Thread: Tablesaw or bandsaw?

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I've read up a lot on table saws and bandsaws but still can't decide! I almost decided on a bandsaw (I like the spec of the proxxon micro bandsaw) but then I read that unless I use at least 1/2 inch wide blades that the blade tends to wander and leaves a wavy cut. I get scale material resawn for me at the moment but would like to saw my own, mainly out of 2 inch square blanks, but the possibility of a wandering or wavy cut is putting me off the idea of a bandsaw. Has anyone had a problem like this with their bandsaw? I'm wondering if I am going to have to spend a lot more for a really precise machine.

Regards,
Neil.

Wavy cuts has to do with technique and improper calibration of your bandsaw. Waving can be a vibration within the cutting line. Wavy cuts may also have to do with the guide blocks being too far from the blade sides to properly support the blade. It's important to find the right tension of the blade.
I cut with 1/4" and 3/8" blades with no problems. I just take my time with a steady hand flow.

Thanks Max for the tip on the Skil bandsaw. Now to find it in Canada.

i use a craftsman 10" bandsaw with a 1/2" 3tpi blade from highland wood working.
then i run over it with my bosch planer and in one set im good to go.

table saws are just as good for resaw cuts. so they take out a little more on the kerf but whatever. the cut is much more dependable and you dont have to worry about tension and track and setting up the guide blocks.
you just have to worry about loosing your fingers.

dont get a skil bandsaw. yes i know skil makes bosch blah blah. whatever. i chose the craftsman because of its price, 200 usd. i replced the rollers on it.

as for the humidor building, good luck with that man. it looks like you got a good plan and the skill to produce. heres my humidor...i didnt build it


im just waiting for my la gloria cubana figurado to come in
mainly it has cigalo 6 and ashotn cabinet's in there

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

I've read up a lot on table saws and bandsaws but still can't decide! I almost decided on a bandsaw (I like the spec of the proxxon micro bandsaw) but then I read that unless I use at least 1/2 inch wide blades that the blade tends to wander and leaves a wavy cut. I get scale material resawn for me at the moment but would like to saw my own, mainly out of 2 inch square blanks, but the possibility of a wandering or wavy cut is putting me off the idea of a bandsaw. Has anyone had a problem like this with their bandsaw? I'm wondering if I am going to have to spend a lot more for a really precise machine.

Regards,
Neil.

The quality of the cut from a band saw is a function of many variables. Naturally if you want to make straight cuts, such as re-sawing big stuff down to thin stock a wider blade is preferable. Conversely if you want to do scrollwork, a wide blade is useless. A band saw with a good, sharp blade, in proper adjustment and with a good fence and/or jigs should not "wander". You have to be certain your upper and lower guides are in good shape and set properly. Be sure to set the upper guide so that it just clears the workpiece.
While a tablesaw is truly the workhorse of a wood shop, the bandsaw is much more vesatile and safer. Now I personally believe that any properly designed machine is perfectly safe if used safely. Most injuries on a tablesaw are due to kick backs (which are due to improper use). The bandsaw will never kick back. Having said that, let me add that butchers use bandsaws because they are very good at effortlessly cutting through meat and bone.

I bought a nice bandsaw from Lowe's and it set me back around a hundred bucks. I noticed cut marks on the wood but that could be an adjustment of the blade issue.

Rich

“All good things arrive unto them that wait – and don’t die in the meantime.” – Mark Twain

A decent bandsaw that cuts without wandering and cutting marks needs to have "crowned" tires on the wheels. These are usually made of rubber or urethane and have a convex surface. It's a rule of physics that a tensioned blade will always try to ride the high spot on the tire and that keeps the sawblade very well aligned. Together with guiding blocks above and below the sawtable, preferably equiped with rolling bearings guiding the blade, you could even cut perfect veneer with a band saw. Here's a great US-based company that has all the good stuff for upgrading most bandsaws into precisely operating machines:
Band saw blades, wheels, guides, and parts from Carter Products

That said: the easiest and by far cheapest way to produce thin stock for scale production with great precision, is to plane it down with a well-tuned hand plane. If the blade is sharp, it goes very swiftly. You need a holding jig: a flat surface to which you attach stop guides that hold the stock in place while the plane produces shavings. The stop guides need to have the same thickness as you want your stock to have when done. With a bit of imagination, also tapered spacers can be cut this way.

Bart.