Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a quick question for all you builders out there. What size bandsaw do you guys use?

The only reason I ask this is because I'm starting to assemble tools to start my own little shop in my garage. But I'm new to this whole tool buying business, so I don't really know what to get. Usually I give my guitar parts to a guy at a woodshop and he does all the cutting for me. But he hasn't been doing that hot of a job lately, so I decided to start doing all the work myself.

So with the lenghty, unneeded story aside, what do you think I should be looking into?

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-Rob Eckert
Ann Arbor, Michigan

The biggest and best you can afford. With that said, at the very least a 14" saw.

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Aoibeann

Hey, Rob, welcome to the forum. What are you going to do with it? I use a 14" Jet and it is a very good all around bandsaw for general use. If you plan to do a lot of resawing, you'll have to wait for someone with more experience in that area. The Jet is great for cutting neck blanks, top, back, and side profiles, rough shaping braces, etc.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Do you think I really need a 14"? It seems rather large to me.

Any reason why?

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-Rob Eckert
Ann Arbor, Michigan

All I think I am going to use it for is cutting out body shapes (I'm getting some experience building electrics before I move onto acoustics) and doing neck profiling. I hope that I could buy one and have it last me for just about everything that I need.

So I guess the general agreement is that I need a 14 incher. How much do you think that will set me back?

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-Rob Eckert
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Rob, if you will only cut electric body shapes out of mahogany or some other wood that's not much harder, you could get by with a smaller saw. If you're going to keep building for a while, though, I think you will regret it. I agree with Lillian, when it comes to tools, get the best you can afford. Prices vary a lot. I think my Jet cost about $500. You can find a used saw or buy a new cheaper one than that, but stick with a proven brand. You'll get many different opinions over the next couple of days.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

if you are going to be cutting out neck blanks you will want at least a 14". if you are going to resaw you will want at least a 14" with a riser block or one of the 14 delux saws with a high capacity under the guides like a rikon or a laguna. the little bench top saws are ok for cutting out bridge blanks but really haven't got the grunt for cutting thick stock.

My first two guitars were built using a 9" Ryobi. I then bought a used Harbor Freight 14" for $100 I kept that for two years, sold it and bought a really nice PowerMatic 14" with a riser block. I can't see out growing that one but you never know...

BTW I still have the 9" Ryobi and use it often for small items or tight curves. You could cut out an electric body with it but You pushing it and you have to go pretty slow. I think max cuitting height is about 3" which is another limitation.

If you can't get exactly what you want, at least buy with resale value in mind. Used is a good way to go. What ever you do a good book that includes a section on setting up a bandsaw would be a big help in getting the best performance from your purchase. Set up makes a huge difference.

Good luck

A 9" Ryobi is a POS on all accounts. First off, you can't get decent blades unless you have them custom made. No one I've found carries them that small. Second, its basically plastic, so the guides are always moving, you can't get enough tension on the blade and the table moves on you. If you are to weigh the cost against the frustration you will incur, its not worth it. Save the pennies and get something decent. If for no reason than you will hold on to it a whole lot longer than you promised yourself that you would and you cuss each time you have to open the cover to get the top wheel a spin so it will start up for you. So unless you are a glutton for punishment, buy something, anything else. Heck, I'll send you one if you pay the postage.

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Aoibeann

I have an 18" Rikon, which I use for both large and small work. If I was to buy now, I'd get the Rikon 14" Deluxe saw. It actually has a slightly larger resaw capacity, a smaller footprint in the shop, and better blade guides. If I wanted to keep costs down, I'd look for one of the used saws mentioned above. If I ever get a larger shop, I'll get one of those and keep a resaw blade on the 18", and an 1/8 or 1/4" blade on the small saw for tight curves.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

Rob,

I am hurting for space, and work out of a 38 x 78 in closet in my apartment.  The biggest I could fit was a 10 in Craftsman.  You get some of the better options, like a cast frame and bigger motor, like the 14's, but it is still a bench top.  You can run 1/2 in blades, but they are hard to find...Anyway, it still fits on my table, and works well enough for what I use it for - mostly electrics and basses.

I just resawed a 4 in piece of 4/4 rough moradillo, and got two pieces 7/16 dressed, so it does hold tolerance well in resawing small stuff.

If I could have, I would have gone bigger though...

sorry, that was windy...

Stephen

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Oh yeah,

it was $150

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

One more vote for the Rikon 14" deluxe! About $750 I think, and close to best of both worlds.

Another vote for the 14" Rikon. It is a great value and I do not think that I will out grow it anytime soon. I have not had any problems finding blades for it at Woodcraft.

General 14" with riser. 1 hp is too lite and I am going to repower with 1.5 or 2 hp and wire 220v.

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Greg
http://garibaldiinstruments.com/

I have a fourteen Delta USA Made, and love it. Teaching school trades class made me a believer in these saws. Nowadays they are made in China I believe. I use this saw for top, backs, and sides profiling, plus cut 4 inch mahogany necks with it, etc. This one sports only a 1/4 inch general purpose Olson steel blade. I considered using riser blocks but just felt it was too lightweight to do that job.

(I ran huge shop machines with auto-feeders to resaw two by twelves into roof decking when I was young. So I knew the other end of the spectrum.)

Then there is the Laguna 18 inch. I use it for ripping and resawing. Works great. I use a carbide blade on it.

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http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Rob,
I purchased a used Delta 14" with riser block about 7 years ago. The only thing I have done to it is upgrade the guides to the carter system. I have been able to resaw pieces for veneer in my woodworking business and general cutting is a breeze with a sharp blade. Heck it even cut off my index finger once... very versatile! I don't see myself ever parting with this saw. I am always on the lookout for a larger saw for the right money, but I doubt it would be used much for guitar building. If you have the time to be picky, be sure to get a cast iron model. As suggested earlier, get the best machine you can afford. That doesn't necessarily mean larger, just get the highest quality. Pawn an old guitar if you need to... you can build a dozen new ones!
chris

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Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Rob,
I purchased a used Delta 14" with riser block about 7 years ago. The only thing I have done to it is upgrade the guides to the carter system. I have been able to resaw pieces for veneer in my woodworking business and general cutting is a breeze with a sharp blade. Heck it even cut off my index finger once... very versatile! I don't see myself ever parting with this saw. I am always on the lookout for a larger saw for the right money, but I doubt it would be used much for guitar building. If you have the time to be picky, be sure to get a cast iron model. As suggested earlier, get the best machine you can afford. That doesn't necessarily mean larger, just get the highest quality. Pawn an old guitar if you need to... you can build a dozen new ones!
chris

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Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Note to self, do not refresh a forum page if last action was a post...

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Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Instead of making a new thread, I might as well ask this here.

While I'm out buying a bandsaw, should I look at buying a drill press too? Or is there some jig that I can make to take my regular power drill into a drill press?

Thanks.

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-Rob Eckert
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Rob, if you have the funding and the space, go with a drill press. There are things that you can do on a drill press that you can't fake with a drill, like using a Robo-Sander. If you build a fence you can use it as a mini drum sander for bridges as well.

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Aoibeann

Rpb, I've got a 12" Ryobi bench top drill press that does everything I need it to do. Compared to the price of a bandsaw they are rather inexpensive. I tried the power drill with a Craftsma universal drill press stand. There just isn't any comparison to the real thing and as Lillian noted they can do lots of things other than drilling. One like mine only runs about $150. If you can afford it, go ahead and get one.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

An often overlooked tool for many tasks is a jig saw. Small, light, portable, and relatively inexpensive. Very handy for lots of small jobs.

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

I've got an 18" Jet bandsaw. If it was stolen I'd get another one just like it, and maybe put out a hit on the guy who stole the first one.

Those little itty bitty drill presses, I don't know the size, but they are cheap (mine is a Ryobi, I think), and stand about 2' high off the benchtop. Are an ok place to start if that's all you can afford, at least your holes will be at 90 degrees to the surface you're drilling (if you set it up right), but the castings are weak. If I try to use mine as a fret press I have to support the table or it'd probably snap right off. If you have the funds get a bloody great huge one.

I was at an auction a few years ago, it was a large fabricating place that was closing down. They had about a dozen huge drill presses lined up for auction. These things were as tall as me and super heavy duty industrial models (minimum 3hp). They needed a clean up but were all in working order. They most they got was $75 for the biggest one. So it pays to hunt around and go to the auctions. And no I didn't get one because buyers had to take the item with them on the spot. I had arrived by motorcycle and couldn't organise other transport.