Official Luthiers Forum!

Hey Everyone,

Just wondering if this sawwould do some small resawing jobs, or is it best left to the big saws?

Thanks!

Jeff

The only problem with this saw is that it only has 7-1/2 inch resaw capability. That is not quite large enough for large body guitar back and top. There doesn't seem to be any way to mount a riser block on it. Oddly, I've known people to use a Delta or Jet 14" band saw with a riser block and resaw successfully. So a small saw works better than this one but only because you can put a riser block in it.

I've had this same saw your looking at Jeff. Take my word for it... you
don't want it. I really like some of grizzlys stuff and I own a number of
their machines but I was sorely disappointed with this bandsaw.

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Thanks Mike and John,

Just the information I needed. I don't even know the 1st thing about resawing, but figured if I was to get a bandsaw, I might want to consider something with that ability.

What a great forum this is. People you can trust, with answers to your questions!

Jeff

I haven't owned a Grizzly anything. It would cut parlors and three piece backs. But you don't want this saw. Most everyone doing resaw has an 18 inch or up. A few folks around are running 17" wheels, but what you run into is flexing the blades cracking and temps building too quickly on the smaller saws.

I'm happy with my Laguna 18 now that I had a machinist make me a rear thrust bearing aftermarket setup for twenty bucks.

Laguna HD 16 is the perfect saw for a luthier shop . Its resaw capacity is 10" and with the proper blade and set up it resaws any wood like butter,.... with consistent thickness.

   I think I Pd $2400.00 shipped.It was well worth every penny .

JD The Laguna site lists the re-saw capacity of the LT 16HD as 16". Is this the saw your referring to?

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

The MiniMax 16 was always a bit better than the Laguna product, now they have both been upgraded and are even better than what either used to be just a year or two ago. The new MiniMax has something like 5 HP motor or something, and also a huge resaw capacity. Both are very expensive, but very very good.

The 15" saw from Grizzly is woefully underpowered for resawing....trust me.
I'm looking at their 20" bandsaw. It seems to be one of the best values out there from my research. It's 3x the cost of that 15" saw, but 4x the saw. Save your pennies. Get a bigger, more powerful saw.

Bob Cef has that new Laguna 16" saw on order from what I hear.... and it's supposed to be a great saw from what I'm reading and hearing.
Don Williams38408.7876851852

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Wow, Jeff points to a $400 saw and you guys suggest $2500 alternatives! Tough crowd...

Mostly I see those bigger saws as dedicated resaws perhaps requiring a smaller saw for jigging.

If you're only planning to resaw sets every now and again, and money is an issue, there are a lot of other options that work well and are a heck of a lot cheaper. The classic luthier's saw is the Delta 14" with riser block. Also consider the 16" Jet, which is solid column Euro design and under $1,000. It'll resaw to 10".

   I have a 16 " band saw. It is an old industrial type. Weighs a ton and has a 10 " rise so I can cut and resaw a 9 3/4 inch board. I used to have grizzly's 14 inch. It was okay for sides but not backs.
    I also found a wide coarse blade will do better than a fine. The coarser teeth clear the chip where the fine tooth clogs too fast.
   john Hall

Bob you are right the Delta 14 is in my shop and I considered it for resaw. But reading the woodworking forums made me think it was a stopgap measure. Do you have the risers? If so, how does it work? Mine only has a 3/4 hp motor compared to the Laguna 2 HP 220V.

I talked with a bunch of luthiers and of course there are hobbyist builders and folks who are headed for full time. Those doing serious resawing want a bigger machine.

When you get into tough woods you need the capacity of the larger saws to run carbide blades. The small diameter of the small saws below 18 inches, for instance the Timberwolf Carbides recommend 18 or larger.

Basically it depends on what you want to do. Timberwolf did tell me that even though they don't recommend carbide for below 18 inch that some luthiers were successfully running it on a 17.

I have the Laguna 18, but probably a better choice is the Laguna ResawMaster. I had a bunch of problems with the Laguna Euroguide rear thrust but recently had a machinist make me a ballbearing rear thrust and its doing very nicely now. The new ones are coming out with a really nice set of ceramic guides and USA made BALDOR motors from Ft. Smith Arkansas.

Back to the Delta 14 inch, USA made, became Chinese, some of the guys are liking the newer ones. It is perfect for every other job in my shop. I love sawing four inch thick neck blanks with a general purpose OLSON 1/4 inch blade. Blades are less than ten bucks.

I just wore out my first Timberwolf 3/4 inch steel blade on my big saw, and it did a great job. But I'm ready to try some new ones I got from Hastings saw.

I use a Delta 14" with the riser block and it seems to do a pretty good job. I haven't sawn any of the really hard exotics with it though.

I put a 1/2" Timberwolf blade on it and it cuts stuff like 9" walnut just like a warm knife through butter.

It also helped to get a bandsaw book and read up on how to properly set the saw up.

_________________
Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Hey Jeff,
How much resawing are you looking to do?

Dave, my son and two friends turned their nose up at the redwood tops I was resawing yesterday. I told them they'd have to come back when I was sawing black walnut. My favorite wood smell.

Bruce, we could start a whole thread on our favorite wood smells!

Walnut was always my favorite, then I built a FatBoy from the MIMF plans out of Sapele. What a wonderful smell. I also found that I like the smell of Catalpa, kinda similar to the Sapele.

And then there's BRW......

_________________
Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Jeff,

Ok, in response to Bob Steidl's comment, here's my other answer....
Yes, you can resaw with that saw.
It will be tough going, it's underpowered for cutting through wide exotics for things like guitar backs, but you can resaw with it. I have a 1 hp motor on my delta 14" w/riser, and although I can resaw with it, it's not a very good saw for the job. The frame isn't hefty enough to handle a high blade tension, and the motor is way too underpowered. But if I go really slow, I can do some resawing. Like someone said, if you want to do some occasional resawing, then it's ok. Otherwise, step up to something better.
Bob was right, you're looking for an inexpensive saw that can handle some resawing, and we were pointing you to over-the-top saws. Sorry...

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

As Don wrote, many of us start with a 14" saw (yes, the riser works well) and then super-sized it when we get all weird and start doing more resawing. As an all-purpose saw, I find the 14" units better than bigger saws because they are set up to handle smaller blades better. And I resawed a lot of wood on my 14" saw before I felt the urge to upgrade.

And bandsaws sure hold their value. So if you start with a smaller saw you can flog it in the classifieds quickly and with only a small loss.

This is why I suggested considering the 16" Jet; it's on the cusp between general-purpose saws and dedicated resaws.

I have a Jet 18" which I like a lot and it cost me about $1,000. If the 16" were available when I bought mine, I would have bouight that instead.

I'll maintain that successful resawing is 84.7% blade and careful set-up. If you're in a hurry, then get a 5 hp saw and you'll be happy. If you're patient, you can do a good job with a heck of a lot less.

Just the opinion of one buckethead.

Jeff as others have stated for a good general purpose all around bandsaw I don't think you can beat the 14" delta. I have one that I bought at least 15 years ago and it's still going strong. I upgraded a few things along the way like a 2hp motor, aftermarket fence, riser block, new tires, new tension spring etc. It works just fine. When I got into re-sawing and selling exotic woods the Delta just didn't cut it for day in, day out re-sawing. Way too slow. For someone like yourself that wants to re-saw on occasion it's a fine saw as is the 16" Jet. Set up and proper blades are really what makes re-sawing easier.

_________________
Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Also for a bit less money than the delta the RIGID ones that home depot
sell (on sale right now here for $349) you can put the riser block on and
they are much much better than the grizzy is. I'm going to get one for a
intermediate bandsaw...

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Thanks for the help everyone!

I doubt I will do much resawing. But, I live a 1/2 hour from Gilmer woods, and that temptation is always there!   I just have a curiosity about how everything works, and how things are done. So naturally, I might want to try resawing, so I understand what it is all about. Guitar building is expanding my horizons in many different directions!

Right now I have one of those little 9 inch bench top models, and it is good for scroll sawing, and that is about it. So, if I spend the money someday, I need to know more about what I am going to get. Sounds like I need to save some money and check out the 16 - 18 inch saws when I am ready to take the next step.

Thank you all again.

Jeff

Jeff,

I have a 14" Delta with a riser on it. It has the original 3/4 hp motor that came with it and for the occassional resawing that I do, it works just fine. The only modification that I have made was to add cool blocks and "tune it up" per Mark Duginske's recommendations in the Bandsaw Handbook. I've resawn everything from ebony to spruce in thicknesses up to 10" and I have even made my own veneers with it. For resawing I mostly use a 1/4" Timberwolf blade, I think that it works better for me than a wider blade (smoother cut and straighter), I just have to saw slower. If the wood is wet, I do use a 1/2" blade with big gullets.

If I were to do any additional upgrades for my needs, maybe I would put a 1-1/2 hp Baldor motor on it, but right now I don't need it. If I did a lot of resawing, I really really like the Minimax (over the Laguna).

Hope this helps.

Ray

I do resawing on a 14 inch Delta Bandsaw with an extension
on it. I resaw everything from western red cedar to macassar
ebony.   I have a 1 1/2 horsepower motor on it . Does it cut with
ease. Probably not. But with the proper set up and a little
patience the saw works great. Don't have any problems. I use
a 1/2 inch Lennox flexback carbon steel blade that I get made
by Charlotte Saw and Knife for around $10.00 a piece. Have
them sharpened twice at most.

I know a bigger saw would do a faster and probably more
efficient job. But if a 14 inch Delta Rockwell Bandsaw is all that
you have, don't get discouraged. At my guitar output, which is
around two or three a year, paying $1 or 2 thousand for a
bigger saw might just end my marriage. Being a wood hound
puts enough strain on it as it is!!!    

Well I guess I will give my 2 cents worth. I just sold my 1964 Powermatic 20" Tank-of-a-saw. It was nice but took up alot of space. I bought one of the new Rikon (18" I think) 2 speed saws and I have to say that I am well pleased at this point, and I have cut a good bit of wood with it. We will see how it holds up after a couple of years of heavy duty wear.