Bandsaw Choice

[ChrisLBren]

Hey Group,

I am finally about to buy a bandsaw - keep in mind I have my cabinet maker cuts my wood to spec - so I am not cutting more than 1 inch thick nor am I resawing.  I have narrowed it down to these two models - both under 600 dollars.  I do like the flexibility of the Jet for other non ship building projects and the 1/2 HP with a solid fence.   However the Rikon has less horsepower with 1/3 HP but  is 200 dollars cheaper.  It does  get better reviews though.  Any feedback is appreciated.

 

Jet® JWB-10 Open Stand 10'' Bandsaw | Rockler Woodworking and Hardware

 

RIKON 10-305 Bandsaw With Fence, 10-Inch - Power Band Saws - Amazon.com

[allanyed]

Hi Chris

Including both ship modeling as well as the  "other non ship building purposes" what specifically do you plan to use the saw for?     
Allan

[Bob Cleek]

Why a 10" bandsaw if you will only be cutting 1" thick plank stock and won't be resawing? If that is all you are intending to use it for, it would seem you'd get by just fine with a saber saw or even a quality scroll saw, which would be far more useful for modeling purposes than a bandsaw of any kind.

 

On the other hand, if it is a bandsaw you want, despite the fact that you'd pay half again as much for it, you'd be getting far, far, more saw for the money buying a standard 14" 1hp bandsaw from a quality retailer like Grizzly. The Classic 14" Bandsaw at Grizzly.com The "classic" fourteen-incher is the highest rated and most popular bandsaw in its class and will cut thicker material and resaw just fine if you ever find the need. (Like if your cabinetmaker friend moves away.) The Grizzly is probably made in the same Chinese factory as the Jet, as well. If the extra $300 or so bothers you, consider that saving up that little bit more will provide you with a bandsaw that will hold its value much better and be easily marketable if you want to get rid of it someday. Because these are so popular, there is a ton of after-market blades, belts, and other parts and accessories available for them. Alternately, you can usually easily find one on the used market for a reasonable price and, if necessary, they are easily tuned up and rehabilitated if need be.

 

It really depends on what you want to do with it. If you are only going to be cutting 1" thick plank stock, I'd expect you'd do much better spending your money on a scroll saw that will cut rings around (and inside) anything a bandsaw can do, even with a narrow blade.

[bruce d]

Hello Chris,

Everybody should have a bandsaw. Well, that may be a little over the top but they are useful.

Tools should be appropriate for the job. The big question is ... what do you want from your bandsaw? What are the model-related tasks you want from this tool?

My bandsaw is a Metabo benchtop model (don't think Metabo is sold in North America but they may be wearing a different badge) and I use it all the time. It has a throat about 200mm so it not big but has adequate power. For modelling jobs I usually swap over to a 6mm (1/4 inch) blade and this gives good performance on curves.

My point? I don't need a bigger throat, more power or a large table for modelling jobs. The wider blade I use for ripping, the metal cutting blade etc. have nothing to do with modelling tasks. 

I can, at a push, mill small logs using a fixture I built, and I also mill some modest size blanks to run through my thicknesser. I could do exactly the same tasks with exactly the same results on a larger bandsaw. If you choose a larger bandsaw for more versatility on other workshop projects you can and still use it for the small jobs if you are prepared to swap blades to suit; however you can't do bigger jobs on the smaller bandsaw. My advice is to focus on quality and spend time learning how to set it up properly for different tasks. 

In my opinion there are only a couple of features that are mandatory regardless of size: an accurate cast table and decent guides. Once you have these, setting it up correctly should be straightforward.

 

Let us know what you decide on 👍.

 

HTH,

Bruce

[Nirvana]

@ChrisLBren, Hi and I see you have done your homework.
However, if you look at this link you will find a Rikon 1/2Hp for the same price as Jet.
I tried out the Rikon 1/2 hp at a Woodcraft store and was impressed by it, even though I didn't buy it.
 

[LyleK1]

I have the Rikon 10-3061. It's the same model but has 1/2 HP.

I use it for many things and highly recommend it.

It's easy to operate, easy to change blades and cut accurately.

 

[ChrisLBren]

Thanks for the responses.  I already own a Dewalt 788 Scroll Saw (great for curves) along with a Byrnes Saw (and his other tools) and have a with a fully equipped shop including two mills (Proxxon and Taig) a Unimat Lathe and various sanders - thickness and oscillating etc.  I am about to start on a fully framed build in 1/36 and want a saw that does not stall making precise straight cuts in 1/2 - 1 inch hardwood that is safe and handy (unlike my full size Dewalt 10 inch circular saw) which is a scary beast.  

 

It would be great to have the ability to  handle other household jobs (shelves for the wife and wainscotting etc) but accuracy for my ship modeling with a solid fence is most important.  

Edited May 3, 2023 by ChrisLBren

[Bob Cleek]

4 minutes ago, ChrisLBren said:

 I already own a Dewalt 788 Scroll Saw (great for curves) along with a Byrnes Saw (and his other tools) and have a with a fully equipped shop including two mills (Proxxon and Taig) a Unimat Lathe and various sanders - thickness and oscillating etc.  I am about to start on a fully framed build in 1/36 and want a saw that does not stall making dead straight cuts in 1/2 - 1 inch hardwood that is safe and handy (unlike my full size Dewalt 10 inch circular saw) which is a scary beast.  

 

It would be great to have the ability to  handle other household jobs (shelves for the wife and wainscotting etc) but accuracy for my ship modeling with a solid fence is most important.  

Ah ha! Why didn't you say so?  

 

I'd say your Dewalt scroll saw covers all the bases on any curved cuts you'd ever encounter making models. Have you tried making "dead straight cuts in 1/2-1 inch hardwood" on your Byrnes saw? I regularly run seasoned oak for making case frame stock through mine with no problems at all. The Byrnes saw may have a maximum cut depth of a smidgen less than an inch, but that's not a problem. All that needs be done is to flip the piece over and make a second cut on the other side and you can realize a depth of cut of at least an inch and three-quarters off the Byrnes saw. I have a Delta 3hp Unisaw and it's a scary beast, too. I avoid it like the plague for small work. My Byrnes takes over where my nerve leaves off!  

Band saws aren't really a tool designed to make "dead straight cuts." I know they are all sold with four-inch tall flat-sided fences these days, so I suppose they've gotten better over time, but I can't remember any bandsaw I ever saw in a commercial shop having a fence on it. (Nor did any table saw ever have a blade guard, come to think of it!) Band saws are primarily for cutting curves. They are also used for resawing, but bandsaw blades have a tendency to "wander" or cut at an angle and not want to cut in a straight line. You really have to fiddle with them to get one to want to cut dead straight. For resawing, I've always used a shop-made "guide." I take a piece of wood sufficiently high to support the plank to be resawed and I cut a "pointed" end on it. Sometimes that requires that a taller pointed edge for resawing so the plank can be supported perfectly vertical against the point and so the pointed piece has to be supported on a flat base. The "point" guide is clamped to the table with the point exactly as far from the teeth of the blade as I want the width of the resawn piece to be and just a smidgen before the point of the blade. I run a mortice gauge down the length of the piece to mark the width of the cut I want to make. Then I rest the plank on edge on the table and against the point and feed it into the  blade, following the cut line marked with the mortise gauge. In this fashion, when my bandsaw blade wants to cut at an angle (as most seem to,) I can feed the plank through at that angle, having pivoted the plank to accommodate the blade's whim. It seems to me that is a better approach than trying to get a blade that wants to run through at a slight angle to cut a straight line by holding the plank against a long flat fence. (I don't expect the resaw cut to be perfect, so I cut a bit wide of the line, expecting to run the piece through my thickness planer or, for small stuff, my Byrnes thickness sander. 

 

From what you've described in terms of tools on hand, you may want to do some experimenting and see if you really need a bandsaw at all, considering that you have access to your friend the cabinetmaker. Just sayin'. Maybe I'm just an old luddite, the methods described work for me, for model-sized work, at least. Your mileage may differ, but you may be able to save yourself spending the money on a bandsaw you may not need by using the excellent selection of capable tools you already have.

[allanyed]

9 hours ago, ChrisLBren said:

I already own a Dewalt 788 Scroll Saw (great for curves) along with a Byrnes Saw (and his other tools) and have a with a fully equipped shop including two mills (Proxxon and Taig) a Unimat Lathe and various sanders - thickness and oscillating etc. 

Chris

You are fortunate to have a better equipped shop than 99% of the members here, including some of those that are master builders.   But to paraphrase some of the words of Tim "the tool man" Taylor, you can never have too much power or too many tools.   

Allan

[ChrisLBren]

I will probably purchase the JET - it has the HP I need, a solid stand and a good fence. 

 

I am not a golfer - they will spend 100s on a club for certain situations during the game.  For me having the right tool and not having to adapt one that's not suited makes a lot of sense.

[Roger Pellett]

Looking at the owners manual for the Jet saw, it looks like a well made piece of equipment.  Unfortunately, I don’t seem to be able to bring up the reviews so can’t tell if they are material.  In either case, I would want to know how the motor drives the saw.  1/2hp is not exactly high powered and of course 1/3 hp is even less.  Can a higher hp motor be substituted later on? The motor on 

the Jet saw mounts on the outside driving a pulley/belt combination on the inside.  It looks like replacing a motor or substituting a larger one could be done abet with some steel fabrication.

 

Like most technical things that Amazon sells they are sketchy on the details for the Rikon saw.  Before buying I would want to know how the motor is linked to the saw, what sort of blade guides are included, etc.

 

With their two vertical rotating wheels and narrow base, bandsaws can be prone to vibration.  I call my 14in 45 year old Sprunger “galloping Gertie!”  Annoying, but it still cuts wood. To minimize vibration it is important to get both wheels tracking in the same plane.

 

Back when, the Rockwell Delta 14in Bandsaw was the tool that serious woodworkers bought.  I believe that both the 14in Jet and Grizzly are clones of the Rockwell saw.  If I had a lifetime of woodworking ahead of me I would either look for a gently used Rockwell or new Grizzly.

 

Roger

[ChrisLBren]

Honestly I dont want to spend an additional 600 dollars for the 14 inch Grizzly.  From examining both machines the JET feels more solid - better fence and table than the Rikon and for my purposes of cutting 1 inch hardwood and under - it should be up for the job.  I am not resawing.  I think the key here is setting up the saw properly with the right blade.  

[bridgman]

The features Roger mentions are critical for proper and useful operation of a band saw, even more so than motor power. 

They will permit setting up the saw correctly and allow for accurate usage.

Bridgman Bob

[ChrisLBren]

I bought the JET and am very happy - now I have an entire array of saws without having to change any blades - the mini Preac, Jim Byrnes table saw, Dewalt Scroll 788, JET 10 inch Bandsaw and Dewalt 10 Inch Table Saw all suited to their various purposes in the shop.  Fingers crossed I can focus on model building vs honey dos around the house !!!!!

[Bob Cleek]

2 hours ago, ChrisLBren said:

I bought the JET and am very happy - now I have an entire array of saws without having to change any blades - the mini Preac, Jim Byrnes table saw, Dewalt Scroll 788, JET 10 inch Bandsaw and Dewalt 10 Inch Table Saw all suited to their various purposes in the shop.  Fingers crossed I can focus on model building vs honey dos around the house !!!!!

He who dies with the most tools wins!  

[John C Brown]

The most important thing in a bandsaw is tuning it correctly. Check out this link. 
 

 

[ChrisLBren]

Thanks John - the instructions that came with the JET are crap - but I have almost assembled it and will check out this video.  It feels more solid than the competitors - once I have it built I will share a review.  

[Cleat]

I have the Rikon 10" bandsaw and I like it.  I haven't had any problems with it and I've had mine for many years.  I consider it a general purpose tool for a hobbyist.  (I have several Rikon products).  The fence is pretty basic, it works but I'd prefer something better.  I use a magnetic fence now.  And it doesn't do very well for resawing (you need to go real slow).

 

I have a Jet mini wood lathe and I like it, but I had to replace the clamping disk for the tail stock.

Edited May 14, 2023 by Cleat

[Robere210]

I love my 1965 Delta/Rockwell, Wood & Metal 14" bandsaw.  But it's probably not for everybody.