If you could only buy one... Bandsaw or tablesaw?

[Rich Engelhardt]

If you could only buy one powertool, what would it be?

I finally broke down and bought a nice older 14"Rockwell band saw about three years ago.
We had to take it apart so I could fit it in my van.
I got it home and put it all back together, except for the blade and the wheel covers.
When I sold the saw this past Summer, it never had the blade or the covers installed.

I did buy a nice Bosch jig saw though that gets a fair amount of use cutting curves.

[Osvaldo Cristo]

If you could only buy one powertool, what would it be? bandsaw or tablesaw?
...

Resawing, miters, ripping sheet stock, curve cuts, all kinds of jigs for both.
...

Thoughts?

dan

It is great question and I am facing it as well.

I think tablesaw is the most flexible power tool for the workshop after the hand electric drill... but it uses a lot of space, mainly if not movable because you need a reasonable workspace around it. I purchased mine 25 years ago and I have used it a lot in these past years.

Now I am facing the possibility to move to a new house in the next few months... I will lost my dedicated workshop I construct in my house 25 years ago and probably I will have only a small part (a single wall) from a typical two car garage, so space is a point and I am seriously considering a movable bandsaw as my next best solution. I am specially attracted by the resaw and curved cuts possibility I never had in my tablesaw (I have used a portable jigsaw for curves and never resaw anything higher the cut height capacity from my 10-inch tablesaw).

My third best option is a mittersaw... I will go with it if I do not have space for the bandsaw...

Anyway as almost any priority list that is heavily personal and will depend from your needs and tastes.

I wish you good luck in your decision.

[Bill Adamsen]

As Brian mentioned, if you work primarily with hand tools then a bandsaw makes sense because you can work glue surfaces with a plane or scraper, tenons with a handsaw and use chisels for other operations (mortises, even rabbets and dados). Regardless, the use of hand cutting tools is an art that requires development.

For most new to woodworking, a tablesaw will provide the flexibility to perform both ripping and crosscutting and will help bring projects to completion faster ... be the project panels or solid wood. Plus - and this is just my opinion - the bandsaw a newcomer is likely to purchase, is less suited to the tasks mentioned as the benefit of a bandsaw. For instance, I wouldn't typically consider leveraging the Delta for resawing, but would go straight to the 800mm Centauro (which I use a great deal). However, few hobbyists would get a saw of that ilk.

Were I "starting over" I'd at least consider the tracksaw/SCMS as the requisite combo. Of course the one's I'd select would likely cost as much as a good used slider.

[pat warner]

Have forsaken the circular saws (table, chop, radial etc), too scary, noisy. And will do nothing about the nature of the wood. The work can pinch or split at the blade. Rarely does the stock exit the blade with 1 kerf over 2'. It has to be re-jointed to straighten.
With a bandsaw I can rip or x-cut aluminum, ply, plastic, and even wood. Moreover, the stock gets pressed down on the table, not in your face.
Have used the band saw only, for >15 years. Not to say that band saws are perfect. But they're safer, quieter, one blade can do all.
Not necessarily for production, but they can be.

[lowell holmes]

I can rip a 16' 2X12 on my 10" table saw. I know because I have done it. I have a 48" table extension to the back and a 36" side extension to the right.

I rip on my band saw, but could never accomplish a 12' 2X12. The would be unstable with such a cut.

I have a 1X8 X 48" extension on the back side of my that helps with the rip cut.

I refuse to be without either saw.

I would say the proper choice for you would be dictated by the kind of work you want to do. Occasional long rip cuts can be accomplished on saw horses with a sidewinder "skill-saw".

If I anticipate a pinching problem, I will rip a bit over width and then rip to size.

[Von Bickley]

Table saw for me. The table saw has always been the heart of my shop.

[Rich Riddle]

I am going to be odd man out and say band saw. It gets used quite a bit and is quite useful. I can get by with the track saw and sliding compound miter saw for most other things done on the table saw but the band saw offers unique abilities not easily duplicated elsewhere.

[Dan Barr]

Osvaldo, Good luck to you too. It is hard to move and give up the shop you've built. I've done it three times. That is why I went neander. Moving powertools around was too much. Forced me to pare down to the absolute neccesities; handtools.