I currently have a low end 14 1/2″ bandsaw which makes resawing a challenge to say the least even with good blades. I am considering a higher end 16″ Mini Max or Laguna saw, but being on the cheap side not sure I want to spend $2,000 plus for one. I have an opportunity to purchase a Jet 18″ 1 1/2HP saw that is 7 years old for a very attractive price. Has anyone used one of these bandsaws, and if so, how do they perform? Like I said, the main use would be for resawing.
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Replies
If you're main function with a BS is re-saw, I would prefer a 2 HP on 18" diameter wheels to help carry the load of the amount of stock subjected to the blade in re-saw. I'm not saying 1 1/2 HP will fail at the task if the blade is sharp and saw tuned. But.. I personally believe it will take it's toll over the course of time on the smaller motor.
Then again.... a lot would depend on how attractive the price so when all things are considered.
Sarge..
I have owned this saw for maybe seven years and I view it as a favorite machine. I have a "Woodslicer" band (Highlandwoodworking.com) on it and it produces fine, even resawn stock.
What size blade do you use on it?
Just looked at it. 1/2" 3 and 4 tpi. The blade is the best I have used for resawing previously milled material. A lot of my stock is Woodmizer processed. I wired this for 220volt. You will not regret the purchase.
Hello again KU. I was going to mention earlier what Wafu just told you. If you do proceed, one of the ways to "trick out" the 1 1/2 HP is by going to that 1/2" blade he mentioned. I used the same 1/2" Wood-slicer for many years on an under-powered saw and have gotten great results. So have many others as the blade was produced by Highland WW which I have been frequenting since 1978 here in Atlanta.
I still use the Wood-slicer on my 18" Steel City with 2 HP. But I have added a 3/4" on that saw. Frankly the 3/4 is more than necessary as the 1/2" got it done for years. But... I do still run a Lennox 1/2" bi-metal for ripping 16/4 and up stock. The 2-3 tpi is the correct selection for the blade for both re-saw and thick rips as as gullet space for waste removal is a key factor with a lot of waste to remove.
The WS will not stay as sharp as a carbide which gives it a much shorter life.. but is about 1/5 the price so I just keep one on the saw and two under the shelf to eliminate down-time of procuring a new blade. A sharp blade also plays an important factor in any type of cutting.
Sarge..
I find it funny when it comes to resawing that no one every mentions the Hitachi Resaw (Bandsaw). This thing is made to resaw and to rip material, it has a 4 inch blade. It's a beautiful machine. It is a specialty machine and costs around 2500-3000. But if you have a bandsaw already and need a machine to resaw I would look for a used Hitachi.
http://www.kalafinefurniture.blogspot.com
I'm no genius, but I'm guessing that this is why no one mentions the Hitachi.
I would LOVE to have one, but I can't justify buying one solely for resawing in a low production shop. In spite of that, I've watched the Craigslist and Ebay internet sites for used bandsaws for a couple of years now, hoping to pick up a monster just like this. I've NEVER seen one for sale. Several months ago I bought the Grizzly G0514 Extreme bandsaw (and sold my 14" BS), and I run Suffolks new 3/4 X 2-3 TPI resaw blade for resawing. This combination resaws like a dream.
I agree that the resaw is a bit of a specialty machine. BUt it does alot more than just resaw. It'll rip boards better than the table saw will. And for dimensioning wood it's great, you joint one edge then one face, plane the other face. Then go to the resaw and cut just oversize of your desired width. Back to the planer and send it through on edge and get the exact dimension you need. It's a beautiful machine. Kaleohttp://www.kaleosworkshop.com
I appreciate what you're saying. IF I HAD THE FLOOR SPACE to spare, I'd have a dedicated resawing machine like the Hitachi any time. I also agree with you about ripping on a bandsaw. I rip boards on my bandsaw now, quite often. Especially thick stock when I don't want a finished edge.
But I don't have the floor space for now for a dedicated resawing machine, so...what I do have is very versatile and resaw's VERY well anyway.
By the way, I must be the only person using Suffolks new variable pitch 3/4 X 2-3 VPC resawing blade. This blade works fantastic, although I haven't used it enough to judge how long it lasts. But it resaws FAST and STRAIGHT, what's not to like...My Griz Bsaw has 2 HP motor on it (wired to 220 volt) and resawing 10" wide maple I can feed the material just about as fast as I want without bogging the motor down. I don't understand why I haven't heard of anyone else using this blade...
Jeff,
Well, the blade is new. I was just recommended to Suffolk today and checked them out. Tomorrow, I'm ordering four blades, including the VPC.Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
I'm glad to hear you are going to give their blades a try. As you see, I certainly am a big fan of their products and have had good experiences with them and also been impressed with their customer service. I hope your experience is as good as mine have been.I don't know what your experience level is, so take this with the grain of salt. If you haven't been at this for very long, be sure to read Suffolks article the Six Rules of Sawing. It is excellent information, especially about how to tension their blades. Their blades are low tension blades, and must be tensioned accordingly. They describe a method called the flutter method. That's how I tension my Suffolk blades. If I were to only use my tension gage on my bandsaw, I would be over tensioning these blades. The performance of the blades on my machine using this method of tensioning, is exceptional, so it must be the right way to go...I would be very interested in your opinion of their blades once you get them and have a chance to use them. Please let us know what your experience is. Thanks.Jeff
Jeff,
Thanks for the reply. I do have experience with a bandsaw, enough that I can competently set it up and use it. I tried today to order some blades, both by telephone and fax, and for some reason, I cannot get through. I get a message telling me to check the area code and dial again. I have checked and I have tried time and time again. I think that it may have something to do with my location: Vancouver, British Columbia.
Has anyone from Canada's west coast ordered bladed from Suffolk before? Have you had any problems? They list only a telephone number and a fax number on their website - no e-mail unfortunately.Chris @ flairwoodworks
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Grizzly is now selling Timberwolf blades, maybe they can ship easier to BC. You're in Vancouver, it's not that far for you to drive down to Bellingham where Grizzly has one of their (3) facilities. They place is huge and is a treat to visit just for the visit. I would try to call the Bellingham store first to make sure they have the Timberwolf blades you need in the size you need before making the trip though if that's the only reason you would be going.That said, you should still be able to call Suffolk. I don't know what the problem is, but shipping is one thing, calling is a completely different situation. Perhaps you need an international numeric prefix dial out to get thru. I don't know. Good luck.
Seems like that Hitachi gets dinged for being underpowered. Sure it has a 4" blade but I can't imagine better results than what I get with my 20" Minimax and a 1" Lenox Trimaster carbide blade... and I can do a lot more than resaw and rip boards on it.A lot of people tend to begin and end these discussions by talking about horsepower. That alone does not make or break any of these saws. My Jet 14" is a fine machine, in fact I resawed all of the hard maple for my kitchen cabinets years ago on that saw, used a Woodslicer blade. It's still easier to change a blade on, and is better for the 3/16" blades I like to use for curves.I love my Minimax (and the customer service from the company). It's a beast of a machine and I couldn't imagine bogging it down under any circumstances. The Carter guides are okay, but I do look lustfully at the Laguna ceramic guides, the blade support they provide is fantastic. Someday I might retrofit my saw with the Laguna guides.What I also like about the Minimax is how adjusting everything is easy and tool-less, except for the table. In fact, adjusting or tilting the table is a PITA. Great foot brake, adequate safety features, and I like the fence well enough.At the end of the day, any bandsaw can perform well with a good blade (and bigger is not better, I regularly resaw with a 3/8" blade when I'm too lazy too swap out for my carbide tipped blade), proper tuning, and most importantly, a human who can read the feedback the machine provides when it's doing it's thing.Having said all that, spend the extra $$ and get the Minimax, you won't regret it.
Edited 1/1/2008 11:51 pm ET by Woodman41
Thanks Woodman-i wasn't able to bog out the Hitachi, but I see what people are saying. I am actually looking at the minimax so I am glad to hear the good review. You are right about the minimax being able to resaw and rip and do a lot more. I guess what I was thinking is having a dedicated machine for the resawing and ripping and maybe another for everything else. But that is in my dream shop.Kaleohttp://www.kaleosworkshop.com
a 1" Lenox Trimaster carbide blade...
I have the bimetal Lenox, the Suffolk timberwolf, and the highland woodslicer on the wall. In my experience with resawing hardwoods(mostly walnut and maple) there is nothing I have seen that comes close to the carbide trimaster. That blade is the finest cutting blade I have ever seen. What's even more impressive is how much work they do before they need to be replaced. They are pricey but.. if you resaw 100's of feet of hardwood --that is the "Mac Daddy" of the blades.
yeah, I just bought a second trimaster when my other one developed a bump in it. $220 for 168", but like you said, you get a lot of mileage out of these blades before they need to be resharpened. Speaking of which, the guy I send my stuff out to for sharpening said he could cut the kink out of my blade and braze it back together, I can go down to 167" so the blade will still be good and I'll have a backup for when I send one out for resharpening.
I am dreaming of owning a Trimaster. My friend has one in his production shop for cutting tons of big pieces of wood down to size. I have used the tri for all of my toughest jobs and it is a winner. Chris called me about a year ago when his blade snapped. It was still cutting great but he said he got every dollar out of it and bought 2 new ones. I took the older blade and brazed it for the fun of it. It worked so well I had to give it back to him. I'm cheap but I felt like I was stealing it. He's still using the original all the time. Here in Raleigh/Durham, we don't have a guy willing to sharpen the blade. That's a pain. When I go up to Virginia, there's a guy up there that sharpens carbide bandsaw blades for horizontal bandsaws they use to cut logs down to boards. I'll give him a call if Chris doesn't want to make the effort to resharpen.
I have been very pleased with the Lenox stuff. Another knotter said he got a little frustrated looking at all of the stuff Lenox offers and he got confused. I can't blame him- I felt the same way in the beginning. I picked up the phone and talked to a guy who really knew his stuff not a receptionist. He narrowed my search in 2 minutes. I had to go for second best for 2 reasons:
1. I had 800-1000 feet of air dried walnut [ 16/4 with some pieces18-20" wide). They are heavy and sometimes there is a nail. I wasn't cutting 1/16" veneer at the time, I was cutting down 5/4 boards and bookmatching. I needed a tough blade that could work for an hour without stopping. I cut the entire batch and the blade is cutting like new.
2. I am cutting slabs of curly maple for 12 longrifles and I want to cut them as close to the quarter as I can get. The bimetal is great for that-- not a bunch of tight curves really.
The bimetal 2tpi x 1" has been the monster I hoped for at 52.00. Another upgrade I made was fitting new urethane tires on the wheels and pressing in new bronze journals and reaming to the current shaft dimensions(since I had the wheels off).
I don't have the bearing guide set up at this time. I have been lucky just getting the ceramic guides tuned up. I use John Whites little homemade tension measuring device to get the blade tight and true. It works very well for my needs. My old delta spring tensioner is not accurate. I don't even know what the exact blade length is supposed to be. 141 1/2" or 141 or 142. They all seem to work and I have some room to spare.
I work alone and I think that's the secret to keeping a bandsaw in tip-top shape. Mine is 37 years old and she works just great. Wouldn't trade it. Its like an old Chevy six with three on the tree. Take care of it and it will never stop. Well maybe that's stretching it..
dan
Edited 1/7/2008 4:28 pm ET by danmart
I like Lenox blades a lot, they are all I use now. I used to have a selection of blades but found myself using a 3/16", 3/8 and 1" for everything and on the 3/8" I use either 3 or 4 tpi. Bandsaws are wonderfully versatile and forgiving machines, with the proper setup I don't think you need many blades.Heat is the real enemy anyway, so by keeping the feed rate down a little I don't wear out blades and the saw performs really well. I always look on Craigslist for old bandsaws, I really do think they are as good as or better than new models. The exceptions being the Minimax and Agazzani bandsaws, their isn't much new or old that is better than either of these machines. Having said that, I still look on craigslist hoping to find an old 36" Tannewitz or something similar even though I don't have the shop space.
Boys and toys it never ends. Its fun lookin'
Three or Four years ago, I was in the same place you are with deciding about a bigger band saw. I have an extended neck 14", but I was looking at a bigger band saw to do resawing, too.
I "Almost" bought the Jet 18" because at the time, it was just before a price jump. It would have been around $1,900 with shipping and tailgate delivery. I did a lot of looking, reading, forum discussions, and plain just "kicking tires" at the December Woodworking Show in Dallas. Getting a company that has solid customer/warranty relations is as important as the quality of the product itself.
I discovered that there is a understanding about big tools. You can buy a midsize, but if you'll get your short list prepared, one of the upper quality brands will have a sale or model closeout and for a few dollars more you can get one of those. I scrimped funds from Garage sales, Swap meets, coin counting, and rented a trailer to cut the cost of "shipping". I drove to Austin, Tx. and picked up a new 20" Minimax. It has a 4.8 hp. motors and runs like silk.
http://www.minimax-usa.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=6&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=26
Consider waiting a few more months and go after the bigger and higher quality machine. Your woodworking will improve and and future resale value will "draw" buyers...
Review: http://www.toolseeker.com/WdWkMac/Bandsaw/MM20.asp?var1=MM20
Good Luck with your choice,
Bill
Edited 12/31/2007 11:52 pm ET by BilljustBill
I had 2 bandsaws in my shop for years, a 36" Tannewitz, and the 18" Jet that you speak of. I used the Tannewitz for resawing, as it could resaw up to 21", and was designed for this. I kept a 1/4" blade in the Jet, and used it for small curved work.
I sold the Tannewitz, as it was taking up wayyyyy tooooo much space in my shop (almost 10' X 10'). I have been using the Jet exclusively for about 2 years, and my final review would be that it's adequate, but not perfect for resawing. It depends on how much you will be using it, and what capacity you need. At the resaw capacity of the machine, which is 10 1/2", your feed rate is really, really slow. The 1 1/2 hp motor will bog down easily in hard hardwoods like maple (which I use all the time).
Whenever I do alot of resawing, like a recent job a chairs requiring alot of bent lamination resawing, I get frustrated as hell with that saw, and curse the day I sold the tanny. However, for the money, it's a decent saw, and tunes well.
So, if you're doing production work, like me, and need to work quickly to make $$$$, forget it. Get the Minimax. I'll be upgrading soon.
If you're an occasional user, than it will be just fine.
Jeff
While recovering from surgery on my arm, for a year I taught part-time in a local private high school wood shop. They had the Jet 18" band saw. It's an adequate saw but it has a flaw that irritated me constantly. Adjusting the lower guides is an absolute nightmare. You have to tilt the table to even get limited access to the lower guides and "limited" is an understatement. If you get this saw, plan on every blade change being a time-consuming headache. I thought the problems were serious enough that when we added an additional band saw to our shop I didn't even consider looking at Jet's offerings.
I had the Jet for 5 years. I was going to but the Laguna, but my buddy at the tool store convinced me to buy the Jet from him instead. That thing was not much of a saw. It was very hard to adjust, and under-powered. I got rid of it and bought the Laguna 16" and couldn't be happier.
I use it for a variety of tasks including resawing thin veneer, cutting ogee bracket feet, and various curved legs and aprons to name a few. I have not been able to bog the saw down when using good blades and reasonable feed rates. Laguna's customer service is a joke, but the saw is great. I have not used, but have heard good things about the Mini Max too.
Peter
www.jpswoodworking.com
I have the MiniMax and I'm not overly happy with it. For the money, it's extremely crude.
Maybe I'm asking too much, but for 2000 buckeroos and more, I'm disappointed. The customer service is great though: they'll call you back immediately and explain to you how to retrofit and rebuild all of their shortcomings.
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