Re: Band Saw Question, before I buy

Which can be found year round at

This thread has served as a reminder that it's time for me to do the 2003 (rather minor) update and post it to RMR, in time for holiday shoping...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

The only 3 wheel saws I've seen are the very bottom end saws. I'd avoid them. They are harder to allign and harder on the blades. Stick with a 2 wheel saw. And bigger is always better!

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Most of the low end bench top tools these days are Chinese imports, but all of the name brand stuff looks to me to be of significantly better quality than the off brand stuff like Pro-Tech or Tool Shop or hawk or doesn't-even-have-a name.

Absolutely agree with this. Every band saw should have cool blocks instead of the metal guides.

I've wondered too...

I went with a bench model due to space limitations. In fact all my power tools are bench tools as opposed to free standing. The most useful feature lacking on the smaller drill preses, other than the throat itself, is the crank to raise and lower the dable. That was one of the biggest reasons I upgraded mine a few years ago.

I'd have to agree with that.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Since you mention manufacturing, one suggestion with the drill press is to get a handful of circle cutters. Set them to the common ring sizes you need, and leave them permanently. I spend an order of magnitude more time setting up the tool to make a cut than actually cutting. For making a couple centering rings a month, it's no big deal. If you're going to be making LOTS of them, save the time and effort. And make sure all your rings fit the same.

If you can't do that, or you're a hobbyist like me, then get a couple scrap boards, and every time you set up the circle cutter for a new size, make a partial cut into one of the sample boards. Then next time you need the same size, you can use the last cut as a guide to set up the cutter exactly the same without having to measure and test.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Me too, I think. I had, and still have, the Dremel Moto-shop, the scroll saw with all the attachments, including the flexible shaft tool, which was the first part to break or wear out.

Alan

This is true with the Craftsman three wheel design because the wheels are so narrow that the blade comes off easily. Other designs are better. Believe it or not, the Harbor Freight 12" is pretty good for $99 on sale. It is metal, unlike the Craftsman plastic, and I've yet to cause the blade to jump off unless I try to do something stupid, like back the blade out of the cut.

Yes, a bigger two wheel is always better, but way more expensive. BTW, my saws are used in a production environment, sometimes 8 hours a day, five or six days a week. I go through a set of brushes about every two months, most people never go through one set for the life of the tool. If one saw lasts for two years, I consider that I got my money out of it.

Mike Fisher Binder Design

You guessed it, it's a 3-wheeler. It throws blades a lot, but like I said, it was given to me. If I were to buy one today, I'd get a two-wheel model like you suggest.

-- Joe Michel NAR 82797 L1

Bob K wrote:

Well, coming from a guy that has a shop full,....

Tablesaw - reduce and size sheet goods. Great for ripping, ok for crosscutting. So first question, can you bring home full sized 5x5' sheets of Baltic birch? If so, small tables are going to be more difficult than a cabinet saw with 52" extension tables. On the other side, you can cut any panel with a $35 5 1/4 circular saw and some fancy jigs. Tablesaw verses bandsaw; speed - TS, setup - TS, cut curves - BS, width of cut - TS, slot cutting - TS. If I were considering doing more than ply and into hardwoods, I would do a grizzly cabinet saw. Plys you can stay in the 'carpenter' style with the motor hanging off the back. If you're just cutting sized-sheets (1/2s or

1/4s from HD), a benchtop (I know, Norm makes those rollarounds that hold bench top saws but they take up a heck of a lot of room). If you have time and effort, a HF could be made serviceable....

Drill press. Simply must have. Get a big one and stick it in the corner, or in the middle of the wall. Mine's 17". If I were to get a benchtop, it would either be a radial (compound angles) or drill-mill (note drill is first because they pretty well suck at mill). Good woodcutting bits and some holesaws (or flycutter). Don't buy a $50 benchtop and expect to run the flycutter without the drill coming apart. The bigger the circle the slower the cutter must be moving.

Bandsaw. I have a delta 3 wheel and it's a pain, though severvicable. Based on Mike's comments I'd look at the HF for depth of cut. They don't cut as fast and if you start to hog it, you can drift the blade. They do cut curves which you don't do on the table saw. That simplifies centering rings. On mine the setup is a pain. Tensioning the blade, the messing with tracking, then setting the guides. Table saw you just set depth and width of cut and go. Same/similar tool in the handheld jigsaw.

Sander - Infocenteral has an article by Mr. Coker about making fin bevels on a disc sander. My shopsmith happens to do that quite nicely (not so nicely a drill press btw). I also have the Rigid oscillating belt sander. I've used it to make the centering rings a 'tad' smaller, though I prefer to do that work on the disc sander (belt sander can 'drive' the ring causing to spin like a saw blade and cut you open,.... not that I'd know,...)

Hand power Sander - random orbit for use after you've filled the ply grain or fiber weave with superfill.

Fabric tools - cutting mat and circle cutter for fiberglass.

Router - You can cut 1/4" hardboard to make temples for a router with a template bit (bearing on the top). So you cut 1 fin out, then use the router to make the rest off that template. When I received the Tomahawk parts, I used a router with guide bit (bearing on the bottom) to make the fins the same, and remove rough saw marks. Despite the allure,... skip the rotozip.

Jigsaw (sabersaw) - This is the one tool that can do it all. If you're good, you don't even need the start hole to do the insider diameter of a centering ring, but a hand drill is all that is needed to provide that hole. It does both cuts of centering rings. Cuts straight lines with a guide. Cuts bevels (though not very versatile). A GOOD quality one is over $100. Don't expect the $35 skill to make you happy in the long run. Quick change blades and easy bevel settings are a must. Of course the circle jig is somewhat handy to have as well.

CNC Laser - great for cutting balsa parts. Bit tough on the wallet.

Lathes. I don't use a wood lathe much {for rockets}, but obvious for nosecones and transitions. If you're making patterns out of hardwood, you might get by with a cheap HF (probably not as cheap as the $20 Craftsman I got a thrift store). If you're staying with smaller stuff and dabble with metal, a '7x10' or 7x12 might be in order.

Joel. phx

Why?.... have you been a good boy this year :)

I guess stuff changes in ten years or so. all my tools are bench models. and all of them are excelent DELTA models of great quallity over ten years old.

so, in the last ten years, what happned ?

DID all the tools get cheap ?

no clinton jokes, yes I can imagine

and you can bury the blade, teeth and all, right into the guide blocks.

Mine are Delta as well. The belt sander is at least 15 years old. The rest (band saw, drill press, scroll saw) were bought in the past 5 years or so.

Yes. The stuff that used to be made here is now made in Taiwan. The stuff that used to come from Taiwan now comes from China.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

You mean the coupon that's only good for what I don't want OR... that doesn't apply to anything that's already on sale, which is everything in the store? ; )

Randy

What's best for cutting G10?

Yup. It replaces the steel guide block with a graphite block. Less friction and less wear. Critical on small blades used for tight radius cutting, but necessary for all blades and straight cutting. IMHO they should be standard equipment on EVERY band saw. If a store doesn't sell the cool blocks along with the band saw, or have them right next to the saws, maybe you're in the wrong store. Depending on your saw model, they should be around $15+/-...

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

I guess I'm pretty "michaeled out" too. I've ignored the last couple 50% off coupons, and yesterdays 60% off coupon.

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!

Point!

Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!