Well, Woodcraft now has the Rikon 14" bandsaw on special and I am itching to
get one.
But, first, I'm not certain what I need one for. Presently I get all my
little products done on a small Ridgid Tablesaw, a DeWalt sliding miter saw,
track saw, and some other tools. A jointer would be nice too.
I can afford the Rikon, I just don't know what to do with one that I can't
do with my other saws.
Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of projects
someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best used for?
Thanks, Ralph
On Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:35:00 -0700, "Ralph Compton"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Well, Woodcraft now has the Rikon 14" bandsaw on special and I am itching to
>get one.
>
>But, first, I'm not certain what I need one for. Presently I get all my
>little products done on a small Ridgid Tablesaw, a DeWalt sliding miter saw,
>track saw, and some other tools. A jointer would be nice too.
>
>I can afford the Rikon, I just don't know what to do with one that I can't
>do with my other saws.
>
>Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of projects
>someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best used for?
>
>Thanks, Ralph
I lived without one for a few years. Finally bought a Jet 14". I'd
never be without it now. Cutting curves and rounds is a breeze, the
occasional resaw.
I'd get a re-saw blade and a finer tooth 1/4" blade for the curves.
Making or replacing chair parts ("odd" shapes), making replacement
inside corner braces conveniently (chair seat frame repair
specifically, in my case), many curved pieces, small notched pieces,
tennons, wedges (utility use, often times, in my case), etc.
Football shaped & megaphone shaped ornaments (cheerleader activities);
holiday lawn ornaments/figurines, etc., i.e., relatives tend to donate
projects for you to perfect your bandsaw skills.
Sonny
"Ralph Compton" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Well, Woodcraft now has the Rikon 14" bandsaw on special and I am
> itching to get one.
>
> But, first, I'm not certain what I need one for. Presently I get all
> my little products done on a small Ridgid Tablesaw, a DeWalt sliding
> miter saw, track saw, and some other tools. A jointer would be nice
> too.
>
> I can afford the Rikon, I just don't know what to do with one that I
> can't do with my other saws.
>
> Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of
> projects someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best
> used for?
>
> Thanks, Ralph
>
It'll cut curves quite easily. Plus, it'll handle resaw of larger boards
perhaps easier than the table saw. For boards taller than about 5",
you'll need to use the bandsaw to resaw.
Since the kerf on bandsaw blades is usually quite thin, it can also be
used to saw veneer out of larger pieces. With the 1/8" kerf on the TS,
cutting veneer 1/8" thick would waste half the board. The bandsaw could
reduce this to ~25%.
Puckdropper
Ordered a 14" Rikon. Thanks for all the info and support.
Ralph
"Ralph Compton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Well, Woodcraft now has the Rikon 14" bandsaw on special and I am itching
> to get one.
>
> But, first, I'm not certain what I need one for. Presently I get all my
> little products done on a small Ridgid Tablesaw, a DeWalt sliding miter
> saw, track saw, and some other tools. A jointer would be nice too.
>
> I can afford the Rikon, I just don't know what to do with one that I can't
> do with my other saws.
>
> Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of projects
> someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best used for?
>
> Thanks, Ralph
>
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> Well, Woodcraft now has the Rikon 14" bandsaw on special and I am itching to
> get one.
>
> But, first, I'm not certain what I need one for. Presently I get all my
> little products done on a small Ridgid Tablesaw, a DeWalt sliding miter saw,
> track saw, and some other tools. A jointer would be nice too.
>
> I can afford the Rikon, I just don't know what to do with one that I can't
> do with my other saws.
>
> Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of projects
> someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best used for?
As others have said, it really depends on what you do. But with a
bandsaw and a planer you have complete control of stock thickness.
The band saw is a different kind of tool from your other saws--they're
all about cutting to length and angle, a bansdaw is all about cutting to
thickness and curves.
Ralph Compton wrote:
> Well, Woodcraft now has the Rikon 14" bandsaw on special and I am
> itching to get one.
>
> But, first, I'm not certain what I need one for. Presently I get all
> my little products done on a small Ridgid Tablesaw, a DeWalt sliding
> miter saw, track saw, and some other tools. A jointer would be nice
> too.
> I can afford the Rikon, I just don't know what to do with one that I
> can't do with my other saws.
>
> Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of
> projects someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best
> used for?
> Thanks, Ralph
Visit YouTube and watch a half-dozen videos of how and what you can do with
a bandsaw. You might end up saying "I gotta get me some of that!"
On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:59:10 -0400, Dave wrote:
> They're great for resawing if you have your own source of trees. A 14"
> isn't all that great in resaw height, but I think most Rikon's can have
> a riser added to them.
The Rikons are steel frame - no riser is possible - but the one I have
has 13" resaw capability standard.
--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw
On Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:17:39 -0700, Ralph Compton wrote:
> Ordered a 14" Rikon. Thanks for all the info and support.
If you have any problems with it, don't hesitate to call their customer
support. I bought one as soon as they came out and it had a couple of
problems. They replaced parts, including a new table, with no problem
whatsoever and gladly explained anything that wasn't clear in the manual.
--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw
Don't look at them! It will cost you money. I had a nice little
bandsaw before I bought my Rikon... Then, after using it a while to
resaw boards, I had to get a bigger one for logs. So, I'm out $8500
for a Timberking sawmill, but now I can make my own lumber for a
lumberdrying shed, a lumber kiln, and a new shop to hold all the
equipment I buy with the money I make selling lumber. When the kiln is
built this winter, I expect to sell even more at a higher profit. Most
of my equipment is bought used now from ads on Craig's List. I got a
Ridgid bandsaw in like new condition last week for $125 and all it
needed was new urethane belts for the wheels and one 5mm screw to hold
the door latch on. The blade was still sharp! Now I can keep a wide
blade on my Rikon and a narrow blade on the Ridgid and switch saws
instead of taking the time to switch blades.
What can you do with a bandsaw? Rip, crosscut, and freehand cut
anything. You'll get very good cutting, just outside of the line and
using your other tools only for final cutting after the bulk of
material has been removed from your work project. Tilt the table just
right and follow your lines and dovetails are easy and quick. Even if
you use a jig, you can remove the bulk of the waste with the bandsaw
before you put the boards in your jig. (through dovetails only, I've
yet to figgure a way to only cut 1/2 way through a board.)
Go ahead and scratch the itch. But go to http://www.searchtempest.com
and put in your area code, how far you are willing to drive to buy
your new tools and what you are searching for. This is a special
search engine that uses google to quickly search Craig's List in the
area you specify ony using your key words. You'll see all the current
ads and you can view the ones you are interested in. I especially
like clicking on the box to have them all show on one page. It's
amazing how many people will sell good tools for less than 1/2 retail.
Way less! This year I have spent just under $1000 for tools with a
retail value of over $4000.
On Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:16:26 -0500, "HeyBub" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Ralph Compton wrote:
>> Well, Woodcraft now has the Rikon 14" bandsaw on special and I am
>> itching to get one.
>>
>> But, first, I'm not certain what I need one for. Presently I get all
>> my little products done on a small Ridgid Tablesaw, a DeWalt sliding
>> miter saw, track saw, and some other tools. A jointer would be nice
>> too.
>> I can afford the Rikon, I just don't know what to do with one that I
>> can't do with my other saws.
>>
>> Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of
>> projects someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best
>> used for?
>> Thanks, Ralph
>
>Visit YouTube and watch a half-dozen videos of how and what you can do with
>a bandsaw. You might end up saying "I gotta get me some of that!"
>
On Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:35:00 -0700, "Ralph Compton"
>Is a bandsaw that useful? I suppose it depends on what kinds of projects
>someone uses it for. What sort of things is a bandsaw best used for?
They're great for resawing if you have your own source of trees. A 14"
isn't all that great in resaw height, but I think most Rikon's can
have a riser added to them.
Never fear. If you buy a halfway decent bandsaw, projects and ideas
will follow. :)