Craftsman 10" or 12" bandsaw...opinoins please!

[George Farra]

Hi everyone

I was originally going to pickup the 10" bandsaw which is on sale for craftsman club members at 169.99, I have a $50 gift card.....so out the door at about $110 bucks.

Originally wanted the saw for curved cuts and joinery. Seems to get good reviews here and on sears.com. While surfing, i realized craftsman also has a 12" 3/4hp saw with a claimed resaw of 7".......now my dilemna

My jointer is 6" so I;m thinking the 7" resaw is plenty for me current needs and this saw can do everything I want to 10 incher to do plus more...I think.

What is the likelihood of a 3/4hp motor resawing 7" of oak, maple, cherry??

Anyone own this saw? What do you think of it?

Should I just get the 10" one and hold off for a more capable 14" saw which would never out grow my needs, I think

The 12" saw is not on sale right now and is priced at $399

Thoughts??

TIA

George

[Myk Rian]

Look for a 14" on CL.
3/4hp will resaw 7" stock, with the right blade.
I had a Cman 12" and found blades at Sears. Cheap blades. Otherwise, they were special order. You can find 14" blades everywhere.

[scott spencer]

George - I picked up a 12" Cman a few years ago on sale way below $399. It's been a good saw for me, but I don't think I'd pay $400 for it. It's got a nice big cast iron table, a functional fence, a light, 7" resaw, and roller guide bearings. The guide bearings are poor quality but can be easily replaced with ~ $8 worth of ABEC 5 roller blade bearings. The stock blade isn't overly impressive, but it's no problem ordering blades to length online at reasonable prices....Timberwolf, Lennox, Woodslicer, etc.

My Epinions review

[Rick Fisher]

Spend a bit more and get a 14" ...

[glenn bradley]

It is easy to slip down the bigger and bigger slope without good reason if you haven't thought out your needs; DAMHIKT. The 14" is the most common beast out there and really seems to come in the most variations, do the most for the money (although they can get silly too) and have the most off-the-peg accessories.

If you are truly after a small saw for quick end cut-offs and curves, the 10" is well liked and very inexpensive. I sold my 12" C-man when I got my larger saw only to go out and pick up a used 1970's Rockwell 10" once I felt the sting of the loss and I use it quite a lot. The 10" C-man you are looking at is more sophisticated than my 1970's saw and will probably serve you well within it's capacity.

If you are going to get the 10" (or the 12") and expect 14" and above performance, I fear you will be disappointed. So, think about what you are wanting to do, determine a saw that will best meet your needs and get ( or save for) that one. I have already suffered the pain and expense of getting an inadequate saw "because I could afford it" only to spend way more in the long run because I expected more from the tool than it was designed to provide and I just wasn't happy. Learn through my failure$ and have fun ;-)

[Van Huskey]

If you NEED a saw now, get the 10 inch and trade to a 14 (or larger) when you can. My suggestion is to wait and get a $14. Consider you can get a Grizzly 0580 for 465 shipped and the much better 0555 for 519 shipped it makes sense to wait. The difference between the 10 and 12 is not worth the cost difference for me in light od lower end 14" prices. Plus used 14s fairly priced can get you very close to the 10" new range.

[cody michael]

check out this thread

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=129160

before you buy one.

fyi i bought a 14 inch jet off craiglist for 200$ got a cheap riser block kit i think 20$ from a member here and now have a 12 inch resaw bandsaw for alot less then the cman 12 inch.

[George Farra]

Yes, I've been watching the posts on the Delta 14" saw at Lowes. My store never has closeouts and I've never been able to land a deal with them even when I show them the sales slip printouts...sucks

Sears is having 10% F&F sale online today.....the 12 incher can be had for $309 while the 10 incher for $102....both after discounts and my $50 gift card. Whatcha think?

TIA

George

[Kevin Lucas]

I have the 10 inch version of the Craftsman band saw. It may say 10 inch but you get about 4 1/4 in resaw capacity which works ok for me. I have used it on hard maple with a 3 tooth resaw blade and it does fine for such a small motor. I have a 4 inch jointer so thats no problem.

The pros

The price

Cons

odd blade size 70 1/2

I did have to tweak the lower tire when I changed from sears blade to a local made just a touch to be co-planar but it wasn't hard at all. I got lucky and have 2 local sources that will make custom sized blades for about 10$ each.

Do I wish it was bigger yeah. It sounds under powered when you look at the motor size but it works fine. I'm happy with it until I find a good craigslist gloat )

[David Perata]

I have a Craftsman 12" band saw and if I knew what I know now I would get at least a 14" Grizzly. The Craftsman is okay but the blade issue is important. I recently had two custom blades made for me. Not a big deal but as stated the 14" are available everywhere.

[Eric Roberge]

I have the 12" (89-1/2" blade) Cman and love it. It appears to be made by Rikon. I stole mine NIB off CL for less than 1/2 retail. Blades seem to be readily available off most online stores like Suffolk Mach. or Olson.

FWIW, I've been very happy. I made an adjustable resaw fence and added a mobile base. It received good reviews and has a nice size table too.

If you do large projects or want to resaw more than 7" then you may want the 14" and add a riser. It's a matter of what you want and or need.
When I was doing research (If I recall correctly) the Cman 12" had more resaw capability than most 14" saws W/O a riser.

Good luck with your decision

[John McClanahan]

I have the Craftsman 12 and like it. I tried to grab one of the $150 Delta's with no luck. The 14 inch Delta has the same HP and less resaw capacity. As far as blades go, If you want a good blade, they can be found online. If you want a cheap blade, Sears has them.

John

[Paul Steiner]

I have an old craftsman 12". I bought it for $25 at a yard sale 2 years ago. I really like it. It is great for small work but nothing else. I use a 14 for everything and keep a 1/16" blade on the craftsman.

[scott spencer]

Yes, I've been watching the posts on the Delta 14" saw at Lowes. My store never has closeouts and I've never been able to land a deal with them even when I show them the sales slip printouts...sucks

Sears is having 10% F&F sale online today.....the 12 incher can be had for $309 while the 10 incher for $102....both after discounts and my $50 gift card. Whatcha think?

TIA

George

IMO, I think you'll find it worth $259...