Bench-top Band Saw-Which Is Better??

I'm looking for a small(inexpensive) band saw for cutting pen blanks and other small projects. All other things being equal, is a two wheel saw better than a three wheel design?? I know the 3-wheel design will afford a wider cutting capacity; but that is not a big issue for me. I am more interested in which design is sturdier, stronger, more stable/accurate, etc. How important is having a variable speed motor on a small saw? I found one at Lowe's that has a laser guide on it. Sounds like a "gimmick" to me?? What do you think??

I understand all of the arguments about buying bigger, better tools to avoid later upgrades; but a small saw will suit all of my needs both now and in the future!!

Thanks!!

Randy, what brand is the one with the laser at Lowes?? As I don't have a band saw, I'll probably pass on a small one and wait for a larger unit that can resaw up to 12".

I would look at the 12" Jet. It's a fairly decent, small bandsaw. A few years ago I would say INCA but they really don't have any support in the USA anymore. If you really want to go small then take a look at the tools from Proxxon

Jim:

It's called a:

GMC 9" Band Saw with REDEYE® Laser Line Generator

here is the link if you want to take a closer look:

I'm sure it isn't the best saw ever made; but I am not sawing thousands of feet every week either!!

I don't know much about the GMC saw. If you are looking for something in this size you might want to take a look at Rikon's little 10" saw - model 10-300. I stumbled across this saw the last time I was at Woodcraft. It looks like a miniature version of their 18" saw. (The only adjective I could think of at the time was "adorable"). The price on it was about $130.00 if I recall correctly.

I've not seen any reviews of the saw, but the 18" is getting pretty rave reviews. It comes with a 2 year warranty but doesn't seem to include a fence.

Randy, I'd stay away from the three wheeled type. I have read many posts saying that they don't track well, are hard on blades, causing a lot of blade breakage.

I had a 3 wheel grizzly for small stuff. it worked ok. but in the end you get what you pay for. I would avoind the GMC ones as I have a friend who bought their drill press and a few weeks later bought the Delta one. he said it couldn't drill a straight hole even if the hole was already drilled. not sure what that means but it sounded pretty bad.

My Dad had a 3-wheel benchtop that we struggled with every time we went to use it. I would not recommend these.

I have the 9" Grizzly benchtop and have been pretty happy with it although the table is pretty flimsy. I ended up buiding a new one for it.

I saw the 10" Rikon and I think that IS DEFINATELY the way I would go if I were to buy a benchtop model again. It was definately worth the extra ~30 bucks over the benchtop Delta or GMC model.

My 2 cents,

Jim in Idaho

I can get a 9"-2 wheel RYOBI for $90 at Home Depot.

I can get a 9"-2 wheel DELTA for $100 at Lowe's.

The 10" RIKON is $180.

Keeping in mind that "my" saw will be seeing only light duty, is the Rikon worth the extra money??

I've had the 9" Ryobi for almost 2 years now.
It works great, especially with Timberwolf blades.
Re-saw is only 3 1/8, but I dint buy it to re-saw with.
I use it for small stuff.... banjo bridges, crafts and other small items.

I had the $100 Delta for a while. Cut curves really well while trying to do a straight line. Cut straight lines really well while trying to do curves. Had bandsaw experts try to use it - they could make it work good for a few inches, then it was bad again. Finally sold it for $45 and felt guilty for taking so much. I noticed that the person who bought it had it for sale again a couple months later.

I bought the Jet 14 inch, and later upgraded to the cheaper Grizzly 14 inch G0555 - great saw that will last me until I jump to a $2000+ bandsaw

I'm sorry if I remembered the price wrong from Woodcraft. It may have been on sale - I was there last month when the 18" Rikon was on sale. The price I saw may have been part of the same sale.

Given your use I would think the Rikon might be worth looking at if it really were $130. At $180 I'd guess that that's too much of a premium since you are getting close to the neighborhood of the Jet 12". (It's fun the way you can work your way up this way - if I go for the Jet 12" then maybe the Grizzly 14" would work but then the Jet 14" isn't much more and then there's the big Rikon. Before long you've got a Minimax 24" saw to cut your pen blanks.)

Given Gary's experience with the Ryobi and Home Depot's return policy you probably can't go wrong at least giving the saw a try. If it doesn't work for you then you can return it pretty easily.

Good luck!

Gary/Brad: I had been leaning towards the Ryobi already and you may have sealed it for me. I really do understand the comments about upgrades and am a strong proponent of buying the biggest and best that you can afford. But the only woodworking that I do is making pens and piddly litttle stuff so a small saw will suit me perfectly. Never have had the urge, time or money to get into real woodworking. I may still the wrong selection; but it won't be for lack of excellent advice from SMC members.

Right now, there is a new Delta 10" saw on eBay for about $75......the upscale model with the cast iron frame and table. It's less than a hundred dollars now and if it stays in that range, I probably will go with it, otherwise it probably will be the Ryobi. Where do you guys get your Timberwolf blades from. Is that a stock item at H/D??

Randy,

I have a 9 inch Delta. You can find them for $120 and under. They also make a fence for it now. Works great for me and like you do a lot of small stuff like pens, etc.

Bernie

Timberwolf blades at

http://www.suffolkmachinery.com/

It sounds like for the stuff you'll be doing, a 9" would be perfect.

I've not used the Delta, so I can't comment on it.

I have 2 friends that also have the Ryobi and love it.

Throw the stock blades away. :D

I have used the 9" Delta--does a pretty good job for the money. :D

I have the 9 inch delta that I bought because I thought the only thing I would ever make was pens. I am hoping to get a bigger bandsaw by the end of the year though. I use it mainly for cutting pen blanks and small bowl blanks. At first it did a lousy job. It seemed like the blade always went in the opposite direction I wanted it to. I happened to pick up a Timberwolf blade and that made a world of difference. It pretty much works like a bandsaw is suppossed to now. It is great for small stuff. I have stopped the saw many times when cutting a 2 1/2 inch bowl blank! If you only want to cut pen blanks then you will be just fine, but get a 3/8 " timberwolf blade for it.

Chris