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5K views 39 replies 27 participants last post by  dfdye 
#1 ·
WHAT TO DO?

I need a small band saw 9" would suffice and my wife's family sent me a couple hundred dollars to buy one
now I have the delima of which one to choose.
Cant afford a 14" saw and the Skil and Craftsman are my two choices locally.
I'm only going to be cutting thin plywood and 1" thick boards with it.

Help I don't know what to do!!!!!
 
#2 ·
If you're willing to drive to Albuquerque and back, I've got a Delta 28-276 I'm going to put up for sale. I'm planning on asking $250 and taking $200. You can see it in one of the pictures in this review. It'll have a new blade on it as a selling point.
 
#5 ·
I have had good results using a Ryobi 9 inch saw for cutting blanks and cut outs on small pieces. It comes with a fence, worklight, and miter gauge. If you have a Home Depot in your area, then they should have them in stock. Craftsman makes decent products in their professional line but have not have much luck with their lower end models. If 200 dollars can be a stepping stone, you might want to move up to a larger saw. If 200 is the max you can invest, I would check out reviews on the Skil and see if a Ryobi is available in your area. You might also want to check Craigslist for any used bandsaw offerings in that price range. If you go with the 9inch. use the remaining funds to purchase some blades. They make many different types for various functions.

Good Luck,

David
 
#7 ·
I got my 12" PowerKing (made circa 1945) on Craigslist for $100, I'd recommend looking there. You can find dozens of Craftsman, Ryobi, etc. that are incredibly inexpensive there.
 
#8 ·
Dave,
I had a smaller saw 9 inch and regretted it everytime I used it. I constantly complained to my wife how weak and useless it was all the time. So I waitied until I could afford the Grizzly 14 inch Ultimate. I forgot how great a really good band saw was. Not knowing your how much you can afford or want to spend, I just thought I would share my regreats of settling or not waiting. Hope this helps.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/The-Ultimate-14-Bandsaw/G0555
 
#9 ·
I have to echo other sentiments. unfortunately, I learned the hard way and bought Skil table saw, drill press and bandsaw only to use them a couple times and realize even as a newbie to woodworking, its too easy to outgrow these. Now I have all these bigger versions and the little ones are all stashed in corners and under benches. save your self the money and bitterness after the fact of realizing everything they are saying here is true and now its too late! and for the record, the bandsaw is one of my favorite tools! (14" Delta)

as a side note, that Skil bandsaw is weak and and everything is undersized. the miter is cheap, plastic and you cant use a standard after market mitre either.

finally, if anyone is interested in a Skil table saw, drill press or bandsaw, hit me up. I still got 'em! LOL

P.s. if you are that stuck on the Skil, I will sell you mine for $80 + shipping. all docs there and only about 10 minutes on the motor literally. basically brand new
 
#10 ·
Keep your eyes peeled on Craigslist. I see a LOT of nice, barely used 9" Delta Shopmaster saws going for well under $100.00 several times a month…

FWIW, I have seen the Skil up close and in person, and am not that impressed. Too much plastic. Same goes for the Ryobi.

If you can afford the space, and eventually the funds, get your little band saw, and save up for a full size saw. Resawing opened up a whole new world of free lumber to me…
 
#12 ·
I don't know how much you are looking to spend but Harbor Freight has this 14" band saw for $199 and I had looked at it about 2 weeks ago and it is identical to my American bandsaw from what I am told is a Jet. All the Jet parts fit mine.

Craigslist has been a pretty good place to find decent equipment. I purchased my table saw, planer joiner, biscuit joiner, clamps and the band saw was thrown in because it needed the brackets for the table for $500.
 
#19 ·
get a 14 " if you can ,

this is like talking about the wife ,

" i just wanted to ask her out to a movie "

just 'cause you want to play today ,
doesn't mean it won't get serious tomorrow !
 
#22 ·
Save your money and get the best 14" saw you can afford. I wouldnt waste the money on either of your 2 local choices. There is also craigslist. Bandsaws are everywhere, wait for a good one
 
#23 ·
I got a slightly used Ryobi 9" lastnight for 50 bucks put the rest of the money back for a 14" band saw!
I'll be honest the little Ryobi suprised me it came with three blades so I messed with it about an hour
tried all the blades on differnt woods and thicknesses that I had laying around and it never bogged down
or gave me any trouble. I do see what you all mean by bigger and better i cut a three inch piece of poplar
with ease it struggled a little when I did it on a angle. Then broke out some oak about an 1 1/2" thck.
and it cut it no problem. did some scrolling with it too, I need a little practice hahahahaha!

Saving up for bigger and better but for now I'm content!!!!
Thank you everyone for your advice and thoughts!
David B. Lucky Dawg
 
#24 ·
I bought my 14"band saw from a tool sale for just under $200.00. Now I wish I had a bigger one. Not sure what kind of stuff you do, but I find that the band saw gets used as much as my table saw in the shop. By your post it sounds like good advice to look for a 14". There is so much you can do with a band saw. I never thought I would use one as much as I do.
 
#25 ·
I hear ya Gregn!
I've never owned one or used one and didn't think I needed one till I got one now I'm
totaly fascinated. The little one will be good practice till I can save up for the bigger one.
plus with the new store just down the road from my house and sucking up to them I
now have a good connection and they will order anything I want. I ordered a job application. hahahaha!
 
#26 ·
In my opinion, you really don't need a huge bandsaw unless you're wanting to resaw wood that is pretty thick. A 9-14" will let you do just about anything you want in materials that are 8/4 (or thicker, if it's not super hard stuff like oak).

For me, I want to be able to slice logs up for wood, so a 14" with a riser block will be in my future :)
 
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