Tell me about your resaw machine setup

[Basschair]

There's a distinct possibility that I'll be coming into some money in the next 6 months and I need to give some serious consideration to getting a second bandsaw. My first (12" Jet) is decent for cutting thin stock and is easy to setup. Still, it has no capacity for resawing tops, and doesn't do well resawing fingerboard stock.

I'm hoping to get some info from you guys who own (or use on a regular basis) bandsaws for resawing. Advise me on the ideal motor power, vertical clearance (9" clearance versus 12" versus 13"...is there no difference other than clearance, or is the longer blade in some way a detriment), resaw fence/bar (included or otherwise), etc.

I'm open to buying used or new, it's just got to be the right machine. Regardless, I'd really like to know the specs to be looking for. If you have suggestions on a brand to look for or for blade brands, feel free to mention them.

Cheers,
Paul

[madmachinist]

i prefer a DoAll bandsaw (3hp,3phase ) high-low range for cutting metals
and wood . (50-600, 800-5000 sfm variable speed) . i can let it rip
for softwoods, bring the speed down for jatoba and hard
maple . for metals i use a nicholson flexback 3/4" , 1/2"
10 tpi , simonds 1/4" 14 tpi .

for 2" + wood , a 4/6 variable pitch bi-metal blade, thinner
stuff i use a finer pitch for more control.

for a rip fence , i clamp a 20" parallel to the cutoff attachment
@ 0deg and shim it to width.

as far as throat height, if you have a cheap saw,yes it will
compromise rigidity to have too much throat. but a good cast-iron beast won't sweat it.

like this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/DoALL-20-VERTICA...3A1%7C294%3A50


i don't know too much about single speed saws , but if i were to
buy a wood-only saw it would be this one:

http://www.sterlingmachinery.com/s0690/8689.htm

i've seen Yates -American similar to this one sell for $500-$1000 . of course you'll need 3phase , and a 10'ceiling....

[mikeyswood]

Wow. Those cannons might not be needed in a knife fight.

I would recommend a classic Delta 14" bandsaw. It is cheaper for you to purchase the extension separately and go with at least 1.5 hp motor. You should be able to get everything for about $1k new and much less used. If you go the used route - try to find an old Rockwell saw. It is the same thing but much stronger parts.

Mine does everything I ask and fits nicely into a corner.

[scottyd]

I use a 14" Ridgid saw with a 6" riser kit. The Jet riser kit was a direct bolt on. It's a bit underpowered but gets the job done. Whatever brand you use for a saw, do yourself a favor and buy a Lennox Trimaster carbide tipped blade, they're well worth the money.

[Stone Age]

I have a 12" (?) craftsman bandsaw, brand new. It's been good for resawing wood since I put a new 1/2" blade on it. Comes with a fence. I'm sure there are better machines, but it was fairly priced, and good enough for now.

[mikeyswood]

Originally Posted by scottyd

do yourself a favor and buy a Lennox Trimaster carbide tipped blade, they're well worth the money.

Well said. Those are great blades and that is what is doing most of the work.

[madmachinist]

"Wow. Those cannons might not be needed in a knife fight."

sorry , but he asked .

there was a yates 36"-er for sale when i bought my doall,
it was $900 !

i didn't need a huge woodcutting bandsaw then ......


you asked about resawing , so i wanted to put emphasis on
the fact that an older , badass saw made in the '60-70s can be had for the same $$$ as a new chinese /taiwanese jet,
delta or powermatic saw 1/4 the size.

they may be too big for some shops, but the rigidity you'd have when cutting up big logs could be a great timesaver .

old woodworking iron lasts pretty much forever,but many of these
saws get scrapped for pennies a pound to the recyclers because they're large and in someone's way and harder to
sell off when nobody's using them .

good luck

[Bofee]

Carbide tipped blades, I have em', I use em' and they do stay sharp for a long time. However, IMHO, a good quality, new bi-metal blade cuts smoother, quieter, faster and with a narrower kerf at 1/5 the price of a carbide tipped blade. How much resawing do you intend to do? If you're only resawing 5-10 ft a month, the bi-metal blade may last you a year or more. My carbide tipped blades sit idle except for those times I need to cut something that will dull the bimetal blades quickly.
My 2 cents.

[mikeyswood]

Originally Posted by madmachinist

i wanted to put emphasis on
the fact that an older , badass saw made in the '60-70s can be had for the same $$$ as a new chinese /taiwanese jet,
delta or powermatic saw 1/4 the size.

Well said. They do not build them like they used to.

[scottyd]

Originally Posted by Bofee

Carbide tipped blades, I have em', I use em' and they do stay sharp for a long time. However, IMHO, a good quality, new bi-metal blade cuts smoother, quieter, faster and with a narrower kerf at 1/5 the price of a carbide tipped blade. How much resawing do you intend to do? If you're only resawing 5-10 ft a month, the bi-metal blade may last you a year or more. My carbide tipped blades sit idle except for those times I need to cut something that will dull the bimetal blades quickly.
My 2 cents.

I've found when resawing hard woods even the best bimetal blades wear very quickly. Woodslicers are the worst.

[erikbojerik]

IMO forget the smaller saw with riser kit - for a little more money, you can get a Rikon 18" with 12" clearance, inexpensive and rock solid. You'll need 220V I run mine off a 120->220v voltage converter (you need to plug it into two separate 120v circuits that are in phase with each other). I have to prime the start by spinning the wheel manually first so as not to trip a breaker, but after that it runs fine. I got mine from Woodcraft as a floor model for a little over $800.

Comes with good guide bearings and a cheapo fence. For resaw I made my own wood fence that bolts to the cheapo fence, the angle is adjustable with shims.

+1 on the Lennox Trimaster, 2-3 TPI 1" wide. It makes a wider kerf than something like a Woodslicer, but it will last 3x longer, the surface is pretty nice after the cut, and it hasn't gummed up even cutting bocote and cocobolo. The Woodslicer gums up like hell.

[roberthabraken]

Originally Posted by erikbojerik

+1 on the Lennox Trimaster, 2-3 TPI 1" wide. It makes a wider kerf than something like a Woodslicer, but it will last 3x longer, the surface is pretty nice after the cut, and it hasn't gummed up even cutting bocote and cocobolo. The Woodslicer gums up like hell.

Sorry, it may be my lack of knowledge of the English language, but what do you mean by 'gums up like hell'..?

[Basschair]

Originally Posted by erikbojerik

IMO forget the smaller saw with riser kit - for a little more money, you can get a Rikon 18" with 12" clearance, inexpensive and rock solid. You'll need 220V I run mine off a 120->220v voltage converter (you need to plug it into two separate 120v circuits that are in phase with each other). I have to prime the start by spinning the wheel manually first so as not to trip a breaker, but after that it runs fine. I got mine from Woodcraft as a floor model for a little over $800.

Comes with good guide bearings and a cheapo fence. For resaw I made my own wood fence that bolts to the cheapo fence, the angle is adjustable with shims.

+1 on the Lennox Trimaster, 2-3 TPI 1" wide. It makes a wider kerf than something like a Woodslicer, but it will last 3x longer, the surface is pretty nice after the cut, and it hasn't gummed up even cutting bocote and cocobolo. The Woodslicer gums up like hell.

Funny, that's exactly the setup I was considering. You lost me on the "two seperate 120v circuits that are in phase" part though, specifically the part where they are in phase. If you'll forgive the expression, I'm something of a small bus student when it comes to electrical vernacular. How would I know if they are in phase with eachother? Oh, and is that a 110v to 220v converter?

The other saw I was looking at was a Jet 16" that a guy had in my area, near new for a bargain. I've read some reviews where people complained about the 137" blade being hard to find and having to special order it, but it seems that it's a standard size in the Lennox blades and I'd be ordering it anyway...

[madmachinist]

you woodworkin' guys don't say peeps about e-lec-tricity .

i'm used to 3 phase stuff, (pretty much everything ) ,
so if you're in the know............

120v to ground is single phase . 120v to 120v makes 240 v
SPLIT phase . still single ph, just makes 2x th voltage, draws
half the amps.

3 phase is 120( or similar) w/ 3 wires to the motor. so you get 240v x 3 . less amps , simpler, more reliable motor.

do the carbide tipped bands last on those little saws?


i weld all my own band blades w/ the butt-welder ,or TIG them for the 3/4-1" larger widths....

i can buy a 100' coil of band stock for $40 on ebay, make
8 blades from it. i'd strip more blades before they dull than
wear them out.

[erikbojerik]

For the 120v-220v converter, you have two power cables that you need to plug into two separate 120v circuits to give you the 220v.

If the main electric panel in your house is wired correctly, then it will have two hot 120v leads going into it (call them A and B) and they are in phase with each other. The panel's 120 breakers will alternate between these, so they will go A-B-A-B-A etc. You want to plug the voltage converter into two separate circuits that are A and B, so the 120v will sum to 220v (actually somewhere between 220 and 240 if you put a meter on it) - if you plug into circuits that are both-A or both-B, you'll only get 120v. The breakers will still provide their rated amperage.

Most voltage converters will have a light on them that will light up when you have plugged into the correct circuits and have 220v available at it's outlet.

Or you can bring in an electrician to wire up a sub-panel.

The Jet sounds like a good deal - make sure it can take blades up to 1" and has the roller bearings. Before you pull the trigger, make sure to fire it up and see that all the wheels spin straight and there's not an excess of vibration.

[madmachinist]

almost forgot to mention -C- phase , also called high - leg .
120-120-220 v . works the same as 3 ph , xcept you have
2 wires coming to the pole, 3 wires coming from the xformr,
of said voltage.

[Basschair]

Originally Posted by erikbojerik

For the 120v-220v converter, you have two power cables that you need to plug into two separate 120v circuits to give you the 220v.

If the main electric panel in your house is wired correctly, then it will have two hot 120v leads going into it (call them A and B) and they are in phase with each other. The panel's 120 breakers will alternate between these, so they will go A-B-A-B-A etc. You want to plug the voltage converter into two separate circuits that are A and B, so the 120v will sum to 220v (actually somewhere between 220 and 240 if you put a meter on it) - if you plug into circuits that are both-A or both-B, you'll only get 120v. The breakers will still provide their rated amperage.

Most voltage converters will have a light on them that will light up when you have plugged into the correct circuits and have 220v available at it's outlet.

Or you can bring in an electrician to wire up a sub-panel.

The Jet sounds like a good deal - make sure it can take blades up to 1" and has the roller bearings. Before you pull the trigger, make sure to fire it up and see that all the wheels spin straight and there's not an excess of vibration.

Hey Erik, can you suggest a converter? I'm searching around online and am finding mainly 110v to 220v, except for some that are big old industrial guys.

Originally Posted by madmachinist

you woodworkin' guys don't say peeps about e-lec-tricity .

i'm used to 3 phase stuff, (pretty much everything ) ,
so if you're in the know............

120v to ground is single phase . 120v to 120v makes 240 v
SPLIT phase . still single ph, just makes 2x th voltage, draws
half the amps.

3 phase is 120( or similar) w/ 3 wires to the motor. so you get 240v x 3 . less amps , simpler, more reliable motor.

do the carbide tipped bands last on those little saws?


i weld all my own band blades w/ the butt-welder ,or TIG them for the 3/4-1" larger widths....

i can buy a 100' coil of band stock for $40 on ebay, make
8 blades from it. i'd strip more blades before they dull than
wear them out.

Hence, the "mad" in "madmachinist?"

[madmachinist]

Hence, the "mad" in "madmachinist"

not angry, just crazy about making cool stuff in general

i'm posessed w/ music , and will use whatever i have to get
it the way i want

[scottyd]

Originally Posted by madmachinist

you woodworkin' guys don't say peeps about e-lec-tricity .

i'm used to 3 phase stuff, (pretty much everything ) ,
so if you're in the know............

120v to ground is single phase . 120v to 120v makes 240 v
SPLIT phase . still single ph, just makes 2x th voltage, draws
half the amps.

3 phase is 120( or similar) w/ 3 wires to the motor. so you get 240v x 3 . less amps , simpler, more reliable motor.

do the carbide tipped bands last on those little saws?


i weld all my own band blades w/ the butt-welder ,or TIG them for the 3/4-1" larger widths....

i can buy a 100' coil of band stock for $40 on ebay, make
8 blades from it. i'd strip more blades before they dull than
wear them out.

The carbide blades last extremely well.

Yes working on pumps and motors for a utility company for the last 13 years I know a little about 3 phase motors and I can say that it is excessive overkill for a home shop not only in function but also because most residential electric services only offer 240 volts to the loop. Your talking a lot of extra money just to run a saw for cutting wood, not only for the price of the saw itself but the requirements to power it. I mean if you've got the electrical ability to do it, then all means go for it, I just doubt most people have that at home.

[madmachinist]

sounds like youse guyse are looking for a buck/boost
transformer . in the 3 phase world , we use them to take
a machine wired for 208v to 240v , a 440v to 220v , etc.


expensive : $400-$1000 , for a 50 -60 amp model, but not
prohibitive for a heavy duty $85k machine .

look on ebay for deals, the bigger ones sell for cheaper...
the size of a domestic dishwasher .


edit: i don't have a home shop . mine's 3200 sq ft.

that's cool that the tipped saws work well.

in metalwork, if you don't have the rigid setup...carbide will fracture and
waste your time.