Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: youngbowyer33 on May 15, 2018, 10:54:00 pm
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Hi all. Finally got my hands on some ipe and I don't want to dull my sad assortment of hand tools much further. I'm looking at band saws on Kijiji and wondering if a 2.5 amp 9" one will be strong enough for cutting through 1 1/2" thick dark ipe. And is it going to completely ruin the blade?
Don't have much experience with band saws or ipe (its so heavy and hard though holy cow).
Thanks!
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It will work if you go very slow and not force the cuts. If you are planning to make more bows a 14", 1hp saw or better would be your best bet.
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Thanks, that's kind of what I was expecting. Should be better with less thick white woods though, right? Don't live where I can cut down trees anymore so board bows is all I'll be able to do
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It can be done with a new blade, but it won't be fun.
I have a 9" bandsaw, but rather use my tablesaw since it's more powerful and gives truer cuts. I only use the bandsaw for roughing out the width profile on backings and after glue ups. If you can afford a bigger one get a bigger one. You won't regret it.
Ipe isn't as bad as you would think on blades. Don't get me wrong, it will wear a blade quicker than pine, but it's not as bad as other exotics I have tried.
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You mentioned your sad hand tools. Rather than waste money on a cheap, nearly useless bandsaw, spend that same money on quality hand tools.
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I think I may just save up for a bit and get a bigger/band saw, maybe not. I have access to a table saw (but it's a pain) and my hand tools are working well enough for tillering and what not. Thanks for the input everyone
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You mentioned your sad hand tools. Rather than waste money on a cheap, nearly useless bandsaw, spend that same money on quality hand tools.
Tool maintenance is of utmost importance. Even cheap tools can be made to work okay if time is spent tweaking them.
And, buy the best tool you can afford. Save those pennies. Buy quality. When it comes to band saws, you'll never wish for a smaller one.
Kyle
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I think I may just save up for a bit and get a bigger/band saw, maybe not. I have access to a table saw (but it's a pain) and my hand tools are working well enough for tillering and what not. Thanks for the input everyone
Watch Craigs list. Buy used and do NOT buy asian. Buy an old Delta or even Craftsman if it's old enough. Don't buy any saw that has ANY plastic parts and it should not have much aluminum or pot metal either.
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Jim, I just rebuilt one like that old Craftsman you had in the top pic. I gave it away but it worked great.
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I dont think you would get what you want out of a cheap 9 in. band saw I would save my money and get minimum 14 in. , cheap small band saws are a pain to tune and dont stay, ones tunned , even on a 14 in. try to get the highest HP you can get the smaller band saws rely on HP vs wheel inertia of the larger ones , the larger the wheel the more easy they are to tune and stay put I can resaw with mine over and over and it wont go out of tune tell I change the blade !
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Thanks Jim. Why not any Asian brands? I have developed quite a bit of respect for Japanese manufacturers (of many things, but not power tools, yet). Maybe they weren't any good until more recently?
I think I'm gonna save and get at least a 12"
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And I just remembered I don't have that much space and will probably be moving within the year to a place with less space. Uh oh
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My 14" Grizzly was made in Asia. Great saw. I've roughed out hundreds of bows and never replaced or repaired a dang thing but blades.
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You mentioned your sad hand tools. Rather than waste money on a cheap, nearly useless bandsaw, spend that same money on quality hand tools.
+1
I use a 14” jet cuts like butter.
Whatever you use, in all seriousness, use a dust mask. I cannot stress that enough.
Effs me up everytime I don’t. Which was about twice. That’s all it took.
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Dust mask, are the simple cheap ones good enough or should I get something more serious? Don't want to mess up my nose or lungs
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Dust mask, are the simple cheap ones good enough or should I get something more serious? Don't want to mess up my nose or lungs
Yep those’ll work.
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Thanks Jim. Why not any Asian brands? I have developed quite a bit of respect for Japanese manufacturers (of many things, but not power tools, yet). Maybe they weren't any good until more recently?
I think I'm gonna save and get at least a 12"
Asian machines are almost all poorly made copies of American designs. Poor fit and finish, poor bearings, plastic and pot metal where ever it will last just to the end of the warranty.
On the Old Woodworking Forum, they don't even allow discussion of Asian machines, only US, Canada, England, Germany, France and a few others, maybe. http://www.owwm.org/ (http://www.owwm.org/)
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I have an older 8o’s model 12 inch craftsman. It will get the job done if you have enough patience. I’m looking to upgrade.
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The white cheap nuisance dust masks did virtually nothing for me in stopping dust. I developed very serious breathing and sinus problems.
I always use P2 rated masks. I'm in Australia so I don't know if you USA guys have the same ratings. The P2 masks have a little filter/valve thingy at the front. They are disposable, but not single use. They will work until the elastic straps break(quite a while), then throw out.
If you can get a bandsaw blade with HSS tips they will last much longer on exotic hardwoods. Carbide tips are even better, but they usually are only suitable for large bandsaws, and are very expensive(worth the long term investment though).
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The white cheap nuisance dust masks did virtually nothing for me in stopping dust. I developed very serious breathing and sinus problems.
I always use P2 rated masks. I'm in Australia so I don't know if you USA guys have the same ratings. The P2 masks have a little filter/valve thingy at the front. They are disposable, but not single use. They will work until the elastic straps break(quite a while), then throw out.
If you can get a bandsaw blade with HSS tips they will last much longer on exotic hardwoods. Carbide tips are even better, but they usually are only suitable for large bandsaws, and are very expensive(worth the long term investment though).
Yeah they have the one was circular diaphram on the front
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Bandsaws are sawdust making machines and really should be hooked up to a dust collection system.
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The white cheap nuisance dust masks did virtually nothing for me in stopping dust. I developed very serious breathing and sinus problems.
I always use P2 rated masks. I'm in Australia so I don't know if you USA guys have the same ratings. The P2 masks have a little filter/valve thingy at the front. They are disposable, but not single use. They will work until the elastic straps break(quite a while), then throw out.
If you can get a bandsaw blade with HSS tips they will last much longer on exotic hardwoods. Carbide tips are even better, but they usually are only suitable for large bandsaws, and are very expensive(worth the long term investment though).
If you have a beard then no dust mask will work. The masks I use are not the cheap ones but they're not expensive either. Also I have a shop vac adapted to fit my bandsaw. It removes most of the dust. My jointer on the other hand makes a lot of dust which I have no way of dealing with other than a mask
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If your set up with rollers on your band saw and other equipment on a hard flat surface such as cement you can wheel the machine outside on breezy days to reduce the dust intake.Winters can be a little cold then though.
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For fine dust control, attach a home furnace filter to the back side of a box fan and position that next to your work area. It helps with the very fine dust, but a mask should still be worn.
Kyle
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Lots of great advice here. Ordered a nice dust mask. I've got two options right now for a used band saw, a 12" old craftsman and a 11 or 12" Delta (the seller isn't sure, I can't tell from the pictures), it's newer and looks like in better condition. Similar price. I think this size is what I'm looking for with my living situation right now.
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I would opt for the old craftsman myself, the older ones were built right, and built to last.
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Well I got the old Craftsman, with the stand it's bigger than I was expecting, and heavier too! Hope the bumpy ride home didn't mess anything up. Thanks for all the help everyone!
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Show us a picture of your new-to-you band saw. I'm sure it will do a lot of work for you. The Delta would also have done well--a little more prestige with the Delta, but class doesn't cut wood.
You might want to visit the Old Wood Working Machines website to get a feel for the care and feeding of vintage machinery. The members there are eager to help with any questions about OWWMs.
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GOOd for you. Check out some u tube videos for how to tune a bandsaw, makes a big difference if it’s not set up properly. 1/2 inch blades worked best in mine for bow work. I need to try a better blade than the cheapies I get from sears, but they are easy to get.
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I think the Delta may have only been 9 inches, couldn't find out with the part number alone though. I'll get a picture up if I get it up and running tomorrow, hard to take it out of the truck by myself. This seems like pretty good condition but the case is plastic so I'm not too sure.
I'll probably do both of those, thank you!
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Congrats on you purchase I like those old Craftsmans had one years ago , you might want to check the tires for pitting or dry rot , there cheap and easey to replace if so , good tires are important on keeping the blade tracking strait or coming off and if your running with out dust collection ,debri and resin build up on them , they sell tire cleaning spray that works good to clean up between uses it helps keep the blades running cooler to , bandsaws are great tools one of my favorite power tools.
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Still don't have it set up but here's a picture of the front
(https://i.imgur.com/J3ECpmJ.jpg)
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Could be worse, but it's not old enough to be good.
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I thought that might be the case. I'm not gonna throw too much at it so it should be good enough for my needs
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Its just fine. Keep it tuned and keep sharp blades on it. Like I said earlier, my foreign made saw has already roughed out a few hundred blanks and still runs like new. Most people wont even use a saw that much in their lifetime.
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Im not of the belief that a band saw needs to be old to be good , I bought this Italian made saw 12 years ago new ,it has made 1000s of feet of commercial veneer plus 100s of hours of personal projects its the same saw currently used in the Smithsonian wood shop , I have a lot of friends using Grizzly saws that love them , I had a 14in rigid saw that worked flawless after tuned corectly it was Asian made , your saw should work fine for your purpose use it and have fun.
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Foreign isn't bad, Asian is, especially China and Taiwan. Italy, Germany, England can all be good.
And, I'm sure you paid more than a couple hundred dollars for that saw. Glad it works well.
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I would’ve gone with the delta but that’s my own preference.
Likenpearly said take care of it and it will do what it’s able to:)
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Thanks guys. I'm gonna try and make the most of it no matter what
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IT will work!like they said, tune it, sharp blades... make some dust dude.......
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Got a chance to get it inside last night and set it up for a couple of minutes tonight. Just did the width taper on two red oak elbs (let see how those turn out :-\). The saw is quiet and cut the oak no problem, very smooth. Made a little mistake, but its all about making mistakes.
(https://i.imgur.com/a8eQDyw.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/6LNuXev.jpg)