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General Category => General Scroll Saw Talk => Topic started by: mickey357 on January 19, 2014, 07:37:54 am
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What is the best band saw in the $500.00 or below range. Have look at Sears and Lowes at their 14 inch. Looking to buy in the next few months. Thanks for any help. :-\
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I have one of the Craftsman bandsaws, and I took some serious time to set it up and do all of the alignments, adjustments, rigging, voodoo spells and whatever.
Mine works fine and I am able to resaw quite well with it (I replaced the factory blade).
Mine is not used daily, but it is employed frequently. So far, I am pleased with the Craftsman 14" bandsaw.
Al
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I have a Craftsman that is about 25 years old. Can't say it is the best, except it is mine, it is paid for, it does what I need. I guess that does make it the best, at least in my book which is the only one that counts for me. :) :D
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I love my grizzly 14 " with the riser kit for re-sawing. Little over 500.00 though I think.
actually it is on sale right now. http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX (http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX)
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I have the Grizzly G0555 also and use it to resaw mostly. I bought the riser and resaw fence so I could resaw up to 12" boards. I use a 5/8"carbide blade form Grizzly also. Re-sawing generates a lot of dust so I connected it to my dust collection system.
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Keep your eye open on Craigslist for a used Jet 14". That's what I did. Later I added a riser so I can resaw up to almost 12 inches, and then put in guides and some other accessories from Carter. Like with a scrollsaw, buy the best blades you can find, they are worth the difference. I also recommend searching youtube for the Alex Snodgrass video on setting up a bandsaw. He travels all over for Carter during the Woodworking shows, and is a wizard with a bandsaw. His method of setup is unbeatable in my book.
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I have been looking at bandsaw's so I can resaw but the ones in my budget are either 3 inch resaw or maybe 6 inch resaw. What is this riser you are talking about? Maybe I can make one for a band saw and be able to resaw and get into more hard woods.
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Many manufacturers of 14" bandsaws make a 6 inch riser to fit the saw. You simply dismount the upper half of the frame, insert the riser, remount the upper portion, and tighten the bolts. It extends the resawing ability of the saw by 6 inches. Bear in mind that you need an appropriately sized motor to handle cuts this deep. I have resawed boards up to about 10 inches wide on my Jet 14". Of course all your old blades are useless at that point. A 14 inch saw usually takes a 94 inch blade but with the riser takes a 105 inch blade. BTW: that's why 105 inch blades are so common.
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Thanks for the input. Bill did not know about the blade length about 105 inch being the most common. Blade length will be a large factor in my choice now. Got a lot to think about before I buy. Thanks again to all.
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No problem, but I didn't mean the 105 is the most common. That's probably the 94. The 105 is common though and I suspect the reason is due to the length needed for a 14" saw with a 6 inch riser.
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Thanks Bill.
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Grizzly just put their 14" on sale for $445.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX (http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX)
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I love my grizzly 14 " with the riser kit for re-sawing. Little over 500.00 though I think.
actually it is on sale right now. http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX (http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Deluxe-Bandsaw/G0555LX)
I have this saw also with the riser kit. Great saw!!!
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Thanks !! I'm taking a strong look at the Grizzly 14 inch with the riser kit.
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I have a Skil brand. Can't wear it out. Menards quit stocking the blade length I need. For blades, go to;
http://www.mkmorse.com/
Click on, "Band Saw Blades"
jerry1939
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I have a porter cable 14'' and I like it so far,not got into resawing yet so I cant tell you anything about that, I can tell you with the directions that came with the saw it was easy to set up and I have got a one eighth blade on it right now that I have cut some ash and oak with and it done real good, I will have to see how it does in thick stuff might have to go back to the quarter inch blade for that...the saw is sold at Lowes and it was 450.00
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ksaws,
I have been looking at that saw at Lowes. Would like to buy from a local store so if I have any problems I can take it back. With that said, we have Sears, Lowes and Home Depot.
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I got a dumb question, but what does the size (10", 12", 14") mean? Is that the distance between the blade and the arm? So the max cut you could do on a 10" saw is a 10" board without the saw itself getting in the way?
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Yes it means the size of the throat from the blade to back of the arm just like the scroll saw a 10 inch band saw can cut wood that is 10 in wide or deep.
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I was in Sears today and got a floor model of their 14" Bandsaw for $292. Seems like a good buy. I hope it's a decent tool. Looks like up to 8" resaw.
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I found this site on reviews on saws. It may help others looking to buy.
http://www.woodnet.net/plansnow/review-bandsaw.pdf
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I read that band saw blow down, the jet model is nice but at a price, I have a bandsaw on my wish list now. Only thing it will being doing is resawing, if I can get one that will at least resaw 8 inch I can live with that but would like it to about 9 so when I resaw it will be about as wide as a piece of paper, was looking at the craftsman bansaw they have a nice 14 inch for 404, but do have a small units for half the cost, also what saw's can take a riser block? I was looking at the HF band saw alot said it was simaliar to grizzly saw but it was very hard to get parts for but its price of 359 is just under the craftsman, so may as well go with the craftsman, if I can pull it up going for a jet I like it but can you get riser blocks for a jet if it can take one, or wonder if can make one.
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I have a riser on my Jet 14". I wouldn't personally consider making one. Too much strain. This is a good opportunity to use Craigslist and find a good used saw. You can get a better saw for less money if you are a little patient.
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Yes I can wait, for a good deal, my thinking is if the saw has a resaw of say 6 inches, a board I want to resaw is 12x10, paper is 8.5x11, if want to resaw that board to fit the paper it want it to resaw to at 9 or 10 so its 8.5 wide, lenght won't matter as I can cut to lenght, why I asking about riser block, if that makes sense, most my patterns I print or cut are about the size of piece of paper.
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If that is your intended use, you will also need to have a planer. I wouldn't expect resawing to give you an acceptable finish or an even enough thickness to go it alone. You will also need a dust collector. Resawing something that wide will create tons of sawdust. Generally when I resaw, the wood goes from my bandsaw to my planer to my drum (thickness) sander. Then it is ready to work with.
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Yea I counted on having to get a planer as well, but didn't think it would take this much to get BS going or have one, do you need a drum sander or would having a belt sander work the same? Maybe should hold off till I got more room in my little garage to have all this stuff.
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A drum sander is not a necessity, but a very nice luxury. I personally rarely use a belt sander for anything other than shaping wood. It's too aggressive for me. I prefer the results of a good Random Orbital Sander. I do often use a stationary belt sander, but not connected with resawing. If you have a lunchbox planer like a dewalt or delta you will be fine. The drum sander just gives you a convenient and quick way to get a uniform surface with no knife marks. There are also many plans for building your own on sites like Lumberjocks.com.
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HF has a nice 12 inch planer lowes has a nice one as well, but think they are about 200 bucks or more, another tool I would love to add to my woodworking collection but will have to wait.
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I have a powermatic 15" floor planer which I love, but the Dewalt seems to be the lunchbox model most sought after. (there are 2 models. The more expensive is the one everyone talks about.) You can also buy carbide tiped planer blades for them now, or Byrd Shellix Heads.
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I got a 12 inch Ridgit planner that had been used once for about ten minutes for a $100 off Craigs list. Don't feel guilty at all. After resawing it does make the wood almost usable, but a little sanding puts it there.