A little backround… My woodworking club puts on a show once a year. We have a ‘toy workshop’ at this show. We’re working with limited space and limited electricity at the location. In the past, we’ve used a standard 14″ bandsaw to cut out small cars and airplanes, etc. Nothing big, mostly made from short pieces of 2×4’s. All the tools belong to various club members. This last year, the guy who brought in the bandsaw was not able to help us. We scrounged up a 10 incher. It worked in a pinch, but I’d rather not have to use it again. Someone has offered to give me a bandsaw from a Shopsmith. He doesn’t remember ever using it. My question is… Can I use a ‘standard thickness’ 1/4″ blade on it? (I’ll gladly shorten a blade from my 14 inch saw.) I’m sure I can cobble up a tabletop stand for it. I’m also sure I can also attach a motor I have lying around my shop. My ultimate end is to have a LIGHT WEIGHT saw with a small footprint and a decent blade to make small stuff. We also HAVE 3 scroll saws for the thinner stock, but need something with a bit of ‘umph’ to cut the 2×4’s.
Help??? Suggestions?? SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)
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At one time Rockler sold Shopsmith blades, so I don't think thickness of the blade will be an issue. And I've cut out hundreds of 'VW' bodies from 2X4 stock with mine.
Yes a standard 1/4" blade
Yes a standard 1/4" blade works fine. They work okay but not great but for your purposes will be fine.
I have a Shopsmith bandsaw and it is, most definitely, lightweight. I’d call it a featherweight. I use the Shopsmith motor and it has very little “Umph” (is that the right spelling). The Shopsmith is a secondary tool in my shop and it may just be out of shape, like me.
With the right motor, I think it will meet your needs as you describe them.
SS Bandsaw can be Excellent
I recently blueprinted a 25 year old SS 11" Bandsaw that I purchased new. I never did use it much because I was dissatisfied with the capabilities. It had accumulated quite a bit of rust sitting in the humid climate of the deep south.
I installed new bearings, upgraded ceramic guides, and tires, cleaned and aligned it. I installed a premium 5/8" x 72" x 3 tpi blade. I found an older design INCRA jig, purchased it for $45 and designed an extension table to see how it would resaw. The saw has a 6" max depth of cut. The accuracy astonished me. Here is a link to some photographs. Every slice was consistent and uniform.
Blueprinting an 11in. SS Bandsaw
I repeated the test with a 4.25" board and got equally consistent results.
You can use any blade from 1/16" (With cool blocks) to 5/8". I clean mine with every use, paying particular attention to the dust that accumulates in the cabinet. A good shop vac and several puffs of shop air keep crud from building up on the tires and around the wheels.
Shopsmith sells a dedicated stand. Their products are a bit pricey, but do a good job for what is was designed. They have as dedicated of a loyal following as Festool IMHO.
SS has very good customer service. They are willing to help any owner of their products regardless of whether you're their initial customer or got your machine from a private party. I'd take that saw in a heartbeat.
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