AmericanWoodworker-ToolTest-WorkshopBandsawsOct2004.pdf

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Easy setup makes
all the difference
ou’re about to be marooned on a
desert island. You’re allowed one
power tool to take with you.
Which would it be?
My choice would be a bandsaw.
After the router, a bandsaw is the most
versatile tool in a woodshop. It can cut
straight or curved lines; it can turn logs
into lumber or make precision dovetails.
Of course, you must pick the right blade
for the job, and then set the guides just so
for each blade—without losing your
patience. We all like lots of power. It’s real-
ly handy for the big stuff.
Shopping for a saw that can do all these
jobs can drive you nuts, however. The
choices are overwhelming. For any amount
you’re willing to spend, there’s another
machine that costs only $100 more—or
$100 less.
To help you, we’ve undertaken the most
comprehensive bandsaw test we’ve ever
done. In this issue and the next, we’ll look
at 14-in. and larger saws that cost less than
$1,500. In this issue, we’ll review 19 saws
that cost less than $1,000. Their wheels
range in size from 14 to 17 in. and their
motors are between 3/4 and 2 hp. In the
next issue, we’ll tackle 13 more-expensive
bandsaws.
This test has three parts. First, we’ll
review the important features any band-
saw should have. Second, we’ll take a
close look at individual models. Last,
you’ll find a chart with side-by-side com-
parisons and recommendations for saws
in four price ranges.
Y
ART DIRECTION: DAVID FARR • PHOTOGRAPHY: PATRICK HUNTER; PROFILE PHOTOS FROM MANUFACTURERS; UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED
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undes
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$
10
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PAR
sa
T 1
Bandsaws
by
Tom Caspar
American Woodworker
OCTOBER 2004
Tool T
est
71
MIKE KRIVIT
F
EATURES
TO
C
ONSIDER
Bandsaws are used in so many ways that every woodworker has a slightly different
take on which features matter most. Whether you’re rough-sawing curved parts, cut-
ting joints or resawing door panels, here’s the short list of points to check.
T
ENSION
W
HEEL
DIAMETER
RELEASE LEVER
Wheels come in different sizes, from 14
to 18 in. diameters. Blades as wide as
5/8 in. are fine on a 14-in. wheel; wider
blades for resawing last longer and
have more traction on larger wheels.
Move this lever to relax the
tension on a blade after a
day’s work. It’s the best new
feature that makes a saw
more convenient to maintain.
P
RICE
More money gener-
ally gets you more
power, but other fea-
tures, such as the
guides, may be the
same on a less-cost-
ly model.
G
UIDES
Upper and lower guides
hold the blade straight.
Your choice among the
many types of guides
depends on which blade
size you use most.
C
APACITY
RISER
BLOCK
{
}
The clearance under the
guides determines how
tall a board you can
resaw. Capacity is fixed
on welded-steel saws
(right). You can increase it
from 6 to 12 in. on many
cast-iron saws (left) by
adding a riser block.
T
ABLE
Look for a big, sturdy
table if you saw heavy
timbers and logs.
F
RAME
Bandsaw frames are
either cast iron (left) or
welded steel (right).
Either type can be very
rigid and free of vibra-
tion, depending on the
model.
P
OWER
V
OLTAGE
A 2-hp motor, ideal
for resawing (ripping
wide boards into thin
pieces), requires 240-
volt service. (This
model is a 1-1/2-hp,
120-volt machine.
72
American Woodworker
OCTOBER 2004
For general work, 3/4- or
1-hp motors are fine.
Look for a 1-1/2- or 2-hp
motor for the best
results when resawing
boards over 6 in. tall.
K
EY
F
EATURES
G
UIDE
S
YSTEMS
The biggest pet peeve among bandsaw users is
blade guides that are a pain to adjust. We gave
this factor a lot of weight in our ratings.
Blade guides are located both above and below
the table (see photos, right). For an accurate cut,
it’s equally important to set both correctly—even
more so the smaller the blade you use.
How often do you have to adjust the guides?
For best results, you should change blades to cut
curves of different sizes and wood of different
thicknesses. That means changing the guide set-
tings, too. However, many bandsaw owners rarely
fiddle with the guides, making do with a single
size blade for almost all their work.
If you’re a fastidious woodworker who’ll switch
back and forth between blades, look for a guide
system that we rate as easy to adjust. We believe
that the more complicated the design of the
guide system, the less likely you’ll set it right. If
you don’t mind getting by with one blade, any
guide system will work.
A good guide system is a combination of two
things: the guides themselves and the adjustment
mechanism that holds them. Guides come in
three types: block, bearing and disc. Which type
is right for you depends on the range of blade
sizes you use and your level of patience (see
“Types of Bandsaw Guides,” page 75).
We prefer an adjustment mechanism that
moves the guides and thrust bearing independ-
ently. (A thrust bearing sits directly behind the
blade, preventing the blade from bending back-
ward.) On saws without an independent system,
you must remember to set the guides first, then
the thrust bearing. One setting depends on the
other. That can be frustrating.
We also prefer saws that have easily accessible
micro-adjust nuts or cams for positioning upper
and lower guides and thrust bearings. On saws
without micro-adjust nuts, you must manually
push or pull the guides and bearings into place.
H
ORSEPOWER
If you want to cut lots of thick stock, go for
power above all else. If you won’t cut big stuff
often, easy-to-adjust guides are more important.
Motors range from 3/4 to 2 hp. More horse-
power generally costs more money. Power affects
THRUST
BEARING
MICRO-
ADJUST
NUT
SIDE
GUIDE
Easily adjustable blade guides
are mighty convenient when you
switch blades for different jobs. We prefer micro-adjust nuts that
let you dial in how close the guides are to the front of the blade.
We also prefer a system that lets you independently move the
thrust bearing either before or after setting the guides.
MICRO-
ADJUST
NUT
LOWER
GUIDE
Lower blade guides
are often overlooked in all the stuff under
the table. They should be easy to adjust, too, because they’re as
important as the upper guides. We prefer lower guides that are
high up and relatively close to the table, because that minimizes
the length of unsupported blade. This is particularly important
with 1/4-in. and smaller blades.
American Woodworker
OCTOBER 2004
73
Consider,” page 72). The most stable saws have a
welded-steel column that runs to the floor.
Some saws with a separate base have an annoy-
ing front-to-back shake when you cut thick wood.
It’s most pronounced on saws with open stands.
The amount a closed-stand machine shakes
depends on how much the base’s top is rein-
forced.
Frame style in general, though, doesn’t affect
how much the upper wheel flexes under a load, or
the vibration and noise levels, which vary widely.
R
ESAW
C
APACITY
If you want a saw that’s ready for any job, look
for one with a 12-in. maximum resaw capacity.
For most work, 6- to 8-in. capacity is plenty. But
once in a while, you may wish you had more.
Woodturners prefer 12 in. of resaw capacity for
making large bowl blanks from logs.
Welded-steel saws have a fixed capacity, but 14-
in. cast-iron saws are more flexible. Their capaci-
ty can be increased when you need it. At the base
prices we list, cast-iron saws have a 6-in. capacity.
This can be increased to 12 in. by inserting a riser
block. Add the riser block’s cost ($50 to $100
extra) when you compare saws by price.
Unfortunately, riser blocks aren’t available on
some cast-iron saws.
W
HEEL
D
IAMETER
Power, capacity and price don’t necessarily
increase with the size of a saw’s wheels. Some 14-
in. saws have very powerful motors, for example.
A 16-in. saw may have less capacity than a 14-in.
saw with a riser block, and cost less, too.
So what do you get with bigger wheels? Clearly,
you get a bit more throat capacity left of the
blade, but that’s not a big deal. The most impor-
tant advantage of a wheel over 14 in. is being able
to easily run big, wide blades for ripping and
resawing. You get more traction and transmission
of power with a large-diameter wheel, because
the blade contacts more surface area than on a
small-diameter wheel.
Thick blades last longer on large wheels. Most
blades up to 1/2 in. wide are 0.025 in. thick. Most
3/4-in. and wider blades are 0.032 in. thick or
more. Carbide-tipped blades are often extra-
thick, too. Thick blades are prone to prematurely
breaking from metal fatigue on 14-in.-dia. saws
because they’re constantly bent around a wheel
More power
yields the best results when resawing. You
get a smoother cut because you can maintain a constant
feed rate. All bandsaws have plenty of power for work
less than 2 in. thick, but you really notice a difference
sawing boards 6-in. thick or more. For resawing, look for
a saw with 1-1/2 to 2 hp.
both a cut’s speed and quality. The higher the
horsepower, the faster you can feed thick stock with-
out slowing down the motor (see photo above). If
the motor bogs down or stalls, the blade wanders
and makes an irregular rough cut.
For sawing hardwoods less than 2 in. thick, 3/4 hp
is plenty. You can resaw wood of any thickness with
a 3/4-hp motor, but you must carefully monitor the
feed rate to keep the motor turning at top speed. A
1-hp motor is much better for wood up to 6 in.
thick. Look for 1-1/2 to 2 hp to cut wood from 6 to
12 in. thick.
V
OLTAGE
Most saws with 3/4- to 1-1/2-hp motors can be
plugged into a standard 120-volt outlet. Every saw
with a 2-hp motor requires a 240-volt outlet.
F
RAME AND
B
ASE
S
TYLE
The rigidity of a saw’s frame and base really
counts when you’re cutting big, heavy stuff. You
want the table to stay put, not wiggle. Bandsaws have
cast-iron or welded-steel frames (see “Features to
74
American Woodworker
OCTOBER 2004
MIKE KRIVIT
T
YPES
OF
B
ANDSAW
G
UIDES
small blades. They also make small
but harmless sparks.
Most blocks are interchangeable.
We recommend replacing steel and
polymer blocks with phenolic ones.
They cost about $12 for a set of four,
and are available from Iturra Design,
(888) 722-7078. Ceramic blocks are also
available from Iturra at $16 a set of four.
B
ALL
B
EARINGS
The primary virtue of ball bearing
guides is that they’re low mainte-
nance. Their faces spin and can’t wear
down. Setting these guides is very
easy on wide blades, but on narrow
blades you must be careful to avoid
contacting a blade’s teeth.
Ball bearings come in three sizes.
The most important difference is how
much support they offer a blade.
Stacked and large bearings do a better
job than small bearings on wide
blades.
W
hat keeps a bandsaw blade
from twisting or wandering
side to side? It’s the guides. They may
be small, but they’re a critical part of
any bandsaw.
You’ve got a choice of three differ-
ent types of guides: block, ball bearing
and disc. Ideally, guides should be
easy to set up, support the full width
of a large blade and require little or no
maintenance.
B
LOCKS
Blocks are the most versatile guide.
They’re our pick for a saw that’s often
asked to run both narrow and wide
blades. There are four types:
Steel.
Steel blocks can dull a
blade’s teeth if they touch, so setup is
tricky with 1/4-in. and smaller blades.
The faces of steel blocks are long-last-
ing, but you must occasionally redress
them to stay flat. They can be tedious
to file or grind.
Polymer.
These blocks won’t dull a
blade, but they wear quickly. They’re
easy to redress.
Phenolic.
Sold under the trade
name “Cool Blocks” (and shown
below), these are our favorite because
they’re so forgiving to set up. They
won’t harm a blade’s teeth. On small
blades, you can set them right up to or
on top of the teeth. They wear slowly
and are easy to dress flat.
Ceramic.
White ceramic blocks
are low maintenance because they
don’t wear down. They’ll dull a
blade’s teeth if they touch them,
though, so they’re hard to set up with
D
ISCS
Discs’ best feature is the huge
amount of support they offer a blade.
Their faces are hardened, so they
shouldn’t require redressing. They
must be set away from a blade’s teeth.
Discs have two disadvantages.
They’re hard to position on 1/4-in. and
smaller blades. They can also wear
inside their shafts, causing them to
wobble or freeze. Discs must be
replaced as a whole unit.
B
LOCK
D
ISC
B
EARING
1/2"
1-1/8" DIA.
1/4"
Block guides
support a blade up to
1/2 in. deep. This width is important
for steadying wide blades.
Disc guides
can use their full diameter
to support the blade.
Small ball-bearing guides
support 1/4-in.
worth of blade. Stacked bearings (see
photo, top of page) double that support.
American Woodworker
OCTOBER 2004
75

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