Bandsaw advice needed

[steve-norrell]

I need to get a small band saw that will be used for cutting patterns in plywood or boards no thicker than 1.5 inches. I do not anticipate using it for resawing or any other cutting larger than noted above.

I have been looking at the Ryobi BS903 nine inch saw. Comments and alternate suggestions are welcome.

Regards, Steve

[rberrybabylon]

Small Band Saw

Can't comment on the Ryobi, but I bought Craftsman's 10 inch band saw about a year ago and have been very happy with it. I feel it's very well made for a saw of this size. And, it's often on sale for about $99. I'm at my office so I can't tell you the model #, but am sure you can find it easily on Sears' site.

[Uncle Cracker]

Can only advise that you stick to a 2-wheel benchtop (like the Ryobi) rather than a 3-wheel saw, as you will have far fewer blade alignment issues.

[LCHIEN]

i'd go with the Craftsman 10" saw - metal frame/construction instead of the plasticky covered cheap deltas and ryobis. Seems to go for around $100 on sale as rberry said.

[dbhost]

Ditto to what they said. However, make sure you really want a small band saw, it is easier to use a bigger band saw for smaller stuff, than to use a small saw for big stuff.

[JackAZ]

Band saw

FWTW I tend to agree that a slightly larger BS is better if you have room. I use the Sears 12" that probably is made by Rikon and doesn't take up a lot of room. With the right blade it's great for resawing up to 6" or so. and does most anything else you could ask of it.

[steve-norrell]

Thanks for the input. Here are links to the Sears table-top bandsaws.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...Name=Band+Saws

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...Name=Band+Saws

In the Anchorage store, the 10 inch (#21400) is selling for about $189 now but has been as low as $149; the 9 inch (#21419) sells for about $129, but has been as low as $99.

The Ryobi 9 incher sells for about $109 at the local Borg. It got my attention because it has a table extension that slides out of the front of the table.

I know I can find lower prices on the internet, but shipping costs would more than offset those savings.

Keep the comments coming, regards, Steve

[steve-norrell]

One more comment:

Available space is a real issue and a floor model is out of the question. I intend to put the table-top model on a mobile cabinet, but it will still have severely cramped living and working space.

Regards, Steve

[ksum]

How large will the plywood pieces be in the other dimensions? For you, the thickness obviously isn't a problem, but the throat clearance could be. If you are cutting patterns in plywood, make sure you are going to have enough room between the blade and the housing protecting the blade returning back up.

Also, make sure you will only be cutting the outside shape, or, if you are cutting an inside shape, you are OK with a cut going in to get the blade in there. I am just wondering if a scroll saw wouldn't be better. Of course, the thickness of the piece you are cutting could come into play with that decision, as well as the height and width clearance for the arm.

[Uncle Hook]

I would be inclined to go with the 10 inch craftsman saw. It has been highly regarded in numerous reviews. I believe sears is running a 10 % off sale this coming weekend. I just got a coupon in the mail.

[LarryG]

For the sake of covering all bases, I will ask: have you considered -- assuming you don't already have -- a high quality jig saw? It sounds to me like that might be a good solution for what you are wanting to do, and it would remove the throat depth limitation that you will have with a small band saw.

The kicker could be how much of that 1.5" stock you'll be cutting, and whether it'll be a dense species of wood. Blade deflection could become problematic in either case. OTOH, if you're going to have to sand the templates to fair the curves after you cut them, it might not be that big a deal.

[JimD]

To add to what Larry said, I have a little clamp on aluminum table for my Bosch jig saw. If they still over it, it makes a passable tool to use when the wood is small. It takes less than 5 minutes to set up and takes very little space in storage.

Jim

[dbhost]

Since space is an issue for you, that Craftsman 21400 10" bench top band saw gets a lot of good reviews. Not sure who makes it for them, but it appears to be a really solid unit. Take a look at it...

[dbhost]

For the sake of covering all bases, I will ask: have you considered -- assuming you don't already have -- a high quality jig saw? It sounds to me like that might be a good solution for what you are wanting to do, and it would remove the throat depth limitation that you will have with a small band saw.

The kicker could be how much of that 1.5" stock you'll be cutting, and whether it'll be a dense species of wood. Blade deflection could become problematic in either case. OTOH, if you're going to have to sand the templates to fair the curves after you cut them, it might not be that big a deal.

I tried getting by with a jigsaw for the longest time. Anything over 1" thick, even in pine, and I was spitting blades out of the jigsaw...

[Red88chevy]

I'd go with the 10" Craftsman over the 9 inch. It hasn't had the great sales as before, but even at $149 it is a wonderful saw. I bought the 10" about a year ago and now rarely use my 14" Ridgid. When I read the reviews some time ago, the
10" Craftsman got very good reviews, but the 9" didn't. From outward appearances, the two saws look almost the same, but it sounds like that is not the case.