 12" range. But now I'm thinking about doing even more on the bandsaw - ripping.

Thoughts appreciated...

[lowell holmes]

The table on my 14" Jet band saw is not large enough to make safe rip cuts. I have to put an out feed table to support the wood behind the wood.

You need to re-think what you are proposing. I do have a 48" out feed that clamps to the back of the band saw table that is supported by a temporary knee brace.

It is PIA to use.

After saying that, I do occasionally set up and rough rip boards to width when repetitive cuts are needed.

Having said that, I do sometimes size boards on the band saw by ripping to rough widths. I finish up on WWII blade on the table saw. My band saw never saw the day it
would produce the same quality. When I rip on the tables saw, I don't have to joint the cut.

[John TenEyck]

I got along for 25 years with my 14" Delta with riser block, including cutting 10"+ wide veneer with it. It was slow, but it gave a nice finish if I used a good blade. Ripping 8/4 and narrower stock was a no problem activity with it. Cut quality wasn't equal to my TS, but it was very good, requiring only a single pass over the jointer to clean it up. You don't need a big saw to do what you want and the Laguna should do it well. I know nothing about the Rikon so I can't comment.

Buying a new BS is a slippery slope. I bought one last year. I looked at the Laguna 14SUV hard. I'm sure it would have met my needs, but in the end I went bigger and I'm glad I did. I ended up with a 17" Grizzly 636X with a 5 HP motor. It cost a lot more, though less than the Euro competitors, but it can easily handle anything I throw at it, and the finish off the carbide blade I put on it is better than I could get with my 14" Delta. It was my no regrets, I'll never need another bandsaw purchase. Think about your needs in 10 years as you consider what to buy.

John

[Prashun Patel]

For 2.5" door stiles, a standard 14" bandsaw with a good blade will be fine. There's no massive power requirement or thick blade requirement there.

However, I suggest that if your true goal is to produce smooth stiles quicker, then your better bet is to get a 'glue line ripping blade' for your table saw, and rip exactly to 2.5".

[Van Huskey]

In many respects a saw that does well for resawing (save a dedicated resaw) will also be good for ripping as it will have plenty of HP. The two things I would look for in ergonomics would be a saw with a large table and a table height at the low end for bandsaws both of which make ripping and resawing easier unless you are very tall. I prefer a wider throat when ripping and while options are limited in the $1500 range new I would suggest you consider the Rikon 10-342 which has a fairly low table and reasonably sized table compared to the 14" saws you mentioned. That said of the two you mentioned I would actually choose the Rikon (despite really liking the Laguna guides). It has more hp than the Laguna and a lower table and IIRC a larger table also along with a 5 year vs 1 year warranty. Don't get me wrong the Laguna is a great saw but there are simply things I like better about the Rikon than the Laguna for your intended use.

[Chris Hachet]

In many respects a saw that does well for resawing (save a dedicated resaw) will also be good for ripping as it will have plenty of HP. The two things I would look for in ergonomics would be a saw with a large table and a table height at the low end for bandsaws both of which make ripping and resawing easier unless you are very tall. I prefer a wider throat when ripping and while options are limited in the $1500 range new I would suggest you consider the Rikon 10-342 which has a fairly low table and reasonably sized table compared to the 14" saws you mentioned. That said of the two you mentioned I would actually choose the Rikon (despite really liking the Laguna guides). It has more hp than the Laguna and a lower table and IIRC a larger table also along with a 5 year vs 1 year warranty. Don't get me wrong the Laguna is a great saw but there are simply things I like better about the Rikon than the Laguna for your intended use.

I would a totally second the 10 342 thought. I really prefer a larger bandsaw to a smaller one.

[Lee Schierer]

I find even with a good blade on the table saw I have saw marks and I need to sand to get a final finish. Since I am already doing this sanding step it makes me rethink if I could just do the first cut with a good bandsaw. I start this process having run the wood on the jointer for one reference edge..

When was the last time you aligned your table saw? If you haven't aligned you blade to the miter gauge slot and the fence to the same miter gauge slot you will get tooth marks on your boards as you cut them. I have a 113 model craftsman table saw and I have carefully aligned the blade and the fence using a dial indicator. I can rip face frames to 2.5 inches and it is difficult to tell the jointed edge from the saw cut edge. I use a Freud glue line rip blade and feather boards in the set up as you see below. I have to do maybe one light pass across my jointer set to remove ~1/64".
lsfence1.jpg

I've seen very few band saw cuts the did not have easily visible tooth marks along the entire length of the cut.

[Mike Fritz]

Thanks for all the responses they confirmed a lot.

Lowell - thanks for reminding me of the need to factor in an outfeed table. Some of my stiles can be 36" long. The ideal solution is with the Hammer bandsaws and the clip on outfeed tables they have. Short of that I'll make some type of removable table.

John - I also want to get as big a bandsaw as I can fit in my 2 car garage, and I want to use it much more as part of my workflow. I have an older 6" Jet so anything will be a huge upgrade.

Prashun - yes I could probably use a dedicated fine finishing rip blade on my saw. Right now I have a couple of nice Forrest combo blades. But I truly enjoy using my wide belt sander - it saves me from some random orbit sanding time, and it does raise the consistency of my dimensions. So everything goes through it after rough dimensioning.

Van - I hear you about table height. I'm only 5'7" so a lower table height will make a big difference. Therefore I'll look even harder at the Rikons. The 10-342 18" has a table height of 35.5 and the 10-353 14" is at 34.625. This really puts the Laguna at 38" at a disadvantage for me. Interestingly both of these Rikons have the same table size at 21.5 by 15.75. I see your point about the 18" and the bigger throat and a more spacing feeling work area. But with the 353 I go up another 1hp to 3hp and I get a foot brake - seems like a great addition in terms of real usability. At Circlesaw in Houston these two Rikons are within $50 of each other.

I live in northern VT and my next step is to see if I can find a place where I can see these two bigger Rikons side by side. Most of the Woodcraft type stores within a few hours of me tend to only stock the smaller Rikons so I need to do some hunting to find these bigger ones on display.

Thanks everyone.

[Mike Fritz]

THanks Lee - I'll pull out my dial indicator tomorrow and check this. It has been over a year since I did this.

[Art Mann]

I sometimes use my table saw with a glue line rip blade and glue up the resultant edges with no additional jointing. I can't tell any difference if I run it over the jointer first. I use a bandsaw for resawing all the time but I have never been able to get cut quality I thought was adequate to glue up directly or go directly to rails and stiles without a whole lot of sanding. In my opinion, a good table saw and good choice of blades will exceed the cut quality you can get from any bandsaw with any blade.

[Van Huskey]

You might call Rikon and see if they can help you find the models you are interested in on the floor.

PS I am all about enabling bandsaw spending but I think you would do well to revisit your table saw tune and blade for ripping... unless you are simply using this as an excuse to make the mental hurdle over spending money on a bandsaw, in the latter case dismiss this line of inquiry.

[Mike Fritz]

All good points everyone. I'll tune up my table saw tomorrow. I'm also looking for more things to do with a new bandsaw than just resawing which I'll have plenty of. And sometimes I have my one table saw set up with a dado set or in some position I don't want to mess with, and I was testing the waters to see if the bandsaw could fill in.

I'm also about to do a long distance move in a couple of months and will be selling my old table saw and old bandsaw. I've wanted to upgrade for sometime and I'd rather invest in two new saws than spend moving dollars. The rest of my equipment will make the trip. When I get to my next place I was thinking about getting the new bandsaw first. Space will be tight for the first couple of months. Hope that fills out my story and helps my questions make sense.

Thanks

[Van Huskey]

A word to the wise, if you want to spend money on tools just tell people what you wanna do and don't try to explain why you want a new ____, we as (mostly) men here are conditioned to try to fix a problem.

[Jim Finn]

I sometimes use my table saw with a glue line rip blade and glue up the resultant edges with no additional jointing. I can't tell any difference if I run it over the jointer first. I use a bandsaw for resawing all the time but I have never been able to get cut quality I thought was adequate to glue up directly or go directly to rails and stiles without a whole lot of sanding. In my opinion, a good table saw and good choice of blades will exceed the cut quality you can get from any bandsaw with any blade.

I agree. I have a 24 teeth 10" saw blade in my table saw and it gives me, joint ready, cuts. I use my band saw for re-sawing but that finished cut requires planing or sanding every time. Table saw is quicker, easier, and simpler for smooth cuts.

[Mike Fritz]

I owe a thank-you to all the table saw experts urging me to check my alignment. The back of my saw blade is pinching inward to the fence by 0.4mm compared to the front. Obviously the source for my scratch marks, and a potential for kickback.

Part of the bad alignment is caused from the miter slot to the blade 0.3mm, and part by the fence 0.1mm inward so I need to adjust the table top to the saw blade and then I'll work on the fence.