band saw question

[Ricky Wallace]

Just the thread I need,,I have a 10" craftsman,mgd in 1991,not much use on it.I bought a new blade,craftsman brand,set it up,cut about 2 inches into a peice of oak and snap! I got another blade,Bosch this time,same thing happened again.Any thing Im doing wrong ya think? Im saving for a 14" but it will be a while,wish I could get a little use out of this one.

[Bradford]

Sounds like you are getting the blade to tight.. I have done that with the 1/8" blades on my 12 and 9" saws.  The wider blade can handle a bit of pressure, but the 1/8" blade can not.

Just snug it up.. it will wiggle back in forth a bit, but will work just fine.  1/8" blade just have a lot of movement in them

[Robertfishes]

I bought a used 1980s? 12 inch Craftsman band saw/sander combo last year,the woman I got it from couldnt find everything that came with it new so it didnt come with the sander parts or owners manual. I did buy an owners manual thru Sears. I replaced the metal blocks with cool blocks and bought a carbide blade..so far so good. I found my saw locally on Craigslist it was only $50 and in very good condition. I also found a 4 inch x 132 inch edge sander on Craigslist..Like Dick, I grind my limbs with a zirconium belt..but I still cut out risers and shelfs with the carbide blade band saw.

[Bradford]

Hey robert, how is that carbide blade doing for you?  Have you cut thru fiber glass with it?

I was thinking of going that route,  but before I dink down 80 bucks or so.. I want to talk to some one how has got some good use out of it.  I also have the 12" craftsman that can be a sander.. but did not get the parts for that.  Also only paid 50 for mine to!  Yard Sale!

Where did you get the cool blocks?

Thanks

[don s]

i finally got my bandsaw/sander. i got a 12" craftsman. i didn't get as good a deal as you two did. mine was 100.00. mine is also without the sanding platen. it is no longer made and there are no substitutes. the guy i bought it from is going to check his late fathers shop for it. it was his dads and this saw was kept in very good condition. hopefully he will find the platen. does anyone her happen to have one? or know where i could find one?

[Ricky Wallace]

Thanks Bradford,It was pretty tight,,Ill get another one and try it one more time,,there only 6$ so its not so bad.

[kiltedcelt]

My two cents worth - if space or money is a concern look into 10" models. A 10" bandsaw is a nice step up from  the little benchtop 9" models. I live in an apartment so space is an issue. Also, I needed something that I could easily move around since if I was going to use it for a long time I'll take it outside to cut down on mess. Even with a shop vac hooked up my saw will still generate a good bit of dust. I bought a Craftsman 10" which is virtually the same model as the 10" Rikon that is carried at some of the woodworking stores like Woodcraft. The only thing is the Craftsman is a little bit cheaper and actually has a cast iron table versus the aluminum table on the Rikon. It also has roller bearing blade guides which you typically won't find except on higher end larger models. Most of the little 9" models use graphite blocks to guide the blade.  The blades are 70 1/2" and you can get Olson blades from Woodcraft and their fairly decent. The saw comes with a 3/8" blade but it's junk. Even set up properly it makes crappy cuts. The 1/2" Olson I just put on makes a very nice cut. If you look on Craigslist sure, you can find a 12" or 14" saw used for the price of the 10" Craftsman (~$190), maybe even cheaper but again it's all whether you've got the space and can easily move around a saw that's going to weigh at least a 100# if not 150 or 200. Oh yeah, cutting capacity is up to 4 5/8" (actually slightly more), with about a 9+ inch throat.

[Robertfishes]

Bradford, I have used the carbide blade on 9 bows and the only glass I cut with it was in the risers, so far it seems to be sharp. I use a 50 grit zirconium belt to grind limbs almost to the line then I switch to a 120 grit belt to sand to the lines..Eric Krewson told me about the cool blocks, I got them from "Woodcraft" (online)

[Bradford]

Ricky..  great, glad that's what it was.  I have broken a few 1/8" blades myself.

Don!  Awesome.. glad you found one.  100 bucks still is not bad.. I just ran into one heck of a deal.  I was willing to pay 125 for a used one on craigslist (which seemed to be the going rate).. but stopped off at a couple of yardsales and got lucky!

Robert.. I might need to invest in one then.. 9 bows and you cut the fiber on the riser!  That is awesome.  I am lucky to get two bows!  I also sand down to the lines on the limbs with a standard 50 grit.  Then I finish sand every thing with my mouse sander.  I will look into the cool blocks.. I can order those from woodcraft, or drive the hour down the hill and maybe buy some wood too!

[scrub-buster]

Originally posted by don s:
i finally got my bandsaw/sander. i got a 12" craftsman. i didn't get as good a deal as you two did. mine was 100.00. mine is also without the sanding platen. it is no longer made and there are no substitutes. the guy i bought it from is going to check his late fathers shop for it. it was his dads and this saw was kept in very good condition. hopefully he will find the platen. does anyone her happen to have one? or know where i could find one?

I have one that I don't plan on using.  What model is yours?  Does it look like this?  If it is the same one, I will ship it to you.  I think I even have the belt.  It is only about 1/2 - 3/4" wide.  PM me with your address.  I might not get back to you for a few days.  Today is my birthday and I am taking off for a few days.  Congratulations on the new saw.

 

[scrub-buster]

Is this what you are looking for?  I zoomed in on it.

 

[stringstretcher]

Just a heads up for anyone looking at Grizzly tools.  I went to their shop and got a 14" Grizzly bandsaw.  The one I went to get was right at $500.00 and right beside it was the "POLAR BEAR" series, for $395.00.  After talking to the sales people, yest more than one, I found out that the polar bear series is the exact same saw, saw exact parts list, with the exception of it being white in color.  You can save a lot of money by getting the polar bear series.  I brought two tools and saved over 300.00 on the two just because of the color

[don s]

scrub-buster yes, thats it. thank you so much.don

[Tom Leemans]

I know when I purchase one, it will be the Ulimate 14" Grizzly. GREAT customer service!