Need A Good Muzzle Loading Bandsaw....Hobby Type....Under 400....Best Brand?

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Metal cutting bandsaw, too slow speed for wood. Viceversa for a wood cutting bandsaw.
I use a cheep Taiwan horizontal metal cutting saw that cost $50 at a yard sale and a $75 craftsman wood cutting saw for all wood and softer materials.
Shop around.
That's where my multi-speed bandsaw shines. Saves space also.
I love Jet. Woodcrafters next to my house sold the Jet line.

They sold Rikon too. Another great company. My disc/belt sander is still running strong after ten years.

The store closed. Too many people gave up on making their own stuff. When I bash modern men as cocoa sipping jammie wearing wussies, this is why. Not enough testosterone to keep woodworking and metalworking stores in business.
Don't they just have adorable man buns hair dews??🤣
🤣🤣
 
If you’re on Facebook, check the marketplace.. i got a “ deal” on a ryobi a while back, it was a hobby bandsaw.. piece of junk!! So I shopped around and got a nice large older Delta, now that thing will cut through a 3-1/2 full stock blank like it’s butter! Well with a good sharp blade at least… I don’t mess with cheap junk anymore.
 
I love Jet. Woodcrafters next to my house sold the Jet line.

They sold Rikon too. Another great company. My disc/belt sander is still running strong after ten years.

The store closed. Too many people gave up on making their own stuff. When I bash modern men as cocoa sipping jammie wearing wussies, this is why. Not enough testosterone to keep woodworking and metalworking stores in business.
Don't know that I totally agree with that. Are young people still being exposed to such things in school? Ya know they gotta learn the important stuff like all white people are evil and a boy can get pregnant...ya know all the stuff that really matters!
 
Don't know that I totally agree with that. Are young people still being exposed to such things in school? Ya know they gotta learn the important stuff like all white people are evil and a boy can get pregnant...ya know all the stuff that really matters!
OD ya gotta leave those woke folks to their agenda. If they keep to their agenda, they will become extinct, trans can't recreate.... 🙂 👍
 
I own the Porter Cable 14" bandsaw and have put it to work resawing, ripping, and cutting bandsaw boxes. It does everything I need it to do. The dust collection is awful, so I made a jerry-rigged system that works much better than the stock setup.

The trick with this bandsaw is the setup. Making sure the blade is tensioned correctly is clutch. And DONT use cheap blades. At least use the blue box Olson blades. I've had good success with them. The red box Olson blades are a step up and glide through wood like butter.

Best of luck.
 
Lowe's had not a single bandsaw. Not even a place on the shelves for a bandsaw.

A few years back big box stores were littered with bandsaws of all sizes and quality.

Not no mo.
Some Lowes have the cheaper Porter Cable tabletop bandsaw on the shelf. I got one for $189 a while back but they have since gone up. They are made in China like most of the lower priced saws today. It does all I need for smaller wood jobs as I have an older Delta metal cutting bandsaw for barrels and metal parts. I like the Jet saws but since I'm retired now so they are out of my price range.
 

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Lately a friend told me he thought he wanted a bench type bandsaw so I looked into them for him, turns out I couldn't find one with any more than a 1/3rd hp motor which is pretty wimpy as bandsaws go.

As a bow maker I started out with a 1/2hp American made Craftsman that served me well over the years with a 3tpi blade. I bought a Rigid from a friend that had a 1HP motor for more power, turned out the Rigid was such a piece of junk that even a Rigid service center couldn't get it to run and cut correctly.

My craftsman; these come up regularly on the Facebook market place, I have seen them from $75 to $250 with $100 being the most common. Some of the later ones were 2 speed with a slower speed for metal cutting.

craftsman band saw.jpeg


I had sold my Craftsman when I bought the Rigid, Rigid sent me another saw in the box, I sent it to my brother unopened. It turned out it was a return and was missing a lot of parts. It took him a year to finally get it running.

Fed up with trashy saws, I got off my wallet and bought a 2hp Griz, that was 20 years ago, this saw will outlast me.

new saw.jpg


A benchtop saw is a toy, you will never regret buying a more powerful saw, everyone I know who started out trying to make bows with a benchtop didn't keep it long and moved on to bigger and better saws.
 
How does one keep a band saw that clean. Mine looks like it wears sawdust even after I take the compressor to it.
It's pretty new only used a few times so it's still clean. I got it for small projects like knife handles and pistol stocks. I did not want to change back and forth metal blades to wood blades on my larger saw.
 
Lately a friend told me he thought he wanted a bench type bandsaw so I looked into them for him, turns out I couldn't find one with any more than a 1/3rd hp motor which is pretty wimpy as bandsaws go.

As a bow maker I started out with a 1/2hp American made Craftsman that served me well over the years with a 3tpi blade. I bought a Rigid from a friend that had a 1HP motor for more power, turned out the Rigid was such a piece of junk that even a Rigid service center couldn't get it to run and cut correctly.

My craftsman; these come up regularly on the Facebook market place, I have seen them from $75 to $250 with $100 being the most common. Some of the later ones were 2 speed with a slower speed for metal cutting.

View attachment 190930

I had sold my Craftsman when I bought the Rigid, Rigid sent me another saw in the box, I sent it to my brother unopened. It turned out it was a return and was missing a lot of parts. It took him a year to finally get it running.

Fed up with trashy saws, I got off my wallet and bought a 2hp Griz, that was 20 years ago, this saw will outlast me.

View attachment 190932

A benchtop saw is a toy, you will never regret buying a more powerful saw, everyone I know who started out trying to make bows with a benchtop didn't keep it long and moved on to bigger and better saws.
Grizzly has some nice stuff maybe a bit more than you want to spend but if you save up your pennies it will be worth the extra expense. I have an older Grizzly 16" with a 1-1/2 HP motor and a GOOD 4 tooth wood cutting blade and it goes through 3" thick hard maple like a dream. I bought it and a 6" jointer made in Tiwan for $300 from an older guy that was getting out of woodworking.
 
While waiting for a good old ‘made in USA’ free standing bandsaw to drop into my lap I bought a cheap Porta-Band and made a wood stand C-clamped to the benchtop.
With a Starrett metal blade it can cut 1/2” stainless.
It will only cut about 8” lengthwise, so for rifle stocks I bought a cheap benchtop bandsaw which works for roughing out but I wouldn’t trust it as far as I could throw it to cut a straight square line.
Found both at Harbor Fright for well under $400
However I’m still waiting for that old American made workhorse to show up!
PS: I have a shop full of power and hand tools for wood removal, but my go-to for the last decade is a Shinto rasp. It’s mind boggling how clean and fast it cuts to the line. It looks like a bunch of hacksaw blades riveted together, coarse teeth on one side, smoother on the other.
Pert near every other rasp stays in the drawer.
Maybe that’s why I’m not in a hurry to get a good bandsaw?
 
If you’re on Facebook, check the marketplace.. i got a “ deal” on a ryobi a while back, it was a hobby bandsaw.. piece of junk!! So I shopped around and got a nice large older Delta, now that thing will cut through a 3-1/2 full stock blank like it’s butter! Well with a good sharp blade at least… I don’t mess with cheap junk anymore.
A cheap tool is a consistent source of irritation.
 
I have had an oooolllllddd Craftsman for many years. I was not using it but dug it out of the shed a while back and put new tires on it (very easy and cheap). Searched the web and found some excellent YouTube videos on setting it up and dialing it in. With new blades it runs like a top. If I was serious about buying a new one I would either hold my nose and get the toy (Ryobi) and realize it limitations and disposability, or just bite the bullet and order the Grizzly.
 
I have had an oooolllllddd Craftsman for many years. I was not using it but dug it out of the shed a while back and put new tires on it (very easy and cheap). Searched the web and found some excellent YouTube videos on setting it up and dialing it in. With new blades it runs like a top. If I was serious about buying a new one I would either hold my nose and get the toy (Ryobi) and realize it limitations and disposability, or just bite the bullet and order the Grizzly.
You will not go far wrong getting a vintage Craftsman.
 
I suggest looking for a used 14” saw for wood, like a Delta, Jet, Grizzly, old Craftsman, etc. I have a 14” Delta and like it. There is no end to aftermarket hot rod parts, or even repair parts, for a 14” saw.
For metal, I suggest a metal saw. You need a slower blade speed and different blade for metal. I picked up a Bauer portable saw 10 Amp Deep Cut Variable Speed Band Saw
And am planning to either buy this stand for it SWAG Portaband Table - Pro Model or make something similar for metal work, knife blanks, etc.
 
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