Baffled by bandsaw bragging (long)

[Slik Geek]

I'm a relative newbie when it comes to bandsaws. I've only had my 14" Delta for less than a year. I've found it quite useful.

I'm puzzled, however, by occasional comments in woodworking magazines (that actually sound more like bragging) where guys state that they ALWAYS use the bandsaw for ripping boards, and haven't used a tablesaw for that purpose in a decade or more.

Now, I like the bandsaw, but for ripping boards, I'm hard pressed to find a significant advantage that the bandsaw has over a tablesaw. I'll grant the bandsaw a win in the kerf category (less wood wasted). (In my pre-bandsaw days, I simply installed a 7-1/4" circular saw blade in the BT3000 - the 1/16" kerf came mightly close to achieving bandsaw kerf width).

However, in other important categories that I can think of, the table saw generally wins:
Speed: tablesaw is much faster
Edge quality: tablesaw leaves a much smoother edge, especially now that I have a WWII TK
Noise: bandsaw is quieter
Blade life: table saw wins. I wore out my first bandsaw blade in months. It took much more usage before my first table saw blade cried out for sharpening. Granted, this isn't an entirely fair comparision, given that the bandsaw blade teeth are steel, and the tablesaw blade teeth are carbide.
Width consistency: who ever heard of blade drift on a tablesaw? Granted, for ripping on a bandsaw, this isn't generally a problem like it can be for re-sawing (which I have done successfully on a table saw, BTW).
Safety: I guess the bandsaw wins this, but with the Shark guard on my BT3000, this is debatable.
Blade replacement: I'd rather wear out my tablesaw blade than the bandsaw blade, as changing blades is certainly a bit tedious on the bandsaw.

I should add that my bandsaw use thus far has been limited to 1/4" and 1/8" blade widths. I haven't used a 1/2" 3 or 4 TPI blade yet. And yes, I have used something other than the blade that was included with the saw. I recently installed a Timber Wolf 1/4" blade. (And have a 1/2" Timber Wolf blade waiting for its first use).

So finally, here is my questions to the bandsaw veterans out there:

Am I missing something? Do the bandsaw experts do something that I don't that makes the bandsaw the best choice for ripping boards? Should I be able to achieve glass smooth cuts on the bandsaw, or is a finely serrated edge the norm?

[Ken Massingale]

I have no argument with any of your points. Like you I have read those comments and am puzzled by them. I have tho, met one WW'er who doesn't own a TS yet builds nice stuff and uses his BS for ripping. Before he retired at work I asked him why no TS and he said he didn't need one. A couple of years later another guy at work who knows him better than I do confided that the fellow is scared of a TS, so he uses a BS then a jointer. I'm not knocking him for his fear of TS's at all, but that's at least one man's reason for ripping with his BS. Me, I consider the BS the most dangerous tool in the shop, except for the operator.

[Hellrazor]

Ken, I have no clue how he can be afraid of a TS and not of a BS. You have to be 10x more carefull around a BS since it doesn't have a guard.

[cgallery]

Ken, I have no clue how he can be afraid of a TS and not of a BS. You have to be 10x more carefull around a BS since it doesn't have a guard.

Maybe he was afraid of kickback?

[gary]

I can get a thinner than a 1/16" kerf with the right bandsaw blade. Sometimes that is important to me like in this application on the desk front where I wanted a very thin kerf to not interrupt the flow of the grain..



The other time I like ripping on my bandsaw is when I'm using rough lunmber. I like to rip boards down to fit my 6" jointer using my bandsaw.

[Bob Bassett]

Ken, I have no clue how he can be afraid of a TS and not of a BS. You have to be 10x more carefull around a BS since it doesn't have a guard.

That's nonsense. If the upper blade guard is positioned properly - just above the thickness of the wood - you couldn't have a safer blade guide.

[Ken Massingale]

I think a BS is more dangerous because it doesn't seem to be all that dangerous, giving a false sense of security.

[sacherjj]

I guess the times I move to the band saw to rip is generally with smallish pieces and when my BT3100 is completely covered in tools. I don't have enough storage cabinets built yet...

[jackellis]

I think the BS is better *and* perhaps a little safer for certain kinds of ripping operations than a TS, such as when you're dealwing with an irregulatly-shaped board that you want to straighten. I'm not saying you can't safely rip irregular lots on a TS, but I feel more comfortable with a BS.

It's often the case there are several ways to do things and it's equally often the case that which tool you use when there's a choice boils down to personal comfort.

I've used by BS mostly for resawing thus far but I really do like having one.

[MikeMcCoy]

The band saw shines when you get a new load of wood in. I like to take the worst of the cupped/twisted/warped wood and mill it first and the band saw is the perfect tool for speed and safety.

[Ken Massingale]

The band saw shines when you get a new load of wood in. I like to take the worst of the cupped/twisted/warped wood and mill it first and the band saw is the perfect tool for speed and safety.

That's interesting, Mike. Have you ever cut some of the cup off by laying the concave side against a tall fence and slicing off the convex side? I haven't, but at first thought it seems like it may work. Ummm, I'm having second thoughts already....

[thestinker]

Perhaps I am underusing my bandsaw. I never have tried to resaw anything, and the only thing I ever cut out on the band saw are curved type pieces. Perhaps mine isn't set up right....my balde drift is something to see.

RS

[MikeMcCoy]

That's interesting, Mike. Have you ever cut some of the cup off by laying the concave side against a tall fence and slicing off the convex side? I haven't, but at first thought it seems like it may work. Ummm, I'm having second thoughts already....

I do quite often Ken and it isn't as scary as it seems at first blush. In most cases I just free hand with the cup down to salvage as much stock as I can.

[John Hunter]

I do a lot of re sawing on the band saw plus it is better for small pieces which are easier to handle on the band saw than on the table saw.

[BrazosJake]

Ken, I have no clue how he can be afraid of a TS and not of a BS. You have to be 10x more carefull around a BS since it doesn't have a guard.

You're right, you don't have a clue. Ever heard of a kickback on a bandsaw? Even on a TS with a blade guard, you have a wide open table just below waist-height with a spinning blade in the center. A slip or bump while feeding stock can send your fingers, or more, right into it. That would be hard to do on a bandsaw since the worktable is above the average person's center of gravity and is restricted by the throat opening (and a blade guard, to boot). Either machine will easily remove digits if used incautiously, but the BS is definitely the safer of the two to operate.

It is quite possible to make decent rips on the BS, but usually not with your basic consumer-grade 14".

I'm not sure how even a 14" BS with a reasonable motor could not keep up with a TS in feed rate, unless you're using the wrong blade, or comparing a 1/2 hp BS to a 5HP cabinet saw. I rip on my Ridgid BS (still getting my "new" TS restored), usually with a 4tpi skip and can feed 4/4 hardwoods as fast as I'm comfortable doing.