Raleigh CL - a "better than nothing" bandsaw

[CarvedTones]

A 12" Craftsman for $50 (yeah it has a switch issue):

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/for/804884333.html

 

[NCPete]

Hey, it has one of those grooves for the wood-pusher-thingy!!!

 

[Glennbear]

Hey, it has one of those grooves for the wood-pusher-thingy!!!

Also the much sought after "instant on solid-state" feature :rotflm::rotflm::rotflm:

 

[CarvedTones]

A couple of years ago I would have jumped at this. Switches are cheap and those old Craftsman 12" band saws aren't that bad if you don't need resaw. Lots of people are happy with them for many years. It would be a major upgrade for anyone trying to get by with a 9" (which is what I did for a long time).

 

[Travis Porter]

No argument, it would make someone a good saw, and the price isn't bad. For $50, and another $5 worth of electrical parts and some braces on the legs it would do someone well.

 

[CarvedTones]

Yeah, that stand does appear to be collapsible in one direction and rather spindly. Looks like somone braced it for the cutting direction. But I am the pot calling the kettle black:

I have a piece of ply under the stand that has "runners" on the sides so I can get the hand truck under it to move it around. You have to hold your mouth right when you resaw. :wrolleyes:

 

[PeteQuad]

If I was close by, it would be tempting just to use with a dedicated 1/8" blade. Maybe I should just buy a scroll saw already and get it over with.

 

[CarvedTones]

I would never want to discourage anyone from getting a scroll saw, but I kept my little 9" BS when I got the bigger one for just that purpose - it has a 1/8" on it all the time. I have it braced to limit vibration also. As much as I love scrolling, if your need is an occasional curved cut that isn't super intricate, it does it a lot faster. So yes, go get a scroll saw already, but it isn't necessarily a general purpose wood working tool.