Bandsaw help

[stav]

I had that saw as my first band saw. My experience was not as good as everyone else's it seems. The saw had a noticeable bounce when it ran and it flexed a bit.  The frame is a grid of plastic as I recall.  Not as rigid as a column saw.  Depending on the price, I would look elsewhere. If it is free, well, free is free.  I paid $75 for mine and was happy to sell it.

[Bill Schneider]

I had that saw as my first band saw. My experience was not as good as everyone else's it seems. The saw had a noticeable bounce when it ran and it flexed a bit.  The frame is a grid of plastic as I recall.  Not as rigid as a column saw.  Depending on the price, I would look elsewhere. If it is free, well, free is free.  I paid $75 for mine and was happy to sell it.

The frame was die-cast aluminum with a one-piece plastic front cover.



It is a low-end band saw, and can be tuned-up if needed, but not worth the $150 asking price.

[Joe K1]

The version that I have has the cast iron table, blade tension gauge, dynamically balanced wheels (clip on weights), 4 threaded knobs to secure cover and semi enclosed stand (both ends).  It is model # 113.24201 Mfg. 5/74.  I don't recall for sure, but I believe the aluminum table version came later.

[Scouter]

I've got that saw and it's been a great little workhorse. Mine didn't come with a motor when I got it, so I put a HF 1/2 hp on it. I paid $60 for mine 10 years ago without a stand or motor. Properly tuned it's been great.

I posted in the other recent bandsaw thread that I've done some resawing with it, it's only got a 6" high capacity, and it won't be quick. I've done 5" oak on it and it was slooowww. But, with a decent fence and slow feed, it worked and was pretty straight. Softer woods work much better and actually have a great cut surface when using a sharp/new blade. After this last round of resawing though, I'm upgrading to a 14" with a 2.5 hp motor. There's a tension gauge inside the housing that's pretty accurate for various blade sizes. I've run 1/8 to 3/8 on it. finally replaced the tires this year when the rubber ones shredded. It's always tracked really straight.

My one complaint is that the one piece cover is a bit of a pain to deal with when changing blades, but the dust collection is decent with a shop vac.

Overall, I've been pretty impressed with this saw and I've cut hundreds of items with it. WOrked great when I was redoing the flooring in the house and needed to make angled cuts or cutouts to go around obstacles. For $150 with stand and motor, probably not a bad deal. I'll probably ask that when I go to sell my saw.

Edit to add that zooming in on that pic it has the aluminum table. Mine's got a cast iron table that is great. Not sure about the quality of that table.

Kevin

I asked about this on another forum and one guy responded about the aluminum table. His comment was that, other than the underpowered motor (like you said, really slow feed) his only other problem was with the aluminum table not locking down well and vibrating when cutting thick material.

[stoppy]

I see, I think by another thread you purchased a Delta 14" saw used. If not, I've used my Craftsman 12" for over 40 years. (Quick disclaimer I also have a Griz17" that was originally used to cut blanks for turning but it is used now for resawing.) My Craftsman has been a genuine workhorse over the years. It is used now primarily for cutting bandsaw boxes and parts for toy projects. This time of year I use it daily. While it has been great for me as a hobbiest I don't see it as a heavy duty production machine.

[Scouter]

I see, I think by another thread you purchased a Delta 14" saw used.  If not,  I've used my Craftsman 12" for over 40 years. (Quick disclaimer I also have a Griz17" that was originally used to cut blanks for turning but it is used now for resawing.) My Craftsman has been a genuine workhorse over the years. It is used now primarily for cutting bandsaw boxes and parts for toy projects. This time of year I use it daily. While it has been great for me as a hobbiest I don't see it as a heavy duty production machine.

Thanks, yeah I did go with the Delta. Went to see the Craftsman and the RaM, I'm guessing the Craftsman was a later model than yours, seemed pretty light duty, shook like a mother when I tried running a 2/4 through on the thin side. The RaM's upper wheel was loose (needed new bearings), I read that they seem to go frequently, so I passed on that as well. Even at $200 I didn't think it worth the effort.

[stoppy]

Somewhere around 5-6 years ago I replaced the bearings and tires. I’d had over 30 years use so I thought that was reasonable given the use I’d gotten from it.

[Scouter]

Somewhere around 5-6 years ago I replaced the bearings and tires. I’d had over 30 years use so I thought that was reasonable given the use I’d gotten from it.

I agree. Unfortunately, I have no idea how old the saw was, especially since it's still being sold. No mfg date, only a series date of 1997, which is when they started producing that series of bandsaws. Really odd.