bandsaw

[CREID]

I am looking at getting a band saw and was wondering since I can't afford much it anyone has ever used the 9 inch band saw from Harbor Freight
1/3 HP 9 in. Benchtop Band Saw
and also since I would be using it for cutting to length blanks for pens and maybe to do a little segmenting, would this band saw be ok or maybe is a band saw not what I need and should be looking for a table saw, like the Harbor Freight small table top table saw.

Thanks ahead of time

Curt

 

[liljohn1368]

I'm looking into getting the same saws. But I'm leaning more towards the tablesaw.

 

[Edgar]

I haven't used that particular saw, but I do have a 30+ yo Craftsman 10" tabletop bandsaw that I use to cut blanks & it's good for that purpose. Mine does have a variable speed control which is really nice, but I don't know of any small bandsaws with VS control these days.

I think most any 9" or 10" tabletop saw would handle what you want to use it for, but before buying that HF saw, I would compare it with some others for about the same price to see which one you like best.

Sears has one for $144 right now Sears.com

and Home Depot has one for $129 Ryobi 9 in. 2.5-Amp Band Saw-BS904 - The Home Depot

Maybe someone who has direct experience with one of these or a similar saw will chime in.

 

[CREID]

I'm looking into getting the same saws. But I'm leaning more towards the tablesaw.

I keep going back and forth, the band saw would be nice, but the table saw can be used for more stuff. (I like saying stuff) (that was a great movie)

Curt

 

[CREID]

I haven't used that particular saw, but I do have a 30+ yo Craftsman 10" tabletop bandsaw that I use to cut blanks & it's good for that purpose. Mine does have a variable speed control which is really nice, but I don't know of any small bandsaws with VS control these days.

I think most any 9" or 10" tabletop saw would handle what you want to use it for, but before buying that HF saw, I would compare it with some others for about the same price to see which one you like best.

Sears has one for $144 right now Sears.com

and Home Depot has one for $129 Ryobi 9 in. 2.5-Amp Band Saw-BS904 - The Home Depot

Maybe someone who has direct experience with one of these or a similar saw will chime in.

I have done some comparisons, but I think right now the Harbor Freight is on sale.
I will probably procrastinate and miss it anyway.

Curt

 

[terry q]

General purpose cutting go with the band saw. Cant recommend Harbor Freight because I have no experience with it. If you are serious about segmented blanks then get a table saw. You will find the cut surface quality from a band saw isn't the best for segmenting.

 

[resinman]

Any band saw is better than no band saw'
Buttttt"" If you are going to cut from firewood or a larger chunk, you will be disappointed with the capacity of a smaller saw

 

[Skie_M]

Also, regarding "capacities" ...

The table saws you mention all come with an inch size that describes the diameter of the blade. It does NOT mention the cutting capacity of the blade. Keep in mind that the nut that holds your saw blade onto the spindle must NEVER make contact with whatever you are cutting, or even the underside of the table. This means that your actual maximum blade height will be limited to around 1/3 of the blade's diameter. If you have a 10-inch saw blade, you might get perhaps 3 and a half inches of blade cutting depth.

Blade quality and tooth count are also important .... rough cutting rip blades are for fast and dirty work. Cleanup is not meant to be easy ... rip it and then plane it and mill it for finished appearance. Cleaner cutting finish rip blades are available. If you find one with carbide teeth, make it one you can sharpen with the proper tool (your table saw equipped with a diamond blade, or a wet-cutting tile saw with a diamond blade and no water). Crosscut and combination blades are generally useful all round, but again get them with carbide teeth. A metal cutting table saw blade might sound useful, but it could be just more economical to buy a metal cutoff saw.


As for band saws .... the "capacity" is determined in two steps. One is in how high the blade guard can rise, which will limit the size of the stock you can rip or crosscut in vertical height. The second is in how deep the throat of the blade stand is, which will limit you in horizontal movement for how wide a piece you can rip or crosscut. The larger the numbers, the longer the blade you'll have to buy for replacements, and generally the more you will pay per blade. Get good quality blades, and an assortment.

You will want rip cutting blades for much faster thinner work that doesn't need details that look nice right away ... You will want finish cutting blades that leave much less cleanup for you to do in sanding before you finish your project... And you will want at least ONE metal cutting blade, just for miscellaneous jobs where you suddenly find that you wish you had something to use other than a hacksaw.

Keep in mind that bandsaw blades can and do break. You'll want a spare or three of your most-used and favorite blades. Don't get cheap ones, you'll pay for that in the number of trips to the store.


Also, I'll echo Terry Q's sentiment ...

A bandsawn edge WILL always need cleanup before gluing, or you WILL see the obvious wide glue lines. For segmenting work, go to the tablesaw and use a fine cutting blade. You will be MUCH happier with the results.

 

[campzeke]

Check Craigslist. I just search CL in the Seattle area and this is the first item that came up .... Band Saw

 

[CREID]

Check Craigslist. I just search CL in the Seattle area and this is the first item that came up .... Band Saw

There are some on craigs list and I don't live any where near Seattle.

Curt

 

[CREID]

Check Craigslist. I just search CL in the Seattle area and this is the first item that came up .... Band Saw

There are some on craigs list and I don't live any where near Seattle.

Curt

 

[shastastan]

One size does not fit all. I have 2 band saws--a 16" minimax, 220V and a Ryobi 9". I just bought the Ryobi recently. I had been cutting and trimming my pen blanks with a small Japanese dozuki saw for some time. I finally wanted to do more pens so I got the Ryobi for $129 at Home Depot. It was not on sale. I took extra time on getting it set up to make sure that it runs smoothly. It does not come with a fence, but I do all my ripping on my !0" Jet table saw. I only use the Ryobi for small stuff. It has a dust port witch I have hooked up to my Fein vacuum elect. plug in so the vac comes on when I turn on the saw. I suggest you use the search feature on this forum because I seem to recall some discussion on the HF 9" band saws not too long ago.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

Having a 14" bandsaw is a right not a privilege. ;-)

16" is a privilege.

I think it's like the 14th amendment or something.

Seriously unless you have no space or money, just get a 14" saw.

9" bandsaws are like lathes without variable speed. The can work but life's too short.

 

[CREID]

Having a 14" bandsaw is a right not a privilege. ;-)

16" is a privilege.

I think it's like the 14th amendment or something.

Seriously unless you have no space or money, just get a 14" saw.

9" bandsaws are like lathes without variable speed. The can work but life's too short.

I think a goal is to have a 14 inch, I would someday like to make bandsaw boxes and I could be wrong but I heard the 14 inch is the largest you can get and still be able to use a 1/8 inch blade.

Curt

 

[CREID]

Having a 14" bandsaw is a right not a privilege. ;-)

16" is a privilege.

I think it's like the 14th amendment or something.

Seriously unless you have no space or money, just get a 14" saw.

9" bandsaws are like lathes without variable speed. The can work but life's too short.

Oh, and the 14th amendment is one of the civil War amendments.

Curt

 

[Heartwoodturning]

Hi

I make at least a couple a 1000 blanks every year on my bandsaw which i use and sell. From 150mm square blanks all the way down to 50mm x 6mm x 14mm jewellery blanks. I would take a bandsaw over a tablesaw to perform this task everytime. Once you are confident with the machine you will be amazed at it's versatility. In my own opinion I see the bandsaw as a safer tool than a tablesaw. It is right to say that any tool is only as safe as its operator and his or her training though. I cut the original blank or log to size to pass through the bandsaw with a chainsaw. If you don't have a chainsaw a mate who has one is a useful buddy indeed.

I would find it hard to recommend the bandsaw you are looking at. The absoulute minimum you would pay to guarantee at least a modicom of quality in England would be £180. I understand that things are cheaper in America but my Dewalt which cost me £179 plus postage can cut up to 150mm tall and wide with no issues whatsoever. Remember you want the machine to last a long time. A cheap machine is not necessarily a saving and can prove to be false economy.

A saving that is often made by the manufacturers of cheaper machines is on the blade which makes no sense at all being its purpose is to cut stuff!

If you decide to go for the machine you are looking at the quality and spped of cuts is likely to massively improve by the purchase of a decent blade or two.

I have one blade on the machine and a spare in my blade box. A padlocked blade box is important to store spare blades if you ever have kids in the workshop. I don't but you can never be to safe and as my mum is a scout leader I know a turning demonstration will be asked for eventually!

I have never had a need for a metal blade in the items I make but then I never need to cut metal.

If you are worried about the surface finish quality of blanks the better the blade the better the finish. Also I wrap a piece of 240 grade sandpaper around a flat square wood block and mount it in one of my vices. Simply rub each side of the blank on this and it will be fine. Remember a blank is a starting point not the finished item so the finish doesn't need to be great unless you know the end user or purpose specifically requires that.

I hope this is helpful to you mate

 

[Fish30114]

I happen to have gone with the baby Rikon bandsaw, the guys at my local Woodcraft like it a lot and felt like it was a good 'small' saw. I really wish I had room for a 16" bandsaw, I have only recently started to fool with segmenting, and I have been using my scroll saw a lot which works well for this purpose--but I really think I'm going to spring for the byrnes model making saw for segmenting--I posted a querry on the segmenting forum of what saw to get for segmenting and several folks recommended the Byrnes saw. I will say the Rikon I got, I purchased with a better than factory blade--one the woodcraft guys recommended, and the finish of the cuts it makes is pretty darn good--it is fairly heavy and quite stable in my experience FWIW

 

[Rockytime]

I have the HF 9" and saw. I mentioned purchasing it a few months ago. I got some negative responses like wait until you have had it for a while and then see how you like it. I LOVE it. I have a nice table saw and a 12" old Craftsman band saw. An oldie but goodie. I use the HF saw for cutting pen blanks and lots of small items and am delighted with it. Last time I visited HF the demo model had a cast iron table. Mine is aluminum. Don't know if the demo was old or new but I do wish I had an iron table so I could make a magnetic rip fence. However, I a well pleased with the saw. The craftsman band saw and table saw are close to the garage door so that I can roll them outside for use. The little HF is in my small shop and the dust it creates is little enough that I can keep things cleaned up. JMHO.

 

[CREID]

Thanks for your responses. It seems bandsaws are like CA finishes. I also found a Ryobi at Home Depot for less than the Harbor Freight saw which is on sale. Maybe I just keep using my old Sears 9 inch, it almost cuts.

Curt

 

[jttheclockman]

Every tool in the shop is like a CA finish. Everyone has their opinions as to which tool is good for them. Unless you test drive many saws then you will know first hand and compare to something. . Everyone will give their opinion of the saw they own. I do not and never will own a saw of that size. Just not accurate enough and blade control is not great. And yes I have cut on them. If you have the room then at least look at a 14" saw. But seems you are not ready to buy. If you have the chance take a few for a test drive and save the data for future.