I have a horrible BS, a Rockwell 10 inch. It was one of the first machine tools I bought and has been tucked away in a corner of my shop for years. Every few years I try to “tune it up”, When I try to tension it (with a ¼ inch blade) the blade jumps forward from the guides, even though it is still on the wheels. I have no idea why this is.<!—-> <!—->
Its better points include:<!—->
1) a 1.25 HP TEFC motor (bought separately)<!—->
2) A sturdy cast iron body<!—->
3) A decent stand <!—->
Its ‘less than good points’ include its plastic wheels, guide system, support post that wobbles, miniscule tensioning spring and everything else about it. I see no point in selling it as the motor is likely worth more than anything I could reasonable ask for it.
<!—->
Enough ranting. The point is I’m beginning to suspect that my inability to produce the quality of work I usually do with other tools may be this piece of equipment and not me.<!—->
This summer I plan to replace it. I am considering a Laguna 16. But I have some questions and would appreciate input. <!—->
1) can the body and stand serve any purpose other than a 1 inch belt sander or a doorstop ?<!—->
2) Would a 1/8 inch blade require less tension and if so which one would you recommend?<!—->
3) Is there any advantage to setting it up with a 1/8 inch blade (maybe for joinery) and having my new BS set up with a larger blade, or will the new one just work so much better that it will be worth the blade changes?<!—->
I have never used a BS for joinery and am wondering if the ‘horrible’ one with a decent 1/8 inch blade would be good for that. I work almost exclusively with hardwood. Are there any good reasons not to take it to the dump? Could it actually be ‘me’ and my inexperience with the BS and not the tool? Can decent work be done with this particular BS? <!—->
Replies
GJK,
I think your new BS will blow you away...and you'll never look back. The only joinery I do on the bandsaw are the cheeks on tenons..and a 1/2" blade is fine for that.
I do a lot more resawing than I ever thought I would because I can trust my BS...mostly converting flat sawn lumps of wood to quarter sawn stock. My little 3 wheel craftsman bs that I bought on sale still sits in the corner suppoting my sweater...that sweater hasen't fallen off once...lol.
Thanks for your reply to my post. I look forward to finding out what it means to be able to “trust my bs”. I guess I’m looking for some reassurance that my difficulty to follow a curve (in say 5/8’ hardwood I end up with the blade coming out of the guides) is due to insufficient tension, not operator incompetence. I can do it with my jigsaw. <!----><!---->
<!---->
Gary<!---->
GJK,
Personally, when it comes to cutting curves that is a whole different learning curve. At the woodworking show about 15 months ago I watched the experts demonstrate their bandsaw skills...I also got to see the minmax, laguna 16" bandsaw. I had just purchased a 14" Delta and was looking for a good deal on the correct blades for my BS.
First of all, let me say the difference between the Laguna, Minmax 16" and my Delta 14" is like the difference between a portable table top table saw and a cabinet saw...your talking real machinery and your experiences will vary from mine.
Second, I believe your blade tension concerns gets mitigated somewhat by the power of the BS...as well as the lack of vibration while cutting. Also, because of that power, whatever blade your using its performance will be dramatically improved. Many use a 1/4" blade as a stationary blade to do many jobs.
Third, as you know, there are tons of blades....the 'right one' is still a mystery to me...talk about a learning curve, gees. I did not get the 1/8" because the experts suggested a special Carter guide to support it...too shallow/thin for the blocks/bearings. I did get a 3/16", 3/8" and 1/2" at the show(I already had a 1/4"). To be honest , my experience with using the 3/16" blade has not been stellar...and I've done very little work with it because cleaning up those tight turns with files and sandpaper is boring and a pain. I'm not sure that I don't need a jig saw for that work. At any rate, there is a learning curve to executing those tight turns cleanly...and determining which blade is best for the task.
Sorry for the long winded answer but my sense was you were defining the learning curve slightly differently than what I've experienced and thought I'd share some of mine. As you can see, even with a better BS there is still lots of room for a learning curve and screwing up royally...lol
Edited 6/2/2005 7:34 am ET by BG
I have a RICON 18 with a 1 inch LENOX 3 tooth per inch blade.. I just use it for resawing.. GREAT!
Well, teeth marks that vary but would take a EXACT feed of the stock to eliminate that!
"when it comes to cutting curves that is a whole different learning curve. "
That is what I wanted to know. I managed to locate a neighbour with a Delta 14 inch bs. I am going to try it this weekend and hopefully that will help me determine if the problem is in the equipment or the operator (me).
Thanks for your time and thoughtful input.
Gary
The guides are propably out of alignment . Read Loni Bird's Bandsaw Book and tune your saw.
You may be able to use such a small bs to make joints .
It's probably worthy of an attempt.
Regards from Africa
Pine
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled