# 14 inch VS 10 inch bandsaw pros and cons?



## Split (Aug 21, 2013)

I am stuck between two different bandsaw I would like to do some resawing and have a few burls I have to section out. I was curious to see if anyone on here could give me some pros and cobs to sway me to either side.

Thanks


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## TechTeacher04 (Mar 17, 2014)

Typically you will get a larger motor on a 14" you will also have a larger resaw capacity to start with. Riser blocks are also available for most 14" band saws which will further increase your resaw capability. The strength of the castings is also heavier which will lead to less vibration and better cut quality.

A benefit of the 10" is cost and size. However based on your intention to resaw, you will want the larger motor, table and throat of the 14" saw.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

Motor & blade options with a 14" band saw ¾ to 1 ½ HP just makes life easier everything you want to do with a band saw.

While you can resaw 10" band saw, with right blade have to watch your rate of feed to keep from bogging down saw motor. Not sure there is more than one or two 10" band saws worth having. May not be correct Rikon or Sears model same saw.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

Go for a 14". If you get a 10" now, you may find it lacking down the line. The only reason I have a 10" is because I got it on sale for $99 some years back and it's a great little saw. It's the craftsman 10" rikon clone which normally goes for $200+ now.

That said, I will be upgrading to a 14" when I save enough pennies. I'm currently eyeballing the rikon 10-325.


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## JayT (May 6, 2012)

14 inch is a far better choice for most due to its versatility. Besides the things mentioned above, there is also a lot more variety of blades available to do a range of tasks and they are easy to find because of the sheer number of 14in saws out there.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

There are no pro's to a 10" bandsaw if you are going to resaw.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

I have a 10" Rikon. Great little saw. 
It has easily cut 3" thick red oak without problems.
It Is limited to 4 3/8" height for resawing, however.
And this is a fixed limit. Due to the welded steel frame there is no way to add a riser block.
With the small 10" wheels you could not run a thicker, wider blade anyway. The blades would flex too much and fail quickly.
Bottom line, I really like my little Rikon and am glad I bought it and will keep it even when I do get a larger saw.
I really want a 16"+ saw for resaw work but I will keep the 10" saw for curves.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I have the 14in Rikon 10-325 and love it. I use it almost exclusively for resawing, mostly 6-9in 8/4 or 12/4, even though it can resaw up to 13in. I use a Timberwolf 3/4in 2-3TPI blade.

That said, I have considered ALSO picking up the 10in BS for use with smaller 1/4in or so blades for making BS boxes and some scroll work, even though I have an old 16in scrollsaw for the smallest stuff.

Sure, I could always swap out the resaw blade on my 14in 10-235, however, for the sake of convenience it sure would be nice to have another BS dedicated to smaller jobs. I might even get more motivated to do more smaller projects if I had one for each need. I have more than paid for my 14in BS by buying and resawing roughcut lumber, so that will NOT change if I can help it.

Just my 2-cents…


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## bowedcurly (Aug 31, 2013)

my mistake is I had a Rikon 10-345 18in but I sold it cause I really didn't resaw alot at the time, but know I need it wish I would have kept the Rikon and purchased a 555 Grizzly, so now I will be buying a 513X2, not to big not to small


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