Tablesaw Versus Bandsaw For Ripping

[TEEJAY]

I have a 14inch bandsaw 1.5hp with a 3 TPI 3/4" blade that is pretty good for ripping timber, but I have a lot of hardwood timber to rip through that will be about 75mm (3 inches) thick into 18mm boards to plane etc for a feature ceiling for my awning. I want to know should I continue with the bandsaw or am I far better off investing in a 2-3hp circular saw? Will it make my life that much easier - currently I have no tablesaw. I am sure someone out there has both and some ideas for me - welcome :) . I don't care about waste from cut width as the timber is recycled pallets/crates etc and plentiful over time. Thanks.

[boban]

I'd stick to the bandsaw if you are going to plane the boards afterwards. I only rip with the TS if I need the finished board to be spot on.

The bandsaw does it easier than the TS or hand held circular saw every time.

[Gumby]

Depending on the length and assuming you can handle them OK whern feeding, I can't see why a bandsaw wouldn't be perfect for what you want to do. However, a hand held power saw will always come in handy so buy that as well ;)

[AlexS]

As you say you have a good ripping blade, go with the bandsaw, but tell SWMBO that you need a tablesaw. :D
Go on, you know you really want to buy a tablesaw, don't you.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I agree with the general consensus.

IMHO a table-saw will rip faster and neater, but if you were concerned about fast production you'd be asking which one to buy and not "should I?" :D

Buy a TS if you'll have other regular use for it as well, but just for this one job it's not practical. Stick with the bandsaw.

[Schtoo]

Skew, my tablesaw doesn't rip worth a sh...oot? Not fast, not nice.:(

Bandsaw rips dead straight, and provided I wear earmuffs (to drown out the foul sounds) faster than my tablesaw ever will.:o

But I have a cheap and nasty TS, and a cheap and old bandsaw. Both have blades worth more than the saws...:eek:

Something wrong with that I am sure.:confused:

[TEEJAY]

Well I suppose that seems pretty clear cut the bandsaw is going to have to do. You are right Alex I am keen on that TSC-10HB, but as SWMBO saw the text lastnight I am not in a great position to get one just now as I only just spent near $3k on a chainsaw mill for outback trips so tread carefully for a while:) .

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Skew, my tablesaw doesn't rip worth a sh...oot? Not fast, not nice.:(

Bandsaw rips dead straight, and provided I wear earmuffs (to drown out the foul sounds) faster than my tablesaw ever will.:o

But I have a cheap and nasty TS, and a cheap and old bandsaw. Both have blades worth more than the saws...:eek:

Maybe it's time for me to resharpen my BS ripping blade then... but even when new it only ripped at half the rate of my orange TS wannabe. It also leaves a surface that needs further dressing, unlike the TS. I'm lazy enough to want to not take extra steps in getting the same result.


Something wrong with that I am sure.:confused:

Oh, I dunno. I'm in the same boat! My tools are my living, but I can't afford the top-range gear. I wish! Still, I've screwed up more cuts using bad blades than I have because of "cheap" or "old" tools. [shrug] The main job of any powertool is just to drive the cutting edge, after all.

[Schtoo]

Problem is, that the TS blade (Tenryu 100T) is over $100, and the BS (Ryobi, 2" stellite tipped) is in the same league.

I guess it's why I don't have any blade problems. The BS was a good one when it was made I guess, about 40 years ago. It's long in the tooth and exhibits 40 year old Japanese technology too. Very rugged, simple but it works. Two pieces of steel tube and a few ally castings. A universal motor with gearbox and some guides.

The TS is a cheap POS I can't wait to replace. I don't even bother ripping with the fence unless I have to. A lesson in frustration...

[Stu in Tokyo]

Heck, my bandsaw rips fairly good...

http://www.ablett.jp/workshop/images/bandsaw/bb_working.jpg

Got to use a good feather board, MUCH faster than my TS, even with a good ripping blade on it, and like someone else said, "No kickback".

Of course, if you really "NEED" a table saw......;)

Cheers!

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

:eek: Stu, that's not a bandsaw, it's a bloody pipesaw!

Where do you get the blades for it? Tempered segments of DC-10 fuselage?

[speedy]

Well Just to be different, anything 100mm or less I rip on the tsc-10hb, larger than 100mm I use the bandsaw with a 25mm blade 3 or 4 tpi. :cool:

[TEEJAY]

Stu, I saw a saw just like yours in our local Carbatec store about $2400AUD and although I couldn't justify this I know whoever bought it may have electrical issues with it from my saliva left all over it - impressive monster for ripping.

Now with the bandsaw does anyone find it worthwhile sharpening up the 3/4" 3TPI blades or is it a case of just chuck them and spend the $27 on a new one. I did get a couple of round files at the last woodshow that looked like they would do a decent job - did give my not so sharp blade a tickle with it - only guessing how to do it right and got improvement but not convinced I either should have bothered or did it right? I was just thinking of cutting some more wood then slipping in the new recently bought blade for a comparison and either checking on a sharpening company to see if it is worth them doing the old blade or just chucking it - any ideas?

Would like to talk myself into a 10" - 3hp tablesaw but just today found the 4WD needs a new $1300 set of tyres - :(

[Schtoo]

Maybe a better weapon would be a dremel (or cheaper copy) with a diamond bit. A small round would be fine I think and use that for re-sharpening.

If the teeth are hardened, then the file is either going to have a hard time, or it just wont do it.

On the blade mine has, and the wider/longer version Tokyo Stu has there, they are tipped. Mine is stellite, his is tungsten I think. Files will not touch that stuff. ;)

I don't anticipate needing to sharpen mine for a while though. Might get some stellite welding rods and re-tip it when it does though. Either that, or make handsaws out of the blade. :D

As for you sharpening efforts, if it works better and cuts straight, I guess you made an improvment. If it's cutting a curve, rub a hard oil stone against the teeth on the side it's cutting towards. Gentle touch, check it often and stop when it's cutting straight.

That's what I did with the poxy blade mine came with, and it works well enough that I can actually use it now.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Teejay, does your Carbatec do resharpening? Ours did, before it went Gustec, but I'm not sure if that was part of normal ops or just a sideline of one of the staff. I haven't been back since the changeover to find out if they still do it, either. Must be coming due time...

It cost a bit less than half the price of a replacement but the blade was almost as good as new. Almost, in that it cut as well but apparently resharpening weakens 'em. I've been told by a few blokes who should know that you can only safely resharpen an average blade a few times, as they're strip-annealed on the cutting edge and once you're close to cutting into the untempered metal it becomes a health hazard.

Perhaps someone else here can confirm or deny this? I believe it, but don't simply take my word for it...

Anywho, I got them to resharpen mine until they told me the blade wouldn't handle it and then I'd buy a replacement. At the price I thought it worth it; I didn't have the time and couldn't do as good a job anyway. [shrug]

I'll be going back and asking if they still do 'em the next time I remember, too. :)

[AlexS]

I sharpen mine using a GMC dremel knock-off and a chainsaw-sharpening stone. justtake a little bit off between the tip & the gullet of each tooth - just needs a touch, and makes quite a difference. Also, use some oven cleaner to remove any build-up of gum on the blade. This is probably more important than sharpening.

[TEEJAY]

Skew ChiDAMN I live near a company called "Combined Saw & Knife" they do sharpening specifically - they gave me a price for my planer blades (3) to resharpen - $13 pretty cheap. I haven't approached them about the bandsaw blade yet but will see how the chainsaw sharpener goes first - I always prefer to be self sufficient where possible - might be from 6 generations back a Scottish person in the family effecting my judgement. Also thanks for the tip about the strip annealed - safety is a big hit at my place - one thing I like about the rip blade is it is pretty chunky and not so likely to brake easily.

Alex - a great tip about the chainsaw sharpener as I just got one for my new chainsaw slabbing toy (95cc + 56" bar) get to use it in a couple of weeks way out west. Anyway I will certainly give the blade a tweak with this sharpener and check the results - I have a stone about the right size. Also that tip about the oven cleaner on the blade - do you use the same on router bits?

Cheers

[junkboy999]

Heck, my bandsaw rips fairly good...

What is the make and model of that monster and how wide is that blade ??

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I haven't approached them about the bandsaw blade yet but will see how the chainsaw sharpener goes first - I always prefer to be self sufficient where possible - might be from 6 generations back a Scottish person in the family effecting my judgement.

I know how that goes, got the Scots gene myself; short arms and deep pockets. :D I usually sharpen everything else except for the bandsaw, probably 'cos it usually has a 6 or 8 tpi blade in residence. I just don't have that much patience...

[echnidna]

Have sharpened and handset b\s blades when I've been stuck.
A truly character building experience.
But they usually cut much better than a brand new blade. I expect this might be due to the burrs from filing all going to the centre of the blade and the handset is more accurate than the machine process when the blades are made.

But that said, I don't intend to hand sharpen more b\s blades, always have a spare.

[AlexS]

I usually sharpen everything else except for the bandsaw, probably 'cos it usually has a 6 or 8 tpi blade in residence.

Have to agree there! I only sharpen 3tpi.

[TEEJAY]

While I am asking about the bandsaw ripping - what is the consensus regarding blade width and fence type for ripping?

3 TPI is good I read in the forum some people use 3/8" blade in preference I have a 3/4" blade - does the narrower blade wander more and therefore require a single point fence for a guide?

So is it best to rip with a single point contact fence or a high long fence tuned to the blade path?

I have a heap of 130mm high hardwood timber to rip into ceiling battens. The timber is about 1m long so easy to handle and swing about if it is a better option.

Should I experiment and tell others? I think others have and hopefully can tell me. Appreciate any ideas??:)

[AlexS]

I use a 3tpi 1/2" from Henry Bros. for ripping. Set the saw up properly. I've found that if I adjust the tilt of the top wheel so that the blade is running in the centre, on the crown, it cuts parallel to the fence. Never had problems with it wandering, even when I used a 1/4" blade. Rack the tension up high and don't try to feed too fast - you'll hear the sound change if you're going too hard.

The fence has an auxilliary fence on it that only goes just past the blade. If the timber starts to open up while cutting, it doesn't force the timber away from the fence.