Band Saw vs. Table Saw… heart of the shop.

[Chuck Lenz]

I have been thinking that way myself. A bandsaw and a guided rail system could make a table saw unnecessary. The table saw does seem to be one of the most dangerous tools and making it safer by going with a SawStop or a slider brings the cost way up. By avoiding a table saw, I could spend more on a top notch bandsaw.

If you think a bandsaw is safer then a tablesaw then you need to do a little research on how many meat cutters are missing a digit or two from a bandsaw, I think you will change your mind and learn to respect what damage they can do equally. My bandsaw will never replace my tablesaw, the tablesaw in my shop sees much more use. But thats my preference, everyone has their own way of doing things.

[Glenwood Morris]

If you think a bandsaw is safer then a tablesaw then you need to do a little research on how many meat cutters are missing a digit or two from a bandsaw, I think you will change your mind and learn to respect what damage they can do equally. My bandsaw will never replace my tablesaw, the tablesaw in my shop sees much more use. But thats my preference, everyone has their own way of doing things.

Any machine that moves sharpened teeth anywhere near your hands is dangerous.

A bandsaw will not kickback, a table saw can. the guard protecting you from most of the blade is integral to the bandsaw, it's an addition that is often removed, or is considered an annoyance on a table saw.

No tool is safe, if Health & Safety ran everything we would all be in padded rooms. However, a bandsaw, if used with the same level of care as a table saw, exposes one to much less risk.

[Randy Klein]

Are there other BS-heart shops out there?

Getting back to the OP's question (from almost a year ago), yes, I have a BS-heart shop and have no plans on getting a TS.

For sheet goods, I have the EZ system.

The EZ system is also used to handle rips in long (8'-10') boards that wouldn't be easy on the BS or TS.

I crosscut by hand.

I square edges and ends with hand planes, shooting boards, and a square.

[Billy Chambless]

(I know there are, but I will ask anyway) Are there other BS-heart shops out there?

Well, I consider the bench to be the heart of my shop, but a 17" bandsaw is the only stationary power tool (unless you want to count the not-yet-built router table.) I'm just setting this shop up, so ask me in a month how it works.

[Tim Marks]

Most all woodworkers learn their craft from a collection of hearsay and mimicry, rather than from say an engineering or design standpoint.

Sounds like an apprenticeship program to me, which IMHO is the best way to learn the art of woodworking (and the science and engineering principles).

Unfortunately, I have to learn only by hearsay...

I love my BS, find it enjoyable to use, and consider it much safer then a TS. Unfortunately, my hearsay method of learning has not allowed me to develop the skill to rip perfectly enough to allow it to replace a TS.

But I figured out on my second day how to get almost perfect rip lines on my TS, and how to correctly rip oversize once I added jointing and planing to the process. By taking proper precautions (pushsticks, featherboards, bladeguard and pawls, and standing to the left), I believe that I have sufficiently mitigated the risk of using a TS, so I really have no inclination to waste a bunch of stock trying to duplicate on the BS what come natural on the TS.

And my TS rips about five times faster then my BS.

To each their own. But I do wish that BS would come with a much larger table. Like someone else said, it seems ridiculous that even the high end BS come with a table not much bigger then the tray table on an airline.

When it comes time to upgrade either my TS (Ridgid 3650) or BS (Rikon 14"), I will upgrade my BS. My TS does everything I want it to do, but I think a higher quality BS would help get more consistant results.

[M Toupin]

The tablesaw is one of, if not the most, dangerous tools in the shop. If you can eliminate it from your workflow, you have greatly reduced your risk.

Not to keep flogging the horse, but this really doesn't stand to logic. Yes, more injuries are caused by the TS but the vast majority of shops contain a TS, the percentage with a BS far less. Now, if the vast majority of shops contained a BS, and only a few contained a TS, which machine do you suppose would be responsible for the majority of injuries?

As to safer? The only full amputation I've ever personally witnessed occurred on a BS. Meat cutters use a BS for a reason.

Mike

[Greg Funk]

Not to keep flogging the horse, but this really doesn't stand to logic. Yes, more injuries are caused by the TS but the vast majority of shops contain a TS, the percentage with a BS far less. Now, if the vast majority of shops contained a BS, and only a few contained a TS, which machine do you suppose would be responsible for the majority of injuries?

As to safer? The only full amputation I've ever personally witnessed occurred on a BS. Meat cutters use a BS for a reason.

Mike

Mike,

Have you used both? Personally I find there are far fewer 'events' that can happen on a bandsaw and I feel more comfortable having my kids make cuts on the bandsaw rather than the tablesaw. Yes you can chop your arm off but it is not difficult to teach safe operation on the bandsaw.

The tablesaw can also be made to be safe if all of the appropriate safety guards are used although I suspect more than 50% of people (including myself) don't always all of their safety devices.

Using the bandsaw it is very easy and safe to work with small pieces of wood unlike the tablesaw.

Greg

[Jim Becker]

Voice your opinions all you want folks, but please remain respectful in how you do so. This has been getting a little too testy and personal and that has to stop. Now.

If the trend continues, this thread will be closed to further posting.

Jim
SMC Moderator

[M Toupin]

Mike, Have you used both?

I presently own a 5hp cabinet saw, a contractor style saw, 3 BS ranging from 10" to 16" and a slew of other machines. I've been WW since I was old enough to walk into my dads & grandfathers shop, 40+ years. I've worked in small and large commercial shops and used some very large commercial machines. In short, I've seen my fair share of industrial accidents with a variety of machines.

The TS/BS argument is just that, an argument between two camps that believe they've found the perfect solution. Unfortunately there is no "perfect solution". Much depends on the type of work, the methods of work and the comfort level working around machines of each individual. Personally, I'll keep working with the machines and methods I'm comfortable with.

Mike

[Greg Funk]

Mike,

I wasn't arguing to get rid of the tablesaw as I don't intend to stop using mine. But I do think the bandsaw is safer. Unfortunately, it won't cut dados...

Greg

[Paul Simmel]

Sorry I missed the fireworks!

I too never argued against the TS... just touted the advantages of the BS for solid lumber work, since all of the parts, after they're sliced up, will get dimensioned at the jointer and ultimately the planer. In addition to the faces, I easily dimension the edges of parts with the planer. After jointing two surfaces I can thickness everything, then stack 5 - 6 pieces together and run them through on edge... no problem. Much more consistent dimensions this way.

I'd never rip, for example, styles or rails, or table aprons, to width on a TS. I slice off my material a little over sized to allow for machining. I machine my styles, rails, aprons, to width (after they have been edge and face jointed.)

If I need 1/4", or 3/16" strips, I'd never cut them on the TS. I joint one edge of a the larger piece, slice off a strip, then send it through the planer set to 1/4". I'll joint another edge, slice it off, and plane. Everything remains consistent.

I use my cabinet saw for sheeting goods... and dado setup. when working with ply. A good TS is good to have!... the few times it's needed. A TS is good for squaring and sizing glued up panels which have been prepared from the BS, jointed and planed and glued.

Love my BS, jointer and planer combo. Three very safe machines, especially the jointer. Jointers don't kick back, they suck the wood down to the table. You can easily push the stock though a jointer with your little finger. Just keep it above the cutters as you pass though.

[Billy Chambless]

If the trend continues, this thread will be closed to further posting.

And I'd hate to see that -- both the trend and the closing. There have been some good ideas in this thread in between the, ah, other stuff.

One of the things I value most about SMC is being able to hear from woodworkers whose backgrounds, assumptions and methods of work differ from mine.

[Jerry Booher]

I hope Norm Abrams sees this thread so he can stop using his table saw for nearly everything and switch to a bandsaw. Based on his New Yankee Workshop, I bought a really nice cabinet saw. As a novice, I bought what the expert uses all the time.

Although I have been doing rough carpentry with a circular saw and a miter saw for over 35 years, I decided to enjoy retirement by building cabinets, etc. for my wife. Two years ago I started with a Delta Professional, but my wife "forced" me to sell it and buy a SawStop this summer. That will always be the safest tool in my shop.

I have been wanting to buy a bandsaw, but I cannot justify it for anything except curved cuts. Since I don't like curved wood parts, I have not purchased yet. Thanks to this thread, I can now buy one with the knowledge that it is multi-purpose. At least I think that is what I am understanding. I still think I will use the TS instead.