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Bandsaw - 14"


vaxination

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ok, so i need to get a new bandsaw. my little 10" P.O.C. bandsaw has finally come to the end of its useless life.

the selections for bandsaws are not that great here in hawaii. however, there is a woodcraft here that sells jet 14" and delta 14". i was going to go ahead and get the jet, but i stopped by sears and they had this... click here!

this craftsman bandsaw has a 8" resaw capability and the jet only has a 6" resaw capability. having an 8" resaw capability really expands my ability to slice my own body woods and tops.

has anyone had any experience with this craftsman bandsaw or does anyone have any constructive opinions to offer?

please don't say, "get a 16" (or above) bandsaw" or "get a _____ brand" or "order one from _____" because i want to stay within 14" (affordable) and since i live in hawaii, craftsman, jet & delta are my only real options. also, i can't economically order one and have it shipped here because shipping a bandsaw to hawaii would cost almost as much as the bandsaw.

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Delta is making most of the new bench and non-portable power tools for Craftsman now, so you're going to get a great unit for the price. Also, chances are service and parts for Sears will be much easier and cheaper to get in Hawaii, so go for it!

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i just noticed that the mfr's model number (BAS350) is listed right next to the sears item number. so i did a search and i found out that the bandsaw is made by carba-tec, an australian company. here is the same bandsaw on carba-tec's site... click here!

anyway, i went down to sears and i purchased it. i still have to go to the warehouse to pick it up (they did not have it in the stock room at the store i went to). so, i can still get my money back if this was a bad decision. its just that having an 8" resaw capability will be nice.

anyway, if anyone has heard anything about carba-tec, or as per my previous email, if you have opinions, please share! maybe some of our australian members can shed some light on the company (carba-tec) or the bandsaw itself.

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I have bought router bits and and a drill set from Carba-Tec before, with no problems

They are a reputable company although some of their stuff is a bit pricy

Sorry, cant comment on their bandsaws

dayvo :D

Oh, by the way where abouts are you in Hawaii?

I took the wife there in january 2005 for our wedding anniversary

We stayed right on Wikiki Beach and also went to the Big Island

Absolutely beautiful place

Cant wait to visit again, one day :D

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hi dayvo,

i am originally from molokai, hawaii. however, i now live in honolulu. i visited australia (perth) a couple of times myself as part of a military flight crew. i've also been to an australian territory island in the indian ocean... cocos islands. both perth and cocos was beautiful .

anyway, back to the guitar building... thanks for the info about carba-tec. i think the bandsaw will work out fine and i am excited about being able to do some decent resawing.

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One thing you may also want to think about is that the Jet can have a riser block added. This will give you 11-12" re-saw capability. 8" is not bad especially for that price, but may prove tight. Check the saw out and make sure that is a full usable 8". Also check out the guides and make sure they are upgradeable to to Carters (just in case you want better bearing guides). Cool blocks can work well also as long as the model accepts them(should be the case). The nice thing about Jet is they are like the Chevy of bandsaws and you can "hot rod" them pretty easy. Sometimes you can get locked in with some saws. Also invest in good blades, and make sure to keep vaccume on the blade. It makes a world of difference when you re-saw 7"+ hardwoods.

Peace,Rich

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yeah, i know what you mean. i was initially going to go for the jet. however, after seeing the resaw capability of the crafstman (carba-tec) without risers, i had to look into it. as for the 8" resaw, i can get a full 8" under it. for myself, however, most all of my resawing will be around 7". the roller guide assemblies looks pretty good quality. i am not sure if it can take carter upgrades... i will have to look into that. thanks for the tip about the vacuum when resawing large boards. i normally keep the vacuum connected to the dust port, however, i will make sure to keep one at the blade also.

i just cut out a body blank this morning and the difference is like night and day compared to the P.O.C. 10 in. "hobby" bandsaw i was using!

ok, now i gotta save up for the drum sander!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a 14" bandsaw from Grizzly International. I purchased it with a 6" extension block to increase the capacity for resawing from 6" to 12." I think the extension kit was about $50 - $60 and was worth every penny. Even with the extra $ for the kit, I think the saw is an excellent value.

I built some jigs to aid in resawing (with a 3/4" wide blade) and have had excellent results. My bandsaw has become just about the most useful tool in my shop. Might be worth checking out www.grizzly.com

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as for grizzly... since i live in hawaii, shipping a bandsaw that size is out of the question!

Yeah, I was not sure what shipping would be to Hawaii, it was only $55 on the mainland. The 8" capacity on your new Sears will make the saw 100% more useful for resawing top laminates. Just take the time to get it set up properly with a tall fence guide and you'll be good to go.

Cheers,

HG

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