Bandsaw as Main/Central Shop Tool
I am doing research before I purchase new shop tools. I have been out of woodworking for a few years, to go back to school, and sold my floor tools, so I didn’t have to store them. I wasn’t in love with any of them anyway. I kept the things I loved. I kept my Leigh dovetail jig, Tormec sharpening station, power feeder, router bits, etc.
Previously, I built cabinets and counter tops. Now, I will be wood working for myself. I want to work with exotic, figured woods and slabs.
Now that I am getting close to purchasing new tools, I want to buy excellent quality tools that I will be happy with. I am very seriously considering buying a heavy duty band saw such as a Laguna 16HD or Mini Max MM16, and making it the work horse of my shop. I don’t plan on using much plywood in my work, so I can get by with a hybrid table saw, I think. If these band saws are as awesome as they look in the videos, they can handle ripping, re-sawing, cut veneers, and still do all the curves that a band saw normally does.
I am interested in hearing from people who work with a band saw as their main shop tool as well as from owners and users of some high-end band saws. Please include the nature of your work and whether your band saw meets your expectations for cutting straight and if it can cut veneers accurately at full cutting height. How difficult is it to change blades? Can the rip fence be removed without removing the blade?
Replies
A loaded question! The answer will depend on what type of projects you want to do. If your projects are Sam Maloof style chairs, a BS is the way to go. But NOTHING beats a table saw for ripping parallel. Cross cutting on a BS is limited or wasteful if you have to skew the lumber. I wouldn't be without a table saw, it's my workhorse.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
I agree that I can't be without a TS. I had a Ridgid contractor TS before. It had it's flaws, but I did joinery ripping, and cross cutting with it. It ran my super dado just fine. It was low on power on hardwood over 1" thick. If these high-end band saws can deliver what they saw about straight, square cuts, I can use said band saw for ripping thick stock. I could then make do with a lesser table saw. Ideally, I would get high-end everything, but cash is an issue. In the past, I did most cross cutting with a power miter saw. That's another debate I will face. Power miter saw or high-end miter gauge. Those aren't such a major purchase though.
"Ideally, I would get high-end everything, but cash is an issue." Love it!! Maybe We should all ask for a bail out. Set up more production shops and put the unemployed to work! Ya Right. ;-)Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Gosh, it shouldn't take too many billion $$ to set us all up with well equipped, high end shops. Of course, there is the downside of having to promise Congress to give up our jets and servants and golden parachutes, but . . .
But NOTHING beats a table saw for ripping parallel. I agree BUT sometimes a bandsaw can do wonders at ripping..
FWIW, Gary Rogowski wrote an article in one of the setting up shop books about the five most important power tools. His opinion was that your first tool should be a bandsaw...again I think that it entirely depends on what kind of wood working you want to do ...the main thing is to get started, whether it's with a high end bandsaw or tablesaw...there are great woodworkers who don't have great power tools but manage impressive works.
Neil
Thanks for the info about Gary Rogowski's article. I found a PDF version of it right here on FWW.com. Drawing experience from my previous shop setup, his article, and the fact that I want to be able to re-saw veneers and book match panels, not run a cabinet shop, I am very much leaning towards a big, bad band saw as my central shop tool.
what a question. Its Christmas and my wife asked me what I wanted this year for a power tool. Because I am considering a 6X48 X 10" disc sanding station I went to the Woodcraft site to shop. The Rikon sanding station is priced right but in looking I saw that Rikon band saw and it is some nice too. Its an 18" with 2 1/2 hp and a 12" cutting height for $1400. Now I dont need a band saw ( even though its a tool I use all the time and I could make an aruuement for) because the 14" Reliant I have works great..just put on a link belt and watch it cut! If I was in the market for one though this one would do just about everything. With something like that you can rip ( not like a TS but a jointer will fix that ) and do resawing and curves so my choice would be a beast of a band saw and a jointer and a sliding compound Mitre saw. For just a little over $2000 youre all set.................. unless you will be doing a lot of ripping. Add a very nice used TS for $500 and the world is your sawdust
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
It would be a tough choice to choose between my band saw and my table saw. It's like choosing which child you love more. I have a 21" grizzly BS which I can't imagine living without, but what would I do without my Unisaw?!!??! Choose wisely young padawan.
Can you give some specifics about why you like your Grizzly band saw? I am particularly interested in how it performs cutting straight and square, as well as re-saw performance. Can you cut paper thin veneers at full cutting depth? Laguna and Mini Max both claim their band saws give table saw quality straight cuts with their bi-metal/carbide re-saw blades. The price of Grizzly tools are attractive, and they usually get good reviews, but are not usually the top performer. I read reviews from Grizzly owners, but they usually say "I love my Grizzly, it has lots of power," but they never give enough specifics for me to feel comfortable buying one. I'm not willing to sacrifice any performance with a major tool purchase. I want to cut veneer, not shingles.
I would say your best 'SAVER was that power feeder'... No, I do not have one.. But someday. I have used one on several occasions on a TS and a Band Saw... My TS will burn the edges (cuts true) whenever I stop to push the next bit into the blade. Some but not all woods.
With a power feeder. NO burning whats-so-ever...
I have the Laguna LT16HD and, yes, it will do all that is claimed in the videos. It's a beautiful saw and does a wonderful job. I use it to rip thick stock, resaw, cut veneer, etc. With the stock guides, the smallest blade you can run is a 1/4", which will handle most circular work but not really tight, intricate curves. There is a guide set you buy from them that will enable you to run 1/8" blades but no smaller. Properly set up and used, it does a flawless job.
However, I use my tablesaw more than the bandsaw. My tablesaw is a first generation Jet SuperSaw, a hybrid. It's a good saw, not a great one, but it does everything that I need. Had I been a little smarter, and not sucked in by the marketing scheme, I would have bought the Grizzly cabinet saw for the same price.
Truth be told, I wouldn't be without a TS and a BS, but I find that I use my TS much more than the band saw. Nonetheless, I'm very glad I bought the Laguna -- it just does such a fantastic job!
Photo-
My Grizzly BS had ample power, it's very quiet,has a large cast iron table, blade changes are reasonably easy, the rack and pinion table tilt is very nice and it will re-saw wide lumber to a wafer thin thickness. I will, however give some of my re-saw success to the 1 1/4" Lenox Tri-Master carbide tipped blade. For the money, the Grizzly is very hard to beat.
Regards, Sean
photonut,
My bandsaw. One of my favorite subjects. You pushed my button.
Past articles on this site has reviews of bandsaws and are worth the search.
>Can the rip fence be removed without removing the blade?
yes. I rotate the fence clamp block around the round guide rail (fence in situ) until the slots in the block align with the bolts that hold the rail to the saw table then slide the assembly to which ever side of the blade that I need or take it off. Some one wrote a review for a magazine and said you had to remove a fence bolt to get the fence off the saw. Not true on my Laguna.
A side note: I drilled and tapped my Laguna fence and bolt my very tall resaw fence right to the Laguna fence.
I think the Laguna ceramic guides and blade are the way to go ! ! ! see further comments and web addresses to follow.
I would have a bigger saw but am renting and have to be practical about what I can move to who knows were next. I plan on having more than one bandsaw in the future so I don't have to change blades as much. Yes changing blades gets a little tedious with the ceramic Laguna guides. A trade off for the precision. Sam Malloof has four or six bandsaws of all ilks for this reason ( so start now thinking up what to tell the wife ) : )
I would recommend looking back into the previous posts a month or so back, this subject has been addressed quite a little bit.
My Laguna is one of the smaller ones but can handle "ripping, re-sawing, cut veneers, and still do all the curves that a band saw normally does".
For blades narrower than 1/4" get cool block accessory.
Nature of my work is home shop, high end work, usually, so far, very hard woods, bubinga, purple heart, cocobolo, oak, maple, but also camphor wood for secondary wood in my tool boxes resawed from a nasty old plank and prima vera nice but soft. Also walnut for chests.
Lots of resawing for drawer parts for smaller chests of drawers. But lots of resawing max width that saw can handle in seven or eight foot lengths in the bubinga and purple heart to thickness and I turned the falling boards into nice veneer as I went. No problem at all !
I use mostly hand tools otherwise though have a few home shop power tools.
It may keep me firmly placed in the group of people who post overly long and wordy blowhard posts but here is one of my posts from the past to save you the trouble of looking back if you don't have the time.
To the regulars: sorry for the repeat.
>Is Laguna worth the price?
Yes !
Every time i use my Laguna it makes me smile. Since mine is lower price range there are some paint blemishes. The saw and its performance are sound as can be and after years of owner ship and use I am totally please.
The thing that sets it above the others for me:
The Resaw King Blade (it comes with the saw)
http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaw.resawking1.aspx
The Ceramic Laguna Guide System ( the guides on the least expensive saw do not look exactly like the blue aluminum ones but they work exactly the same and have the same blade support)
http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaw.guides.aspx
You can watch the video on line now you do not need to get a DVD in the mail
http://www.lagunatools.com/bandsaw.lt14se.aspx#
There is nothing I would rather have at any price except a big old giant Laguna which I don't really need and do not have the space for it.
Happy sawing.
Edited 12/7/2008 2:48 pm by roc
I have the Laguna 18"HD BS(5yrs.) and I feel I made the right purchase, but blade changing is a real pain because i have to put another block in place to use 1/4" blades. I had a 14" Minimax and dinked around and didn't sell it when I got the Laguna and I decided to keep the MM for small stuff. Very glad I did. I have a Laguna TS and am very glad I do. It is easier to find a good used table saw then a good used band saw. Buy the new band saw and see if you can locate a good used PM66 or Unisaw if you can't get a hybrid to save money. I think FWW just reviewed hybrids.
I did not want to create a new post but if you think I should let me know - here is my question:When I engage the wood (whether resawing or cutting through a 2 inch thick board) the bandsaw makes a horrible screeching noise - so much that I prefer to wear hearing protection - it is an annoying sound - I know power tools output their own sounds but I was wondering if a better bandsaw - something more powerful than my harbor freight 14" would do the trick - keep sounds at a reasonable level - or is this too much to expect from a better bandsaw - Tom
Put in a set of cool blocks and the noise level will go way down. Are your thrust bearings smooth and turning freely?
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Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
yes, they are - thanks for the info on the cooling blocks - I think the side guide blocks are made of plastic on my cheap bandsaw.
I'll also vote for the band saw as the center of your shop. I don't even own a nice one like the rest of the posters in this thread (mine's a 9" Delta bench top model). Like you said, if you don't work with sheet goods a lot this is the way to go. Whenever I rip, I use the band saw, and then a few passes with a hand plane (no joiner in my shop) and I'm ready to go. If I had more room in my shop I'd get a table saw, but I'm making some nice pieces with the tools I have.
Which tools to buy is largely intuitive. If you've been making projects for a while, you know what you need, and which purchases were a waste of money.
Tom9331,I think you may also have a belt that is slipping.Nothing against you but I cannot say enough bad about Harber Freight. Every time I have looked through a store I am appalled at the crap they sell. Pure junk. Door stops.My analogy is if you were going into a real gun battle or had to hunt to feed your family would you go to Toys R Us to buy your gun ?Please don't support this awful out fit. Treat your self better or get a less expensive hobby.seriouslyrocPS: I get a little squeal but do not need hearing protection and I wear ear plugs at the drop of a hat. ( in my day job my hearing is my bread and butter ) Do you get a squeal when you start the motor on your saw ? That might be a loose belt. If not then may be all in the guides. My guides are ceramic ( with teflon lube on em as recommended by Laguna ) so is a bit different than most saws.Harber Freight; miserable cures, devils and demons I tell ya ! : )Edited 12/9/2008 1:52 am by roc
Edited 12/9/2008 2:02 am by roc
I have to agree with you on Harbor Freight and Salvage's quality, but the bandsaw although rough as a cob is useable with minor tuning.
I prefer not to support them also but in this case the OP already has the tool and it is useable if inelegant.
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Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.~ Denis Diderot
Tom,
I think you can improve the performance of your HF bandsaw with a linkbelt, cool blocks, and a good blade, but it is still a HB tool. If you do a lot of resawing I would get a better bandsaw and save the HB for small scroll work and just blasting out anything you need it for. Most of my advice is always predicated on money. If you have the funds buy the best Laguna, Agazanni. Or Minimax, if your buget is tight I would check out Steel City or the new Jet 18". I bought the Laguna over the others for two reasons, one Baldor 5HP motor, two, best guide system.
If your also going to have a hybrid TS, I would say don't worry about a thing, use the BS as much as you want. I consider myself a bandsaw-oriented guy, in fact my Jet 18in is the most expensive tool in the shop, but I still use my Bosch 4000 contractor saw more. Not to specifically praise either one of those tools . . . The TS is just too useful for cutting joinery, getting glueable surfaces right off the machine, and my favorite: crosscutting. I don't consider the TS the heart of my shop (or any other tool), but it gets ample space and I can't wait to get a better one! I pretty much do a full spectrum of woodworking from kitchen cabs (too many) to cool chairs (too few), except for turning, carving and veneer, just to explain my perspective.
Brian
Another vote here for the Laguna band saw (16HD). It's the only large machine tool for me (I don't count the drill press in that category) since I use mostly hand tools. It's a joy to use. I waited a long time to be able to get it, and I don't regret that delay one bit; it's that nice.
I've been able to resaw with great precision; there's no need for a resaw pivot fence - I just run it down the length of the tall fence and the cut is straight and perfect.
Cliff
Cliff,
"--just run it down the tall fence---straight and perfect"
I'm really glad you posted that!! I thought I might be delusional of something. I do the same with my MM. I don't experience "drift angle" with either of the blades I use for resawing. Every book I've looked at regarding bandsaws goes into detail about this and I thought is was simply a FACT OF LIFE. It's not (necessarily)!
Regards,
Mack"Close enough for government work=measured with a micrometer, marked with chalk and cut with an axe"
Mack, the first two cuts I made after unpacking and setting up the saw were first a 1/64" slice off of the edge of an oak plank, and a 1/16" resaw slice off the face of that plank. This was with a 3/8" standard blade. Talk about pleased, I was expecting a long hard struggle to get this thing tuned and then a long learning curve to be able to use it effectively. It's been a real pleasure to use, especially right out of the box and without the anticipated struggle to make it work.A friend recently asked me to resaw a 12" wide piece of 3/4 maple (roughly 24" long) into two 3/8" pieces. I just ran it down the fence and got two perfect slices, with no discernible variation between them. That's what we all expect from a band saw but few people seem to be able to achieve it (my friend HAS two band saws, but they don't seem to be able to handle that kind of cut accurately). That kind of performance vindicates the high cost of a good tool, at least for me.Cliff
Cliff,
I posted long ago about my old bandsaw. I paid $400 for it. Based on a comparison to that saw, my MM should be worth $40,000!! I figure I stole it for $1800!! LOL
Regards,
Mack"Close enough for government work=measured with a micrometer, marked with chalk and cut with an axe"
Central Shop Tool .. I would say that is you!
I think you're right, my wife tells me that I'm a tool.Brian
I have an MM16 and have used it for just a few projects now. I work pretty much in solid wood. It cuts very straight and veneers are no problem. I have not cut any veneer the full height (16") but thin slices are no problem. I have never changed the blade; I run with a 1" Lenox Trimaster all the time. The rip fence comes off with no interference from the blade. I don't own a tablesaw. The times that I wish that I did are when I need to do a long bevel rip, square up a panel, or cut a shoulder on a joint. It would be nice to have a euro-slider for this. I bought a Festool TS55 a while back to take care of sheet goods, etc. I really like my bandsaw in terms of versatility and safety. Search my posts for more info on my dealings with MM before you buy. Also there is a MM owners group on Yahoo.
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