need a band saw for bow making and saw this one need some advise???

[Shooter_G22]

ok. master bow makers,


    i need some advise.... i have been wanting to pick up a bandsaw.. and have looked at a few from lowes, home depot and a place we have here called harber frieght tools... that i like to buy stuff from cuase they are soooo cheap and have excallent warrenties and extended warranty plans..   

but i ran in to this one @ a pawn shop and i had read on here somewhere about some of you guys useing the craftsman or im sorry actually the sear's bandsaw... 

soo i took out my trusty little blackjack camera phone and snaped a shot at it.. to see if you guys think it would be worth picking up... i would probably put it on law-a-way since i dont have an extra $150.00 thi week to falte out buy it... but it is priced @ 139.99  but if i had cash they would let it go for less but if i put it on lay-a-way then its full price...   the only reason i didnt go ahead and put down on it was cuase the band it had was sooo thin it must have been like a 1/8" band it wa really small and thin...  but other than that  i thought it looked pretty good.. let me post the pic...

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[Shooter_G22]

oops let me fix that pic...

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[Shooter_G22]

a close up...

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[islandpiper]

My first band saw was a craftsman.   I think the biggest concern was that guide blocks and things were difficult to find, as most everything in current use is sized to fit the standard 14" Delta and the knock-offs.  I had the 12" Craftsman, so it had just two wheels, not the 3-4 you have.   I have always wondered if these are harder to track or wander under a load. 

I have the big Delta now as well as the look-alike Jet, love them both, but you don't just pick them up and move them around as they go 225# each.  Something to be said for cast iron, not die-cast aluminum.   

But........that is a low enough price as long as:  1.  all bearings seem tight 2. the guide blocks and blade guide assemblies are there and in good condition 3. the rubber tires on the wheels are in very good condition.  Trust me, you don't want to replace parts when you get it home, especially the tires. 

Hope this helps. 

piper

[Dane]

Shooter, a hatchet is a lot cheaper than a bandsaw, and no moving parts.

I too want a bandsaw, but that will have to wait, and there is much to be said for hand tools. Slower, yeah, but safer for you and your staves.

Dane

[Pappy]

I have one just like that one and it is fine.I have several so it don't get used a lot but when I do it has done the job.I have it set up with a fine blade now and use it just for doing splices.
   Pappy

[cowboy]

Bet that one will get ya started shooter. I started out with a small nine inch I think from Hdepot then found a 14 incher at a garage sale for $150.00, it's some off brand from China but works fine.

[Hillbilly]

I have a similar one that does most of what I need it to do as long as I take my time. That's not a bad price, you might be able to talk them down a little more on it, too. As for the blade, that's not a concern-you can change that in five minutes and put whatever size you want on it.

[kayakfisher]

I agree with the northcarolina mountain man [Hillbilly] its a good price and those blades come in different sizes so that not a problem and 12inch saw is not that bad
                                                                                Dennis

[JackCrafty]

Looks OK.  Just don't be like me...I'd be tempted to cut 1000 board feet of osage and ipe bow blanks in the first two weeks. I've got a bandsaw but it's still in the box until I've got the proper shop for it.

[Ryano]

Well, I'm going to go ahead and disagree with y'all. Thats to small to do any serious stave cutting on. If all your doing is cutting dimensional lumber with it then it will work fine but as for roughing out staves. I'd look for something bigger. I have a craftsman 14" "professional" saw and it works pretty good for what I do with it. Its quite a bit bigger and better than the regular craftsman 14" saw. Which I had one of as well. 

[salad days]

I have a Rigid 14" from Home Depot and it is terrible. Has an out of round upper wheel, the guide blocks won't stay adjusted right for more that a couple cuts, the motor belt has no tensioning system other than a pry bar. Also doens't come with a rip fence or work light. Thankfully I got in on a big sale and didn't pay $389 retail for it. Whatever you decide to get, go on google and search how to tune your saw properlly. This will take some time to set it up right but will make ALL the difference in the world. Practice on junk wood before you through your favorite stave in there.

[Hillbilly]

Ryan, I'd agree if we were talking industrial use or making fifteen bows a week. But we're talking can he use it and will it be helpful, and we're also talking he don't have the dough to go out and drop several hundred bucks on a three-horsepower Grizzly. If I was rich and buying a saw strictly for bowmaking, of course a bigger one would be better. But I know that I have roughed out bookoos of staves (hickory, locust, osage, hhb, and other hard, heavy wood) on my 12" Craftsman that I paid fifty bucks for. It doesn't work as good as a bigger one would, but it has saved me countless hours of chopping and drawknifing over the last few years, and if I had to drop the money for a big industrail saw, I would still be using a hatchet. It may take two or three passes instead of one to take the mass off a split log, but it's still a lot quicker and easier than chopping it.

[Ryano]

Ya, Steve your probally right but I'm the kind of guy that likes the right tool for the job not just getting by with whatever. Maybe its just because I'm a mechanic, but to me its like using vise grips instead of a socket and ratchet. Ya, it will get the job done but it aint gona last long and your gona fight with it the whole time. That saw wasn't made to do that kind of work. I'm all about buying good tools. They always are worth the extra money in the long run.  JMO....

[sailordad]

shooter where you at?

thats cheaper than the one ive been looking at that is exactly like that one.
does anybody know what this model goes for new,i cant seem to find it on sears website.
the one im looking at the guy wants $250.00 for it,seems a little high now that i see this one.



                                                                             tim