Band saw motors

[tom van sickle]

I'm looking to purchase a band saw mostly for resaw purposes. Been looking at the LAGUNA LT14 SUV, but I'm wondering, do I need that much motor to let's say, resaw Walnut or Hickory at 11-13" tall. Most of my resawing will be 4/4 ash and some cherry and walnut. Thanks, Tom.

[Rod Sheridan]

Tom, the issue with bandsaws is almost never motor power.

The main issues are the ability of the saw to tension and track a blade properly.

Many saws can't do that and will never saw properly.

Once you get into a certain range of saws, those issues don't exist..........Rod.

[Peter Kelly]

For the same price you could get a Hammer N3800.

[Jim Finn]

In my experience the most important thing in regards to re-sawing with a band saw is the blade. I use a 1/2" carbide 3 TPI resaw blade that works well for me. I am re-sawing hardwoods and soft woods 8" tall with a one HP motor on a Grizzly saw.

[Art Mann]

Ditto what Jim said. I use a 1 hp Craftsman steel frame saw and a 1/2" 3TPI blade to resaw up to 9 inch wide lumber like oak or maple. It just takes more time than a more powerful saw. What Rod said is absolutely true. You must tune the saw so that the wheels are coplanar, the blade is stable at speed and the guides support the blade properly. I would like a more powerful saw so I can resaw wider boards and do it more quickly.

[David Kumm]

If you are looking to resaw, get a machine designed for it rather than one that is capable of occasional resawing. You want at least a 16" wheel to handle the larger 3/4-1" carbide blades and a heavy frame to handle the tension. Using a larger motor does make a saw into a resaw. Machines <20" not specifically designed for resawing are decent but nothing like a true heavy frame resaw. Dave

[Erik Loza]

I agree with the others here: It's less about motor power than being able to tension a blade properly and also, heavy flywheels. That's the torque that will keep driving a blade through hard wood and prevent the motor from slowing down.

For resawing, I would rather have, for example, a 2.5hp saw that had a stiff frame and heavy flywheels than a machine with a 5hp motor that had a lighter frame and lightweight, spoked or swiss-cheesed flywheels.

Buy as much saw as you can afford. I've never had an owner tell me, "Oh, that bandsaw is just too much for my needs", after they use it for a while. Best of luck in your search.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Jim Becker]

I agree with Erik. Buy the best you can afford now because replacing a machine later is more costly.