Why do I buy the best bandsaw that I can afford?

[Phisherman]

I have a Delta 14". It was my first bandsaw and no regrets. If you do a lot of woodworking you will probably want to resaw some boards, although there are other ways to get around this. Resawing allows you to have mirrored "bookmarked" wood patterns which looks really nice. Resawing can save wood. You could buy a dedicated resaw machine if you have the space/money. It is not overkill to buy Laguna or MiniMax. One reason I bought the Delta was the availability of the parts and blades in local stores (this is a common bandsaw).

[Bob Schmall]

Rich: Purely by coincidence I was talking to Mark Duginske today re a class of his in July. He had been at the Milwaukee Woodworking in February demo'ing the MiniMax, but I remembered that he had also been quoted in the ads praising Aggazzanis. I asked him about that and he said that he thought both of them were excellent saws. When we turned to my Laguna he said that the importer had recently been having them produced in Bulgaria and that quality had slipped. Mine was an early model made in Italy of which he approved (whew). In short, the MiniMax is worth the bucks, according to an expert.

Bob

[Stephen M]

I see this as allot like the Unisaw vs. contractor saw debate.

Do doubt, it's great to have a Unisaw, it's worth it. No one is going to say that it is a waste, but many will say that a quality contractor saw is perfectly adequate for most hobbyists.

I doubt there are many if us that started out with a Unisaw.

That said a fully equipped Delta 14" BS (1.5hp, riser kit and fence) is $1K. There are 17" models with 12" resaw capacity for less. I think those bare consideration as well.

An extra $1K (price differental between a MM16 and a TOL Delta 14") can buy allot of wood or someother quality tooliing.

-Steve

[Robert Bonomi]

If you _don't_know_ *why* you need it, then the best advice is:

*DON'T*BUY*IT* at this time!!

Somewhere down the road, you'll figure out, either when planning out a project in advance -- *or* in the middle of one that's gotten out of hand -- that '*damn* this would be so much easier if only I had a band saw!' *That* is the time to go shopping -- you've identified the 'need', and know what to look for to fill it.