Band saw post in the neander section....

[Carl Beckett]

Hey Van, I see a bandsaw post in the Neander forum!!!

Didnt see your name so figured you didnt know about it.



(ok, Im just giving you some good natured ribbing)

[Neil Brooks]

Yep. I suspect he's on it

[Van Huskey]

I probably wouldn't have noticed it for a day or two had it not been pointed out...

I understand the concept though, I feel strange asking a question over there. Not that they are not helpful but I often feel flooded with information about neander stuff and it often makes it more difficult to make a choice and/or makes me feel the need to spend more money. I once ask something to the effect of what 3 planes would you own IF you were a power tool guy, what I learned is I needed 20 planes, then again maybe that was the message I WANTED to get...

[Carl Beckett]

I probably wouldn't have noticed it for a day or two had it not been pointed out...

I understand the concept though, I feel strange asking a question over there. Not that they are not helpful but I often feel flooded with information about neander stuff and it often makes it more difficult to make a choice and/or makes me feel the need to spend more money. I once ask something to the effect of what 3 planes would you own IF you were a power tool guy, what I learned is I needed 20 planes, then again maybe that was the message I WANTED to get...

I have to admit, I do own more hand planes than I do band saws....... (the same might not be said of everyone... )

[Van Huskey]

I have to admit, I do own more hand planes than I do band saws....... (the same might not be said of everyone... )

SHHHHH, I do too but just... I would like to fix that but not by getting rid of any planes...

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Van, no bandsaw collection should be without an Inca. Perhaps a Swiss made three wheeler. Not nearly as expensive as your next Italian saw.


Way farther than Van Husky from where the best human propelled 2 wheelers are made.

[Van Huskey]

Van, no bandsaw collection should be without an Inca. Perhaps a Swiss made three wheeler. Not nearly as expensive as your next Italian saw.


Way farther than Van Husky from where the best human propelled 2 wheelers are made.

I don't disagree about the Inca. Funny, I don't really want another Italian saw, I have more capacity than I need and my major intrest in bandsaws is the interesting or unusual. #1 on my list is a Beaver 2300 or 3300 #2 is a good example of a snowflake saw, preferably a Yates-Aemrican Y20 but they tend to be rare and command a price that is steep for a "collection" if I got one I would probably have to give up my MM.

BTW in the past I would argue that Colnago would be the answer but today I ride a Wilier and even with my Italian bent for bikes I am not sure I can argue the Italians hold the reigns there in steel or CF, but they still make the best gruoppos well for road bikes. I do ride a Canadian XC mountain bike with Japanese components though.

[shane lyall]

I seen it today and wondered why Van hadn't answered yet? LOL! Nice thing about this forum is we have our "goto" people for every tool out there. The sad part is I guess I'm the goto for the broom and dust pan....thats about the only tools in my shop I can use without cussing or hurting myself!

[Van Huskey]

I seen it today and wondered why Van hadn't answered yet? LOL! Nice thing about this forum is we have our "goto" people for every tool out there. The sad part is I guess I'm the goto for the broom and dust pan....thats about the only tools in my shop I can use without cussing or hurting myself!

The only reason anyone would consider me the goto for bandsaws is I just never shut up about them!
Heck, if I ever sat down and posted what I really think about bandsaws I would be labled a heretic and excommunicated!

Things like:

90% of what you read about blade tension is bogus
with the right saw, guides are meaningless while resawing
cast iron in bandsaws is overrated and often is there to mask the disease instead of curing it
the 14" Delta and its clones should be allowed to die (see above)
we could benefit from variable speed wood BS nearly as much as metal cutting saws
we waste a LOT of money on bands
and a whole lot more...

[Joe Angrisani]

....we waste a LOT of money on bands....

OK. I'll bite. How simple is it in your opinion? Do you think there is a single blade that just about does it all? (for 17"-ish saws)

I do want to know. Absolutely NOT busting chops, in case it comes across that way.

[James White]

90% of what you read about blade tension is bogus

Hey! You can't just drop that bomb and walk away.

I am all ears. Mostly because I don't know if you are one of those who believes in the flutter method. Or you like to tension till most saws will beg for mercy.

James

[Rod Sheridan]

The only reason anyone would consider me the goto for bandsaws is I just never shut up about them!
Heck, if I ever sat down and posted what I really think about bandsaws I would be labled a heretic and excommunicated!

Things like:

90% of what you read about blade tension is bogus
with the right saw, guides are meaningless while resawing
cast iron in bandsaws is overrated and often is there to mask the disease instead of curing it
the 14" Delta and its clones should be allowed to die (see above)
we could benefit from variable speed wood BS nearly as much as metal cutting saws
we waste a LOT of money on bands
and a whole lot more...

Van, I disagree.

All the points you made I'm in agreement with.

Of course I'm also the guy that adjusts for blade drift on a crowned wheel saw by adjusting the tracking.................Rod.

[Van Huskey]

Hey! You can't just drop that bomb and walk away.

I am all ears. Mostly because I don't know if you are one of those who believes in the flutter method. Or you like to tension till most saws will beg for mercy.

James

Well, I was probably being hyperbolic since my guess is more than 10% of the collective bandsaw wisdom is in line with me. I think many of the book and magazine articles that WRITE otherwise actually THINK the way I do but have to balance their opinions weighing a lot of factors.

To answer your question I would be one of the high tension devotees. I think the authors many times feel "bad" about setting out parameters that many readers would see as "your saw sucks". The 90% comment is based on the fact that most of the written information by "experts" is really not their full opinion. I hedge around here all the time. At some point I want to try some experiments to see if I can get results that are demonstrable in pictures and be able to take out as many variables as possible. Both have proved either difficult or costly, the big hurdle right now is I absolutely need a feeder to do this. The feeder I really want is about $2,500 but I also have been visually reverse engineering it and if I have the time and energy and feel like possibly wasting five of six hundred dollars I am going to try to build one later this year. What I hope to accomplish in the end is photographic evidence of the relationship of lower vs "proper" tension on results, particularly resawing.


Rod, I am not surprised for a number of reasons.

[James White]

Van,

I think you hit it on the head. A hobby grade saw will have to have some compromises. There is no way you are going to get industrial performance without paying for it. It will be interesing if you are able to do you experiment.

James