Thread: Butcher's Bandsaw for woodwork?

I don't know the answer to your question but it might make a difference whether you are using the bandsaw to occasionally cut curvy shapes or if you are going to use it to resaw large piles of hardwood.

What is the duct collection like on a butcher's bandsaw?

What’s the Make ? A.A Tyson made Butcher and Wood working bandsaws in Melbourne . I’ve never compared the two . I have a woodwork version . I would think that the basic frame and wheels are the same but pictures of Butcher saws don’t look the same from the ones I’ve seen . I’ve never had a good view inside though . His woodwork saws are very good saws .

Taking into account what auscab said, normally it it not worth the exercise, you need to make many modifications and at best the saw ends up second best, would be better to buy a woodworking saw to start with
butcher saws can some times appear to be a bargain, but you soon loose any bargain, by having to virtually rebuild the machine.

Some of the butchers bandsaws I've seen have no adjustable height band guides.

Here is a link to a butchers BS sold by Hare and Forbes.
If you download the manual you can see pictures of the insides of this saw
F320 - MB-210 Meat & Bone Band Saw - Stainless Steel | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse

They used a simple nylon block top guide inside the top cabinet and a similar one in the lower cabinet. I can understand why they do that because they rarely make curved cuts. I also use a WW BS to cut bones for my dogs and this makes a fair mess of the guides and the need to be cleaned on a regular basis. I would not use a butchers BS without guides to cut timber.

The other thing is band speed. The few butchers BS I have been able to get speeds for typically list 4400 fpm. This is on the high side but not out of the question for WW PROVIDED the motor is up to it. These speeds are typically seen on 3HP+ WW bandsaws with low TPI counts. However using say 3+ TPI should be OK on a 1HP saw provided you don't expect to rip wide timber with it.

You will need also need to add dust collection.

Cheers for the replies everyone - sounds like more hassle than its worth.