Originally posted by JimGo
<br />John,
The only advantage I see is that, from what I understand, a table saw's blade is less likely to wander, which can be advantageous for making straight cuts. That's why I was considering getting one, if I ever get enough space. My little 9" Delta bandsaw works great for most stuff, but I'd like something that can give me a little more precision in the cut. For example, I have a design in mind for a pen rest to accompany a pen I'm making for my wife. The rest necessitates cutting some African Blackwood blanks into 1/4's and positioning them next to each other to form two approximately 1.5" wide pieces. I want the cuts to be as straight as possible, since I don't have a good way of making the wide surfaces parallel to each-other, and I thought a table saw (especially a small one, given the size of my "shop") would be a good choice. Are you suggesting that the bandsaw would be a better idea for this kind of cut? I'm not challenging you; just trying to make the best decision (don't want to buy a tablesaw if I don't really NEED it, and I don't like the idea of wasting a couple blanks trying to get this right!). Any feedback on the advantages/disadvantages of these tools is appreciated. I mean, I may be joining in the TS purchase that precipitated this whole discussion!
Generally speaking, a table saw will produce a straighter cut (with less effort). This also depends on what material is being cut and how you are cutting. Cross grain cuts with a band saw usually tend to be straighter. The slightly flexible blade tends to follow the path of least resistance through a board when cutting with the grain. That being said, there are several ways to properly adjust a band saw to make it much more if not perfectly acurate. The 9" saws are not designed for precision cutting. Don't get me wrong, there are some great ones on the market, but they are not going to be able to make the cuts that the average 14" can do. Primarily due to blade thickness. My 12" jet (Great saw for the money) will accept up to a 1/2" blade. Compared to a 1/4" stock blade, that is a big difference. Larger saws will take up to 3/4" and sometimes 1" blades. The larger the blade, the straighter the cut.
Most bandsaws come stock with steel blocks at the top and lower blade guides. I would strongly recommend getting a product called, "COOL BLOCKS". The guide blocks are what control the side to side movement of the blade when cutting. "Cool Blocks" are made of a phenolic that is impregnated with a graphite that acts as a blade lubricant (Dry). This allows them to be run up against the blade without wear issues to the blade (Overheating due to friction). The steel blocks need to spaced slightly outwards as the will wear and eventually break the blade. Also, the roller bearing behind the blade on the smaller saws is not as precise.
Blade tension is also to be considered.
Now for cutting 3/4" blanks to size for pens, a small bandsaw works just fine. Since I do alot of wordworking (Furniture, lamps, frames, etc) I would not be able to get by without a table saw. You can get a decent 10" direct drive table saw from sears (Craftsman) for less than 150 dollars.
For your wife's pen cradle/stand, a table saw would be the ticket in my opinion. I have a 1/8" kerf blade for my saw that is very small. Most stock blades will consume too much material for small precise cuts like that. The thin blades solve that issue.
If you are going to be doing any quarter sawing of boards to make pen blanks, or anything of that nature, it is a must. I just did some more Zebra, and some amazing grained Bolivian Rosewood today. It is amazing how much a quarter sawn blank will change the look of the finished pen.
One final note. You said that your space is limited. My 10" band saw has removeable legs. It comes apart easily and stores under my workbench. I pull it out of my shop when using it to keep the dust outside.
Sorry to have rambled on. I hope to have helped someone. I love tools. Especially good ones. Not all good tools have to be expensive. I would stay away from the HF type saws.
Cheers,
James