Thread: What small Bandsaw Should I buy?

Firstly welcome to the forum.

I am not able to recommend a particular type as I only ever had one, so very hard to compare. I have a 14" bandsaw and sometimes I think it might be better to have something a little bigger with more grunt. I am tending to use it for all sorts of things and I think it is the most used item in the garage, other than the lights and radio.

Where have you looked so far?

Just don't buy anything smaller than 14". Smaller wheels tend to stress the bandsaws and they break after a short time. Other things to look for
-Nice solid cast iron or welded steel body
-Roller bearing guides
-Quick release
-Solid trunions under the table not flimsy ones
- Dust extraction outlet
-Hinged opening covers
-Rubber on wheels not plastic
-Domed/ convex wheel surface not flat

cheaper machines are generally alright with bandsaws because they are pretty simple things, so long as the castings are not rubbish, for example look carefully at the underside of the table for faults/voids/cracks. Having solid block guides, no quick release and screw on safety covers is no big deal if you are not using it a lot.

Originally Posted by Christos

Firstly welcome to the forum.

I am not able to recommend a particular type as I only ever had one, so very hard to compare. I have a 14" bandsaw and sometimes I think it might be better to have something a little bigger with more grunt. I am tending to use it for all sorts of things and I think it is the most used item in the garage, other than the lights and radio.

Where have you looked so far?

I have looked everywhere from Carba-Tec, Hafco, Ebay, Gumtree, Amazon virtually anywhere where there is a small bandsaw but the thing is I just do not know which one is really worth the money.

I recently bought a 12" Scheppach Basato vario 3h from Hare & Forbes, and it ticks all of Toymaker Lens boxes except the guide bearings - it has European guide bearings, being of German design, and I don't think it will take roller bearings.
It can cut to 205mm high, and has a 1.1HP motor. It's quite a solid build.
I haven't really put it to a heavy test yet, but have fitted it with a Carter Stabiliser which works well on a 1/4" blade for curves.
The table and square are very solid, and it's easy to swing the square out to change blades.
I have also made a higher fence for resawing.

There are 2 basic 14" kinds of BS and they are all more or less worth what they cost.
The fully cast jobbies like Jet are solid little beasts that will last for donkeys. In stock form they tend to be underpowered (3/4 HP) and they may not come standard with a fence.
The pressed/welded metal H&F and carbatec models at 2/3rd to 1/2 the price of the Jet generally have 1 HP motors and are value for money.

The dust extraction outlet(s) on all BS are rubbish and if you want good dust extraction from a BS be prepared to get the angle grinder out and cut holes in the cabinets.

14 inch band saw is good size to start. Things you need to consider in buying band saw machine:
Easy Assembly/Set Up;Excellent Blade Guide System; Adjustments- are easy with comfortable knobs. Table Tilt - tilts smoothly
Cast iron Framed Saw; Has 3/4 to 2 HP motor, Solid Blade Guides; Adequate Resawing Capacity. Blade Tensioning - Could
tension < 1" blade; Dust Port; Noisy Level; Less Vibration.

Welcome aboard Tim, 2 questions, whats the budget? and are you thinking new or second hand? There are some excellent buys out there in the second hand market and you can get a top quality machine for the price of a new "cheaper" chinese made saw. Having said that a new cheap brand may fit your needs but if you read through some of the threads on this forum you will see some problems that others have not only with the quality of the saws but the poor customer service from the supplier.

I have an 8" Ryobi that I bought on sale for $100.
That means there's 8" between the blade and the tower case that the blade runs in
between the lower wheel and the upper wheel.
It chokes on wood (go slow) of 5cm. Insanely sensitive to a dull blade.
NO, it is not alignment. Been there, done all of that. New blade = magic.
I'm a carver. I cut some blanks, I rough out some thin (<5cm) body parts.
I rip some thin/3mm woods, I cut some pieces for glue ups.
I have and use a Delta scroll saw, mostly for making extensions for shotgun stocks.

I read in many replies that you are supposed to get a BS that you can run 2-8 hrs per day.
I think that I understand your casual use, about the same as me.

BUT, if I had to do it over, if I had more money and more floor space and a good DC system,
I could make use of 14"+ saw, once or twice a year.

I'd rather be carving.

Originally Posted by TheTalkingGrape

. . . .The main reason I need a bandsaw is for re-sawing small boards and then edge joining them for suitable timber for the scroll saw. . . . .

I think you need to more tightly define what you mean by small.
In Aussie hardwood re-sawing anything more than about 50 mm thick 200 mm long will really benefit from using a 14" BS.
Of course it is possible to do it slowly on a smaller saw but that will be your trade off.

Any particular reason you want 14" or less? You should be able to find a decent used 16" or possibly 18" for a similar (bit more for 18") price to a new 14"