Thread: Table saw vs a bandsaw

The operating cost of a table saw is much lower than a bandsaw.
You don't need to replace blades very often with tungsten tipped blades, but soon as a bs blade is blunt it needs replacing
All your cuts are straight with a TS , whereas many bs cuts are wavy
bandsaw is a lot slower

You can also cut to a set depth with a ts which is impossible with a bs

What can you do with a table saw that cant be done (easily) with a bandsaw?

Define "easily" and who it applies to - what experience do they have?

With a TS you can:

cut rebates,
cut dados,
it is easier to cut at 45 degrees with a panel,
can accurately joint ready for glue up,
make a host of jigs for most tasks.

The tablesaw generally takes less fiddling to get set up for a good quality cut.

With a (good quality) BS you can:

do deeper through cuts,
cut circles in panels safely,
cut tenons quickly,
cut freehand,
cut irregular shapes,
cut conical shapes.

The bandsaw is generally quieter in use.

What would you buy and what limitations would result?

Bandsaw and use the circular saw and router for panels.

Oh and if the answer is "you need both" then which would you get first and by what margin?

Bandsaw by a nose, but mainly as I like to resaw logs and make stuff from them, plus it is good for general gumpf jobs.

I think Groggy has summed up the pros and cons pretty well. When I was revamping my shed 2.5 years ago I went through the same dilemma especially because I only had space for one machine. As I had access to a BS at work I went with a TS but I often wonder if I did the right thing. Now I'm milling my own timber a BS would be even more useful for resawing but I wouldn't have room in my shed to resaw anything longer than about 1.8 m inside the shed anyway. A big problem for me is noise and I can't use the TS in the evening whereas something like a small BS would probably be OK.

Bob, resawing on a band saw aint that quiet!

Thanks Groggy - how are those diamond stones going for you?

I'm pretty much a beginner, I did a course with the VWA and am continuing as a hobby. We're building our own house so I expect we will want to cut a bit of sheet material for bathroom vanity units etc but the kitchen I'll have made - not confident enough there.

I like making stuff out of solid timber and I'm currently building my workbench - for which I need to do some ripping of hardwood.

I have plans to make a dining room table, coffee tables and bedside cabinets later.

I've been looking at a TS for a while but have read a number of theads talking about bandsaws.

Everyone talks about the Hammer N4400 as the band saw to get and the 10" Carbatec TS being great value - Its pretty confusing because in the shop they all look similar and I cant work out why some are $5k for a TS and the Carbatec is $1700

Regards

Ralf

Originally Posted by Harry72

Bob, resawing on a band saw aint that quiet!

Harry, I once tried to resaw on the Triton TS. As the wood closed on the blade and tried to throw it back at me and out the door of the shed, I was yelling at the top of my lungs and doing Graham Kennedy's crow call. It is much quieter on a BS, trust me

Originally Posted by dvdhack

Thanks Groggy - how are those diamond stones going for you?

Very happy thank you. I managed to get all my stones flat, plus clean up some tools with very rough backs

I'm pretty much a beginner, I did a course with the VWA and am continuing as a hobby. We're building our own house so I expect we will want to cut a bit of sheet material for bathroom vanity units etc but the kitchen I'll have made - not confident enough there.

For me (experienced kitchen workers please step in) I have found that I need to trim the laminate edges with a router anyway to get a professional looking finish. IMHO you really need a scribing blade to do a one-pass finish cut with sheet materials.

I like making stuff out of solid timber and I'm currently building my workbench - for which I need to do some ripping of hardwood.

I have plans to make a dining room table, coffee tables and bedside cabinets later.

You seem to be in no-mans land in regard to TS and BS. Do you have a jointer and thicknesser as that would tip the scales to the BS again?

I've been looking at a TS for a while but have read a number of theads talking about bandsaws.

Everyone talks about the Hammer N4400 as the band saw to get and the 10" Carbatec TS being great value - Its pretty confusing because in the shop they all look similar and I cant work out why some are $5k for a TS and the Carbatec is $1700

Woodies get along with all sorts of machinery. Some are happy to cut a panel with a hand saw and planes, claiming everything else is a waste of money. Others use expensive machinery because that is what they prefer. Somewhere in between is what most of us get by with and it is all personal preference - no right or wrongs. I have a CT style BS and regret not getting a Hammer.

I think for the sort of work that you mention unless you are planning to make all these things from logs you are probably better off with a tablesaw. This is especially true if you dont have access to a planer or joiner.

You can rip well on a tablesaw and the finish will be good enough after a light plane or sand for furniture making. The finish straight off a bandsaw is not usually that great.

As grooggy has said the bandsaw is great for cutting tenons (which can be done fairly easily even free hand) and resawing. You can cut perfect tenons aon a tablesaw also (although not free hand).

On the other hand the tablesaw will be much more useful for things like crosscutting (with a sled). I can get a glass-like finish crosscutting up to 300mm on my table saw, I think it is almost imposssible to achieve that sort of finish using a circular saw (unless you are prepared to spend big $$$ on a Festool plung saw). And more to the point the setup time is significantly longer and when you have to make many cuts it get very annoying.

If you have ONE major tool in your shed get the tablesaw. If you are also getting a planer/jointer the choice becomes a little more difficult (personally, I would STILL get the tablesaw).

In terms of noise when resawing, Groogy is right, the tablesaw is likely to be louder, but not by much. Using the Triton as a comparison is not a great starting point... most tablesaws have induction motors these days which make them very quiet. The Triton is extremely loud even when it is doing nothing (It does not have an induction motor).

See whether you can access either a bandsaw or a tablesaw to play with for a day, that way you will get a better feel for what you need!

In terms of which table saw to get, this will depend on features you need and how much you are prepared to spend. The TSC10HB is a great saw. I own one and love it. The new saws from carbatec also look very good with some unique features but at this stage there is no track record of their reliability or accuracy (The TSC has been imported to Australia for years).
regards

Marios

Lots of useful info and I can see detail more of what I have now will help.

I got a jointer and a thicknesser for christmas - very generous fiance.

Unfortunately I didnt have a shed to set it up. Recently I did a consulting gig which will fund our new shed. I'm putting up a 14mx11m shed with a 7mx5m loft. The shed is on 120acres and we're right in the middle - only ones we're likely to disturb is our cows.

I also have an old Hitachi power saw 91/4" and a TR12 router. I have an old triton that has not been used in 10yrs and was left with a friend and I cant find all the bits to resurrect (MkIII). I also have a Power Mitre saw that was bought to help do the timber work on the house.