Craftsman 12-inch Band Saw

tom_minehart | Posted in General Discussion on March 17, 2020 09:53pm

I’m looking for feedback on the Craftsman 1 hp 12-inch Band Saw with Tilt Head. There are two for sale locally for $130 and $125. Neither listing has model numbers or dates of manufacture. I’m considering purchasing one of them as the first band saw for my small shop. Yes, I’d love to have a 14-inch band saw. One day I’ll probably have one. But I see this as a possible bridge until I can afford the big, name-brand band saw. If you have experience with the Craftsman, I’d appreciate your comments on the machine. …Tom

Replies

john_c2 | Mar 18, 2020 02:10am | #1
I had one of those years ago. It was a nice saw. I never did any resawing with it. But for doing curved work, it's a good saw for the money.
_mj_ | Mar 18, 2020 12:48pm | #2
My Mom's had one of those for 35+ years. She uses it mostly for craft work and loves it. She even has a sanding belt conversion kit for it.
dlewis78731 | Mar 18, 2020 03:12pm | #3
I got one of these around 1982 and kept it for many years. It only had 1/2 hp motor though. At 1/2 hp it is underpowered for doing resawing, and 3.5" was about as much as it could "handle". Otherwise, I had no complaints. At 1 hp I think it would do fairly well if you are patient. Get a really good sharp blade! Check the motor hp!
geedubbee | Mar 19, 2020 10:12am | #4
There are two versions I have seen. the one I owned was a tilt-head as I believe you describe. The other is a more typical bandsaw format. The tilt-head model's aluminum(?) table was far from flat and not going to get there. The tilt-head mechanism was clunky but, usable. It is low powered but, I could resaw 4" with a lot of patience and a Timberwolf 2-3 TPI blade. I added Cool-Blocks for the guides and used it for a few years. I paid $80 and got $125 when I sold it with about $60 worth of blades.