# Question on bandsaws....



## jtrom (Dec 27, 2011)

Ok you guys helped me with the router 101 info, now I need info on bandsaws. I am building a wood homebuilt airplane. I have a aircraft mechanic background but minimal woodworking experience. (They haven't really used wood in airplanes since pre-WWII). Soooo...I need to purchase a bandsaw. I will be cutting Spruce not over 3/4" thick and plywood not over 1/8" thick. But there will be some long pieces. I will be buying a metal cutting saw just for the metal parts so I just need a wood-only bandsaw. What kind of bandsaw should I be looking for? Can I get by with a 9 inch cheapy?? (budget IS a concern)...or should I buy a used 14 inch off C-list??...and for that matter, what is the difference between a 9 inch and a 14 inch?...Someone school me on bandsaws!


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

jtrom said:


> Ok you guys helped me with the router 101 info, now I need info on bandsaws. I am building a wood homebuilt airplane. I have a aircraft mechanic background but minimal woodworking experience. (They haven't really used wood in airplanes since pre-WWII). Soooo...I need to purchase a bandsaw. I will be cutting Spruce not over 3/4" thick and plywood not over 1/8" thick. But there will be some long pieces. I will be buying a metal cutting saw just for the metal parts so I just need a wood-only bandsaw. What kind of bandsaw should I be looking for? Can I get by with a 9 inch cheapy??(NO, DON"T BOTHER) (budget IS a concern)...or should I buy a used 14 inch off C-list?? (YES)...and for that matter, what is the difference between a 9 inch and a 14 inch?.(ABOUT 5" and 1/2 HP)..Someone school me on bandsaws!


For what you want to do, you don't really need a large saw or lots of HP. But the 9" saws a not really much good for other than crafts.
Looking for a used one on Craig's List?
You will be amazed at what a 14" saw, properly set up will do. It is the first power tool I would recommend a nubie get to start out. It's just a fun machine to work with. If you decide to go further in the woodworking aspect, you will have a nice start. Cast lron is the type to have, 14" is the size to look for. Delta, Jet, Craftsman, even Harbor freight will work. Cast iron is best, stamped and welded steel is next and cast aluminum is not as good. Motors should be at least 1/2 HP up to 1 HP. Ball bearing guides are nice, but necessary. Rust isn't a big issue, it will sand off. Listen to it run and see if there are any ticking sounds other than the blade on the guides. If it looks well maintained rather than abused that's good. 

I have this little Craftsman 10" saw and it's the only one I'd recommend in that size and price range for your application:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CRAFTSMAN-0...610?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415d6ea552

Useful info here:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f12/band-saw-advice-31027/


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

It would be wonderful if there was a crystal ball for capital,equip investment.And this spans the whole economic enduse range.Just as a small shop is concerned with $$ and equip purchases......so does a full-on pro shop.

The more you can accurately describe what it is you're trying to accomplish...........to yourself/your shop.......the better,generally the purchase works out.

But its a catch 22.So there has to be some guessing.....most recomend buying a little larger than you originally are thinking."Go big" is how this is expressed.For me thats just a leeeetle too easy.IOWs it dosen't adress some of the more compelling reasons or criteria.Firmly believing theres a "right size" for just about every pc of equip and every individual shop.

A 14" BS(bandsaw) in my pea brain is the smaller of what alot of folks consider the ultimate setup."Big N little"....a 14" for contour work and a bigger saw like a 20"+....for resaw use.With that in mind,a 14 sort of gets you on the right track.You'll use it,alot.They're cheap,mainly due to availibility....they have decent resale value.The blades are plentiful(big points here),yadayada.

You probably will keep it(a good thing)....and in a few years will be able to see how your shop is evolving and make the decision then,as to whether you can put a bigger BS to work......keeping the 14 for contour work.BW


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## dodgeboy77 (Mar 18, 2009)

As soon as I saw you were doing wing and fuselage parts, I thought "Go big" - like 20" or so. You may not be sawing thick stock, but you may be sawing relatively large, curved pieces that could require a big throat area on the saw to get the job done.

Maybe take a look at some of the bigger parts you need to cut and estimate the smallest distance you will need on the band saw between blade and frame.

Also, there are multi-speed saws that will cut both metal and wood. Take a look at some older saws ( http://vintagemachinery.org/ has a nice picture index) to see what's available.

Bill


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*good points Bill*

Maybe a 3 wheel saw would be best in this situation?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELTA-10-BA...453?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19cc56325d

Searching EBay, I did find a bargain on the little 10" Craftsman saw used :
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Craftsman-1...534?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ab27fbbee

Maybe even a scroll saw:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Delta-Scrol...tu=UCC&otn=15&ps=63&clkid=5328535033840634593


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

Perhaps a jigsaw? Just sayin'...


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## jtrom (Dec 27, 2011)

Thanks for the replies. The biggest part would a plywood rib, which is roughly 6" x 24", so I really don't need a huge saw. I have been looking at saws that cut wood and metal but they really don't cut slow enough for steel. (I heard you need 300 fpm or less for 4130 steel, which there is a lot of). I will probably buy a metal cutting saw down the road for that. I have been looking on CL in your area Woodnthings (I'm over here in Lansing)....not much out there but 9 inch Craftsmans.....


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*wood and metal don't mix well*

Steel is about 300 to 100 FPM. and wood is 3000 FPM, different blades entirely. 
For a metal only I would suggest a small horizontal/vertical cut off saw. I have a gravity feed only horizontal Craftsman that I've had about 30 years, but the newer ones you can tilt up to vertical for free hand cutting, a real plus.

I would stay with the 14" size and keep an eye out on CL. I bought 2 of the Deltas in the last year with risers for around $500 and still have one. I also found, in Saginaw, a 14" Craftsman Professional for $250 with the welded frame, a real nice saw. I would consider the newer 12" welded frame 3/4" HP also. The 10" one is available on the link above at $ 189.00 + shipping. 

If I see something I'll bug Ya. :yes: bill


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## jtrom (Dec 27, 2011)

I did see a 4 speed Harbor Freight vert. bandsaw that gets down to 600 fpm....is that still too fast for steel?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*yep*

steel is from 300 to 100 FPM and more othen than not, around 100 FPM at least in my case. :yes: bill

here's the deal however...a jack shaft speed reducer will work a 12" pulley and a 2"drive pulley will give 6 to 1 reduction. then at the other end another 4 to 1 will give an overall 10 to 1 reduction. It's just simple math and start with a 1750 or 1725 RPM motor, 3450 is too fast. You can slip off the belts to change speed from wood to metal and you'll have to change blades also. I had a 10 to 1 gear reducer years ago on a 12" Craftsman saw and it would cut steel OK. 
Try Surplus Center in NE for reducers.:

https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=13-237-10-S&catname=
https://www.surpluscenter.com/


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## vinnypatternmaker (Mar 27, 2011)

*Band Saw*

Hi!
We owned (lost to storage) a very fine older Boice Crane 14" welded steel band saw with a nearly 11" height @ 90 degrees! With some minor sprucing and tweating (Carter bearings, link belt) this machine performed for us over 20 years:smile:! Table even back-tilted 5 or so degrees (excellent for patternmaking/protype work!). Sturdy, and with an unusual pulley set up, we were able to get the speed down to 250 or so fpm.
Yes, to swith to wood speeds, we needed to change back to original pulleys! Not a problem iff (if and only if) you are mechanicaly inclined, as most of you guys are 
Any of you guys out there that don't need to switch often, check this fine piece of affordable tool out on OWWM.com, and then CL or feebay. It seems immortal :yes:! Old sometimes is a good thing :thumbsup:!
Great luck, Marena


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Just as "Big N Little" applies to wood BS's......the notion is VERY much alive in metal world as well.........

We have 3 metal cutting BS's....the "smallest" is an ancient B&D "portaband".Its designed as a hand held tool....it will cut a 4" basement support column for reference WRT capacity.BUT,with a very easy to make extra support on the lower bladeguide table......these portabands work GREAT mounted in a vise.Basically,a small vert BS.

Anyway,its amazing how much our portaband gets used in this fashion.Sure you can call us lazy for not wanting to go to one of the bigger metal saws.....maybe?But if thers ANY chance the metal in question is of,oh how you say?.....mystery metal,or maybe theres a HAZ(heat affected zone),or hard weld....then the chances of ruining a blade makes the smaller/cheaper portaband the logical choice.


For 20+ years all we had was a portaband and a huge Airco "gas axe"(cutting torch).And it wasn't all that bad.Throw in a circ saw w/metal blade,jig saws and nibblers....just sayin,you may have some of this stuff already?BW


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## Jag-v8 (Oct 14, 2009)

*Delta?*

Do yourself a favor do not buy a new DELTA, find an old made in the USA Delta, MUCH better, Delta claims the trunnions are cast iron, they are not, they are pot metal about 3/64" thick (less than 1/16" thick, break like glass) and right now due to Delta being sold to a Chinese company, you can't get parts for a month or better, the parts rep told me the Chinese are setting up their own ware house and until that is done no parts will be shipped:thumbdown:


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## jtrom (Dec 27, 2011)

What about the old 3 wheeled 12 inch Craftsmans built by Seeley King in the 1950's. It would be cool to have a vintage saw and I have seen a few of them on CL for a hundred bucks............are they any good?????


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## TxWoodsy1 (Jan 13, 2012)

*Steel cutting*

If there is a lot of steel that is too thick to cut with a shears or nibbler, you might locate a sheet metal shop with a plate shears..... a real time-saver. They can whack up a sheet of metal as fast as you can tell them what sizes you want. 



jtrom said:


> Thanks for the replies. The biggest part would a plywood rib, which is roughly 6" x 24", so I really don't need a huge saw. I have been looking at saws that cut wood and metal but they really don't cut slow enough for steel. (I heard you need 300 fpm or less for 4130 steel, which there is a lot of). I will probably buy a metal cutting saw down the road for that. I have been looking on CL in your area Woodnthings (I'm over here in Lansing)....not much out there but 9 inch Craftsmans.....


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## bkskins (Feb 27, 2012)

*about a bandsaw*

I have an "old" Craftsman 12 inch bandsaw. It still runs great for its age. I need to know if I can rip 4 to 6 inch 2 bys with it, and if so, what width blade do I need to do this with. Helppppppp. Thank You
:thumbsup:


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## Huxleywood (Feb 24, 2012)

You mentioned budget is a concern so I will approach it that way. I would look at 14" cast Delta clones. The Delta design has been around for 70+ years and is the most copied bandsaw design. There are more accessories out that that fit them and they are plentiful used. Grizzly probably offers the best value new but Jet, Powermatic, Delta, Shopfox, Steel City and a bunch of others sell them as well, including a Harbor Freight version which all things considered isn't bad. 

I agree on multiple bandsaws though for me the minimum number is 4... but I am a little bit of a bandsaw nut. The nice thing about the 14" clone is if you decide to add a larger bandsaw the 14" remains a very good size to keep with the bigger saw.

I would also suggest Mark Duginski's book, cheap on Amazon and more than worth it if you are not completely aquainted in bandsaw tuning.

Remember the saw is only part of the story, tooling is equally important. In general avoid the pre-made bands especially those sold at big box stores. Find a local or internet supply house that welds to spec from quality bandstock like Lenox and Starrett, not only will you get better bands but better prices too. Further, the more closely matched the blade is to the cutting job at hand the better job it will do. That is the reason many people like more than one bandsaw, to be able to have more than one blade installed and tuned so that they can cover more jobs without changing bands.


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## David Peebles (Feb 17, 2012)

*Converting wood BS to cut metal*

I bought a Grizzly 14" bandsaw about 15 or so years ago, the cheapest model they made at the time. Set it up, and was surprised to see it track perfectly right out of the box. Immediately put in a jack shaft and step pulleys to make it into a metal cutter (voiding my warranty, of course). Not sure of the speed I got--350 to 400 feet per min, maybe. I buy variable pitch bimetal blades from a local saw shop, so I can cut anything from 16 gauge up to maybe 1/4" but sometimes go over that. It cuts stainless, brass, and of course mild steel. Also aluminum, but thick (1/2" and up) aluminum is a bear to cut. Too much friction, and therefore heat. Lubricating with WD40 helps some. Sometimes I have to stop and let the metal cool. I also use it for small/light woodcutting, but of course the fine teeth and slow speed make that an inefficient process. I like this better than the horizontal bandsaws because their tables (when in vertical mode) look to me a bit flimsy and too small. When I have to get serious with wood, such as resawing, I have an old style Grizzly 18"


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