guitarded Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 to get ready to try my hand at building a guitar, i have taken stock of the tools i have. well, about the last power tool that i need is a bandsaw. i've got a drill press, couple routers (including a router table), table saw, assorted clamps and hand tools. i even have a fairly good planer (albeit tabletop - dewalt dw735). however, even though i have a high-end jigsaw (laser guided), i would really like a bandsaw. so anyway, i go to home depot and sears and i see bandsaws going for around $100-$150. i can't afford a floor model, so these catch my eye. ok, finally the question... are these bandsaw good enough for cutting out a body? Quote
fryovanni Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 You may be better off getting a 14" model when you are able and make use of your jigsaw for the time being. 14" with a riser block really opens a lot of doors in terms of what it can be used for. Peace,Rich Quote
AlGeeEater Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 (edited) The ones that are 100 dollars at home depot are Ryobi's. I've never had an experience with a Ryobi drill press(hell, I don't own one or plan on buying one soon. Maybe after the drill press. Jigsaw works fine ) but I do have a Ryobi orbital sander. I think Wes bought a Ryobi and sold it or brought it back after his Delta *trumpets blare* was stolen. Just thought you should know Edited September 13, 2005 by AlGeeEater Quote
guitarded Posted September 13, 2005 Author Report Posted September 13, 2005 i think they are 9" and about 1/3hp. i probably should, as fryovanni mentioned, try to use my jigsaw and hold out for a 14". Quote
AlGeeEater Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 i think they are 9" and about 1/3hp. i probably should, as fryovanni mentioned, try to use my jigsaw and hold out for a 14". ← If you're gunna use a jigsaw use the thinnest blade you can find to hel prevent chip out Quote
SawDust_Junkie Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 My two cents would be to use the jigsaw you have for now also. If it is a good quality saw as you say, you would have no problem cutting out your body . Just cut a little ouside of your lines 1/8" or a little more to allow for vertical blade drift and then finish the profile of your body with a template and a router. Just remember to make several shallow passes with the router and don't try to take too much off each pass. I bought a used Grizzly three wheel 12" band saw, and while it is better than what I had ( all I had was a cheap Craftsman jigsaw) it is not much in the way of a bandsaw. But, it has allowed me to begin a couple of projects using the template and router method I mentioned. As a matter of fact, after using this method, I don't believe I would ever attempt to cut a body blank right down to my lines even with a quality bandsaw. I don't see how you could ever get the clean, precise profile like you can routing it using a template. What I woud like to have a quality bandsaw for is re-sawing to make bookmatched blanks for tops. That will have to wait unfortunately. Right now I am saving for a quality router myself. Quote
AlGeeEater Posted September 13, 2005 Report Posted September 13, 2005 If you have a drill press, ROBO-SANDER Quote
goth_fiend Posted September 14, 2005 Report Posted September 14, 2005 well I have the said ryobi bandsaw and It works decently for woodworking, though I do plan on upgrading soon, im going to be using it to do work on my ironbird when the time comes, just take your time on it whatever you use, you dont want to ruin a good piece of wood Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.