Table or bandsaw

[Stooby]

Hello all, you've all been giving me great advice on my questions so far so I thought I would try this one. Do any of you fellow scroll sawers also use either a table or band saw. I want something to help cut down larger pieces of wood for scroll sawing, make accurate strait edges for boxes (my wife makes a lot of jewellery and I want to be able to make boxes for her) and then cut down plans to make things like small shelving units. Nothing grand like furniture.
You may remember I have a very full shed. I have room for a small table saw and I seem to be able to find well reviewed one's of these at not great cost. Problem is everyone recommends band saw on all of the responses I can find to these types of requirements.
That gives me my own issues(biggest being where I could store my ladder if not in the shed to make room for a band saw) as well as the cost. Most of the reviews of the lower price band saws are very mixed and all seem to struggle with our fences and more gauges.
So I thought I would check with you guys who shares the same hobby to see what you use and what you would recomend.
Thanks in advance.
Stooby.

 

[wizard]

Both extend your shed

 

[Stooby]

Okay so let's assume there's not a hope in the world of extending the shed and work from there!

 

[finneyb]

My table saw is used as a table. In fact only last week I was thinking about selling it to make some room. Then I thought if I sold it I would need a table - so I'll stick with it. #-o

Personally, I think the band saw has a lot more uses than the table saw eg bandsaw boxes rather than scroll saw boxes, blanks for wood turning, ripping all with different blades of course. But bandsaws need setting up if they are to run right which I find to be quite interesting, others may see it as a bind. Bandsaw is also a lot quieter than a table saw and less likely to remove a digit, although a bandsaw can do serious damage.

If you want squared wood the alternative is a bandsaw and a planer/thicknesser rather than the tablesaw.

HTH

Brian

 

[Walney Col]

So I thought I would check with you guys who shares the same hobby to see what you use and what you would recomend.
Thanks in advance.
Stooby.

I have a bench top table saw and a bench top 3-wheel bandsaw either of which you could probably buy brand new for around £125 - £150. The table saw can cut up to 50mm thick timber in reasonably straight lines and the bandsaw can cut up to 125mm thick timber (including small logs) in not quite so straight lines or very curvy ones. The fences on both machines are rubbish but of the two saws I'd rather lose the table saw than the bandsaw. The finish from both still leaves a lot to be desired (particularly the bandsaw) so I made myself a bench top drum sander to get bandsaw items flat enough to go straight onto the scroll saw.

http://www.seafax.co.uk/index.php?id=200mm-thickness-and-flatbed-sander

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'd like to see 125mm timber cut on a £150 3 wheel bandsaw.

 

[Roughcut]

I had a screamy loud thing Ryobi Table saw years ago.
Sold it after a few months use, I think the neighbours were pleased..... :roll:
I've recently bought a Record Band Saw and can honestly saw it's one of the best machines I've ever had.
I don't even use the mitre saw much now for crosscutting unless they are long pieces as I can do it on the Band Saw.
Really happy with it.
Don't be put off with having to set the band saw up, it's really quite straight forward.

 

[Walney Col]

I'd like to see 125mm timber cut on a £150 3 wheel bandsaw.

Your wish is almost my command

http://youtu.be/1wJV28X0xxk a video clip of my £50 secondhand Sealy 12" bandsaw cutting through115mm

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Fair enough. I was thinking more of ripping and cutting curves though. Please don't go to the bother of uploading another video just to prove me wrong!

 

[Scrollerman]

That gives me my own issues(biggest being where I could store my ladder if not in the shed to make room for a band saw) as well as the cost.

Thanks in advance.
Stooby.

Stooby, I hate to state the obvious but a woodworkers shed with limited space is no place to store a ladder unless you have an upper floor with no stairs ! :roll:

 

[scrimper]

Difficult question to answer, I have both and could not do without either one if I am honest. it really depends what sort of work you are going to do, if your work involves ripping timber then it has to a table saw as a band saw (in my experience) wanders about with the grain especially when you try to rip deeper timber with it, unless you also have a thicknesser you will struggle to get good flat timber with band saw. A band saw is useful for general work such as curved cuts and shaping plus cutting joints and stuff, however if you have a scroll saw you can do some work on it that you would normally use a band saw for.

I would hate to have to choose between one or the other but I suppose that if I was doing a lot of woodwork I would choose a table saw whereas for general DIY and stuff about the house probably a bandsaw would suffice.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've a fairly small bandsaw (woodstar sb12) which will rip 7" hardwood quite cleanly and accurately.

 

[scrimper]

I've a fairly small bandsaw (woodstar sb12) which will rip 7" hardwood quite cleanly and accurately.

I use mostly softwood such as Spruce and European redwood which is difficult to cut straight due to it's grain , hardwood 'wanders' less.

I have 2 large bandsaws inc a quality Startrite and neither will rip softwood without wandering unlike my Circular saw.

 

[smoggy49]

Hi Stooby,

Like Scrimper I couldn't do without either, and for that matter I also use the mitre saw a lot . If I only did scrollwork and had to choose Id probably pick the bandsaw with the old adage a good old one beats a cheap but new Chiwanese one! good luck.

Chas

 

[marcros]

One thing to consider, given the limited space that you have:

If you have a bandsaw, used for resawing timber, you still have to have a way of flattening and thicknessing the timber. Getting a bandsaw may not solve the issues that you want it to, and may cause further issues.

For box making i could live without a bandsaw (particularly if i didn't need to resaw timber), but a tablesaw is very useful. For the handful of tasks you have mentioned i would go with that.

 

[novocaine]

I have a table saw. it's useful for scroll saw work, it makes a great bench to sit it on.
it also makes lots of scrap bits of wood, which are useful too.