Thread: Having trouble deciding on a bandsaw

I want a band saw for cutting out scale material and occasionally for other things around the house and was going to just buy the Harbor Freight 9" model which has pretty good reviews.
After doing a little research though it sounds like the Craftsman 10" model is much better as it has a rip fence and is a little better built overall I think.
Anyone have some input on these choices? I don't want to spend $800 on a Grizzly or Jet so I am considering the HF 9", The Skil 3386 9" and the Craftsman 10" model 21400 here:
Sears.com

I have two. One is a little 14" that is good for cutting curves and little jobs and a 20" resaw bandsaw that is good for taking big pieces of wood and making little pieces of wood, on a fairly large scale. What you get is going to dictate what you can do and they all have their up sides and down sides. You won't cut veneer on a 10" and you won't make scales on a 20". If I could have just one bandsaw that i would be able to use for everything and money was no object it would be a Laguna 14" HD. Not cheap but a good all round saw at professional quality. Not for the average joe. I think you would want at least the Sears 10" and maybe even jump it to a 14"

Deals deals deals on Craig's list. Guys by them and never use them. Wife dents car door on it and it goes up for sale cheap :<0)
Hunt like you would on e-Bay and you will find a deal on a great saw. You may even get lucky and find a good old heavy vintage saw cheap.

I own a Craftsman 10" bandsaw and it's a great one. You can easily special order bi-metal blades to cut through G10 and other tougher materials. Build, fit and finish are excellent but i bought mine probably 6 years ago.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Deals deals deals on Craig's list. Guys by them and never use them. Wife dents car door on it and it goes up for sale cheap :<0)
Hunt like you would on e-Bay and you will find a deal on a great saw. You may even get lucky and find a good old heavy vintage saw cheap.

there was a bunch on craigs when i was looking , some that looked almost new , most the deals went fast in my area but i think i ended up with the 10" craftsman , the key is finding the right blades ..

I have the skil 9" and works well, plus you can buy the blades at Lowe's. I have used it to cut wood and g10 and hasn't let me down. Also If you set it up right I have cut bubinga veneer thin enough to nearly see through...just playing around a bit mind you. I know plenty of guitar builders that use bench tops for shaping necks. That said for scales if I had a choice the rikon 10" would be my personal choice; lots and lots of good reviews. The skil was a Christmas gift from the folks. Just fyi; woodcraft has a company that will make custom length, tpi, and width band saw blades for about $0.13/in. I priced a resaw blade for my skil at about $23 not bad being a custom size and tooth set.

Buy Once, cry once.Look for an american made Bandsaw,Or for that matter any american made Machine tool from the 50s/60s.
I got mine off off CL years ago 100.00 bux,total rebuild cost me 40 bux (all new bearings)
The fence (kreg) cost more than the bandsaw but is a pricision tool.

I should have mentioned that I have a small one car garage so a full size saw is not really feasible. I have been looking on Craigslist and haven't seen much nearby.
I saw a 10" Craftsman for $100 but it was a good 2 hour round trip drive. Not worth it to save $70 off a new one.

Well it is like sitting in a blind. Just be loaded and ready when it appears. You could also run a wanted ad. Might get somebody off their rocker to reply :<0) Patience gets the trophy and like Pix said the older ones are the gems.

My 1¢
I had the equivalent of Pix's saw. I have a small basement 300 usable square feet cut up by various water and heating and stairway incursions, and had to downsize. Now I have a 7inch Black and Decker and a 12" Craftsman 3 wheeler. Neither one cost over $35 used and like new. The only mods to them that I have made is to cut into the center of a piece of thin plywood and tape it down so the blade does not pull small bits of material into the table opening.
Both work well enough for razor work and I can cut ½ Aluminum if I take my time.
That said. For razor work all you really need is a small cheap saw. I cut slices off the various 2 inch horn and acrylics with care if not ease. A selection of saw blade with differing tooth spacing and style are really more important than the low horsepower of the motor.
If, I were full time into razor restoration and brush making, I might change one or two items.
Adjust the blade guides as best you can and go for it!
Here are some videos of the whole bandsaw use:
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?...&hsimp=yhs-001
YMMV but not a lot!
~Richard