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David G said:
John, you are a pretty high end woodworker. I have a Grizzly 0514X2 and, as my skills improve, wish I had paid a little more.
In what way are you not satisfied? I've discounted it now because it's too large, but I'm still interested in your comments because that saw has a 3HP motor and should do well with only 12" resaw height. John
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Thanks Joe. A guy in Buffalo had an Agazzani 24" for sale a year or two ago. It was way too large for me, but it sure got my attention. Never seen another one anywhere close before or since.
But I get your point about the Euro saws. You don't have to convince me. I have appreciated European engineering for a long time. MiniMax, Felder, Hammer, some Laguna models, should all be great saws - if I can find one.
John
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Thanks. I have considered about every option on gaining better access to my basement. All are not cheap and all require cutting through the foundation which I am very hesitant to do. Yeah, I know people do it all the time. The best option is probably to go through the garage floor and then through the basement wall, but that's also the most expensive. In the end, if I am able to work wood for another 20 years I will consider myself very fortunate. With that perspective, I think I'll forget making my house even more convenient for the next owner and try to figure out how to get the best BS I can down my cellar stairs. I sure hope the next owner likes woodworking, because he's going to have a basement full of wood and heavy machines in it!
John
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To some extent, you're asking the impossible.  Putting high tension on a wide blade requires a heavy duty bandsaw, which tends to be heavy and expensive. If you want to buy new, that leaves the Italian bandsaws and the Grizzly G0636X - 17" Ultimate Bandsaw. Equipment Sales and Surplus sells refurbished/scratch/dent Powermatic bandsaws. Maybe their 18" bandsaw would work. -Geoff
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I don't think I'm asking the impossible, but there aren't going to be many choices. The MM16 will meet all my needs if I can figure out how to get it down there. The Grizzly would meet my needs, too, but it's just too large and heavy. Ken Vick has one so I've seen it up close. Beautiful machine, but it's a monster. I think the Hammer 17" would likely be a good choice, too, although it only has 12" resaw height.
Thanks for the tip on the refurb. Powermatics. I'll take a look, but suspect they are going to be too large.
John
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John, I scoured CL for around 2 years looking for "my last BS". Finally, an LT18 popped up that appeared well cared for $1600. After talking with the buyer he said to come get it for $1200. I couldn't be more pleased in all reality. Yes, it doesn't quite have all the little gizmos that some of the new machines have but it has the stout and the engineering of a fine BS which was most important to me. I typically have a 1" blade on it at 25K. I understand your concerns with moving it. Myself and a strong neighbor carried it down the 4' wide basement stair case to the shop with movers straps. It was heavy but very manageable. I actually hauled it on two old rimless radial tires in the back of my truck. I removed the table and had it on it's spine. It worked out very well and I'm glad I made the purchase. It's twice as much as the most expensive machine I've ever purchased for my shop. I completely understand not wanting to shell out $3500 for a new machine. There was no way I could of justified that either. Especially after buying a new truck!  Keep watching CL on a regular basis and something will pop up.
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They can have my cookies when they pry them from my cold, dead fingers. rbl2 3/23/06
Bob Zajicek said: She let go with one the other night I swear you could have thrown a sheet over it and sent it out trick or treating.
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Yes, that keeps showing but I believe it sold.
John
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Have you considered one of those old Hitachi resaw bandsaws?
I remember they were very small. As I recall, they were small enough to get through the restricted corridor you're faced with.
I had heard that the small wheel size fatigued the blades a little early, but what a blade it was. That thing looked like it would resaw well. Bear in mind, I've never actually put one through the moves, or seen it done.
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Paul K. Murphy said:
Have you considered one of those old Hitachi resaw bandsaws?
I remember they were very small. As I recall, they were small enough to get through the restricted corridor you're faced with.
I had heard that the small wheel size fatigued the blades a little early, but what a blade it was. That thing looked like it would resaw well. Bear in mind, I've never actually put one through the moves, or seen it done.
Hi Paul, I think the Hitachi would be great choice if it came with a big enough motor to power that blade. And maybe they actually made one with a big motor, but all I've been able to find are ones with 110V motors. The reviews of those all complain about the poor performance which is completely understandable. You probably couldn't tension that monster blade very well, but wouldn't need to because it would still have huge beam strength even at low tension. I've actually thought about building a small bandsaw just for resawing, with a 5HP motor I already have, and a closed frame so that you could easily apply a lot of tension with no frame deflection issues. It's not that hard a task, but would still take a lot of hours and more $'s than I probably think. Still, I'm toying with it. John
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