Bandsaw reviews?

[Rhythm House Drums]

I've gotten by without a bandsaw until now. I'm having more projects where it would be useful, and some coming up where it's more of a must. My shop is small and I am trying to figure out where to out it. I will be needing a 14 or 17" model and might as well get one I can resaw on when the time comes. I'll be cutting through 3" thick hardwoods on a regular basis.

As far as blades go, I don't know much there either. Are there blades suitable for producing clean edges for glue ups?

I'm sure I'll end up doing some research, but thought I'd get some input here as well.

I do plan on making a sled for the table too so I can rip larger pieces at an angle consistently. So I'm looking for a larger tilting table.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

I bought the Rikon 10-325 about 4 years ago and have been very happy w/ it. I use a 1/2" Woodslicer blade from Highland Hardware for resawing. It leaves a fairly smooth surface, but I wouldn't say it is ready for glue up.

Bill

 

[WoodWrangler]

If you need to resaw, go a little larger. I have a Grizzly 17 and a Laguna 24 and resaw well, however I used to have two different 14's and they did not (motor not strong enough to move efficiently). The Rikon 18 is a nice one too for the money.

 

[Jason m]

I have an old piece of iron. A 1947 Walker Turner that does not use a standard blade. I have to get custom blades for it. I get them from pswoodmachines.com They seem to do ok and they are cheaper on custom blades than any place I have seen.

 

[drw]

I concur with Bill, I too have a Rikon 10-325 and I am very pleased with its performance. I have been using a 1/2" blade that I purchased for Woodcraft (I am not sure of the specific brand name) and it has done a very credible job with resawing.

 

[red]

+1 on the Rikon. All around great machine.

Red

 

[golfdad]

I have the G0555 from grizzly with the riser block.I have been very pleased with it.....no problems reswing

 

[Matt Furjanic]

Hi Kevin,

I have a Laguna 14 SUV. It has a 14" resaw capacity. 220 volts only, 3 hp, so plenty of power. It is pricey though. You are welcome to come by and check it out if you like, anytime. I do not particularly like the ceramic blade guides, but they work okay once you get the hang of adjusting them properly. The table is not large, but it tilts easily. I love the mobile base - it maneuvers very easily and effortlessly. Matt...

 

[RayH]

I have a 6 year old 14-inch Delta 28-206 with the riser kit. Motor is 115V, and does not appear wire-able to 220V. Speed is adjustable via belt pulley. With the riser it will handle up to about 12-inch thick material. It IS power limited at these thicknesses, but has done everything I needed it to do.

I don't know how their products are with the new Delta company.

Good luck,
Ray

 

[merrill77]

I have a Jet 16" saw - one of the newer ones with the triangular frame. Overall I'm pleased with it - got it barely used for about 1/2 retail. It has 10" resaw...wish it had more, but I couldn't pass up the deal.

I find all small-medium sized bandsaws have tables insufficiently large for WWing. I built my own and am very pleased with the additional space -- it's about 3x the surface area of the original. Added a better fence, too.

 

[Rhythm House Drums]

Anyone know anything about the shopfox saws? I see them often on Craigslist.

I don't know that I'll need or have room for a 17" saw. My main goal is going to be as clean of an edge as possible. I guess the bigger saw can hold a wider blade which will give a smoother cut right? I'm only going to need about 5" of clearance for what I'm doing with it. But would like to resaw my own n the future(though probably not in any heavy quantity)

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

Anyone know anything about the shopfox saws? I see them often on Craigslist.

I don't know that I'll need or have room for a 17" saw. My main goal is going to be as clean of an edge as possible. I guess the bigger saw can hold a wider blade which will give a smoother cut right? I'm only going to need about 5" of clearance for what I'm doing with it. But would like to resaw my own n the future(though probably not in any heavy quantity)

As Bill stated earlier, it is unlikely that you are going to get a glue ready edge off of a bandsaw. If you accept that as a given, then pretty much any bandsaw will do what you are asking. I would get a used 14" bandsaw on Craigslist. You could always add a riser block down the road for more resaw capacity, or resell it and upgrade to a bigger saw if you wanted. At that point, you would have a better idea of what that saw was lacking and what to look for in a new one.