What kind of saw?

[SantaCarvinLady]

So far, I've done all my roughing out using just my powercarver. I'm moving into bigger pieces, though...and though it would be better to do SOME of the roughing with some sort of power saw. At this point, I have only a sabre saw that I use to cut wood to size. I'm thinking I should invest in a table-top saw - (either a band saw or scroll saw?) that will allow me to cut along lines, etc., rather than just my usual hacking away. I need it to cut through wood that is up to 5-6 inches thick - is that possible? What about speed of the cut? I just die while waiting for my sabre saw to get through some pieces of wood. I want to be sure I get the fastest cut I can get. I just want to get to carving!!

What do you suggest as options?

Teri

[Nancy_G]

[AlArchie]

[chele]

Re: What kind of saw?

Put a vote down for the Grizzly.
We have had it for years, thick and thin wood.
It cuts great and was reasonable$
My husband has been buying their products for years.He did have one return on a Mortise machine, but it was handled quick and with no problems.
Michele

[Guest]

Re: What kind of saw?

guess I have to put in my .02....think RIDGID, just kidding, but I like mine and I especially like the lifetime warranty, also as with other bandsaws, you can get an extension if you want to cut larger wood....suggest you do this at time of purchase though because other wise you will have to buy new blades as the old ones will be too short!

[Nancy_G]

Re: What kind of saw?

My 14' Delta has tilting table to make those ... ??? er... ah ... whatcha call 'em ... diagonal cuts, and after I cut out blanks I run at least 99% percent of them through again on all 4 sides at 45* (I think -- maybe you noticed, I ain't none too smart with machinery). I want those sharp side edges all knocked off/rounded off. It sure saves me a lot of time & effort rough cutting with a chisel. Dumb as I am I have no trouble at all with the adjustments and alignments. It just takes seconds and no brains at all.
Remember - you're hearing from an old HOUSEWIFE who got her bandsaw when she had just the vaguest idea of the difference between a screwdriver and a wrench. :

[mdallensr]

Re: What kind of saw?

Some recent 'consusmer-product' type reviews of band saws gave the Delta, Jet and new Grizzly good marks (for afforable machines). I have the Delta, use it a lot, and like it. The comment about scroll saws is correct; you can't do thicker than about 2', and thicker than 1 1/2' can be tedious and less accurate than a band saw. There are some really high-end band saws that most of us won't bother with due to the price (Laguna is one). However, if you're only going to do smaller carvings such as Santas, you could probably get by with a good bench model and save $200-$300. Be ready to use a shop-vac for dust collection.

BTW, I worry more about my band saw than my radial arm saw. If you ever saw a butcher cutting meat on a band saw, you'd know how quickly you could lop off a valued body part. Band saws seem safer because they're quiet and nothing's moving other than the blade, but that can be deceiving. I think radial arm saws and table saws earn our fear and respect because the danger is so obvious.

[lorax]

Re: What kind of saw?

I dont want to get into a tinkling match over brands (cough Rigid cough cough), but I will tell you what not to get. I have a craftsman tabletop that has three wheels to give you bigger throat depth. The problem with the design is you need three hands to put the blades on, and they pop off much easier than the two wheel kind. I'm not saying anything about Craftsman specifically but BEWARE THE THREE WHEEL DESIGN!!! or if it doesn't bother you, you can buy mine

[AlArchie]

Re: What kind of saw?

That's the one thing I really do like about the tilting HEAD Craftsman, is being able to knock off a 45 degree corner, like Nancy says, but with the table still flat and level with the floor. Trouble is getting the darned thing lined back up to true 90 degrees again, even with the electronic digital readout! Have to take the table (front) off everyso often and clean the threads and stops. I guess every advantage has it's trade-offs. Oh, ya, and that Craftsman lathe was made by Ridgid, not Delta, like I first said, although I think delta did do a series for tham a while back!

Al

[Callynne]

[Nancy_G]

Re: What kind of saw?

Al - you're scaring me. To get my blade back to what I HOPE is 90*, I just set a little metal L shaped gadget with a bubble level in it on the table against the blade. Usually I'm within a nano-inch of 90* anyhow ..... then tighten 'er down and take off.
PLEASE tell me I'm not doing something wrong.

[FatEddy]

Re: What kind of saw?

In a moment of rage I gave my Craftsman to my son-in-law. The next time I needed to cut something the only place open was Lowe's - the only thing they had in stock was the Delta so that's what I got. Works fine. I got lucky. Teri, your just not going to find an adequate saw that will fit comfortably on a table (I don't think) unless it's a big heavy table. So be thinking workbench or tool stand.

[AlArchie]

[Guest]

Re: What kind of saw?

Good advice here on bandsaws. The smart money goes for a standup unit. I have both a tabletop and a standup saw and do not use the tabletop for much of anything. A good investment would be to purchase some low heat blade guides to save on future cost of blades. Woodcraft can be an easy choice for your bandsaw accessories. Sounds like someone might be getting a new christmas gift.
Ric

[SantaCarvinLady]

Re: What kind of saw?

Oh, I'm not going to wait for Christmas - that's too many carvings away :-) Thanks, you guys, for all the advice. I'll definitely get a floor model, thanks to you...and am right now investigating all the options you've thrown out as far as models. Thanks!!

Teri