Want to purchase a band saw

[mighty_fine_sawdust]

I have inherited some fir posts that are 8 x 8 and this solidifies my need for a band saw. Based on what i've read, it seems that 3/4 hp or more is needed for resawing. (I'm still learning about how to pick out a band saw).

If someone has a band saw that they'd like to sell, please let me know.

 

[tvrgeek]

I went crazy on research when I bought mine as I had had two "baby" saws that were about useless.
I love my Harvey. 3 HP C14. I have re-sawn 8 inch oak, cedar, and walnut with no problem. If you are not too far away, you are welcome to come check it out. They should make a 20inch version and it would be a killer.

Harvey, Rikon, Laguna, Jet, Griz/ShopFox, Powermatic, Baleigh, Oliver are about our choices.

Rikon would be my second choice. I have met too many who were disappointed with their Laguna because of guides not holding set. Jets have a cast trunnion that is known to break. Griz is iffy. Great if you get a good one, iffy support. Powermatic seems overpriced for what you get. Baleigh and Oliver not sure what they add to the mix. all go round and round so the biggest difference is guide adjustability. Dust collection stinks on all of them.

Now, a carbide blade is iffy on a 14 inch due to their width and stiffness, so going to an 18 or 20 is not a bad idea if you have room and budget. Being able to run a 1 inch blade helps re-saw. A hint is you can easily run 1/8 smaller than they advertise. I would have bought the 18 inch Rikon 10-374 if I had the space and budget.

Harvey constantly has sales, so watch their site. You may not have heard of them. They are one of the big OEMs. I suspect they make quite a few of the above mentioned brands.

 

[bob vaughan]

An 8x8 is a significant size. You're going to need a significant band saw to handle that and even then you're going to need lots of muscle power.
The modern 14" saws from Asia aren't much. Most are abbreviated imitations of the 1939 Delta design, just not as rigid or well built.

I've got a friend that has a rebuilt Delta 500 lb. 28-350 20" saw for sale at around $1000.00. That machine would be marginally good for big timbers. A 36" saw would be ideal. If motor horsepower is the biggest selling point of a new band saw, keep on looking.

Below is what a 28-350 looks like. This is one I rebuilt for a school shop that was totally fed up with a 14" Jet saw they were trying to use.

 

[Tarhead]

There's a MiniMax S45 (18") on Facebook marketplace that needs a can of wd40 and a bottle of Krudcutter but for $700 you get a heavy, powerful, Italian-made machine. I have the 20" version and love it. Log into Facebook

 

[bob vaughan]

There's a MiniMax S45 (18") on Facebook marketplace that needs a can of wd40 and a bottle of Krudcutter but for $700 you get a heavy, powerful, Italian-made machine. I have the 20" version and love it. Log into Facebook

he S45 seems to weigh 390 lbs.

Small, lightweight frame bandsaws will probably be satisfactory for an 8x8 Piece as long as lengths are kept under 3' long.

I was wrong about the weight of the Delta 28-350. Its over 700 Lbs. Not likely to tip over.

 

[tvrgeek]

An 8x8 is a significant size. You're going to need a significant band saw to handle that and even then you're going to need lots of muscle power.
The modern 14" saws from Asia aren't much. Most are abbreviated imitations of the 1939 Delta design, just not as rigid or well built.

I've got a friend that has a rebuilt Delta 500 lb. 28-350 20" saw for sale at around $1000.00. That machine would be marginally good for big timbers. A 36" saw would be ideal. If motor horsepower is the biggest selling point of a new band saw, keep on looking.

Below is what a 28-350 looks like. This is one I rebuilt for a school shop that was totally fed up with a 14" Jet saw they were trying to use.

View attachment 227583 View attachment 227585

Having a Harvey C14, I disagree. Built like a tank. The higher end box beam saws are very rigid. Now the C-frame and stand mounts are barely above toys and if you go to the cheaper models, yea, not the same quality. Don't judge all 14's the same. That big Delta is probably really nice. Really, go look at it. A Rikon 324 is not the same as a 353. Whatever saw you get, be sure the trunnion is cast iron not aluminum or sheet metal. 3 HP will do it because I have done it. You will need 220V. Of course if you were a production shop and re-sawing 8 inch logs all day every day for decades, sure a 5 or 10 HP 24 inch would be the ticket. I might add, the only person who complained about their saw was too big was space constrained.

I have set up supports and did the rough sawing of some 10 inch walnut and cedar 8 feet long. Sure, 4 foot is easier to deal with and when I went down to the final rough dimensions, that is what I did.

I forgot to mention Minimax. Good saws.

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

A bit of Minimax history, strangely enough the s45 bandsaw was an SCM product, SCM is the parent company of MM, the machine was a lighter duty saw than the MM saws.

The original MM saws were built by Centauro in Italy and rebadged as Minimax, very stoutly built steel frames, with fairly stout motors. My first generation MM16 (vintage 1999), weights in at 465 lbs and has 3.6 Hp motor and can resaw 13”. The later MM16 saw had a 4.8 hp motor with a 16” resaw. You cannot go wrong with Centauro built bandsaws, they are resaw monsters.

The currently offered MM bandsaws are no longer being built by Centauro.

 

[Darl Bundren]

If the stock isn't too long, you could saw table saw kerfs on opposite sides and use a smaller bandsaw to cut out the remainder. Get a good blade (Wood-Slicer is pretty good) and it'd be quick work. Some drawbacks? A little more labor, maybe, and you lose a kerf's width of material from the table saw blade. If I were planning on getting 3 or 4 planks per 8x8, I'd lean towards doing this. And, the saw kerf is an easy guide to follow, even with some wacky bandsaw drift.

Of course, if I had the resources, I'd probably buy a giant bandsaw. Mine's a Rikon 14" and does everything I need it to, but I don't resaw much.

 

[tvrgeek]

440P still looks like a beast. It should for over 7 grand! Move up higher and you need 3 phase power.

 

[tvrgeek]

As with most woodworking power tools, you can almost buy by weight.

 

[Ricksmi]

I have the Rikon 14" and have resaw oak, hard maple often (almost monthly) and would not hesitate with a 8x8, just take your time and let the saw do the cutting without forcing the cut. You also want to always go with good blades and get the blade for resaw work. I prefer TimberWolf blades and for resaw 3TPI is best but a 5TPI will work well.

 

[helper]

Well, this may or may not be on topic... but I was in the same situation last year. I did tons of research and based on the size of my shop, a larger bandsaw was just not going to work. So... this is where it gets a bit interesting - I ended up buying a new 26" bandsaw... or should I say sawmill. I have many acres of land, mostly wooded (white and red oak mostly). Ended up costing about the same amount for a good sized bandsaw (and yes, Woodmizer was running a sale at the time). Though I have a large log bunk with logs waiting to be milled, most of my work on the sawmill has been RESAW of lumber I already have (when I first purchased this property, we had a portable sawmill service come in a saw up about 2k bd ft).

I have had to make a jig for the sawmill, but I am able to resaw four-quarter and five-quarter in half. I have a few spalted Beech logs that I did process - much of the outer wood I cut at 3/8" for boxes (see below).

The key is blade tension and sharpness.

 

[Rwe2156]

You could probably resaw those on a 3/4 HP machine but.....wow that's asking a lot.

If you think you'll be doing a lot of resawing & you've got the funds, I recommend a Laguna 18BX.

If you're just looking to resaw these 8x8's, you might even reach out to an NCW member rather than buying a saw. That said, I agree with the suggestions on used saws.

 

[mighty_fine_sawdust]

you all are actually helping me a lot. Before I got any replies here, yesterday I asked a guy in Mt pleasant about this saw on craigs list (wanted to know motor horsepower) if I am looking correctly at the serial number, it's a Delta 14 inch from 2001 for $675 with a 1hp motor. I don't have any experience the delta so I'm just asking. is this even close to being reasonable for this saw? Delta Band saw - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

 

[mighty_fine_sawdust]

A bit of Minimax history, strangely enough the s45 bandsaw was an SCM product, SCM is the parent company of MM, the machine was a lighter duty saw than the MM saws.

The original MM saws were built by Centauro in Italy and rebadged as Minimax, very stoutly built steel frames, with fairly stout motors. My first generation MM16 (vintage 1999), weights in at 465 lbs and has 3.6 Hp motor and can resaw 13”. The later MM16 saw had a 4.8 hp motor with a 16” resaw. You cannot go wrong with Centauro built bandsaws, they are resaw monsters.

The currently offered MM bandsaws are no longer being built by Centauro.

with motors that big, I'm guessing it's 240v 3 phase?

Also, how difficult would it be to find parts for that saw?

 

[Tarhead]

with motors that big, I'm guessing it's 240v 3 phase?

Also, how difficult would it be to find parts for that saw?

They make both. My MM20 has a 220v, 3hp 1ph motor.

 

[Robert LaPlaca]

MM16 and MM20 were both single phase 240v motors, IIRC three phase machines were MM24 and above

 

[bob vaughan]

Before I got any replies here, yesterday I asked a guy in Mt pleasant about this saw on craigs list (wanted to know motor horsepower) if I am looking correctly at the serial number, it's a Delta 14 inch from 2001 for $675 with a 1hp motor. I don't have any experience the delta so I'm just asking. is this even close to being reasonable for this saw? Delta Band saw - tools - by owner - sale - craigslist

There are pluses and minuses to that saw.
It is a USA-made saw. That's a plus
Its got a riser block. That's a plus.
Its got a tinfoil stand that looks good in a showroom (like most modern band saws). That's a minus.
The motor is rated 9.6 amps at 110 volts. What horsepower that is depends on the advertising department. Look at amps, not horsepower.

I had a 1999 model that I'd given to my son. He hated that stand because it had no rigidity and made the saw whippy in use. Later I came across an old Delta welded stand from the 1950s and a repulsion/induction 1 HP motor from the same era. Put the saw on that stand with the 60 lb. motor and it was a completely different saw. Solid as a rock. Looked awful but ran great.



Am I the only one with photos of their saw? With all these recommendations, I'd love to see some detail shots of the components that make the saw desirable. I can go to the internet and get advertising photos, but that's a cop-out.

 

[bob vaughan]

Here's the best shot I've got of the underside of the 28-350. Both the table bracket and the trunnions are cast iron.

 

[bob vaughan]

I just looked at the Craigslist band saw again. Zooming in I can see someone put roller guides on it. Unless the seller has the original (and far superior) guides available, I'd keep on looking for a better band saw.