Thread: Opinions on choosing a saw to cut scale blanks

So Now that my exotic wood pile is growing and I have no good way of cutting it into 1/8" thick blanks I've decided to buy an entry level table saw or band saw. I do have a scroll saw that I've been using to cut shapes out of blanks I've bought that are already the right thickness, but no matter how hardbi try or what jigs I make I can't successfully cut perfect blanks with it. I also have a decent hand planer but that doesn't do quite as good a job as I'd like.

So basically I'm looking for an entry level table or band saw. What would be the better choice? Any recommendations for a sub-$200 saw? I'm thinking of the Ryobi 12S or whatever it is tabla saw. I don't want to pay the price for pre cut blanks anymore. With shipping they cost me about $20-30 per set of scales. The exotic wood place near me has everything and I can get enough beautiful wood to make many types for that price. Thanks for any help.

See this ???
Zero Clearance Inserts - Rockler Woodworking Tools

You need one

see this???

Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig - Rockler Woodworking Tools

You should have that also...


A table saw does this job the best, I have all three Band, Table, and Scroll...

For cutting thin blanks the table saw is way better,, but to do it safely and accurately you need those attachments and a thin kerf carbide blade...


Buy a saw that is on those lists for the insert, life is easier.. Woodcraft has them also...

I just bought a very good 14 inch king industrial band saw. I have a table saw and when I pay up to 90 dollars a board ft for exotic wood I dont want to feed 1/8 th of an inch to the blade everytime I was cutting on the table saw. This band saw is a cadilac yes I paid 800 bucks for it but Ill have it the rest of my life and it wont be wore out and will do the job I want. you can get a smaller 14 inch for say 350 to 400 and I would do that before feeding my mun ebony to the table saw. Kellyw

Both answers above sum up the issues, I personally recommend against the table saw for your $200 budget. The saws you get at that price aren't designed for accurate cutting, they're more for building rough projects, portability, making decks and other misc. renovation work. They're basically naked circular saws bolted to a table. Ripping wood is what the band saw is primarily designed to do, and what the table saw is most dangerous to be used for. The low budget tablesaws tend to have poor fence systems that are more or less left to the operator to fully lock in place in a perfect parallel to the blade (assuming you're lucky and got a decent one where the blade is straight). This only further increases the risks of the material getting pinched between the blade and the fence and flying at you at speeds you won't enjoy. If you do go tablesaw please follow glen's advice and do as many modifications as you can to increase safety. Otherwise you're looking at a piece of iron wood or snakewood to the face, it would just be a matter of time.

With this budget the table may do better than the bandsaw. but in real world bandsaw is best choice.


with what you got; imo you'd be better off with a 200 dollar hand saw, and a magnetic jig like Spazola fixed up. seriouslyalcohol powered tools

I use a "top of the line" Harbor Freight table saw, which cost me around $800, for all of my woodworking. HF is CHEAP stuff, no doubt about it, but some of it is surprisingly.....serviceable. RobertH's comments about the smaller tabletop saw is right on. They are noisy, out of alignment and difficult to modify for most serious woodworking.

HF makes a very inexpensive table top bandsaw that I know a lot of bowyers (archery bow makers) use with satisfactory results. With a 1/2" blade that might work, but make sure you put a tall fence on it and have the blade guides set right.

I think a better table saw is still your first choice.

Goog

Thanks everyone. That's why I like to ask first. I'll go buy something good today, I was just thinking a cheap saw would work for what I wanted, didn't know of the issues with them. So yeah I'll get a decent setup, and if my gf ends up talking me out of it I'll just use the hand saw method and see how long I can hold out before the inevitable trip to home depot or wherever.

Try to find a better store than home depot to buy your saw. Hone depot doesn't carry the better brands, and sometime you can get a great deal on something at a more specialised equipment store than even home depot.

If you buy any major equipment from Harbor Freight get their 2 year replacement plan and get it replaced every 2 years. I have used their band saw for cutting wood as well as metal with out too many issues for other projects. Need to make a fence for cutting blanks.

I'm in Toronto, there's no harbor freight here and I'm not interested in paying the shipping on something like that. Is a bandsaw not difficult to keep straight? From what ive seen, they all have flex in the blade unless it's an industrial type I've seen in machine shops.