Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: Shooter_G22 on October 17, 2008, 12:59:38 am
-
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...
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
oops let me fix that pic...
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
a close up...
[attachment deleted by admin]
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
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. ;D
-
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. ;D
-
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.
-
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.
-
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....
-
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
-
i'm in Dallas Tx, and i know that if i had the money i'd probably go out and by the monster "grizzly" becuase i do like to buy the best in tools... or @ least the best for the money... for example when people use vise grips on something so simple like batery post it just gets under my skin... and i'm like use the 1/2" wrnch damn it you know its gonna strip!!!!
but on the other hand, i have a set of pitsburg wrenches with a life time warrenty from harbor frieght instead of a set of snap-ons that would cost me my left *&% and id have to buy it from a truck and wait to find a truck parked some where to get them...
but i do believe in the right "tools" how ever i do like to feel i got my moneys worth and believe me at times i dont care for Name Brand vs same Quality for a lot less...
and i would give up a little if it gonna cost me three times less.... i mean if im gonna spend $450 for something i could by for $140 or maybe less if i talk them down a little bit... is the other gonna really be 3 times better... "really" i mean for the extra $300.00 i could get a lot of stuff i still need like a spine tester... dowle cutter... compression block... heat gun.. stuff to make crest jig.. and hot box.. and dip tubes, how to dvd's and still probably a whole lot more little nic nacs.. and still be under the price of that "grizzly" and hell if i'm gonna start using the band saw i dont even know what to do or how to use it.. then.. i would like "cowboy said"... it might just do the job to get me started...
and i'm still useing the "right" Tool for the job right???
just not buying the rolls royce... at least not yet...
-
Shooter, just trying to save you some grief thats all brother. You asked for our opinions and I gave you mine. I first had a regular 14" sears craftsman saw and it wasn't big and sturdy enough for what I wanted to do with it. So after literally breaking the first one in half the second time I used it.(They replaced it under warranty lucky for me) I ended up selling it to my brother who makes mostly laminated bows from bamboo and lumber and it works fine for him. I went back and got the bigger better model and I don't regret it a bit. Yes it was a bit on the pricey side but in my opinion well worth what I paid for it. It has roller bearing guides versus steel blocks, its more along the lines of a industrial base and table and it cuts so much smoother and easier its unbelievable. But then again I buy snap on tools also, because they don't break, and if I abuse them so badly they do break, the snap on guy comes to me every week to see if I need anything replaced. You can't really compare harbor freight tools to snap on, its not even in the same league. Will harbor freight tools work for your average home owner, yes. Will you end up going back to the store all the time to get stuff replaced? yes. By the way If your buying a heat gun, the ten dollar ones they sell there, I burned up about 5 of them in a year and then I went and bought a good one and its lasted me 3 years and still going strong. Just as a example. Obviously the final call is yours if you want to buy that saw for now to get you started, you could probally get your money back out of it later when you decide to upgrade. Good luck in what ever you decide. Ryano
-
I guess I have to agree with ryano on this one, I saved my money and bought a shopfox 14" bandsaw
and I don't regret it for one second, it takes up to 3/4" blades and came with roller guides, fence, and miter.
Shooter a lot of the stuff you mentioned can be made for little or no cost, why pay $100 for a spine tester when you can make one for about $10,
same with a dowel cutter hack saw works fine ya don't need a high speed shaft cutter for wood, aluminum and carbon yes but not wood. Cresting jig
can be made from a rotissere motor or sewing machine, dip tubes can be made from golf club tubes so on and so on. But with all that said any band saw
is better than know bandsaw, if its what you can afford buy it and later you can upgrade to bigger and better then ya will have two :)
-
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
Craftsman 12 in. Band Saw .....Sears item# 00922400000 Mfr. model# 22400 ....Retails for $349.99
-
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
Craftsman 12 in. Band Saw .....Sears item# 00922400000 Mfr. model# 22400 ....Retails for $349.99
thanks mike i appreciate it.i looked a half a dozen differant times on sears web site and couldnt find it. thanks again
tim
-
No Problem Tim........this Saw is a Good Saw....and one thing about it....there is no Shortage of fine Blades for an 80 inch Saw....I bought the 14 Inch Professional....and it has a 99 3/4" Blade....really hard to find high quality blades in that size....
Shooter....go to the Pawn Shop.....and tell Him that you will give Him $120 for it.....Take It or Leave It............I bet He bites.....it would be worth that used....since it is $350 new
-
it's got enough Horsepower, but the opening is too small.
-
12" throat............7" re-saw......sound alright to me....but then I ain't cranking out 3-5 bows a week either....might buy a Heavy Duty Professional Saw if I was....but this should do just Fine......if it's good enough for Pappy........it would do just fine by Me........
-
the one i'm looking is exactly like the one shooter posted,the guy said it doesnt even have 5 hrs on it,hes got like 4 differant size blades,new set of blade guides.hes asking $250,im gonna offer less even if everything checks out.
ryano: i too am a mechanic,have about 50k in snap on tools and also believe in buying the right tool for the job and buying quality to last,however i wont be making my living with a bandsaw any time soon so i think it'll work just fine,if shooter isnt planing on making his living wit it, i think it will fit his needs too.
peace,
tim
-
Tim it has nothing to do with how much he's going to use it. It wasn't made to saw big split out hunks of stave. I'm telling you my cheaper one the frame literally broke in half ! Good thing it was still under warenty.
-
1 1/2 horse 14" Grizzly. You wont regret it ;) not a bad price either.
-
Hey, whats the HP/ on the motor. I'm new to the bowmaking, but I've had lots of carpentry exp. I've always had trouble with anything under 1hp. That might just be me though.
-
Personally, I stay away from any saw with more than TWO wheels. Too many bearings to wear and line up, etc can be trouble . piper