I am looking to get a bandsaw to do some resawing on. Most of what I will be resawing are old reclaimed ~3x6 to ~3x10 barn oak rafters (which are beautiful, by the way) and possibly some oak and walnut off a bandsaw sawmill as my Dad keeps talking about getting a sawmill. I have an 8" jointer, a 15" stationary thickness planer, and a 240 volt panel in my shop. I also have a 3 hp cabinet saw with a riving knife which I have done some resawing on (the proper "joint a face and two sides, and leave a little "bridge" left that you cut through with a handsaw method) and that simply led me to realize why people get bandsaws to do that work. Here's pretty much what I will need it to do:
1. Resaw 6-10" thick hardwood. This will be its main function.
2. Rip wide slabs and wavy-edged boards that I wouldn't feel comfortable ripping on my cabinet saw prior to resawing. This may have to be done on some still kind of green wood (unless I want to wait five years for it to completely dry.)
3. Cutting of outside curves and profiles for furniture projects. I don't intend to try to use the bandsaw as a scroll saw, it would be more of a more-precise jigsaw with the ability to cut through stacked parts.
I am guessing something in the 17-19" range would probably be the most suitable after reading the threads here. I don't have any personal experience with bandsaws so your input would be very welcome. Budget isn't firm but I'd like to keep it under $1500 or so. I don't have any particular brand loyalty but I do live very close to the Grizzly showroom in Springfield, MO, so that's where pretty well all of my other equipment has come from.
I would also appreciate input on blades as well as pretty well all I know is "use a 2-3 TPI hook blade that's the second-to-widest the saw will take."