do i need a bandsaw?

[liverlipsyyz]

i'm just starting out and wondering if i need a bandsaw? i have carving knives and that's about all the tools i have. i want to carve characatures. lots of the books i see look like you need to use a bandsaw on your block of wood before you begin carving.

[chuckbolton]

a band saw will speed up your work considerably. i was given a small bench top model and it worked for a short time-- until i got to wood over about 1 inch thick-- i later went a bought a used 12 inch saw and its great-- i spent only 75 at a garage sale for it and its done me well for several yrs. find someone to help you cut out your first few as there are some tricks to doing this. and im sure someone will post and tell you how in a manner better than i can.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Just to add to what Chuck said, while I was waiting for a part for my band saw I used a jig saw with a long blade, it will work just a lot harder to cut. Even a coping saw will work, just need lots of patience. Another option is buying cut outs or roughouts, a lot easier. Smile

Dave

[liverlipsyyz]

great. will a cut out like this be good for a beginner?

Marv Kaisersatt Wood Carving Cut-outs

[Jim-Iowa]

Depends a lot of the size work your doing. As mentioned a coping saw will work. Most Scrollsaws will work up to about 2". One could even use an old fashioned Bow Saw(Craftsmen used them for a good many years before electricity) you could even make one yourself, to use portions of bandsaw blade. I think the Drillpress and Bandsaw are the two hardest working tools in my shop, so sure would not discourage you from getting one. But there are ways to get along without one.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I use my scrollsaw, drillpress and bandsaw more than anything in the shop.....use them all but not as much as these.....look at a Grizzly G055 14in bandsaw....good prices on a new one

[mdallensr]

If you get a decent band saw, you will use it a lot and it will open up carving styles and sizes you wouldn't have tried otherwise. I also use my scroll saw a lot, but it won't cut bigger stock, such as caricatures, santas, song birds and decoys. Mike

[Claude]

Like many things, the answer is: it depends...

If you can carve small caricatures, say, no more than 6 inches tall, many can be made from 2 inch by 2 inch stock. Easy to cut with a coping saw if you want to cut out a roughout, but time consuming. I've found on stock that is 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch or smaller, I can carve off the excess wood just as fast with my knife as I can with a bandsaw (I have to set up the bandsaw on my workbench to use it - so that adds time)

Look back through Gene Messer's posts, including all his stuff in the Tutorials section. Much of his carvings are 3 to 4 inches tall - and a bandsaw might save you 5 minutes on the roughout, if you had it set up all the time.

If you want to carve larger caricatures, such as the 12-14 inch ones that Lynn Doughty does, then a bandsaw is really the way to go.

Claude

[Mitchell]

I would recommend a bandsaw, but only if you are serious and/or have a little bit of disposable income. There are ways (mentioned above) to carve without the bandsaw.

Also - REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST

Here's some previous discussions:

bandsaw?

[Clifford_Parker]

A bandsaw is very useful if you have the room to set it up but you can also use handsaws to do the job if money or space is limited.