Anyone in the market for a 14" BS should check out the new Powermatic PWBS-14CS

[Bay Area Dave]

Just got mine today. Work light. 1-1/2 HP. Air nozzle to keep the cutting area clean. Uses a serpentine style belt. 4" dust collector port that WORKS. comes with the fence and miter. Great fit and finish. runs quietly WITHOUT vibration!! Yeah! Gone are my Delta vibe blues!! The insert is perforated to allow more sawdust to reach the DC. Carter guides and quick release lever. brackets on stand to hold miter and fence. Pretty much a tricked out clone of the Delta. Same basic size and shape. Cost? Got it for $765 plus tax. Normal price is $849.

Is there ANYTHING I don't like about? One little nitpick, it's hard to release the small wing nuts to adjust the guides. I've had to use pliers on them. It takes 3 metric allen wrenches for assembly, but PM provided only two. Pretty minor stuff!

Boy am I glad I got a refund on the Delta.

dave

[Matt Zach]

[Groggy]

Congratulations, got my BS last year. Paid a measly US$500 incl tax and extra blades.

Made in Taiwan, 2 hp, uses ambient light, no vibration, fence and mitre gauge standard, easy to release wing nuts on guides, runs quietly, perforated insert (for those unable to drill holes), bearing guides, quick release lever, you can blow the dust away with your mouth if the twin 4" dust ports haven't already dealt with it.

Oh, and it's 17" - not 14".

But really, it cuts wood, which is why I bought it - thick, hard, wood, all day long. It cuts straight, it takes up to a 1" blade with comfort, it has a large table to rest logs on, the trunnions are strong and don't flex. You can remove the doors in 4 seconds flat and replace the blade in under a minute. It also has view windows to allow you to check the blade tracking with the wheels turning and doors on and closed for safety.

Drawbacks? It's heavy, no, wait, that's not really a drawback, is it?

But for anyone looking for a real man's bandsaw *and* a great deal, try

David Eisan (remember him?) got a Wadkin C500 for ~$127 USD, normal price has multiple 000s. I suspect David has enough cash left to buy a shiny new DW735 (but won't). He'll probably find some old rusty aircraft carrier sized lump of metal to go with his 16" jointer.

Remember folks, at the end of the day, it's all about how the tool cuts wood, looks simply don't help, neither does the price.

Greg

"Bay Area Dave" gripped himself firmly and squeaked:...

[Groggy]

Matt,

covers drift angles reasonably well, note that drift is to be expected. You will find that the drift angle may vary by blade and is not necessarily the fault of the BS itself.

Some causes attributed are:

- the blade being sharper on one side than the other (personally, I wonder about this one)

- the set of the teeth

- insufficient tension

- having the guides unnecessarily high, lower the guard to just above the wood surface.

- poor heat treatment of the blade resulting in uneven tension.

- poor quality blade generally (Timberwolf make good blades

good reference is "Bandsaw Handbook" by Mark Duginske, Sterling, ISBN 0

8069 6398 0

Greg

[Rick Chamberlain]

Doncha just love the smell of napalm in the morning?

[Bob Gramza]

I looked that one over at the local Woodcraft a few weeks ago. It definitely is built with the quality you would expect .

[Nut Tree]

In listening to the "experts" hock their wares at the wood show this week end Dave Woodland said that all new bandsaw blades cut straight right out of the box. We train them to cut with a drift. He was selling a fence for the band saw but explained about drift being a real problem with old stamped blades. The new ones with milled teeth should cut straight with a lower tension as that is how they are designed. We train them to cut with drift by using them to cut curves or patterns. If you have a blade that you only use to resaw, them it should always cut straight. At least that is what his claim was. He demonstrated this but of course he is a salesman. FWIW

[Bay Area Dave]

Yes. it works fine, even with the stock blade. I've got a wider blade sitting in the shop that I'll try today. The new BS is so cool! The little air nozzle to keep the line clean works and I love having a light right on the tool. As I was modifying a Delta mobile base to fit the BS, I had to use my DP, which doesn't have a worklight and I thought how nice it'll be to have one on the BS. If I put an aftermarket light on the DP I still have to run a wire to the wall which is not nearly as elegant as a built in light.

dave

Matt Zach wrote:

[Bay Area Dave]

yeah, it's got the Delta beat in quality and operation. I was SO unhappy with the Delta, especially for the cost. and their support is marginal IMHO. For all those who like Delta products, don't get me wrong; I've got a Unisaw and their DP, and love them both. Just don't like their BS.

dave

Bob Gramza wrote:

is built with the

[Matt Zach]

[Tom Watson]

Just got a Powermatic catalog today, bundled with the current issue of Cabinetmaker magazine.

Looks like the way to go, for a smaller shop, is with the WBS36 Bandsaw.

32 x 48 cast iron table.

33-3/4" Throat Depth.

245" Blade Length.

Supplied with a 1-5/8" blade. (will take up to 2")

Gross Weight: 1968 lbs.

Three drive belts.

7.5 hp motor.

$6,873.00.

Hell, I wouldn't settle for anything less.

Regards, Tom Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania

[Swingman]

Ya forgot the mobile base and harness for the mules.

[Tom Watson]

Dear Sir:

We no longer have our own mules.

We outsource our mule work and expect the mules to provide their own harnesses, insurance, consumables, etc.

In fact, although we started out in the mule business, we no longer have anyone at corporate who knows anything about mules.

Thank you for your interest.

Constance Chartinhander, MBA.

Regards, Tom Thomas J. Watson-Cabinetmaker Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania

[RKON]

Dave by The Bay:

Holy Moly... I remember your thread on the Delta last last spring. I am in the market for a new BS. I went out to the powermatic web site and was looking for info and did not find any. However, I did find a owners manual for a 14" pwbs14. Is this the same one as yours??

Rich

[Bay Area Dave]

Hi, Rich,

It is the model number in the thread title. I can't find it on their web site either. It is KILLER! Runs like a Husvarna (Viking) sewing machine. Sweet, sweet, SWEET! It's light years nicer than the Delta. I just made room for it today by putting my DC on a shelf above the garbage can separator. Now I have enough room to work in my shop. I spent about 7 hours today cleaning up the shop. Setting up the Powermatic took longer than the Delta (not that it isn't well adjusted; it's just that there is an extra table behind the main table that takes some time to adjust exactly level with the main table). I finally rolled the belt onto the pulleys, as I couldn't tighten the motor properly with the belt installed, even with 2 people. Try to find one in a store and check it out. I made up my mind in less than 10 minutes, once I got my hands on one at the WW show. They plugged it in so I could run it. As soon as I saw it ran as well as it looked, I told them I'd take it. I'm one happy camper!

The instructions for assembly could be a bit more explicit. It took me a while to interpret their intentions. Their tech support is wonderful though, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call them.

dave

RK> Dave by The Bay:

[mttt]

Outsourced to India, I'll bet! Harrruumph!

[Swingman]

The "New American Pie"?: ".... there are no mules in Missouri and the levy is dry"

[mttt]

McLean won't explain the first one, so I'm game for a new one. See:

response from Don at the bottom.

[Rich]

Dave,

Please try to comprehend! What I'm saying is that you're the cause of "the other idiot who posts "JOAT love blah blah blah"". You made the same ass of yourself on the other boards that they already frequented and they followed you over here. Through google, I can see your posting history, I know where you've been. JOAT just stood up to them in an attempt to keep this group fit for human comsumption. Now to put in a form you might understand:

JOAT-good(well maybe OK), Bay Area Dave - bad.

Rich

[Bay Area Dave]

hey rich, how's 'bout "JOAT-good(well maybe OK), Bay Area Dave - bad, Rich - Worse!"

I'm kinda tired; think I'll sit the rest of the flame wars out...

(Do I need to quote the source for each word, lest I offend the plagiarism police? )

The "I'm kinda tired" is attributed to Forrest Gump, and the "think I'll sit the rest of the flame wars out" is attributed to 1,438 previous Wreck posters. Did I miss anything?

dave

Rich wrote: snip