Official Luthiers Forum!

I noticed your little ryobi bansaw in your shop pictures, do you use that to cut the initial arch of the heel?

What cuts do you use it for, and how does a small one like that hold up?

I ask because I am debating the investment of a bandsaw, but have found ways around most things i think i will need it for. I am building my first, and could use the 700 or 800 bucks for the jet I want to buy everything else that I need in tools, as I al ready have most of the stuff. If I could get 6 months or so out of a small 10 inch, it would be worth the 100 bucks.

 

I would look around for a used delta / Rockwell 14" band saw. These can be
had for a few hundred bucks, depending on condition etc.. A good 14" saw
with the right set-up can do everything you would need to do in the guitar
shop, including re-sawing.

The trick is to find one in the right place at the right time!

If you happen to be in or around the northeast I'm always happy to take a
road trip to check out "old iron".

Louis

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- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!

Nah, i am in texas, houston actually or just south of.....

I will probably just wind up getting the jet or delta 14".

However, I was able to cut my OM mold out of particle board with a jig saw and glue it together this weekend, it is a little rough, but I hope to sand it smooth in the next few days.

I agree, get the best saw you can afford. You can also check the classifieds or Craigs list for used tools and find great deals. I bought my Delta 14" along with a Delta 6" jointer for $425 for the pair. I'm not sure what I would do without the bandsaw, I use it for just about everything.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

jon, you would have been far better off to have got one panel of your mold sanded to the correct profile, then use a pattern following bit in your router to get the others cut to match.

Hi Jon, just want to add my two cents because I was in a similar position to you. I ended up with the Delta 10" 1/2 horse saw on sale for not much more than the much smaller ryobi/delta/benchtop models. The Delta is not at all a luxury machine but does have 7" of resaw. This is too much for the power of the saw, but most of those benchtop saws have less than 4 which I thought was too little for what I wanted the saw to do (everything but resaw). I had to do a lot of setup work which was rewarding when it was done but a pain while I was waiting to use the saw. It taught me a lot about bandsaws and when I do buy a saw to resaw I understand a lot more now for having worked this one into shape. Having done all the setup and bought some timberwolf blades, it does quite a bit now that a smaller benchtop saw could not do. I have resawn up to 5" cocobolo and I would say that is pushing the saw, but it did a great job. I would not hesitate to put a 3-4" neck blank through the saw, I would just have to go slowly. Overall, I am happy with the saw, especially for the price, and would not see the need for a larger saw unless I wanted to resaw full back plates with it. Bear in mind though that is finicky and I enjoy tweaking it to get its potential.

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Burton
http://www.legeytinstruments.com
Brookline, MA.

well seeing as the mold cost me a whole 10 bucks for particle board, i can start it over no problem,

excuse my ignorance, but i have a pretty good router, but i am not familiar with using a pattern following bit. can i pick one up at the home depot? what do they cost?

If you're looking for a small saw, consider the new Craftsman/Rikon band saws. I got the 10" as an open-box for $105. Regular price is $150-175, I've seen it on sale for $129 a few times. I've been really happy with it.

I used the 9" Ryobi for a long time and it was a great little saw for the $90 price tag, but the Craftsman is a better value in my estimation if you're looking at smaller/cheaper saws.

Either way, get a good Timberwolf or comparable blade and the Mark Duginski bandsaw book to learn to set it up.

If you want an education in band saw set up, find an old Delta and take it down to nuts and bolts and put it together again. I did this on a friends old '46 saw and worked out a deal to store it at someone else's shop for when I need the heavy-duty saw, which is only about 5% of the time. Delta's are great because you can still get most of the parts.

I'd agree with the others, the best value is to buy the best saw once instead of going on the upgrade path. I'm limited on space/power which is why I'm using a smaller saw in my shop.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

Hey Jon, the pattern makers bit for the router is a typically fairly long, straingt bit with a bearing on the end. There are two options, one I think is just called a flush trim bit with the bearing at the end, and the other is the pattern bit with the bearing at the shaft before the cutter. I think that is right as far as naming them. Regardless, the bearing follows the "pattern" or template and flush cuts the rough cut piece. Works very well. One style works better in a router table, the other if the router is free handed. Thats my take on it anyway. Definately the way to reproduce the peices for the mold. Just temporarily attach your master piece to the rough cut ones, one at a time and duplicate the sections.

If you are using a router table LMI carries a bit with top and bottom
bearings. I wholeheartedly recommend it as a very useful tool for pattern
cutting in a router table. Since the bit is large LMI recommends a large
(powerful) router for use with this bit.

Louis

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- Louis Freilicher

Oh No! Not another learning experience!

I have a pretty decent old craftsman router, I use it freehand as I have a cheap small router table.

I read up on the pattern bits, that will be next in a couple days,

 

thanks

jon