Model shop bandsaw choice?

[tooter]

Setting up my model shop and seeking advice for a band saw selection. Thinking a 9 in. with 62 in. blade being about the right size. Build quality, performance and reliability all keys to my buy choice.

So far I have the three Byrnes tools and a DeWalt scroll saw, but needing to slice slabs off 2 in. + thk. billets with a thin kerf so as to not waste material. Also, input for blade choices for this to mill Swiss pear appreciated.

 

Guidance from the masters please?

 

tooter 

 

 

[kurtvd19]

Tooter:

Do a search here for 9 inch band saws and/or band saws and you will find this is a much discussed subject with recommendations.

[Roger Pellett]

Do not overlook full sized old tools.  IMHO they are preferable to new ones for several reasons:

First, sturdy construction.  They have more machined cast iron and little or no plastic.

Belt driven.  Motors are easily replaced or switched to high HP if you decide to do so.

Fewer propriety parts.  Replacements like threaded fasteners can be found at the local Hardware store.

Availability of a wide variety of locally sourced blades.  A 14in bandsaw uses a standard 93-3/4in blade.

 

My 14in bandsaw is 45 years old and still going strong.  I have added a more powerful motor (belt driven) and have replaced the tires, tension spring and guide blocks, all with generic aftermarket parts.  I also replaced all adjustment thumb screws with socket head cap screws.  I doubt if any of the new small 9in saws will still be providing like new performance after 45 years of use.

 

Roger

[jimbyr]

Tooter

 

I have a Grizzly GO555 14" bandsaw.  Have had it for 18 years,  cast iron table good fence ball bearing guides and can change blades in 2 minutes.  Good saw.  When I bought it it was 400 bucks,  now it's 795.00

 

regards

Jim

 

 

[tooter]

Thank you Kurt and Roger.

 

So I'm in the process of downsizing my living space to something much smaller and with less available shop space. Maybe even just a second bedroom. That said, I'm in the process of liquidating my furniture shop power tools I was once able to use before old age and health issues set in.

 

Kurt, did the searches and am amazed at the information stowed away on this site. Appreciate the tip.

 

tooter 

[Jaager]

I have a 9" generic Asian bench-top band-saw.  I use it almost exclusively for its scroll cutting function.  It uses the more common 59.5" blades.  I have a Carter Stabilizer on it to make the curved tracking necessary for the scroll cutting to be even possible.  My journey with this has taken me from using 1/16" wide blades at first - these seem to no longer exist.  For years I have been using 1/8" blades.  At first, Bosch blades did OK, but there has been evidence of major corporate changes.  Vermont American is now Bosch in a different package and the sharpness of the recent blades was such that they would have cut better if I flipped the blades 180 degrees and used the back edge.  The Power? blades I tried had poor steel and were brittle.  I then tried Olson blades,  They are more expensive, but are sharper, stay sharper longer, and break less often.  In gearing up for my current HMS Centurion build, I decided to visit Olson and stock-up.  I found a deal on thin kerf blades,  about 1/2 price.  The stock I would cut is 1/4" Maple and anyone's blades break more often than I wish.  I bought 10.  Turns out  that my aging eyes missed the small print - the blades were 1/4". not 1/8".  I thought that I had screwed the pooch, but when I started cutting and the mounted 1/8" blade broke, I tried a 1/4" blade.  Turns out that it will cut almost as tight a curve as a 1/8" blade - just a bit more backing and filling in tight places.  The 1/4" also last a whole lot longer. I think my case will outlast me.  There are fewer TPI but the set is slight. So the surface scaring is about the same as a 1/8th blade.

 

If imy 9" dies on me, I will probably get a 10" Rikon with the larger motor.  But still only use it for scroll cutting.

 

I would not use the 9" for any sort of resawing.  Certainly not 2" Pear, which is harder than Hard Maple.  The motors are not up to the load.  The available blades =  serious surface scarring, so a slice needs to be thicker for a thickness sander to get it to a smooth surface.  The blade will likely wander as the guides are not up to the task.  The wedge shaped slices may be usable but they will be either thinner, or a slice to get what you want needs to be ridiculously thick.  The same result occurs if the wander is serpentine.

 

I have a 14" floor model  with a 3HP motor, 220 volt  excellent guides.  It tracks without wandering.  If you are doing resawing, a machine engineered for this function is the reasonable way to go.  Anything less will cost you time, wasted blades, and a lot of wasted wood.  Trying to make do will lead to a mountain of frustration.

 

Unless you are only doing a few passes, no steel blade will be worth buying.  The economy blades leave a really ugly surface -  really deep scarring.  The thin kerf steel resaw dull really quickly and a dull blade soon breaks.  These are false economy.  The carbide resaw blades last a long time,  but they are really expensive - I would not factor in the resharpening they advertise - they will break.  I have found that Lennox Diemaster bimetal blades are in the sweet spot. They last 80-90% as long as a carbide blade and the cost is about 1/4 as much. 

[Jaager]

You posted while I was typing.  You might consider a storage unit rental.  Reconstitute your shop there.

[CPDDET]

How would one control temp and humidity in a storage unit?

[allanyed]

Depending on where you are located some storage units have climate control.  Down here in SW FL, there are a good number of them.

Allan

[CPDDET]

1 minute ago, allanyed said:

Depending on where you are located some storage units have climate control.  Down here in SW FL, there are a good number of them.

Allan

Learn something new every day!

[Jaager]

If

23 hours ago, tooter said:

I'm in the process of liquidating my furniture shop power tools I was once able to use before old age and health issues set in

If tooter has some serious tools, I can see that getting a 220 V. line into a unit could be expensive.

If he does not feel physically up to the task, a helper with some wood shop skills could be hired prn.

Or, skip the physical ownership of the tools work a deal.  Trade the whole kit to someone who would use it and get them to do the major tasks for him.

 

He does not say where he resides,  but if he is lucky, there may be other ship modelers that live close enough to to work a cooperative deal.

There is a woodworker guild here - with commercial cabinet makers involved ( I think) - another source for a possible deal. 

I suspect that the amount of money from a tool liquidation would be marginal when compared to the acquisition amount.