band saw accessories

[mnmphd]

I will be getting a Rikon 14" deluxe bands aw this weekend and the Wood Working show will be in town in a couple of weeks. Anyone have some suggestions of accessories to keep an eye out for? I know I will want to do some resawing so blades will be on my list. What about blade guards? Anyone have any experience with this particular unit?

Happy Holidays and Thanks in advance
Mark

[LCHIEN]

good for you, nice saw.
I'd say the best resaw blades would be the one you order from Iturra or from Highland Hardware. - you don't usually see these at the WW shows, I think...

Bandsawing tends to produce a lot of fine saw dust. Some ducting and dust collection would be a priority for me. Even a shop vac sucking on the bottom wheel housing helps a lot but a opening right below the table would keep a lot of airborne stuff down.

Also a wheel brush in the lower housing if you saw doesn't have it will improve collection and keep the dust from being carried to the upper housing and leaking out.

[toolguy1000]

for a machine as fine as that (assume you are referring to the 10-325), get yourself some lennox blades form Iturra Design. save yourself several headaches and skip the timberwolf blades. they are getting an unfortunate reputation lately for less than perfect welds which lead to blade "loping" (an oscillating backwards and forwards motion as the blades circumnavigates the wheels) which causes increased vibration adversely affecting cut quality and guide bearing life.

[sweensdv]

I find that I go to my 10-325 a lot more than I thought I would. If I need to just cut a piece down to size I more often than not use it instead of firing up the table saw. With that in mind, I purchased an Incra V120 miter gauge for dedicated use on the bandsaw. Other than the miter gauge the only other after market accessories I've bought are blades. As you know, the 10-325 comes equiped with a 4" dust port so dust collection is excellent when hooked up to a real dust collector. It also comes standard with a wheel brush and the OEM fence is, IMO, as good as many of the after market fences. If you plan on running some very small size blades you might want to look into a Carter Blade Stabilizer but if you're only planning on using 3/8" and larger blades then you probably could pass on that. As far as resawing is concerned, I've found that a 1/2" wide blade works just fine for that purpose so I haven't tried using 3/4" wide blades on my 10-325 yet, YRMV.

[tommyt654]

Try these guys for your blades, best deal in town for me as they are based in N.C and shippin is cheaper. ,http://www.woodcraftbands.com/Pricing%20page.htm

[sweensdv]

Try these guys for your blades, best deal in town for me as they are based in N.C and shippin is cheaper. ,http://www.woodcraftbands.com/Pricing%20page.htm

+1 That's where I have been buying my blades lately. Iturra is also a great source.

[leehljp]

Congratulations on the Bandsaw! You one upped me on this over my Grizzly, and I think you will be very happy with yours!

I just did not want to go above $500. BUT I am exceeding that when the cost of 5 blades are included.

I had a Sears 12 inch for the past 20+ years and really enjoyed it. Now with more than 5 inches of resaw, I am very happy! Hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine, (even though I am just completing the 2nd day of ownership)!

[woodinville guy]

Try these guys for your blades, best deal in town for me as they are based in N.C and shippin is cheaper. ,http://www.woodcraftbands.com/Pricing%20page.htm

I need 143" blades for my Grizzy 514. seems that they don't carry them that long.

[LCHIEN]

I need 143" blades for my Grizzy 514. seems that they don't carry them that long.

read the fine print at the bottom of the page,
"Any blade above 130" up to 150" add $1.00 per blade"
they actually have prices for blades up to 250 inches. (just $4 more than the 130 inch prices)
Bandsaw blades are made from long rolls of stock blade material. they're probably cut and welded to order, especially the bigger ones, rather than being "carried" as inventory.

[Chris_B]

+1 That's where I have been buying my blades lately. Iturra is also a great source.

+1 on WoodcraftBands.com (I am very happy with their blades and service) - and the recommendation for a good miter gauge. Like sweensdv, I also use the 10-325 more than I expected. It is probably my favorite tool.

Two additional suggestions:

1. Consider adding a good lamp to the front side. I *really* like the Moffat lamps designed for incandescent bulbs (but use a 100W-equivalent CFL instead). The Moffat lamps are not cheap, but the design is excellent, and good lighting gives me more confidence while using the saw. See this thread.
2. Knock-out the plate blocking the DC port. I presume this was installed for liability reasons, but makes no sense for good air flow.

[woodinville guy]

read the fine print at the bottom of the page,
"Any blade above 130" up to 150" add $1.00 per blade"
they actually have prices for blades up to 250 inches. (just $4 more than the 130 inch prices)
Bandsaw blades are made from long rolls of stock blade material. they're probably cut and welded to order, especially the bigger ones, rather than being "carried" as inventory.

Ah, thanks.