Would a bandsaw make a difference?

[T Callahan]

Hey all, I've made several board bows with hand rasps and a jig saw but it is very tedious and the jigsaw sometimes doesn't cut as accurately as I think it needs to. Would a band saw be a good thing to invest in?

Also, I'd like to try my hand at a tri-lam. What kind of tools are a must?

Thanks!

[Roy from Pa]

You need a good band saw. You also need a belt sander.
 http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-1-HP-Bandsaw-Polar-Bear-Series-/G0555P

[LittleBen]

geeze .... I can tell you this ... I've made a couple dozen wood bows, maybe half a dozen tri-lams or 4 lam bows ... you can do it without a band saw ... I use a belt sander but conceivably you could get by without one ...

That is assuming you want to waste all your time and you have the lams made for you.

I don't see how you're going to get around using a belt sander if you need to prepare bamboo, doing it by hand would be the definition of tedious.

A band saw is nice, but I live in an apt and have no place for one. I use an electric hand plane to remove bulk material from the sides of the limbs, then I use a belt sander for finishing the sides of the limbs, some shaping of the riser, and also most of the tillering.

After that it's hand tools, mainly a half round file, a half round rasp, a coping saw for cutting sight windows and radii which are smaller than the belt sander roller, and lots of sandpaper.

I'f you've got the money and the space, get a decent band saw an a good belt sander .... don't skimp ... you need some power in both tools.

I started with a real cheepo belt sander and literally destroyed it in less than a year with heavy sanding.

[John Scifres]

I made my first 25 or so selfbows without a bandsaw but really got into it once I had a bandsaw.  It made a huge difference in my bowmaking.  Still, every once in a while, I make one with nothing but hand tools and there is great joy in that.  

I've never tried a bamboo backed without having both a bandsaw and belt sander.  It could be done for sure though.

[T Callahan]

Thanks Roy I'll look into that. Readin some of your posts have given me alot of good advice.

And yeah I've made several selfbows and when I tried a mollegabet I realized that a small rasp has its limitations.

Thanks for the advice guys!

[Grey Taylor]

Some say a bandsaw will enable you to ruin your bow in a split second rather than a half hour with hand tools.

Guy

[T Callahan]

Yeah I learned that the hard way with a jig saw. I was cutting out a arrow shelf and it jumped and cut through my bow...not a fun moment

[Grey Taylor]

Originally posted by T Callahan:
Yeah I learned that the hard way with a jig saw. I was cutting out a arrow shelf and it jumped and cut through my bow...not a fun moment

 Instant take-down project.

Guy

[T Callahan]

haha!! well I had a campfire that night.lol   :D

[Roy from Pa]

Tom, just buy a good band saw. Will make your bow building so much easier. Sure you need to pay attention when cutting with a band saw, but heck ya need to do that when using a jig saw too....

[T Callahan]

yeah I've put that on my to get list.
The Jig saw I've been trying to use is a 20 year old relic I found when I was looking for a hacksaw...next time I'll use the hacksaw.lol

[Whitetail Chaser]

I got a used Craftsman bandsaw on cr--list for 100 bucks.

I'm working on a 3 piece longbow, but the saw has been used a lot already.

I did use a hacksaw to cut my shelf/sight window.

[7 Lakes]

My bandsaw is the hub of my shop.  Only rivaled by my surface sander. I have a really nice table saw but it's kerf is the width of a lamination.

[choochoou]

I just jumped in with both feet and drove out to the grizzly show room and drove out with the 1 4 in bandsaw anniversary model , belt sander 6 /48 , 6 "jointer and a dust collection system it was long overdue. Joe

[Eric Krewson]

There are two camps in the bow making community, hand tool folk that claim power tools are a corruption of the craft and us other folk that make a lot more bows than the hand tool folk and need a little power assist.

I use mostly hand tools in my bow making after I have cut out my blank with a variety of large, powerful, power tools. I have a Griz band saw, jointer, 6X48 belt sander, lathe,2hp dust collection system and a Shop smith planer, love them all.

I am fast enough now to do all my blank cutouts with hand tools in a very short time. Too much heavy draw knifing really stirs up my carpel tunnel problems so I fall back on my power tools. I like horse power! GRRRRRRRRRR

There is a learning curve with power tools so newbies can expect to do some serious damage to their work when they turn on the first switch and start cutting.

[eflanders]

The first few lam bows I made were done using my table saw.  Then I started using my bandsaw.  Now i use my table saw and planer to minimize waste and time.

[Tom Leemans]

If you owned a Grizzly 14" with a 1HP motor and one of their 6X48 (with 9" disc) sanders, you will use the crap out of them. Trust me, and not just on bows!

[eflanders]

By the way, I have a 14" Steel City bandsaw with the 1.5 hp motor with the granite drive wheel and table. This thing cuts through stuff as good as or better than my buddy's new 17" Grizzly.  (We both use the same blades.)  We both do about the same amount of work on them and both were bought primarily for resaw work. The resaw capacity is quite similar despite the stated size difference. I have to admit that the Grizz does a little bit better at dust collection (having 2 ports instead of 1), but it cost almost twice as much as mine did. The Steel City bandsaw has better guides and comes with a mobile base.  It will be interesting to see how the two compare 5-10 years from now.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Originally posted by Tom Leemans:
If you owned a Grizzly 14" with a 1HP motor and one of their 6X48 (with 9" disc) sanders, you will use the crap out of them. Trust me, and not just on bows!

Bingo!

[Roy from Pa]

Bingo X's 2....