Benchtop Vs Floor Models.

[Desopolis]

SO im at a crossroads with my neck, my jigsaw isnot cutting square, and annoying the crap out of me. I cant go out to that shop anymore, mainly because the guys blade was worn, and he charged me for it, when I only used it a few times to cut swamp ash(yeah, it does damage )

Now I was roaming through sears and they have a little 10" benchtop bandsaw for 129.

Its not somthing to write home about, but it is pretty sturdy and comes with a waranty.

then I saw a 12" Drill press bench top that was pretty nice as well.

now, my questions.

1. What is the biggest difference in a smaller bandsaw? I mean I know eventually Ill need to get a bigger one to resaw maple for tops... but before I save up 2k for a gigantic bandsaw, I want to do SOME work.

it seams though, the price goes up over $100 for a basic stand, witch if I cant fab up on my own, I dont need a bandsaw.

I figure the blade will snap or wear out faster, but other then that?

2, The drill press. How much HP do I really need?!?! my dewalt drill can pretty much distroy every single piece of wood/metal Ive worked on.

and why do I need a floor model? you guys ever set the table top 3 ft from the bit?

is it somewhat a ego, my bandsaw is bigger then yours thing?

I totaly understand a 20" planer, or ossilating sander, or even a gicantor belt sander. but a drill? a bandsaw?

[another doug]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I am a sucker for cheap tools, so I can give you a couple thoughts.

As for the bandsaw, it depends on what you want to use it for. I use mine for roughing out guitar bodies and necks, and that's about it. I need to go at them from several angles to cut an entire body because it can't reach very far. Also, the blade wanders quite a bit, so it is only used for very rough cuts. If that's what you want, go for it, although there are some people who use a jigsaw effectively, so that may be another (possibly cheaper) option.

As for the drill press, I don't know enough about HP to help with that, but I can say be aware of how far into a guitar body you will be able to drill. My little drill press is great for tuner holes and neck-mounting holes, and I'll bet I could mount a robosander to it, but it can't reach far enough to drill string-through holes or rough out pickup cavities.

Hope that helps!

[Desopolis]

definatly does.

as far as the bandsaw goes.

Ill mostly be using it to get close to a body shape, maybe templates(with the help of a robosander or oribtal), pickguards, but mostly shaping my neck tapers and designs.

makes sense on the drill press, but the ones I was playing with had a 12" range or more.

[unclej]

i've got two 12" bench top bandsaws sitting in my storeroom gathering dust. not enough power for most of the things that i do and not enough throat either. but if it's all you can afford right now they're better than a jig saw. just take your time with your cuts and don't try to cut any real tight curves on your body blank and you should be fine.

for most guitar building applications a bench top drill press should be more than adequate. again, just don't over load them and take your time...let the machine do the work.

[fryovanni]

You will find that the larger drill press and especially bandsaw allow you to do more tasks making them more useful. The 14" bandsaw(w/riser block if possible) is to me the best starting point if you can swing it. My saw gets a whole lot of use. It is set up to make very accurate square cuts. A larger drill press has the main advantage of clearance(I think my drill clears like 17", and is a floor model), thus making it more useful. I am not trying to up sell you or anything, but I have had smaller drill presses and I found them very limiting. If you can look for used tools that are in good shape. You will probably find plenty of small bandsaws and smaller drill presses for cheap, or if you are lucky a larger model for much less than retail.

Peace,Rich

[soapbarstrat]

Drill press: Floor model makes it easier to rig up a foot pedal. You just bolt your foot pedal assemby to the base of the DP (there's usually holes in the base that you can use to bolt something down to).

[Hydrogeoman]

Band saws - I can't speak to the utility of a bench top band saw, but I have the 14" Grizzly "ultimate 14" bandsaw" model with the 6" riser block. It is absolutely one of the best and most used tools in my shop. It will set you back about 3x as much as a bench top model, but if you can hold off and save the extra dough, I think it would be worth the wait and extra investment. I personally don't feel I will need or want to upgrade from this saw anytime soon.

Drill presses - I have a small 8" benchtop model that I paid about $35 for. It is a very handy tool to have, but it has its limitations. The main one being that with an 8" (swing) it only has about a 4" throat capacity, which prohibits drilling holes for tuneomatic bridges on most guitars. This was very frustrating for me , so I finally purchased this floor standing 34" radial drill press that can be adjusted to give a throat distance of 17".

Radial drill press

I think a bench top drill press can do most of the things you would want for guitar building, but I would try and get one with at least a 12" swing, otherwise you may not have the reach needed to drill some things like bridge holes in a body.

Oh yeah, as far as power, my bench top has only a 1/4 hp motor and is a bit underpowered. You can make up for some of this by adjusting the rpm and going slow. It only really becomes an issue when trying to use larger diameter forstner bits. This is a problem with the radial floor drill press also, which is rated at 1/2 hp. It is not a big deal for me though, as the power is adequate on both drills for 98% of what I use them for.

Good luck with your choices.

[Desopolis]

I've decided to just use my router for this neck and to wait to get a 13 or 14" saw. either a Delta or a Grizzly.

I was thinking about a scroll saw like draks Delta "trumpets blare", but after seeing that it was as much as a bandsaw I figured Id wait..

Its definatly making me worry(as I allready made one neck to thin) but oh well. this neck im only $10 into...

this whole saving money thing is new to me...

[postal]

I highly recommend the griz 14" bandsaws. They are really great for the money, and you through a long blade on there, the resaw ability is fantastic!

Dont have much info for you on a press, except that you need to make sure there is enough room to fit your work in there as mentioned above.

[MiKro]

First off the bandsaw should only have 2 wheels. Not 3. THe newer 2 wheel bandsaws will give you decent performance within limits. 3 wheel saws are hard to adjust, the blades break more often than not and other anomolies. Use a good blade first off on the 2 wheel type and they will do your basic cutouts with no problem as long as you don't force the cut. Also your tension on the blade must not be slack. As far as benchtop drill presses They will work fine for none heavy side sanding using a robosander ( suggest that you get 1 with the lowerbearing and mount it, this will take some side load off the chuck which is usually press fitted to a tapered shaft) and will do tuner holes quite well when drilling. I would add a larger table of MDF or something for support though. As far as drilling string throughs, the neck depth of the drill press may be questionable.

If you can wait and save some $ then I would go with something like the Grizz 14" ultimate with riser, or the Rikon 14" as my first Bandsaw. Again only if dollars allow and time as well.

Hope this helps

Mike

[cherokee6]

If you plan on getting better woods a bit cheaper you want the models mentioned. This way, with the riser block you can resaw curly maple or whatever for tops. You won't need to buy your lumber completely milled if you're cutting out a body. I was told you need a minimum of 1hp for for hardwood resaw capacity. I have the same dilemma. I've decided to save up the bucks and go with a Jet or Grizzly. I am on the prowl for a used one. (I bought my Delta table saw in exc. shape with extras for 1/2 price used.) Check craig's list on the web in your area.

[Michelle]

If you plan on getting better woods a bit cheaper you want the models mentioned. This way, with the riser block you can resaw curly maple or whatever for tops. You won't need to buy your lumber completely milled if you're cutting out a body. I was told you need a minimum of 1hp for for hardwood resaw capacity. I have the same dilemma. I've decided to save up the bucks and go with a Jet or Grizzly. I am on the prowl for a used one. (I bought my Delta table saw in exc. shape with extras for 1/2 price used.) Check craig's list on the web in your area.

The radial drill press mentioned is a great buy because it is the only one out there. Grizzly offers them for less than 200 dollars. Now they are really cheapo presses. But it has a really great throat on it. I think that it has a 36" swing on it. I use it to make telescopes. I had to put a more powerful motor on mine and I never use the round table as is. I put a table on top of it and shim it to be perpendicular to the bit. I use a a low cost Jet mill for my other drill press.

Another benefit to this press is that you can drill at an angle as well. I don't know how useful that would be for guitar bodies, but it would be pretty terrific for making chairs. If you don't need a big throat or drill at an angle, I'd shoot for a floor mount Jet. Good value.

The little bench band saws are slightly more beefy than a scroll saw. I imagine that you could cut the outer edges of a slab blank with one. But I wouldn't count on it for anything else. I had one for a few years and never really found a use for it so I gave it away. If you are dreaming of a band saw, get a 14" with riser blocks. Shoot for a 1.5 HP model if you can get one. I have a preference for Delta and Jet units. Grizzly is getting there with their tools, but you'll find fewer problems with the D & J. I've got my Delta tuned up right and it does resawing really well. I've made other things with my veneers. I can't wait to make a guitar.

Michelle

[Rick500]

I have a 12" Jet bandsaw. I love it; it's a great tool for what it is. (And the $299 price was right.) However, I wish I'd bought the 14". The one I have can't be raised with riser blocks, and there's not enough room to resaw, say, a maple top.

I have a $99 10" Ryobi benchtop drill press, and I've never been disappointed with it, and I haven't needed or wanted to do anything that would require anything bigger.