I have a small and cramped shop, and I am thinking about benchtop bandsaws. Grizzly has two (one with a 12″ throat) at prices up to a shade over $200; RIkon makes one; Delta makes a 9″ and a 10″; I am sure others do too. Cutting capacities (i.e., thickness) range up to 7″ on the Delta 10″ but are mostly a shade under 4″. Motors are uniformly in the .3 to .5 HP range. Blades up to .5″.
My question: Are these small saws worth it? Are they underpowered? Can they resaw? Is it better to just spend the extra couple of hundred dollars or so and get a 14″ saw? I don’t generally do big work, so the limits on resaw capacity don’t really bother me; but if the overall power is too low to even do that reliably, then I would think about a bigger saw for sure. Thanks.
Replies
BenAsher,
Jumping up to the 14" makes a lot of sense especially in a small shop..it can be moved around and positioned easily for resawing and curves. With the 14"BS you'll find many more occassions for resawing and a 1 hp is about the minimun. Many of us made the mistake of buying a smaller BS initially...I hang my shop apron on it....
Ben
what are you going to do with it? A good band saw can be more useful for many things than a table saw. If you need it for basic "scroll saw" work a 9-10" is OK, but if you got the space, go for the 14". You can get a Delta fro $399 at Lowe's, and you can do a lot of stuff you do on the table saw, more safely. If you want small, take a look at the 12" Hitachi at Lowe's
I have an old Inca 10" bench top, and it is a truly great saw. But unfortunately it is no longer being imported to this country.
I have heard nothing but complaints about the small Delta models, and Rikon has not been around long enough to generate much feedback. Don't know about the Griz.
I would say that, at least right now, you're probably better off getting a 14" model -- if you can find a way to shoehorn it into your shop.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
for small scroll and curve work the bench top is probably ok, so long as you are not looking at thick hard woods. For resaw, that would depend on the type of wood and the height that you want to resaw, but my feeling is that if you go over 4" or anything much harder than pine you would likely have a problem.
I would advise a 14" on a mobile base and get the riser kit for possible use later on.
How small is your shop? Mine's 13' x 14', and I have the Delta 14" with riser block on wheels. It works well, since the footprint is small, and I've resawn 12" maple and white oak boards (not logs) on it. Patience is required, for sure, but with a sharp blade and well-tuned saw, it handles it well enough. If the stock 6" capacity is all you're thinking about, you should be fine. But the power of the saw is only one part of the equation. You still have to get your lumber onto the table, and be able to control it well enough to keep from twisting the blade in the cut or sending your fingers into the blade. If resawing is going to be something you do a lot, and with anything bigger than a piece of firewood, you'll be pushing it, and would be better off with something bigger. If and when I replace this one, the new saw will have a bigger and lower table.
If resawing was a definite requirement, I wouldn't even bother with a benchtop model. And don't forget, the benchtop model won't take up floor space, but it will take up counter (benchtop) space. And it may be more of a pain to get out of the way than a floor model on wheels.
"Are they underpowered?" Yes, for all but the simplest tasks.
"Can they resaw?" Not in the broad sense of the word.
"...the limits on resaw capacity don't really bother me." Resaw isn't simply a matter of capacity. The ability to tension and hold the blade and cut with accuracy, the power (as you've noted). Also, the smaller the wheels the more stress they put on the saw blade.
"Is it better to just spend the extra couple of hundred dollars or so and get a 14" saw?" Absolutely.
As noted above, the footprint is small. You could make a cabinet-type stand for your saw and use the space beneath to store some things, making up for space lost to the saw itself.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
I have the 9" Delta and have this to say: it sucks. Okay it's not that bad but you can't resaw anything over 2" and even then the blade wandering is really bad, even with the guides tuned properly. If you use it for scroll saw type work it's not bad, but a 9" throat is not very big. It has plenty of power for scroll sawing, but not resawing. I'm moving up to the Grizzly 16". It's highly rated and is resonably priced.
Slacker Extraordinaire
Specializing in nothing but knowledge in everything.
Delta makes a 9".. I have one I use all the time..
NOT my 18" RICON.. But with a good blade works just fine..
I have also used a Pro-TECH? at a friends house (big Box saw).. It worked OK too... As good as the Delta...
I guess it all depends on what you expect from it...
NEITHER are good for re-sawing anything.. Well, if you expect a nice cut..
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