Any Woodworkers out there? Help please

[jgln]

Christmas is coming up and my fiancee mentioned she would like a band saw. Well, I decided best we talk about why and what would be suitable rather than just try and make it a surprise for Christmas. She was looking at a small table mounted one for about $130. Turns out she will use it for typical applications but also wants it to cut small logs (I figured that much since she is always putting logs aside from the firewood deliveries) that she finds the grain patterns interesting, most likely rip cuts.

First off I reminded her how dangerous they can be to begin with let alone trying to use them on logs which is much more dangerous. I did some research and it looks like people do use them to cut logs lengthwise with some guides and such.

I found it cheaper to buy that $130 model and mount it to a workbench from harbor freight than to buy one on a stand...with the same throat size.

So what do you recommend? Spend more money on a better one or but her a blender instead so she still has 2 hands come this time next year?

 

[jgln]

?

 

[Homercidal]

If you are going to rip logs, I'd get something better than a tabletop model. They are fine for small pieces, but ripping takes a lot more oomph and can really add to the wear and tear.

Go slow and make sure you have the correct blade. A larger machine will probably cost upwards of $400...

The stand doesn't matter at all. It's the material put into supporting the blades and motor, and the size of the motor. And of course the blade itself too.

I can't see a difference between a cheap table top unit bolted down and a cheap unit on a cheap stand...

And don't worry, it's easy to get cut on a bandsaw, but it doesn't happen often with some basic safety practices. LOTS of people rip boards on a bandsaw.

 

[IrregularPulse]

If your wife wants a band saw, I'd recommend not buying her the blender

 

[jgln]

If you are going to rip logs, I'd get something better than a tabletop model. They are fine for small pieces, but ripping takes a lot more oomph and can really add to the wear and tear.

Go slow and make sure you have the correct blade. A larger machine will probably cost upwards of $400...

The stand doesn't matter at all. It's the material put into supporting the blades and motor, and the size of the motor. And of course the blade itself too.

I can't see a difference between a cheap table top unit bolted down and a cheap unit on a cheap stand...

And don't worry, it's easy to get cut on a bandsaw, but it doesn't happen often with some basic safety practices. LOTS of people rip boards on a bandsaw.

Yeah, I saw (ha,aha) saws in that upper range and thought probably the better saw, stands can't cost that much so value must be in the saw? I read, as you say, the motor takes a beating when you try and do thick wood so I agree there. Glad to hear it can be done. She rarely drinks and knows not to mess with a saw when she does so that is good. I had shop in JRHS and remember that if you force the band it can snap, so I was wondering about her intentions. See next post lol.

 

[jgln]

If your wife wants a band saw, I'd recommend not buying her the blender

Because it is cheaper? If because of her intentions with the saw...a blender might just take longer.

 

[android]

not sure what your upper limit is on cost, but the porter cable one at lowe's right now doesn't look half bad and it's got decent reviews online. if you're gonna rip logs, there's a good chance it will burn out a tabletop model. the one at lowe's not runs about $399, which is significantly less than most that are that size.

 

[passedpawn]

Christmas is coming up and my fiancee mentioned she would like a band saw. Well, I decided best we talk about why and what would be suitable rather than just try and make it a surprise for Christmas. She was looking at a small table mounted one for about $130. Turns out she will use it for typical applications but also wants it to cut small logs (I figured that much since she is always putting logs aside from the firewood deliveries) that she finds the grain patterns interesting, most likely rip cuts.

First off I reminded her how dangerous they can be to begin with let alone trying to use them on logs which is much more dangerous. I did some research and it looks like people do use them to cut logs lengthwise with some guides and such.

I found it cheaper to buy that $130 model and mount it to a workbench from harbor freight than to buy one on a stand...with the same throat size.

So what do you recommend? Spend more money on a better one or but her a blender instead so she still has 2 hands come this time next year?

You can't go wrong with anything sold at a Woodcraft store. I have one near me and it's a joy to walk around there. They give lessons on equipment, too. $$$ though. Good luck.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

If she wants a saw DO NOT get her a blender if you ever expect her to let you put your dowel into her tenon again.

And if you get her a saw, get a good one. A months salary should be equivalent.

 

[passedpawn]

A months salary should be equivalent.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Does Mitsubishi make bandsaws?

"Diamonds are forever..."

And nothing says forever like a finger severing carbide tipped....

 

[Old_mil_guy]

Try looking at Grizzly or Jet. If it's gonna really get used, buy bigger than you think you need.

 

[KayaBrew]

All I can do is to strongly urge you to stay away from Harbor Freight or Northern Tool and Supply. If you're going to buy the saw, buy a reputable name brand from a local shop. Harbor Freight stuff is fine, but for the most part, it's "disposable"...meaning it won't last long, and when it quits working you toss it in the trash.

 

[Jota21]

If she wants a saw DO NOT get her a blender if you ever expect her to let you put your tennon into her mortis again.

And if you get her a saw, get a good one. A months salary should be equivalent.

Fixed.

 

[passedpawn]

If she wants a saw DO NOT get her a blender if you ever expect her to let you put your rabbet into her dado again.

My turn to fix!

 

[joeybeer]

I've done a bit of woodworking and my vote would be to buy a used one from the 70s or 80s to save some money.. Some of them have massive HP and they don't build them like that anymore !!

 

[Nova5]

Stay far far away from ANYTHING that is a powertool from Harbor Freight. Nothing I bought from them survived 6 months. My uncle had a angle grinder from them blow flames within 15 minutes of use.

 

[Jklinden]

Delta makes a solid band saw on the other end black and decker does not IMHO

 

[brewmonk]

arrite, jg, you are smart to be asking!
decree #1, if your wife EVER asks for a power tool, you married WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

decree #2, spending lots of hard-earned money on a well-made, long-term-investment tool for the shop means that you will only ever cry on the ONE day (that you write the check). all others cry EVERY day. (re-read that!)

short answer, get nothing smaller than a floor standing 14" bandsaw (delta, ridgid, rikon, grizzly) 500 new, but who needs new?

decree #3 - stare at the craigslist tool ads like a hungry pervert at a stip-club buffet (yeah, that WAS a little too much, sorry).

decree #4 - there is no decree #4

decree #5 - give her a couple hundred bucks TOWARDS it, and then she can get a damned good saw for only a little more. kill two birds, and give her the cash cost of that chrome, 42 speed blender with the 'special' attachment, ($234.56) and let her loose on the Want-Ads.

last and final decree - 2 hp motors, and flat, cast tops KEEP them in your shop, but crappy fences (or in the case of a bandsaw, tension adjusters and bearings) are what get the sh!ttie ones THROWN on the junk heap!

congrats, happy holidays.

(for what it's worth, i have a unisaw, ridgid jointer, dewalt cms, and rikon 14")

just realize that to "resaw" logs you need a big enough saw to run a 2 or 3 tooth per inch blade, aint happenin on a plastic ryoby toy.

 

[brewmonk]

Band Saw

offer em 60 bucks for the band saw and use it for a year while you find a great deal on a big boy cutterizer!

pps - the bandsaw is one of the SAFEST tools in the shop - no joke. if the blade breaks, it JUST stops moving, the is no, NO shrapnel!
it pulls DOEN, not shoots towards you.
etc
etc.

smart girl, too.

 

[McLompoc]

If my wife asked Santa for a band saw I would start searching for some good life insurance so the grandkids would be college bound! Then split like a log!

J/K

 

[brewmonk]

Central Machinery 14" Band saw

not too bad. i don't think that this one will get taller with a "riser", and central, if I remember, MIGHT be a harbour freight, or Northern tool name, but offer 200.

your next questions should be how to spot good wheel treads, check 'tracking', and set it up properly when its at YOUR house.

 

[jgln]

+1000

 

[jgln]

arrite, jg, you are smart to be asking!
decree #1, if your wife EVER asks for a power tool, you married WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

decree #2, spending lots of hard-earned money on a well-made, long-term-investment tool for the shop means that you will only ever cry on the ONE day (that you write the check). all others cry EVERY day. (re-read that!)

short answer, get nothing smaller than a floor standing 14" bandsaw (delta, ridgid, rikon, grizzly) 500 new, but who needs new?

decree #3 - stare at the craigslist tool ads like a hungry pervert at a stip-club buffet (yeah, that WAS a little too much, sorry).

decree #4 - there is no decree #4

decree #5 - give her a couple hundred bucks TOWARDS it, and then she can get a damned good saw for only a little more. kill two birds, and give her the cash cost of that chrome, 42 speed blender with the 'special' attachment, ($234.56) and let her loose on the Want-Ads.

last and final decree - 2 hp motors, and flat, cast tops KEEP them in your shop, but crappy fences (or in the case of a bandsaw, tension adjusters and bearings) are what get the sh!ttie ones THROWN on the junk heap!

congrats, happy holidays.

(for what it's worth, i have a unisaw, ridgid jointer, dewalt cms, and rikon 14")

just realize that to "resaw" logs you need a big enough saw to run a 2 or 3 tooth per inch blade, aint happenin on a plastic ryoby toy.

She really doesn't want a blender, I just picked something off the top of my head less dangerous. She wants a table saw, a drill press...everything. We just can't afford a complete shop but she deserves the band saw. She has all kind of interests many women don't. She would love to get into welding too. All of these are for art though, pretty much anyway. Right now she makes concrete sculptures, she is very talented.

 

[jgln]

If my wife asked Santa for a band saw I would start searching for some good life insurance so the grandkids would be college bound! Then split like a log!

J/K

She was eyeing up a freezer chest at Sears the other day....


...just kidding! We already have a freezer chest.:cross:

 

[jgln]

If my wife asked Santa for a band saw I would start searching for some good life insurance so the grandkids would be college bound! Then split like a log!

J/K

Just noticed where you are from. I worked at VAFB for a while back in the late 90's for Lockheed Martin. Launched satellite I worked on back here in PA.

 

[jgln]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I need to talk to her more about it. If she wants it to cut logs down I agree we need a quality saw with good HP so that is going to cost some. Need to decide if she is serious enough about this first. I think she is though. If it were just for arts and crafts and thin wood I think a cheaper model would do the trick.

I have not used a band saw since JRHS so I am hesitant about buying used. Maybe if I knew more about them, let me think about it. If it came with operators manual I guess not too bad.

I agree about Harbor Freight. Seems their deal is low cost so that = cheap for the most part. Don't get me wrong, I would buy stuff there and have, but I agree when it comes to stuff like band saws better go with quality.

 

[jgln]

...BTW, as much as I would enjoy woodworking myself I just don't see me getting into it. I have too many other things going on so I doubt the band saw would be useful to me much. My choice would be a table saw for my purchase if I were to get something along those lines.

My last project in JRHS was a chess board that would fold so pieces could be stored. Just before I finished it someone stole it.

 

[jgln]

You can't go wrong with anything sold at a Woodcraft store. I have one near me and it's a joy to walk around there. They give lessons on equipment, too. $$$ though. Good luck.

Ha, there is a Woodcraft store just down the street from where I work here. I remember seeing a store back in NJ that had a name like that and sold that stuff, just couldn't remember where or the name. Only bad thing is with my work hours they are closed while I am here..but good news it is only 20 minutes from my house so we can come back on the weekend. Good idea, I can tell them of our intentions and they should be able to help select one should we decide to buy there.

 

[WilliamWS]

I agree that you shouldn't go with anything smaller than a 14" saw. The 14" Rikon is nice because it has 13" resaw capacity (as opposed to 6" for most 14" saws) and a welded frame (as opposed to cast iron which flexes more) that can properly tension a little wider blade if she wants to do much resawing.

It sounds like you both want a table saw and both Bosch and Dewalt make solid little portable table saws that definitely are not the toys that the bench-top band saws are and that are cheaper than buying a decent band saw.
She won't be able to resaw thick material or make curved cuts with a table saw and a table saw is WAY more dangerous than a band saw but if you both want one they are pretty handy...

 

[jgln]

I agree that you shouldn't go with anything smaller than a 14" saw. The 14" Rikon is nice because it has 13" resaw capacity (as opposed to 6" for most 14" saws) and a welded frame (as opposed to cast iron which flexes more) that can properly tension a little wider blade if she wants to do much resawing.

It sounds like you both want a table saw and both Bosch and Dewalt make solid little portable table saws that definitely are not the toys that the bench-top band saws are and that are cheaper than buying a decent band saw.
She won't be able to resaw thick material or make curved cuts with a table saw and a table saw is WAY more dangerous than a band saw but if you both want one they are pretty handy...

Looks nice and probably what she needs but ouch...almost $1,000. But everyone is right, you need to get what you need to do what you want and you want a quality product. Yeah, we need to discuss this more. Thanks.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

I'd get a good used band saw rather than a harbor freight one. Nothing against harbor freight I go there pretty frequently, but when it comes to a tool like a power saw, I'd go with a better brand ... even used.

south jersey all for sale / wanted classifieds ""band saw"" - craigslist

 

[TwoWheeler]

Check out Grizzly or Porter Cable. I've bought some stuff - not power tools - and the quality is pretty good. Have a Porter Cable table saw, router and biscuit joiner and they're all pretty good.

Avoid Harbor Freight like the plague.

 

[WilliamWS]

Looks nice and probably what she needs but ouch...almost $1,000. But everyone is right, you need to get what you need to do what you want and you want a quality product. Yeah, we need to discuss this more. Thanks.

A cast iron frame 14" band saw is still a useful tool and grizzly makes decent saws at a good price. I just suggested the Rikon because you mentioned sawing logs and a most 14" saws max out at 6" of depth and can't handle a nice, wide resaw blade. FWIW, the Rikon goes on sale quite often (sale just ended at woodcraft) for around $200 off. It's still on sale at Highland ( Rikon Deluxe Bandsaw 14" 10-325 | Rikon Bandsaw Dealer ) for $799 which is a deal for what you get.

 

[jgln]

A cast iron frame 14" band saw is still a useful tool and grizzly makes decent saws at a good price. I just suggested the Rikon because you mentioned sawing logs and a most 14" saws max out at 6" of depth and can't handle a nice, wide resaw blade. FWIW, the Rikon goes on sale quite often (sale just ended at woodcraft) for around $200 off. It's still on sale at Highland ( Rikon Deluxe Bandsaw 14" 10-325 | Rikon Bandsaw Dealer ) for $799 which is a deal for what you get.

No problem, thanks, you were just suggesting what would be best for what she wants it for. Too bad the sale just ended, we planned on heading over there tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[jgln]

Went to woodcrafters this weekend. Walked around and looked at everything, cool place. Looked at bandsaws there but my thought was we talk to someone who can give recommendations on what we need and know to do what she wants. I guess she was intimidated and didn't want to talk to anyone and me not being the one wanting one would have to relied on her imput to answer questions they would ask so we just left and she decided it was too much money to spend anyway and she didn't want to buy one that wouldn't do what she wants. She also thought maybe once she cuts a few logs then what? Not like she was planning on building furniture, she just thought they would be nice to look at I suppose. Not that we won't ever get one, just that it won't be a rush purchase as a Christmas gift.

...but now I have to come up with another idea. last idea was a cement mixer for her sculptures but since she works in the basement it would be inpossible to clean it out down there and to mix it outside we would then need to transport the mixed concrete to the basement. So that is out too.

I know she would like a pottery wheel but then you need a kiln and then again we are talking a lot of $$ we don't really have, besides she has enough hobbies already.

I know she would like to do metal art too. Would a cheap cutting torch and welder work?

 

[Homercidal]

I'd recommend looking into a plasma cutter for metal art. cutting torches won't do a very fine job.

Sometimes getting decent tools for a trade sucks, but it's the only way.

 

[lex990]

What about getting a small table saw to do the length rips. And then getting a table scroll saw for the delicate cuts. If you look around you could probably get both for 200ish. Lots and lots of ideas for all types of guides and sleds for table saws online. Seems it would be More effective for milling the smaller logs

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

The smaller table top units are really only good for hobby stuff. If she wants to do any milling/resawing, she is going to need a substantially more powerful and large machine.

This is a really good deal for a saw that would give her what she needs.
G0513P 17" 2 HP Bandsaw, Polar Bear Series®

You could potentially get this one:
G0555P 14" 1 HP Bandsaw, Polar Bear Series®
but the 1HP model is not going to be as smooth or easy to use for resawing especially on non-square stock (logs).

I am not sure how much of a woodworker your fiancee is, but what does she intend to do with the logs? If she is accomplished enough to rough mill the lumber, square it, then use it in furniture or other projects, a bandsaw is not dangerous for her to use. Bandsaws are one of the safer shop tools because the teeth travel in a consistent direction and pull the workpiece into the table. The opposite is a table saw that has a tendency to spit work back at the operator and has a lot more kick-back potential.

Anyway,