I’m going to be cutting some arcs on two inch maple or oak. I’ve never owned a bandsaw and thought this would be a good excuse to buy one. The entry level models seem to be 14 inch with a 1 hp motor. Is this a big enough machine for my purpose or should I look higher? I have no plans to do any resawing.
Thanks, John
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No resawing plans ?
I thought the same thing at one time ;-) Ended up adding a riser block to my 14".
No resawing plans ?
I did the same. Adding a riser block is simple. Only down side I found was I was stuck with a bunch of short blades all of a sudden. 14 inch is fine for what he wants to do with it now.
By the way JohnCujie the fourteen inches has nothing to do with the height of the cut, but you probably knew that. Good luck with the new saw. When you get a chance build a bigger bandsaw table top. ShopNotes had a good plan for one years ago.
Yep, the 14" with a 1hp motor is pretty much the standard "base" machine. It should suffice for what you are currently wanting to do. Once you get one, however, you'll discover its versatility for various other tasks, along with the array of blades for various purposes. Thus, you might be well-served by considering "usage creep". I have an old 18" Inca three-wheeler and an old Delta 10" set up for metal cutting.
Oh, and while they look docile, remember that bandsaws are also used in butcher shops for cutting meat and bones. Be safe.
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