Daniel Sorbera Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 (edited) ok right now I have a peice of crap shop smith 11" bandsaw that cuts like crap. I need something that will give me STRAIT cuts and is able to ACCURETLY re saw maple tops. Also it needs to be able to eat through a $200 peice of mahogany and me not worry about me putting such an expensive peice of wood through it. Hope fully as cheap as you can get any advice? Edited December 11, 2004 by Godin SD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xebryusguitars Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 well there may be a local woodshop near you where you pay per hour to use their shop and they'll definitely have a good bandsaw. I dunno if there are any near you though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted December 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 well I would rather buy one... Just cuse I use it alot and am getting prety fed up with mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Have you looked at Grizzly Industrial? Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asm Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 how much do you want to spend? 14"+ in cutting height then your going to have to have a serious saw with a thick blade to resaw tops accurately. thats a difficult task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 do you think this is a good one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asm Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 (edited) i mean, im sure it works pretty decent for 400$, but just keep in mind those woodshops that resaw stuff are using several thousand dollar bandsaws. not that you *need* one like that to get by. but i wouldnt be expecting the same results. that saw will probably leave you with a good bit of sanding to be a good top, if you were doing alot of tops, i would consider buying/making a thickness sander. would try to stay away from a planer since a good one that isnt going to snipe thin pieces is quite expensive. Edited December 12, 2004 by asm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 do you think this is a good one? Keep in mind a 14" bandsaw is the depth of the throat, not the height, that bandsaw will only cut 6" tall, that's not tall enough for most tops. Most tops require 7" minimum for an electric. You would have to buy a riser for it. Just yesterday I bought a new General bandsaw, 14" throat and an 8" height for resawing which is all I need. It can take from a 1/4" to a 1" blade. It's a really nice unit, it was on sale for $800 Canadian (about $675USD) from $1300Canadian so I grabbed it up. It has it's own built in dust collector as well which is really nice, the upper wheel releases on a cam too so you don't have to change all the tension adjustments to majorly when changing blades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 wow sounds like just what I need. Where can I get one? is "general" the name of the company? do they have a web-site? and $675 sounds way good for something I would use very often Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www Posted December 12, 2004 Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 Here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted December 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2004 thanks for the link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Thanks www, I missed the question, that's the one I have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 Thanks www, I missed the question, that's the one I have LGM let me know if you like the General line of tools. I guess you must you buy em, but I'd like to know after a few weeks worth of useif you still like them. I'd like to see a direct comparison to Grizzly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 I love them, I use my edge sander almost every day and I've had it for about 8 months now, never a problem, my thickness sander is awesome, haven't had it long yet though, and the new bandsaw is great, dead smooth and doesn't buck at all. Very happy with them all. Grizzly stuff is fine, but it's hard to get up here and I know a few people who use them who wish they were a little more heavy duty, they're not quite as "industrial" from what I've been told, I like the general stuff, it's just plain bullet proof! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdog Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 www....How's it goin'?....I have a General Lathe, a real big one! She'll turn 20in over the ways and has an 8ft bed....It is a great machine and has made me lots of $$$$ over the years. General has great stuff. I had to call the company in Quebec once.......I forgot that French was the primary language in the "Great White North"! "Bonjour, le Company de General" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdog Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 they're not quite as "industrial" from what I've been told, I like the general stuff, it's just plain bullet proof! LGM....Bullet proof is right! As for industrial, they may make another line aimed at contractors. I haven't even seen their catalogue in years......General is a company that still makes 'em like they used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Mailloux Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 I studied carpentry and furniture building in high school back in '86 to '88. Almost all the stationary tools we had were General and they already were at least 10 to 20 years old. They still worked like a charm. I'm sure they must have suffered a lot of abuse from having to deal daily with about 60 students but still performed great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
www Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 " "Bonjour, le Company de General" " I theenk I take a closoure loook at le Generrals bendsaw mmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 If you are on a tight budget you may want to look at Harbor Freight. Argh... I know I am going to catch flack for this suggestion, but here goes. They sell a 14" bandswaw ($229). You can purchase an extension block set (everything required for +6" to the arm) about $100. This allows for 12" cuts. They sell bearing guides for $10. Total investment should be about $350. It has a 1 HP motor, if you want you can purchase a 2 HP at Harbor Freight for less than $100 ( I was going to do this but found it works great as is). I have used this set up and can tell you it works very well (even slicing 10" Cocobolo 1/8" thick). I doub't you will find a better price, if a hot rodded 14" is what you need. Just my 2 cents. See ya, Fryguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 I wouldn't buy those bandsaws that horror freight sells for anything, if you don't like your arms hands and face their fine, but they are complete crap. The old adage "you get what you pay for is VERY true with horror freight. The best advice I can give is "buy good, buy once, buy cheap, replace often" Stay away from horror freight for almost everything they offer, seriously, it's not worth the headache. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted December 19, 2004 Report Share Posted December 19, 2004 I knew I would get that responce about Horror Freight, and I am not about to endorse 95% of the crap they sell. I don't know what part on the band saw you think would break, or why you think it's going to slice someone up. I am saying I bought, and use this thing (with good results). It does not have any plastic, or thin tin parts. I can't say if it could take constant commercial use (because I don't use it commercially). If you have looked it over and or used this tool, please tell me what is wrong with it, where it was purchased not withstanding. Peace, Fryguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LGM Guitars Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Central Machinery (the manufacture of the bandsaw you're talking about I think, I can't find a $229 bandsaw on there anywhere) commonly uses a very poor pot metal for castings. When I worked in the machines shop we had people asking if we could reweld broken castings from this company, the answer was no, not safely. My concern would be in the main column. The main reason I upgraded my bandsaw was flex in the main column, it would cause the saw to bounce a little for lack of a better term. Your mileage may vary, but for my money, I'd rather it was spent on a product that has a great track record vs risking my own personal well being. One last thought, these things do wear out eventually, most of these chinese (or other cheaper machines) are difficult to get parts for, to me, downtime is more expensive than a good machine, I would rather know I can get parts overnight or faster if needed. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 he Jeremy, their bandsaw are not that bad... They are not new but reconditioned and they are bought in quatities, that's why the price. In the metal place I worked, we had 2 lathes a 12x36 and a small 7x10, also a steel bandsaw, they were abused constanly, almost nonstop and in the 3 yrs that I worked there, the only thing that I replaced on the bandsaw was the guide block to change to bearing, and on the lathes, I broke a thing or 2 but I know it was my fault not the machinery. Some of their stuff like the paintguns are not worth looking, unless you want to sand like crazy, but I wouldn't mind the bandsaw, or a 20gl compressor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 So they use low grade steel for their cast parts. LGM, I stand corrected. I looked at the bandsaw you recommend. They are priced very good ($675) and the saw you pointed out weighs about 20lbs less, has a built in dust collection system, nice fence, quick release. I am an Electrician by trade and a novice woodworker. My money would be on the advice of a Machinist and top notch Luthier. Peace & Happy Holidays All!!! Fryguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerryL Posted December 22, 2004 Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 I was just reading a review on the Laguna Tools Bandsaw and the guy rated it as the best Saw he's used. You can check it out here If you're interested. Laguna Tools Bandsaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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