Band Saws

Okay, so Im ready to throw my craftsman band saw in the river, it's the three wheel type--bad design. So i am getting a 14 ' that I can put height spacer on (goes from 6' cutting height to 12'). The two types I am looking at is Jet, and Rigid. Has anyone got experience with these brands, whereas I should stay away from one of them? thanks

Jet is a good one. Wish I had one but I have the taiwan knockoff. can't comment on the rigid.

DaveE

Lorax, you are correct. The 3 wheel type band saws are not the best. I have been very happy with my large Delta. Occasionally woodworking magazines will run a comparative review of popular brands.

Keep this is in mind. The diameter of the black shoot coming out of the lower wheel compartment is probably not the same diameter of the hose coming from the dust collection device. I really do not know what the designers had in mind.

These things are heavy and make sure you can get a stand that will allow a portable base to fit underneath. These have rollers that can be locked in place. It will save you alot of unnecessary lifting.

Band saws have been called a carvers best friend; they can also be called their worst enemy.

[Bandaid]

Â* Â* Lorax - Just saw a blurb on another site re: bandsaws. Apparently there is an article comparing saws in the Aug. issue of Fine Woodworking. Their evaluation picks Delta, Jet and Ridgid in that order. The write up in the magazine may be of some help to you in making your choice. Â*

[lorax]

The Aug Fine woodworking compares radial arm saws, not band saws. aaanyone else

[Bandaid]

Â* Â* Duh!!! Â*:-/ Â*Sorry Lorax, went back to read the thread again but it was gone. Anyhow, good luck with your quest.

Won't go so far as to say one is better than the other but have had the delta for a number of years. Used it mostly to rought out bows from osage orange and hickory. Make my whittling cut outs with it also, after changing to a 1/8 inch blade of course, but that's pretty light work compared to the bows. Only thing I could really ask for woulld be a larger motor. Gets kind of warm when roughing out the bows, but doubt a carver would have a problem. Bow staves are usually roughly 6' long and 4' or so on a side and hard as a rock (almost).

[Captain_Bandaid]

I'm not sure why you want to get rid of the Sears 3-wheeler. I have one and it seems to work quite well. However, it is a pain in the bucket to adjust and you MUST adjust the blade guides properly to get a straight cut. The users manual seems to be written in a combination of English and Rubbish so understanding how to adjust the saw can be challenging. Once I got it set up, it seems to work well....except for the part where the cut goes to the right...darned blade kerf!

Properly setting up the saw being a bear isn't unique to the Sear's saw xxx every band saw I have ever seen is ticklish, especially when it comes to the narrower blades. Half inchers and up aren't much problem, but the 1/8 inchers are nasty.

[Gray_Fox]

I'm new to woodcarving. Â*Started about 2 years ago with the basic stuff. Â*About a year ago I bought a small Delta bench top band saw for roughing out carving blocks. Â*Saves a lot of time. Â*It works well for me as long as I take it slow and easy to keep the cuts straight. Â*The set up wasn't hard to do and seems to stay where I put it.