Experiences with mini table saws?

Outdoor Gear Dad said:
Yeah I wouldnt be cutting stumps. Mainly what I am needing is a saw to cut already prepped blocks to size. Also when I am cutting the scales out I currently use my portaband saw but it doesn’t take curves well. So feel like a nice band saw would be able to do both.
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Yes. I have a band saw with 750w with 3 rolls. It takes 2m saws and has 3 speeds so I can cut steel and wood with it. If It had more power I could also cut bigger wood stumps with it (it has about 15cm cutting height but it doesn't have enough power for bigger pieces). Table saw really rips through the wood (2kw), no problem even with African blackwood at max cutting height (8 cm).
 
Outdoor Gear Dad said:
Yeah I wouldnt be cutting stumps. Mainly what I am needing is a saw to cut already prepped blocks to size. Also when I am cutting the scales out I currently use my portaband saw but it doesn’t take curves well. So feel like a nice band saw would be able to do both.
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Small blocks and table saw don't mix. By small I mean less than 12" long and 2" x 2". Now there are lots of folks who use TS for these kind of cuts all the time. You work with what you have. My statement is a generalization. The safety factor, bands saw - vs - table saw, however, is IMHO - unequivocal - bandsaw being significantly safer.

Small bandsaws - 12" or smaller and powered in the 1.5hp range do have limitations but I don't think that a 10" table saw (let alone an 8") of the kind that have been discussed are a significant improvement for muscling through wood. Any deviation in the runout of the TS blade and/or irregularity in the surfaces being cut (logs or branches) and you have potential issues - most of which are easier to overcome with the band saw.

Did I say the BS is safer :rolleyes: :)

If you intend to rough shape your scales the bandsaw is certainly better, along with various sanders and hand tools. BUT - don't miss my point - my posts on the subject have been mostly about processing blocks of wood or chunks of little logs, or antler/bone or micarta/G10 pieces into smaller pieces for knife scales, not including the shaping.

The typical advice for shop saws is to buy as big and powerful as your budget/space/general intended purpose, will allow.
 
RayseM said:
Small blocks and table saw don't mix. By small I mean less than 12" long and 2" x 2". Now there are lots of folks who use TS for these kind of cuts all the time. You work with what you have. My statement is a generalization. The safety factor, bands saw - vs - table saw, however, is IMHO - unequivocal - bandsaw being significantly safer.

Small bandsaws - 12" or smaller and powered in the 1.5hp range do have limitations but I don't think that a 10" table saw (let alone an 8") of the kind that have been discussed are a significant improvement for muscling through wood. Any deviation in the runout of the TS blade and/or irregularity in the surfaces being cut (logs or branches) and you have potential issues - most of which are easier to overcome with the band saw.

Did I say the BS is safer :rolleyes: :)

If you intend to rough shape your scales the bandsaw is certainly better, along with various sanders and hand tools. BUT - don't miss my point - my posts on the subject have been mostly about processing blocks of wood or chunks of little logs, or antler/bone or micarta/G10 pieces into smaller pieces for knife scales, not including the shaping.

The typical advice for shop saws is to buy as big and powerful as your budget/space/general intended purpose, will allow.
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Any recommendations for a good bandsaw in the $1000 or less price range?
 
Outdoor Gear Dad said:
Any recommendations for a good bandsaw in the $1000 or less price range?
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That's a tough one because I have not been paying attention to that market for some time.
I have a 14" - 3hp Laguna that was as small as I wanted to go. It was a $ 2,000.00 + machine.

Of the name brands I would consider in a lower price range I would look in this order:

LAGUNA • GRIZZLY • RIKON • JET • Of course there might be others but none of the typical box store offerings. You might need to bump up to $1,200.00 range for a decent 12" saw. If you start looking for 14" or bigger you are compromising too much if you only spend $ 1,000.00.

To be fair you can certainly be cutting knife handle blanks with a 10" saw but you will not really be able to resaw except for small pieces and then soft to medium density wood.

As I wrote earlier buy the biggest and most powerful for the money you can afford and beyond the limited range of work you anticipate. We always want to do more. THING IS - a 12" saw for $ 1,000.00 is most certainly better than the same price for a 14" and possibly not as good as a 10" saw. The 10" at $1,000.00 will likely have more power and better designed features than a bigger saw for the same price. Still, will a 10" have the sawing capacity you intend? You have to do some homework.

Sorry for the vague answer.
 
There are a few good deal on 14" bandsaws at Acme tools. You can get a carbide toothed Laguna blade thrown in with the Laguna 14" for less than $ 1,200.00 + S&H. I saw a JET 14" bandsaw offered too for just less than $1,000.00 +S&H - no blade though. That Laguna RESAW KING is a sweet deal.

PM to me if you need the link. Will be after 6PM EST before i can send it to you though. :( If this is only a deal for today you might want to do your own web search.
 
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I was also in the bandsaw market and was looking hard at the 14" Rikon, before the pandemic shut my dayjob down.
I decided to put the purchase on hold but was able to grab a crafstman 10" at a garage sale for around 100 bucks.
I haven't used my table saw since. I also used my portaband to split blocks into scales and can't tell you how much better the crafstman is. 6 tpi blade runs through ironwood like butter.
For what I do, I'm glad I ended up with the smaller band saw. I do have some large slabs that the table saw will need to come out for, but for cutting scales it's all I need.
 
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