Bandsaws: 14", or is bigger better?

[Paschale]

Hi guys,

I've gotten plenty of good advice from the forum in the past, so I thought I'd turn to you all for some input on the subject of bandsaws.  The first big question is whether or not a 14" bandsaw is sufficient for most of what I'll be doing.  I've got access to a lot of hardwood on my dad's land, and a friend of ours has a lumbermate.  When we mill it, we'll be milling it to a width of one inch, so I don't see myself doing a whole lot of resawing on my bandsaw, though certainly that will be something I'll be doing from time to time.  Ripping rough lumber I think is something I'll be doing though, since I won't have to worry about kickback.  Plus, of course all of the fine, controlled cutting one can do with a bandsaw.  So...I REALLY like the looks of the new Powermatic 14 incher, more so than the Delta 14 inchers available.  Today, I was looking at the General 17 incher, and that looked like a great machine too.  I've gotten the best I could afford on my table saw, planer and jointer, and the question is do I need to do the same with my bandsaw?  I can afford to, but would rather not spend $400 more to get the 17" General or Jet if the 14" Powermatic will do the job just fine...

The ones I'm interested in:  

1.  A Powermatic 14", the new model that just came out, the PWBS-14CS.  Nice, solid machine with all the bells and whistles for a sale price of $765

2.  A Delta 28-206 1 HP 14" Professional Band Saw, for a sale price of $520

3. The new Delta X5 14" Closed Stand Bandsaw for around $800

OR...

A bigger saw.  The ones I'm looking at are:

1.  General Model 90-240 M1 17" for $1100.

2. JET 708750B/JWBS-18 18" Bandsaw for $1100

Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions...I'd especially like to hear from anyone who's moved to something bigger than a 14 inch bandsaw.

Thanks!

[Duane_Moore]

Paschale.   good question.. want to hear this one myself, I like at least a 24" so i can rip plywood. or large walnut slabs, try to look for a used meat saw. there big, good, and cheap, lets see what everybody says, Duh---Duane

[Bill_B]

I use a 14 inch bandsaw. One thing that you might want to think about is doing you resawing on the sawmill. When resawing on the small bandsaw you have to constantly move the work to stay on the line.
What gets me is that I pay as much for a 1/2 inch x 105 inch blade as Ployboy has to pay for his Lt15.
With that said, go for the largest one that you can afford. When cutting large objects the more room the better.

[shopteacher]

I don't know about you guys, but I believe the best quality and craftsmanship lies in the older machinery. Years ago when the iron was cast into a rough casting it was allowed to age before it was machined. I heard of one company that had a large field in Ohio where the castings set outside for 2 years before bringing them back to be machined. The cast that is in these new machines from Taiwan and China is so green and soft you can almost scratch it with your fingernail.  That said, I'd be looking for a used machine in very good condition such as an Oliver, Walker Turner, Crescent, Fay&Egan, old Deltas or Powermatics. As for size I would buy the biggest one that would fit in the shop and that I could possibly afford. You can always cut small things on a large machine, but that not true for large things on a small saw.
   On todays market there are hundreds of excellent used machines from schools, factory's, woodworking shops and private owners. I'd take my time, do the research and check all sources. I think you not only will find a machine in good condition but a larger one than you could afford otherwise. Today  the Oliver, Delta, Powermatic(owned by Jet), Grizzly, Sunhill, Extrema, and a host of others are being manufactured in Taiwan.

[Tom]

If you are not going to do any resawing, then a 14" will do just fine. If you may be cutting out bowl blanks for  a lathe, then you should consider a riser to get more vertical clearance.

I kinda agree with the bigger if better theory and would be looking for a 16" or 18" if I were shopping.  They have the benefit of a larger motor, larger wheels, and will carry a wider blade.  Wider blades are more accurate (usually) when resawing and stronger with larger tooth configurations.  If all you will be using is a 1/8th" blade then anything will work.  If you may need a 3/4 or 1" blade then a larger machine will be needed.  

Shop for the blade guides as well.

[SasquatchMan]

My experience with General has been very good.  I'm also a fan of buying the biggest and best non-portable tools you can.  The first time you NEED a 17 incher you'll curse that you didn't buy it, and unlike Windows, there ain't an upgrade.  Big machines handle small jobs more easily, more smoothly and with less effort all around, I find.

When I bought my table saw it was WAY more than I needed, and now I use it professionally every week, and sometimes every day... glad to have that big sucker.

Alnong Shopteacher's line, Rockwell is another used name to look for - they converged with delta many years ago, but the old rockwell tools are fantastic.

I'm not fond of JET - I think the tools are very good, but the service side of things near me is not as good as Delta's - they have "licensed service centers" which have never fixed or seen a lathe... not impressive.  

[SwampDonkey]

When purchasing your bandsaw consider what size stock your going to be shoving through it. A 14 inch bandsaw usually has a clearence of 4 inches, a 16 inch bandsaw has 6 inches usually. And the width is important if you have wide boards and if your cutting curves and shapes from your stock. You can get a wide range of blade widths for any bandsaw. I'de get a bandsaw that had throat height adjustment to. I have a 14 inch bandsaw and wish I had a 16 inch or bigger because I have some 6 inch stock that won't pass through my 4 inch clearence. If your turning good sized bowls on the lathe, a higher throat is useful for cutting off the waste end too. ;)

cheers

[Paschale]

Here's the kicker for me regarding going to the bigger saw.  With my tablesaw, jointer and planer, I bought all top of the line equipment:  my tablesaw's a 5HP Powermatic, my jointer's a PM too, and my Planer is a PM 5HP Planer/Molder combo machine.  I waited until I had the money to afford them, and when I sit and desire the "ultimate" machine as far as bandsaws go, I'd like to buy a big Laguna.  So, in a way, buying the Powermatic 14 incher would be in my mind the interim saw, which I'd imagine would do almost everything I'd need, except for major resawing. Going up to the General--yes, it's certainly a step up in power from the Powermatic 14, but it's a step down from the bandsaw I ultimately would like to purchase a few years down the road.  I agree with the postings that bigger power is better, which is how I operated when I purchased my first three tools.  So, in a way, buying the General now I feel would be putting an end to the goal/dream of owning a Laguna in the next few years.   I'm sure if I bought the Powermatic, I could sell it with minimal loss when I decide to upgrade to a Laguna.  But maybe that's just silly thinking, and the General would be great for me, right now, and even if do end up buying a Laguna a few years down the road, my life would be better with the big General than the 14 inch Powermatic.  DILEMMAS!  But ain't it fun to have dilemmas when thinking about power tools?  What do you guys think of my crazy thinking?   :  One more crazy thought:  is it smart to have two bandsaws in a shop, like a 14 incher, as well as a beefy one?  Maybe I should buy the Powermatic now, and save for several years until I can afford a Laguna, and keep both in the stable.  Though that seems potentially a bit foolhardy with my money.

Anymore thoughts on this stuff would be greatly appreciated, and I'd especially like to hear more from anyone who's worked with General, like Sasquatch Man.  (Have you owned/used a General Band Saw?)  I do like the idea of buying General, since they're made in Canada, and not in Taiwan.

Thanks guys!

As a side issue, when you guys rip rough cut lumber, do you like to use your table saw or band saw?  Resawing is certainly the job of a band saw, but what about ripping?  I've read it's much safer with a band saw, which is the main reason I'm itching to get a band saw right now.

[SwampDonkey]

@Paschale

If you've got a good table saw, you should rip on it. It be more accurate because it doesn't wonder like a band saw can if not lined up true. I don't know about the safety issue though. Ever been around a bandsaw blade that broke and no wheel break? All ya gotta do at the table saw is keep yer hand outta the blade, and use sharp blades. ;)

As to your discision on the bandsaw, your still undecided. It doesn't make sense to buy two, unless you want to give me the bigger one. ;)

[D._Frederick]

I have two bandsaws, a 14 inch Delta that my dad bought at the end of WWII and a Davis-Wells that is 20 inch and dates to the sixties. This saw has a 5hp 3 phase motor that turns the blade at 5200ft per min. I install a Jet table saw guide on it for ripping. I use a 3/4 inch blade with 2 teeth per inch with a hook tooth design. It really makes the saw dust fly. By trial and error, I adjust the guide so that the blade saws a perfect straight line. This saw will cut perfect venier so thin that light will show through. This saw had rough useage and had some castings broken that I had a weld shop repair. I bought this saw in mid eighties for $900. I don't know if they are still making it, but last I knew, it was sell for close to 10k new.

The Delta saw is in need of new bearings, but is a very handy saw to have in the shop. You can cut very small pieces and not be afraid of getting your fingers pulled in to the blade.

If you are going to do much ripping, the bigger saws allow the blade to be tensioned much higher than the smaller saws. They both have there place in a shop.