Band Saw recommendations??

[Mike Luszcz]

Hi, Well, I purchased a Ryobi 9" band saw months back, and I have hated it since the first day I got it. It seems out of balance, and shimmys all over the place. It makes cutting the aircraft ply really difficult. I am looking for recommendations for a good 9-10" band saw for cutting the plywoods we use for building wood boats. Thanks for any help! Mike

 

[Mark Bullard]

Hi, Well, I purchased a Ryobi 9" band saw months back, and I have hated it since the first day I got it. It seems out of balance, and shimmys all over the place. It makes cutting the aircraft ply really difficult. I am looking for recommendations for a good 9-10" band saw for cutting the plywoods we use for building wood boats. Thanks for any help! Mike

You could static balance the the blade wheels on the saw one at a time like we balance props. I use a craftsman 12" bandsaw myself. Have had it over twenty years. You have to do a little tuning to make a saw work good. Blade guides ajusted and good blades are some of the things that have to be done.

 

[Mike Luszcz]

Hi, Well, I purchased a Ryobi 9" band saw months back, and I have hated it since the first day I got it. It seems out of balance, and shimmys all over the place. It makes cutting the aircraft ply really difficult. I am looking for recommendations for a good 9-10" band saw for cutting the plywoods we use for building wood boats. Thanks for any help! Mike

You could static balance the the blade wheels on the saw one at a time like we balance props. I use a craftsman 12" bandsaw myself. Have had it over twenty years. You have to do a little tuning to make a saw work good. Blade guides ajusted and good blades are some of the things that have to be done.

Hmm, I never thought about that! Good idea. I will have to give that a try first. Thanks!

 

[jetpack]

Shim behind the travel blocks on the adjustment wheel. Knowing how bandsaws are built there's usually a ton of clearance between the hub block and the frame of the machine. You have to take out all the float on them to help the wobble.

The driving wheel should be sturdy, it is the adjustment wheel that usually slops all over the place with how well the saw blade is welded, and varying tension throughout its run.

With the blade off, check to see if there is any play you can take out of the wheels to keep them from wobbling. Usually the travel wheel feels like the bearing fell out of it, they can be that bad.

 

[Terry Flynn]

Hi, Well, I purchased a Ryobi 9" band saw months back, and I have hated it since the first day I got it. It seems out of balance, and shimmys all over the place. It makes cutting the aircraft ply really difficult. I am looking for recommendations for a good 9-10" band saw for cutting the plywoods we use for building wood boats. Thanks for any help! Mike

I have 10" craftsman band saw and I hat it also. won't cut straight if my life depended on it. and I should have looked in to it better I can't get blades for it unless I order them online. go figure I bought an oddball blade size, it only 2 years old. like always the older stuff is made so much better....

Terry

 

[Roxyflash]

The bigger the better.I have a 15 inch floor model.

 

[Tom Foley]

I have 2- 14 " Deltas , 2 - 12 ' Craftsmans , 4 - 10 " Delta table top models , and one ryobi 9 " . The key to the small saws is as stated , tuning the saw . I always clamp down or bolt down the table toppers , set the guides up relatively tight and use a 3/8' blade for straght cuts . I use skip tooth blades for wood and aluminum and also have them made by Starret by ordering from MSC Company . Blades are cheaper and better . We actually use the 10 " saws for use in fabricating Marine Aluminum towers where we have to work in the boats cutting Schedule 40 anodized aluminum pipe in sizes fron 3/4 " to 2 " pipe . You would be amazed at what these saws will do with quality blades and setup !

 

[JRXHydros]

Hi, Well, I purchased a Ryobi 9" band saw months back, and I have hated it since the first day I got it. It seems out of balance, and shimmys all over the place. It makes cutting the aircraft ply really difficult. I am looking for recommendations for a good 9-10" band saw for cutting the plywoods we use for building wood boats. Thanks for any help! Mike

I have a Ryobi 9" band saw and I have no problems with out of balance and shimmys. I can cut wood and metal all day long, with out no problems. It sounds like you need to return the band saw to the store for another.

 

[jeff baham]

Hi, Well, I purchased a Ryobi 9" band saw months back, and I have hated it since the first day I got it. It seems out of balance, and shimmys all over the place. It makes cutting the aircraft ply really difficult. I am looking for recommendations for a good 9-10" band saw for cutting the plywoods we use for building wood boats. Thanks for any help! Mike

I have 10" craftsman band saw and I hat it also. won't cut straight if my life depended on it. and I should have looked in to it better I can't get blades for it unless I order them online. go figure I bought an oddball blade size, it only 2 years old. like always the older stuff is made so much better....

Terry

if i'm not mistaken, you can go to woodworkingsupply.com and order the lenght you need .

 

[glenng]

I have 2- 14 " Deltas , 2 - 12 ' Craftsmans , 4 - 10 " Delta table top models , and one ryobi 9 " . The key to the small saws is as stated , tuning the saw . I always clamp down or bolt down the table toppers , set the guides up relatively tight and use a 3/8' blade for straght cuts . I use skip tooth blades for wood and aluminum and also have them made by Starret by ordering from MSC Company . Blades are cheaper and better . We actually use the 10 " saws for use in fabricating Marine Aluminum towers where we have to work in the boats cutting Schedule 40 anodized aluminum pipe in sizes fron 3/4 " to 2 " pipe . You would be amazed at what these saws will do with quality blades and setup !

Pay attention to Tom, Bought a el cheapo Grizzley horizonal/vertical band saw about twenty years ago. And bought six blades from M.S.C. at the same time. Around 10-12 teeth per inch. Still have 4 left. If a blade is not cutting straight-replace the blade. A genral rule of thumb- 4 teeth on the material. Good luck, Glenn

 

[Andy Greene]

I have 2- 14 " Deltas , 2 - 12 ' Craftsmans , 4 - 10 " Delta table top models , and one ryobi 9 " . The key to the small saws is as stated , tuning the saw . I always clamp down or bolt down the table toppers , set the guides up relatively tight and use a 3/8' blade for straght cuts . I use skip tooth blades for wood and aluminum and also have them made by Starret by ordering from MSC Company . Blades are cheaper and better . We actually use the 10 " saws for use in fabricating Marine Aluminum towers where we have to work in the boats cutting Schedule 40 anodized aluminum pipe in sizes fron 3/4 " to 2 " pipe . You would be amazed at what these saws will do with quality blades and setup !

I have seen the tools in Tom's shop and the quality work that comes out "first hand" and its Top Notch B) .

He did my Whaler before I ever even met him racing RC boats and I would say- he knows what he is talking about .

Andy

 

[Jerry Muro]

I personally use a Delta scroll saw to do all the cutting. The thickess material I cut is 1/4 when building boats. This is of course not for production but for building a boat not boats. I also have great control with a scroll saw for doing intricit cut and tight circles. Jerry

 

[Mike Luszcz]

Thanks for all the replys. I actually worked on the saw tonight. I had to balance both wheels as they were way out of balance. I also noticed the upper wheel had a slight bend in it, so I switched it to the lower, and after all that, the saw seemed much more stable while running. Its still not perfect, but way way better. I would have taken the saw back, but its been probably 4 months, and I paid so little for it, I didn't worry about it at the time. Probably the only way for me to make it perfectly balanced is replace that wobbly wheel. Anyways, thanks everyone, Mike

 

[P THOMAS]

Yes look up the setup info in the book or go online. I bought a yard sale band saw that was not used much. It have never been adjusted to hold the blade guides to cut straight.

 

[The Clock Guy]

Of course a good selection of blades is also in needed.

A place I deal with all the time is

BC Saw and Tool

(416) 251-2236

(888) 251-2236

www.bcsaw.com

They cut to any length you need and will ship anywhere. For me it was wonderful find as they are local to me.

 

[jetpack]

I just picked up a King-Seeley 12" bandsaw and motor made for Craftsman sold by Sears in 1948 and in the process of restoring it.

I drove about an hour to go look at it and after checking it out handed the guy the $90 he wanted for it. The upper blade guide assembly wasn't original. The die-casting was replaced by a machined aluminum sand casting...definetly a home or shop effort. Tires of course were hard and cracked, and everything was either tarnished or rusted but nothing was pitted and that was about half my decision to buy it.

The other half came to it being almost 100% complete except for the D- sand casting/machining project plus only a very small amount of tool marks from it being working on. After a good cleaning and painting, four new main bearings, aftermarket urethane tires it will be adding another $100. Big difference than 1948 prices. They would have wanted a whopping $4.40 for everything if ordered off of their price list.

The saw itself is made very high quality. It would be very hard to find the same quality in this size until you stepped up to the big $800+ floor models. King Seeley did not use cast iron they used cast steel throughout the whole 103 prefix series with Sears Craftsman model numbers in their lineup. It isone heavy saw for its size and they run very smooth, steady and quiet.

I am now just working through some of the table tilt assembly, blade guides and shafting with the lathe, files, sandpaper, steel wool, wire brushes and grit blaster cabinet to clean up parting lines and fit nicer than new. The covers and frame castings will get blasted and sent over my buddy's house for gloss grey powder coating. I am hoping it slicks the castings up nice because of sawdust. I have a plan for dust collection too right where the dust starts with the blade.

Last week a fellow restorer in Canada had an original guide casting for me in response and is sending it along for no cost. Now the saw can be 100% correct with goodies.

The saw is one more step closer in my boat shop effort and I feel anyone who's considering buying a bandsaw to check out some of the older ones out there if your looking for quality at a better price if restorations aren't a problem. One thing to keep in mind, bandsaws have a pretty low parts count to them so it makes this project a bit easier.

 

[Big roy]

You can get blades of any length and width where I used to manage. They will be cut and welded to length. You can also order any type of tooth, hook, raker, skip for wood or steel. You can also buy coil stock if you weld your own.

Simmons Engineering, wheeling Illinois

847-419-9800

Roy

 

[Tom Foley]

I just picked up a King-Seeley 12" bandsaw and motor made for Craftsman sold by Sears in 1948 and in the process of restoring it.
I drove about an hour to go look at it and after checking it out handed the guy the $90 he wanted for it. The upper blade guide assembly wasn't original. The die-casting was replaced by a machined aluminum sand casting...definetly a home or shop effort. Tires of course were hard and cracked, and everything was either tarnished or rusted but nothing was pitted and that was about half my decision to buy it.

The other half came to it being almost 100% complete except for the D- sand casting/machining project plus only a very small amount of tool marks from it being working on. After a good cleaning and painting, four new main bearings, aftermarket urethane tires it will be adding another $100. Big difference than 1948 prices. They would have wanted a whopping $4.40 for everything if ordered off of their price list.

The saw itself is made very high quality. It would be very hard to find the same quality in this size until you stepped up to the big $800+ floor models. King Seeley did not use cast iron they used cast steel throughout the whole 103 prefix series with Sears Craftsman model numbers in their lineup. It isone heavy saw for its size and they run very smooth, steady and quiet.

I am now just working through some of the table tilt assembly, blade guides and shafting with the lathe, files, sandpaper, steel wool, wire brushes and grit blaster cabinet to clean up parting lines and fit nicer than new. The covers and frame castings will get blasted and sent over my buddy's house for gloss grey powder coating. I am hoping it slicks the castings up nice because of sawdust. I have a plan for dust collection too right where the dust starts with the blade.

Last week a fellow restorer in Canada had an original guide casting for me in response and is sending it along for no cost. Now the saw can be 100% correct with goodies.

The saw is one more step closer in my boat shop effort and I feel anyone who's considering buying a bandsaw to check out some of the older ones out there if your looking for quality at a better price if restorations aren't a problem. One thing to keep in mind, bandsaws have a pretty low parts count to them so it makes this project a bit easier.

Man you really have some spare time !!!!!! Just look for a used 14 " Delta and call it a day ..you could have had the boats built by now !!! Not in my busy world but i admire your enthusiasm !!!! :lol: