Craftsman 12-inch bandsaw

[jmischel]

I need a little advice. Help in getting a saw set up and working.

I mentioned to a friend of mine that I'd been looking for an inexpensive used bandsaw and he said, "I have one!" Sure enough, he has a Craftsman 12" bandsaw sitting in his garage, collecting dust. He doesn't want to sell it, but he's more than willing to let me "store" it for him in my garage.

I don't know much about it yet. I saw it in the garage, but there was stuff piled around it and we couldn't really get to it. Besides, we'd had a few beers and I have a pretty strict rule about not mixing alcohol and power tools.

The tool is at least 20 years old. Perhaps older than that. He picked it up a few years ago and told me, "It worked then." As far as I was able to determine, he hasn't used it very much. He couldn't tell me a whole lot about it.

I'll almost certainly want to buy a new blade, and I'll need to go through the whole adjusting process before I use it. I doubt very seriously whether he has a manual for the thing. I suspect, though, that I can get one.

So ... what all should I check? Where do you recommend I buy blades for the thing? I'll be sawing basswood (mostly), but also rough shaping some found wood (mostly oak, pear, and mesquite). Somehow, I got the idea that I'll want different blades for the different woods?

Any help, advice, or other comments appreciated.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

I've been using one since 1974 and it has never given me a problem. The only thing I've ever had to replace is the rubber tires on each wheel which are still available from Sears. I'd check those for sure. Mine runs on a 1725rpm appliance motor I cobbed from an old washer. For sawing I'd suggest a 3/16" 4 tooth per inch skip tooth blade which will do just about anything you want in a blade. Mine cuts thru 4 and 6 inch block of bsswood with no problem and easily goes through 2-3 inch oak. Steer away from a 1/8" blade as they won't track correctly. 1/4" blades limit your turning radius somewhat.

[RUssL.]

I have acquired blades from both of these places and there were both great to work with:

Suffolk Machinery Corp. - Timber Wolf Band Saw Blades

Band Saw Blades LENOX Bandsaw Blades - Band Saw Blades for the Professional and Home Hobbyist, Carbon Steel, Bi-Metal and Carbide Tipped


I did A Lot of research on band saws before I lucked into a great one on craiglist. Here's some tips on the subject of band saw tuning:

Bandsaw-Tuning
Bandsaw Tune-Up

There are a couple of good, and worth the price, books on band saws. You might consider getting one.

Good luck,

Russ

[Thomp]

im sure sears can get you an owners manual for it if you take then the numbers...

clean it up, check for locked or wore out berings, oil or replace as necessary...
insure the blade runs true touching the tires with tension, only then bring in the guides adjust them so they support the blade from back and both sides, without hitting the teeth,

get the table square to the blade 90%

[RUssL.]

As for different blades; not necessarily.

A wider blade (Probably 1/2" wide is the max with a 12" saw. At least that what it is with my Craftsman 12") will help track better with long straight cuts & thicker wood.
Having said that, I'm sure that Lyn knows whereof he speaks about the 3/16" blade.

I have:
THE BAND SAW BOOK BY LONNIE BIRD
&
Popular Mechanics Workshop Band Saw Fundamentals by Rick Peters

They are both good books, but I got more out of the Peters book.
I was a complete newb and got a lot from both books, in both reading cover-to-cover and going back as references.

I built a couple of jigs from the Peters book. His fence and thin-stock adapter I built with his plans have already been handy.

RussL.

[TreeWizard]

I have an old Sears 12" bandsaw and I have the manual for it as well. a picture of the saw and if it is the same as mine, I'll PM you and get your address to send you a copy of the document.

Mine is model 113.24200.

[carver33]

Jim,

I also own a Craftsman 12" band saw that I purchased 20 odd years ago and have had absolutely no problems with it. I haven't had to replace the tires on mine, but I expect Lynn may have somewhat more mileage on his.

I use a 1/4" 4 tooth skip tooth blade, but after reading Lynn's comment, I'll probably go for the 3/16" blade. As he noted these blades will walk through 4" cherry and Oak with no problem. I used (and broke) a couple of 1/8" blades, so I tend to avoid them.

There are several Craftsman bandsaw manuals in PDF format available from "Manage My Home" at this location:

TinyURL.com - shorten that long URL into a tiny URL this helps,
Bill (Aiken, SC)

[jmischel]

Thanks, everybody, for the input. It looks like I have a real opportunity here to get a useful piece of equipment at a very reasonable price. It'll be a few days before I can get the thing over here to my garage, and probably a week or more before I can go through and see what all needs to be done. I'll keep y'all posted.

[abrakadabra]

Originally Posted by jmischel

So ... what all should I check? Where do you recommend I buy blades for the thing? I'll be sawing basswood (mostly), but also rough shaping some found wood (mostly oak, pear, and mesquite). Somehow, I got the idea that I'll want different blades for the different woods?

Check
* If anything is missing. Even a missing rip fence or a miter gauge can give you troubles. Certainly, you can buy a new one; but it's a "rented" tool.
You can buy some parts from here: Parts & Accessories | Shop & Find Lawn & Garden, Appliance Parts at Sears PartsDirect | SearsPartsDirect.com But most of them for the older products have been discontinued.
* The second problem is rust. The table (if it's not aluminum, which marks wood) will be rusted for sure. You'll have to sand and flatten it.
* If you can easily adjust the top and bottom guides.
* Electrical problems.
* The fence is perpendicular to the table.
* If you raise and lower the upper guide assemble, it should stay parallel to the blade.
* The rubber tires that are on the wheels are probably cracked, and they have to be replaced or you won't be able to tension the blade.

Does the band saw look like this? Its current price is less than $100.



The blade width depends on your tasks.
Crosscut: 1/2"-3/4"
Curves (gradual): 1/4"-3/8"
Curves (sharp): 1/8"-1/4"
Ripping: 1/2"-3/4"
Resawing: 3/4" and up

The higher a piece of wood, the wider the blade should be. I would say you'll need a 3/8"-1/2" blade to cut the log in the photo above.

You don't need a manual. Buy this book instead:
Amazon.com: Popular Mechanics Workshop Band Saw Fundamentals: Rick Peters: Books

[jmischel]

abrakadabra: the saw looks just like that. Thanks for the info. Hopefully I can get the saw later this week and start going through it.

You're the 2nd or 3rd person to recommend the Peters book. Guess I should go visit Amazon.