Hobbyist looking for recommendations for tabletop band saw for shaping knife handles

G

groy87

Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
155
Hello All,

I am currently shopping around for a table top band saw to help with shaping my knife handles. As it stands I am currently block cutting my handles with a hand saw but this has proven in several cases to be less than optimal. Especially when I am trying to cut through a brass/nickle silver liner or bolster in addition to the wood handle material. I am currently looking into the grizzly bench top model but I wanted to see what everyone else is using out there before I invest the money. Thanks in advance for the help!

Regards.
 
I have the craftsman tabletop unit, it's probably the most powerful saw in its class, I think Rikon also has the same saw with a different paint job. Just ditch the blade that comes with it and get a good bi-metal blade. If I had to have one band saw for everything though I would just stick with my harbor freight vertical/horizontal. I haven't tried to cut any kind of metal on my wood cutting band saw, I've heard it can be done with softer metals but it's not really the tool for the job.
 
I have both a wood and portaband saw. Only because I already had the wood saw first. If I was just starting out I'd definitely buy just a portaband saw. It can do both, maybe not the best at cutting wood but plenty good enough. But it's awesome having a metal cutting band saw for a knife maker!
 
I too have the Dewalt portaband with a Swag table. Just finished cutting out over a hundred blades getting ready to grind em. When the time comes I'll use this little saw to finish trim the handle materials too. Its a great, versatile machine and the Swag table makes it rock. They are loud though as mentioned, wear hearing protection.
 
If its main/only purpose is to cut out wood handles, then I think most any band saw will work because (at least for me) the final shaping is done on a belt sander.
 
Thank you everyone for the recommendations! I appreciate the input. I'll look into the portaband saw. With limited space available it may in fact be the best option.
 
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