Dead saw

[jeepman71]

My old Craftsman 12 in band saw died this weekend so I done hours and hours of home work to find a decent replacement. Checked out the HF 14 in and the Rigid. Both looked interesting. Fell into the Steel City page and really liked the deluxe they have ( a little steeper than I want to spend). Checked a few used saws (never know how bad they have been treated). Went and looked at the Craftsman 14 in professional. Pretty impressed with the saw for the money ($559.99 + tax), it has cast iron wheel, roller guides and is a two speed, steel frame, nice large table with two T slots and a fence (not of Kraig quality but maybe usabel). Talked to the sales associate about ordering one so he tells me he will make a deal I can't refuse $482.?? after shipping and tax so I bought it. The one thing I am a little unhappy with is the 8 in re-saw. I have been fine with the one I have and it is only a 5.5 in re-saw. Is this going to be one of those "I wish I would of"? Bottom line, I am pretty stoked to get it in my garage and set up so I can play.

[dbhost]

I have 12" resaw on my HF 14" due to the riser block. I don't often resaw anything thicker than 6" or so. I have however resawn 11" material before, it's just a RARE event when I do that...

[Bruce Cohen]

I wouldn't get too upset about it. I have a Rikon 14" Deluxe, resaws up to 13". I never buy stock wider than 8", usually too much cupping.

What I do regret is not getting a jointer wider than 6.5".

Bruce

BTW, get a good blade for resawing, either a Timberwolf or a Woodslicer. Either one really makes a difference.

[charliex]

I have the Cman 14". and am quite happy with it. 8" resaw is pretty much all I need. I resaw 8" red oak with a 1/2" or 3/4" TW 3 Tpi blade with no problems. If I need wider panels I joint and do a glue-up. If you want more resaw height the Rikon 14" would be my choice but it's almost $900.

Chas

[jeepman71]

I think I will be happy with the saw. Gotta wait 8 more days. They had good reviews.

[Larryl]

I've had that saw for 3+ years now and the only complaint would be the cheap bearings that come with the guides. However, they are easy to replace with better ones. I don't do any bowl turning so don't generally need to resaw anything more than 6 inches and the fence that comes with the saw leaves a lot to be desired, but it is very usable after it is set-up. I think this is one of those Craftsman tools that is really a good tool and well priced. Hope you enjoy yours.

[cwsmith]

I think you've made a great choice, as the Craftsman pro has received a lot of very good comments over the years. It is very much like the Rikon 14", but with extended resaw capacity. (Rikon does have a "deluxe" 14", as was previously mentioned.)

Ridgid 14" is a more traditional design, and will take a riser block, but the welded steel frame (sometimes referred to as "European Design) of the Craftsman is much stiffer, though unable to take a riser. The Ridgid gets a lot of negative comments and, as I understand it, takes a lot of tweaking before it runs correctly.

That model Craftsman is on my "wish list", but I think it's going to be quite a while before that is acquired.

Nice choice, and I think you're going to love it,

CWS

[toolguy1000]

+1 on all the positive comments above. the c-man pro lools a lot like the rikons and whenever i've seen it in a local sears, it looks very impressive. at the very least, you successfully avoided wasting any money on a overrated jet or powermatic. you got a good deal on a good tool. best of luck with the new saw.

[jeepman71]

I received my saw Saturday and put it together yesterday. A bit of a job but nothing difficult. I like to take my time and tinker on this type of stuff (too many years buiding Jeeps), I also put a Wood River mobil base on. I was impressed with how well it cut even with the stock blade. I cut some curves and some straight lines. Set the drift and gave re-saw a shot, was pretty happy with the results.I need to get some good blades and thought I would get 1 3/16 10TPI RK for clean scroll type cuts, 1 1/4 4TPI PC for every day use, 1 1/2 x 3TPI PC for re-saw and 1 1/2 X 3 TPI AS for re-saw green wood. At Suffolk if I buy three I get the fourth free.

[Uncle Hook]

I also have the 14" craftsman professional and love it. Make sure you get a dust collector as the saw generates a lot of it. Craftsman sells a 3 blade pack for the saw that is pretty good, especially if you can get it on sale. Enjoy it.