Official Luthiers Forum!

Hello all, I currently have a small benchtop band saw, but Im looking for an upgrade. I want something large enough to do some re-sawing. What size should I get, what should I look out for, do you recommend any particular model, and how much do you think it will cost? -Alex

How much resaw capacity do you need & how much can you spend?

At a bare minimum, you'll need a 14" Delta (or clone) with a riser block. This will give you about 12" of resaw capacity but in my experience, trying to resaw anything wider than 9 or 10" on that saw won't be easy - the saw has to be set up very precisely & you have to feed very slowly.

I've never used one but a lot of guys like the Rikons & Grizzlys for new saws.

Depending on your geographic location, you may be able to find a good used saw 20" or bigger.

Kevin Looker

_________________
I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Ideally I would like to be able to re-saw 8"-9" wide wood (acoustic tops and backs ). I would LIKE to keep cost below $1000 if possible, but depending on quality, I might be willing to go above that (though a saw that only costs a couple hundred bucks would be ideal). I am VERY big on quality here. I plan to have this saw for a long time and I want to make sure its good quality. I am willing to pay more for a higher better saw

I really like my grizzly 14" I don't have the riser block, but plan to get one soon, they now make a fence for re-sawing as well.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-1-HP-Bandsaw-Polar-Bear-Series-/G0555P

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John Thiessen
http://www.iszacguitars.com

I have the Rikon 14" deluxe bandsaw, it has a resaw capacity of 13 1/4" I have resawed 10" bubinga and wenge with it both when it was wired 110vac, and now that it is wired 220vac
(one of the great options of this machine) it had no problem with either wood at both 110v and 220v and a basic 3/4" Olson All pro blade 3TPI. The 17" or 18" would be great for the extra throat capacity, but I would not trade the 14" for anything, absolutely love it. Other benefits are the quick blade release(full to half tension at the flip of an arm), Carter type roller guides, 2 speed drive wheel, and easy read tension guide in the housing. Runs around $800, but Woodcraft usually has it on sale every few months for around $729 or so. Also Ebay is a good place to look for local deals along with Craigslist.


http://www.rikontools.com/productpage_10-325.htm