Small Bandsaw

[Michael Faurot]

I currently own a 14" bandsaw that works great, but is tedious to change the blade on. I've been toying with the idea of getting a second and smaller saw. I'd use the 14" with 1/2" 3TPI blade and then put something like a 1/8" 12-14TPI blade on the smaller saw to do curves on the small pieces I typically work with.

So I'm looking around at some of the small saws (9-10" bench top variety) from vendors like Ryobi, Delta and Rikon and it doesn't look like any of them have a quick release feature.

So my question is this: Does anyone make a small/bench-top bandsaw with a quick release?

NOTE: I'm not interested in getting a second 14" bandsaw or larger--just a bench top style saw.

Thanks.

[J. Clarke]

If you're looking for a saw to cut curves on small pieces then why not get a scroll saw?

[sweet sawdust]

I agree the small band saws are a pain.

[Gerald Ross]

When I got tired of fiddling with my small bandsaw I got a scroll saw. It uses clamps to hold the blade. I had some 1/8 bandsaw blades and cut them up to length with wire cutters and they worked fine in the scroll saw. Good for cutting thicker wood. They were not as sharp as new scroll saw blades, but I already had them so they were "free".

I also have a large bandsaw.

[jo4hn]

I have a Delta 14" which I use for resawring (3 tpi x 1/2" blade). I also have a 1940ish vintage 12" with a 3/16 blade for finer stuff. No quick release; I have to turn the tightener 10 times if I'm not going to use it for a bit. Works fine. toodles, jo4hn

[Lowell Holmes]

Mark Duginske shows a small bandsaw in his video about mastering your bandsaw that is contrary to the previous posts. I would look at his video and see if it's something I would want to do. Mark has in addition to his 14" bandsaw shows some 9" (IIRC) Sears saws and I think he used one to cut tenons on.

A crank handle on a bandsaw works as well as quick release. You can make one to fit any bs,

[mac davis]

Unless you need and have room for a 2nd band or scroll saw, you might consider adding an after market tensioner to your current saw..

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[J. Clarke]

Jet will. The ones that resemble a Rikon won't.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It'll be a cute toy to play with but your real cutting will be done on a real saw. IMO, the 9" are a waste of money.

[Larry Blanchard]

I have an early version of the Delta. In a word, don't.

I'd suggest a good scroll saw.

If you have your heart set on a small bandsaw, jet has a 12" that doesn't look too bad, but that's probably bigger than you want.

[Leon]

Then there would be no need as the Rikon has one to start with. ;~)

[Michael Faurot]

That's what I'd like to avoid, having to crank a knob X number of times. When I bought my 14" saw, that was one of the key features I wanted and was willing to pay more to get. If there is an option for a quick release on a small saw, that's what I want. But if the cost difference is too much, I'll probably just learn to deal with cranking the knob.

[Michael Faurot]

I've all ready got a scroll saw. For the type of stuff I'm interested in doing, I like a band saw better.

[Andy]

I used to have the 10" Ryobi ($199 model), and for cutting smaller stock, it really wasn't too bad. I resawed a lot of 2" thick oak on it, and as long as the stock was fairly short and it had a good blade, it worked just fine for that and many other operations. It DOES have a quick release for the blade, and the dust collection is pretty good. The main reason I upgraded was resaw capacity, and that the table mounts were kind of flimsy - ripping or resawing anything heavy (over 3' long or so) would cause the table to flex quite a bit. Doesn't happen on my 400lb Grizzly. I sold the Ryobi to a friend for $100, but if I had had the space, I would have kept it. With a 1/4" blade, it would be fine for cutting curves or making minor cuts on smaller workpieces. I'd guess that at least half the cuts I make on my current bandsaw could easily be done on the old Ryobi, and I'd definitely use it if it were still around. One other saw to consider is the 10" Craftsman, here:

It looks VERY similar to the equivalent Rikon, but may be cheaper on sale - I'm pretty sure I've seen this one down to $100 recently. Sears' website is also showing their 9" model on sale for $99, but I haven't taken a good look at that one. Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any more questions, Andy

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Put a handle on it instead. Faster, easier. There is a commercial one made but I don't recall the name of it.

[Michael Faurot]

Cool! When I looked at Ryobi's site initially, I just looked at their 9" saw. I saw the picture of the 10" saw, but seeing that it came with a stand I thought it would be too big. But after taking a closer look at the 10" model BS1001SV, it could be the solution I'm looking for. Knowing it has the quick release is the most important feature to me though and hearing that it has worked reasonably well for you is helpful too.

That's exactly what I'd want it for. Most of the peices will be 12" or less and I won't be doing any resawing with it. All my reswaing will be done on my 14" saw.

Interesting. That 10" model does look very similar to Rikon's 10" model 10-300. From looking at Rikon's manual, it doesn't appear to have a quick release nor does this Sears. From looking at the web page for the 9" Sears[1] it sounds like it does have a quick release. But some of the reviews of the saw on Sears' site seem to indicate the 9" model is a POS. I'll have to go to Sears though and take a closer look at their small saws. The prices are definitely in the range I'm looking for.

Thanks for the tips!

[1]:

[Andy]

I know the QR is handy, but having used saws with and without them, I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor. My current saw (Griz G1073) doesn't have a QR; it has a knob on top that you twist. I wired on a sort of extension lever with a little wheel on the end, so I can grab the wheel and give it, say 6 spins and it's loose. Then when I need to use it, tighten 6 turns and it's back to the same place it was. Really not that much of an inconvenience. Send me an email if you want a photo of my current jury-rigged (jerry-rigged?) setup. Hope this helps, Andy

[Michael Faurot]

It is a deciding factor for me. Other than to get the initial tension set, I'm not going to crank a handle or a knob--you can't make me! :)

I got to looking more closely at the Ryobi bandsaws at the Ryobi web site, and found they have their manuals available on line. After looking at the manual for the 9" saw (model BS903), it does have a quick release. From looking at the pictures of the BS903 on their web site, they only show the saw from the front, so it's not obvious it has a quick release. I'll have to go by a Home Depot and look at it more closely, but this is looking like what I need for the small/light-duty stuff.

Thanks.

[mac davis]

No problem... a small motor, a flex connector and a remote switch and you got it. ;-}

mac

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[Dave Balderstone]

I have a Canwood 10" and recently bought a Delta 14". The 10" has a 1/8 blade on it, and the Delta is currently set up for resawing. It's a good combination.

If I only had the Delta, though, I'd likely be looking at a scroll saw rather than a smaller bandsaw.