Band saw or scroll saw?

I've been comtemplating picking up a saw to help me along, but, was wondering what would be better (or more useful), a scroll saw or a band saw?

I'm thinking a bandsaw would probably be better for my purposes. Having a bandsaw would allow me to cut blanks from larger pieces of wood, and makes straight cuts much easier. I also don't plan on doing any really intricate work that requires a scroll saw, which is another reason I'm leaning towards a band saw. I plan on using it to help me cut out scales and other basic shapes, but I don't need exact precision in my cuts, only something that gives me the basic shape and I can sand to form from there.

Anyway, am I on track on my reasoning, or should I really be looking at a scroll saw instead?

A scroll saw is more versatile but slow for bulk cuts.

However, the precision of the scroll saw can reduce the amount of sanding you have to do to get the final shape.

I recently picked up one of those small stationary belt sanders. The thing will melt through wood like a blow torch to ice, especially on woods of the thickness used for scales. So, I'm not too worried about sanding.

direct all inquiries to lord Lerch and Ilija... they are the ones with all the answers.

well if you dont mind me saying, being a newbie at restoration, the tools I was using I had the option of both mentioned saws and I loved using the scroll saw, hopefully when i move across and get sorted out, it will be amongst my first purchases.....just my tuppence worth...

simon:tu

btw bill if you read this, the old dogs coming along nicely....hehe:D

Jason,

I did a lot of soul searching before buying my bandsaw. I did not want to spend the $700 it costs for a sturdy model. I tried the cheapest one (Walmart/Canadian Tire) under $100 but found it to be useless for resawing wood. Completely useless, not just less than optimum. Mind you it would work well as a replacement for a scroll saw and would probably be much faster and easier to use than the scroll saw.

I would say that if you are only going to use it for rough shaping thinner wood (1/2" or less) then it would probably be conenient, faster and cheaper than a scroll saw. Get a 1/8" or 3/16" wide blade and you will be set.

However, don't think that you will be able to use those cheap models for resawing wood. They don't have the frame strength to tension the blade and the cut is bowed out vertically.

If you try to tension the blade then the top wheel sags and the blade slides off. The snapback of the wheel and frame when that happens is enough to scare the crap out of you. Additionally the horizontal plate stop screw assembly is loose and if you put any pressure while cutting it will tilt off 90 degree. Again, not a major issue if you are just rough cutting out thin wood.

The smaller saws can't take a blade wider than 1/2" (I think the smallest ones only go up to 1/4" wide) and that is too narrow for resawing. I started with 1/2" blades on my saw and graduated to 3/4" for much, much better results.

Another thing to consider is the fact that a scroll saw won't cut off any of your fingers. You might get a small cut if you are careless but nothing more. With any bandsaw you can leave your fingers on the table before you even realize it has happened. I use a scroll saw for cut outs because like Bill I won't spend 30 minutes swapping blades and because I don't feel any of my 10 fingers are spares. :)

BTW, 30 minutes is not for swapping the blade which only takes a few minutes but for adjusting all the guides afterwards which is a pain I try to avoid.

Thanks for the info guys, but I ended up picking up a bandsaw. They put a limit on my moms visa points so she wanted to use them. She found out that the points may be redeemed for Rona/Lansing gift certificates and asked if there was anything I wanted. Before she could finish asking I almost immediately replied "bandsaw!" :D A few days later, and I have an early xmas persent :y I've used both the scroll saw and bandsaw but always felt more comfortable using the bandsaw (of course, this was like 8 years ago).

Anyway, the one I got was the $150 delta BS100. Just picked it up tonite, haven't even opened the box. There is a similar Ryobi model at home depot that seemed abit better, but the certificates were for Rona :shrug:

As usual, thanks for all the invaluable info, Vlad. I wish I could have gotten one of those nice sturdy models, but they're outside the pricerange. I'm not too worried about accidents, I'm usually quite careful when working with powertools. I'm actually the type of guy who will read a manual before usage. Yeah, I know, I'm a freak. Though I'd still like to get some good gloves.

Congratulations! I am sure you won't regret your decision. It is a sweet tool.

Okay, I like the bandsaw, but I'm having some alignment issues. I've done everything the manual says, and the saw still will not cut straight. As soon as I slide in a piece of wood for cutting, the blade starts to deflect and presses up against the right side blade guide. Increasing the blade tension seems to have some positive effect, but I tightened it almost twice as much as the manual recommends and it still wouldn't cut straight. I tried adjusting the blade guides and support bearing for closer tolerances (using the "business card" test), but it still deflects. Adjusting the tracking of the blade didn't seem to do much either.

After all this, I checked online for some other tweaks and came across a guide for fine tuning bandsaws. One of the things it mentions is to check for coplanarity of the wheels. So I whip out a straight edge and check. The wheels seem to be aligned to the same plane, but the bottom one is a recessed by about 1/16" more than the top one. This is also indicated by the fact that the blade tracks slightly more forward on the bottom wheel than the top. When I stand back and look at the blade, it sure seems to be aligned to cut straight... it just doesn't.

I've only used a bandsaw a handful of times and never really had to adjust any, so I'm not sure what else to do. I certainly don't remember the last bandsaw I used deflecting like this. Any suggestions are appriciated.

I have both and like Bill the scroll saw gets used once in a blue moon ,band saw and belt sander is the way to go
Kind regards Peter

The smaller band saws with the tiny blades are a bit of a pain. I will sometimes use a wider blade (meant for metal) on wood. They don't last as long, but the straight cuts are appreciated. The smaller wood blades are 1/4" wide, maybe?
The metal blade I use is over a half inch and tracks well.

direct all inquiries to lord Lerch and Ilija... they are the ones with all the answers.

Alright, I think I just happened to be feeding in the wood too fast for the saw. If I go at a snails pace, like 6-8in/min then it seems to cut good and true. I've only been using some 1/8" oak to test cut. Can't imagine how slow I'd have to go if I wanted to use anything thicker than an inch :shrug:

Just saw your post after I finished this one, Bill. Great info as always. Point #3 seemed to be the majority. I'm definitely going to see if I can get a wide blade though. It came with a 1/4" blade; the widest the manual recommends is 3/8". The tires on the wheels are a full 1/2" wide, but I don't want to push anything. I value my appendages more than straight cuts :)