Tilting head bandsaw a Sears specialty?

[captmikey]

I seem to recall that sears once made a tilting "head" sort of saw some years ago. I happened to be in sears today and saw a new 10" version which looked halfway decent except the table was aluminum. The tilt mechanism and chassis all appeared to be cast steel.

Kind of reminded me of my fathers Delta tilting table saw in reverse. Anyway, the Sears unit was priced a little less than the new Hitachi

12" saw they have at Lowes. The Hitachi is supposed to be an excellent saw.

I think I can get by with a 10" or 12" BS and I'll have to keep looking. I was hoping to find a nice 14" Delta (used) but the one I almost jumped on got jumped by somebody else before I ever got to see it. Such is life. I guess I should look at the Delta 10" and the Jet

12" as both have cast iron tables. Strange that the Delta 12" doesn't.

If there's anyone in the Hartford/Springfield area looking to sell a BS and move up to something bigger/better, post a follow up here.

[AAvK]

I believe the Sears tilting table one is made by Palmgren for Sears,

I don't think I'd want it at that size and price though.

[Ba r r y]

There was a Delta 14" listed a few weeks back, located in the Springfield, MA, area. Start a thread with a descriptive subject and the seller may find you.

Barry

[captmikey]

That's the one I missed Barry. It was more money and size than I _really_ needed, but after thinking it over for a couple of days I figured... somehow get it. I was also emailing the fellow and unfortunately the time lag between emails being read and answered was my problem. I had left him my cell number, but had no way to reach him other than email. In hindsight, it was a sweet deal.

I have a 10% off coupon for Lowes that I have to use before 2/15 so I _could_ save about $30 on the 12" Hitachi and buy brand-new. Even the Saw Store, our local Delta dealer, admits that Hitachi is one of the few companies that actually makes a very good product and backs it up with a excellent parts network.

BTW, has anyone ever "customized" a band saw by taking a (maybe even slightly bigger) cast iron table and mounting it to a saw that had an aluminum table? I see so many used sears BS with aluminum tables and once in a while I see cast iron tables being sold as parts.

Mike

[Norman D. Crow]

IIRC, this is a baby brother to what I *think* was called a "shipwright saw". I remember seeing one on a show about the USS Constitution and the shop they have for maintaining it. This thing was huge, using about a 3 or

4" wide blade, the table was about 3 or 4' square, with probably a 20" cutting height. The table would stay level while the whole head rotated, enabling them to cut those 14-16" ribs for a wooden ship while the table stayed level.

[AAvK]

...'Scuse me, I meant "tilting head".

[Clint]

Why are you so worried about an aluminum table? What difference does it make if it's aluminum, cast iron, or whatever, so long as it's stable? AFAIK, the bandsaw is not usually considered a precision machine, where you're worried about the last 0.001". Most times, you'll end up doing the final shaping on a jointer/planer/tablesaw/etc, or sanding off the blade marks, if nothing else.

Why not buy the saw you want, and if you need to upgrade it later, there are all sorts of plans for a larger table. A quick Google search for "bandsaw table plan" turns up a bunch of links.

Clint

[Norman D. Crow]

One reason; I'm getting tired of the black lines left on everything by the ribbed aluminum top on my Crapsman table saw. Even wax doesn't help much. That's why my next major tool will be a new TS with a cast iron top!

[Larry Jaques]

On Sun, 13 Feb 2005 18:34:40 -0500, the inscrutable "Norman D. Crow" spake:

So make about a dozen cheaparse jigs to go with it, put it up on Ebay with flowery descriptions of everything, then buy a brand new G-1023Z with the winnings. Use the word "Craftsman" about thirty times in the ad so they know it's their favorite product. ;)

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[captmikey]

Made the plunge and bought the Hitachi 12". I know the Delta 14" is the gold standard, but with space and budget constraints, this one should do the job for me. $269 with my coupon? How could I go wrong?

I ever need something bigger, you're right... there's always eBay.

Mike

Incidentally, The Saw Store also sells and stocks Hitachi, but doesn't have this saw yet.

[Jeff P.]

Stay away from the Sears tilting head model if you find it. I originally bought one of these thinking it looked like quite the innovation. I got it home and actually ended up leaving it sitting in the box in the shop for a couple of months (don't ask why, I'm not sure myself). When I finally got it together I found that the blade was not square to the table. You could adjust one direction by tilting the head forward or back but there was no side to side adjustment possible. I ended up driving a shim between the moving head and the base in order to get it anywhere near true. This got me a bit agitated so I took it back to Sears. I was ready to be told that I was stuck with the beast but they were very nice and let me exchange it for a larger traditional bandsaw (with a few extra buckaroos on my part).