Hi all, getting ready to pull the trigger on a bandsaw and remember reading some article about max RPM's. I will be cutting EVA and Wood turning blocks, prob no thicker than 3-4". I am looking at the POWERTEC BS900 Band Saw, 9-Inch (I wont post a link here cause its to amazon), but its max RPM is 1725. Is this enough for my handle making needs?

Thanks in advance

Scott

"My biggest fear in life is that when I die, my wife will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it."

The 9" bandsaws are hobby saws, not 100% abotu cutting wood that thick. I know the cheap Rikon tha tHome Depot sells is a 9" model, adn it drags when cuttign 2" EVA with a 12 or 18TPI (Not 100% sure) blade. For EVA that should be fine. Does it come with a fence, or a miter gauge? Teh cheap bandsaws sell a crappy fence, and often they come wiht on eOR th eother not both.

The blade moves through or cuts, in inches per second. Your bigger concern is the power of the motor. The model you list is a very inexpensive benchtop model saw. Not to rain on your parade, but it's likely to have some deficiencies in areas such as vibration, miter accuracy, blade drift, etc. Consider it a very light duty machine and you may like it. For serious work, however, it may be a tad on the light side.

..............

Scott,
X2 on both Tom and Billy's comments.

One of the biggest issue with bench type table top band saws is "blade drift".

You will find that for many saws, it is nearly impossible to cut a straight line.

If you are just hacking things off, fine. But if you are tying to do precision work - not so fine.

If you can swing it and if you have room for it, one of the larger style on the floor with the two large wheels, allowing tighter blade tension will allow for a much better and more even cut.

But, on the other hand, if you are only going to use the saw now and then, and if you are not quite too concerned about whether the cut is straight or even, then the less expensive hobby saw will work fin.

But, if you do use a saw that has issues, be sure to always cut on the generous side of the line and then use a sander to sand to the final contour and size.

Good luck
Roger

By the way,
If you could swing the price and have room for a 14 inch saw like this one; you will be well pleased with its precision cuts and power.

Yes, it is an imported saw, but I have used one of these a few times and it actually does and excellent job of cutting a large variety of products.

[www.harborfreight.com]

If buying a saw, another place to look is at used tool stores or even pawn shops. Generally you are better off getting a used high quality saw, rather than a new inexpensive and less quality saw.

Good cutting.

Roger

I owned a lathe from Harbor FReight, it was the biggest waste of moey ever. If I were going ot spend that much, i'd spend more and get the Grizzly G0555. I agree with teh used saw, but it depends on how much use it saw from teh prior owner.

Great advice guys, thank you very much. It did have a decent miter gauge and it had the best reviews I had seen on the site, but none were from rod builders!!!

Thanks again, might just wait and get a nicer one, or @#$%& not wait and get a nicer one now, who needs food? The dog has been looking a little chubby to me anyways.

Scott

I've been researching band saws for some time and I'm convinced there are no cheap
options if one wants precise cuts. The 10" models of even the name brands
leave a lot to be desired in accuracy and capacity.

Like Billy, I've concluded that the Grizzly GO555 Ultimate 14" Band Saw is the best in class for my needs.
It's available in white as the Polar Bear version for $495 which is $30 less than the green and white version.
Otherwise the two are identical.

Shipping, good blades and a mobil base will add to the total cost. I don't need riser blocks for rod work.
So while this puts the price of a new machine around the $600 mark I believe it remains a good value for a quality machine.

Thus I chose to save up for it. I really think it's worth the wait. I'm hoping to get it before the summer.

As others have told you, small, cheap bandsaws are little more than toys. The 14" wheel size is where they begin to be real functional tools. Almost all the import bandsaws in this size are essentially clones of the Delta 14" bandsaw. Your best option is to haunt Craig's list for a while and find one of the older Delta (or Rockwell) 14" bandsaws. These may not have quite as much power as some of the newer models, but these made in USA models, from the 50's, through the early 90s, were well made, and can be tuned to be comparable to much more expensive modern saws. And, as for the original question, the rpms of the motor isn't much relevant--changing the pulley sizes deal with that, though typically 1725 is the standard. Power does matter, though not as much as some would have it. There isn't much you can't do with a well tuned 14" bandsaw with even a 1/2hp. motor, with the exception of resawing hardwoods in excess of 6" widths. (I've ripped 4" curley hard maple for a pencil post bed with a 1/2hp motor--the only drawback that it wasn't at maximum speed.)

Remember that you need a good sharp blade on a bandsaw. If you do buy a new saw, also buy a new blade, the ones that come with the saw are just to help align it, but are trash otherwise.

Thanks much Steve

Roger....I owned a band saw from Harbor FReight just like the one you posted and it was a waste of money.....I would save a little more for a Delta



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2012 10:31AM by Tom Kirkman.

Harry,
No argument that the Delta is a better saw and certainly would be a better long lasting choice.

Roger

David Gilberg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Like Billy, I've concluded that the Grizzly GO555
> Ultimate 14" Band Saw is the best in class for my
> needs.
> It's available in white as the Polar Bear version
> for $495 which is $30 less than the green and
> white version.
> Otherwise the two are identical.
>
> Shipping, good blades and a mobil base will add to
> the total cost. I don't need riser blocks for rod
> work.
> So while this puts the price of a new machine
> around the $600 mark I believe it remains a good
> value for a quality machine.
>
> Thus I chose to save up for it. I really think
> it's worth the wait. I'm hoping to get it before
> the summer.

Billy and David, thats what I have decided to go with, the G0555, looks the best value and in addition to all of your great advice, my uncle was telling me not to bother with anything less than 14". Thanks again to everyone for all of your guidance. Scott

Scott, I have a GRizzly 9" model which has been discontinued. It has a 1/2HP motor and it is a really good tool, probably the best of the 9" models. However, when I use my friends G0555's, I HATE my friggin bandsaw, lol. TEh fence the 555 comes with, teh table, the fact you can adjust the fence withteh ruler on teh table, teh ease at which you can adjust the table - EVERYTHIN about it is so worth the money. YOujust have to have a need to ustify the cost, and the space in your shop. IT is a VERY big machine, heavyweight. A freind of mine has a Delta, he spent probably $200 more and it doesn't have the features of the 555.

When you place your order, make sure you get a couple of extra blades. For EVA oyu need 12 or 18TPi, and try to get teh thinnest blade (1/8" wde, and the thickness of the blade should be thin as possible, I don't know the measurements). I use the cheap Grizzly blades 64 1/2" for my saw, they work well but I am constantly breaking the damn things. I have the heavier one grizzly sells, I think a Timber - the blade thickness is more. TEh reaso I say get a thin blade is because oyu remove less material, and if oyu are going to be cutting thin strips of EVA it's easier with the thinner blade (I'm talkin 1/16" strips)

For wood - I have no clue about anything

If you have a band saw - you may have issues setting the blade guard from time to time. You may also find that you frequently have to replace the glade guides, for the standard slide style guides.

If that is the case, you might like to install roller guides on your band saw. These are essentially a set of three ball bearings for the upper and lower blade guard to adjust, and hold the blade stable during cutting activities.

No heat, no friction, seldom have to be adjusted and nice and quiet.

Carter has some of the best guides on the market.

[www.carterproducts.com]

Take care
Roger

Thank you Roger and Billy, those statements will save me questions later, thanks again.

Scott

"My biggest fear in life is that when I die, my wife will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it."

The 555 comes with bearing instead of blocks.

Using a wider blade will also help with blade drift when ripping. Speeds and feeds watching the blade contact help. Just some advice from an old furniture maker.

Great advice. Thank you