Bandsaw Shopping

[Joe W.]

Well, I've gone and done it . . . acquired a sizeable amount of reclaimed wood and find myself wanting to get a bandsaw to speed up resizing it and also try my hand at resawing. 
Narrowed it done to the Rikon 14" 10-324, Laguna 14-12, and Jet 14" JWBS-14SFX. 
Leaning towards getting the Jet, but seeking opinions/thoughts/warnings from any bandsaw users before pulling the trigger.   

[Tom-in-Ashland]

I had a 16" Laguna from when they were still making them in Europe.  Using their Resaw King blade I could resaw a 8" wide board with absolutely no drift.  So the Luguna would be my choice. 

[dgman]

I have the Laguna 14Twelve and their 3/4” carbide tipped Resaw King blade. This is a great combo! I have resawn up to 8” with perfect slices every time. Needs no planing and very little sanding. I certainly would recommend the Laguna!

[TAIrving]

The blade is every bit as important as the saw.  A great saw with a mediocre resaw blade will do a mediocre job of resawing.  

Have fun shopping and resawing.  I cannot advise regarding the saws you listed as I have a Grizzly.  

[Joe W.]

2 minutes ago, TAIrving said:

The blade is every bit as important as the saw. . . . 

Roger that on the saw blade.  That is one comment I've seen echoed many times in my research.  

[Scrappile]

You need a band saw for every blade you use.  I hate changing blades on a bandsaw, and I never have the one mounted that I want when I go to use the saw.

[Gene Howe]

2 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

You need a band saw for every blade you use.  I hate changing blades on a bandsaw, and I never have the one mounted that I want when I go to use the saw.

Not sure but, it seemed that Norm on NYWS had a router for each bit. 

I have two Shopsmith band saws and a Shopsmith for each. There is a 5/8" resaw blade that kinda lives one and, the other is reserved for varying sized blades. 

I'm not overjoyed to change blades, either. Luckily it's not too much of a chore on the "Smiths".

One accessory I'd highly recommend are a set of Carter guides. They are sooo nice. 

[Joe W.]

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

One accessory I'd highly recommend are a set of Carter guides. They are sooo nice. 

Yep, I've seen that mentioned a lot also.  Thanks

[flarud]

I have the 14" Rikon,, I believe it is the 10-325.  Enclosed lower cabinet, it's the model before they came out with the tool less blade guides.  I did little research when the 326 came out and if I remember correctly I can buy those guides for my model.

Anyway,, I really like mine, but as others have said.. changing the blades suck.  Not the act of changing the blade, but in my case, trying to get it to track correctly. 

[Sycamore67]

Just my two cents....Expect to take some time learning your new bandsaw and especially to resaw.  You will need time learning your bandsaw and how to set it up and can be frustrating.  I would suggest using some cheaper band saw blades to begin with as it is easy to have a problem and the blade comes off and kinks.

I do a but of resawing on my 16" Jet and use a Woodslicer blade.  It is not as good as the carbide ones but for the amount I do, it works great.  I bought a 10" Rikon for small work and is great for that and I leave my Jet for resawing or ripping boards.

Take your time and enjoy a new tool when you get it.

[Joe W.]

27 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said:

I would suggest using some cheaper band saw blades to begin with

Good thought.  

Thanks!

[Dave Monk]

I have the 14" Rikon. If I bought another one I would buy the Jet. I like Jets customer service and warranty.  I have the laguna carbide blade and have also had another brand. They are 3/4" blades and it never seemed like I could get enough tension on them to get a good cut.  I am now running a 1/2" wood slicer blade and love it. Most of the wood I resaw is 6 and 7" wide. 

[Dak0ta52]

I recently purchased the Rikon 326 for just over $1500 and love it. I purchased a couple blades from Timber Wolf, one for resawing and another for designs. I've used the blade for designs to make a Bandsaw Box and while doing so, the blade broke at the weld. I contacted Timber Wolf and happily replaced it saying the blade was under warranty. That was a surprise to me but I wasn't going to complain. The blade I plan to use for resawing is 3/4 inch, the largest this saw accepts, but I haven't gotten any wood yet to try it out. I plan on using it to resaw logs to create live edge planks. I know there are probably much better saws out there. I initially looked at the Rikon 324 but the 326 is the same saw with upgrades such as a larger table and adjustable (deviation) fence. I don't think I'll ever be resawing anything over 14-inches anyway. Good luck in your hunt.

[BadBob]

20 hours ago, Scrappile said:

You need a band saw for every blade you use.  I hate changing blades on a bandsaw, and I never have the one mounted that I want when I go to use the saw.

I do that. One has a resaw blade and one with a 1/8-inch blade.

[Rolf]

My Nephew bought the Rikon 326 with the tool less guides. I am very impressed with the saw. Quiet,  and plenty of beef. 

If I were in the market it would be my choice.

I have an old Delta with a 6 Inch riser, closed base. It has been a work horse for me and I have resawn 12". I use the Infinity resaw blades. 

Changing blades is not a big deal.  I used the Carter method for setting up my saw and leave the racking alone once set and all I have to do is adjust the guide bearings also a Carter upgrade .

[meflick]

On 5/14/2023 at 10:14 AM, Scrappile said:

You need a band saw for every blade you use.  I hate changing blades on a bandsaw, and I never have the one mounted that I want when I go to use the saw.

Paul, I thought that was just me.

[Joe W.]

20 hours ago, Dave Monk said:

I have the 14" Rikon. If I bought another one I would buy the Jet. I like Jets customer service and warranty. 

Thanks Dave,

Yes, I did compare warranties and Jet appears to have the longest duration one.
The main complaint I've come across on the Jet is the fence compared to the other two models I've been looking at.
The other consideration are the guides - bearings compared to ceramic.  Seems to be an evenly split camp of both types.
From what I think I see of the pros and cons, I think the bearings will do the job as good as the ceramic blocks and may last longer/be less costly. 

[Dave Monk]

2 hours ago, Joe W. said:

Thanks Dave,

Yes, I did compare warranties and Jet appears to have the longest duration one.
The main complaint I've come across on the Jet is the fence compared to the other two models I've been looking at.
The other consideration are the guides - bearings compared to ceramic.  Seems to be an evenly split camp of both types.
From what I think I see of the pros and cons, I think the bearings will do the job as good as the ceramic blocks and may last longer/be less costly. 

The bearing that came on my Rikon were crap. They lasted no time at all. I replaced them with the ceramic block. I think they only cost about $80 for the set. Just curious what you don't like about the Jet fence. 

[Joe W.]

19 hours ago, Dave Monk said:

The bearing that came on my Rikon were crap. They lasted no time at all. I replaced them with the ceramic block. I think they only cost about $80 for the set. Just curious what you don't like about the Jet fence. 

From the reviews I've read and seen on YouTube - critics cite the locking mechanism design allows for more movement of the fence compared to other fences from other bandsaw makers.  Not sure if they are being overly critical or not, but that does seem to be a recurring complaint.

[Sparkey]

I also have the Rikon. It has done a good job for me. I like a 3/8” blade with 3 teeth. I round a lot of bowl blanks but the 3/8” blade has also worked good for re-saw.

[Joe W.]

46 minutes ago, Sparkey said:

I also have the Rikon. It has done a good job for me. I like a 3/8” blade with 3 teeth. I round a lot of bowl blanks but the 3/8” blade has also worked good for re-saw.

Thanks Sparkey.  Good to know about the 3/8" blade for resawing.
 

[grandpuppies]

Laguna bandsaw all the way!!!