Yeah. The latest Rikon has a Cast aluminum trunion that works smoothly. That is one of its strong points. The good saws have the cast iron trunions and with the Laguna there are 2 styles. One appears to hide the lower guide pretty well and the $1000 extra machine gives you a clear view of the lower trunion.
I am impressed with the ceramic guides that come on all the Laguna's. The bearing guides on the Rikon that I had briefly left me less than satisfied for that set up in general. Unfortunately that limits the choices to Laguna.
Well I finally made my decision the other day. I guess like you I wasn't looking in the same price bracket as Leon. I had it narrowed down to the 14" Craftsman, Delta 28-206, Jet (the 1 hp one, too lazy to dig up the mile long model number) and the Grizzly G0555.
I didn't want to go with roller bearings, mostly I'm going to use small blades. I couldn't find much not to like about the Craftsman (basically same as the Rikon but 2" more resaw) but when I emailed Sears to ask about putting regular guide blocks on it they said they couldn't answer and gave me the manufacturer's email address. I figure if that is the level of support I'm going to get from them, no thanks.
With the current amazon pricing and jet rebates both of those ended up (with shipping) at $550, the griz by the time I added guide block holders to it was $520. So pretty much a wash. I eliminated the griz because of the smaller table and that the motor is face mounted to the side of the saw. I figure if I have to replace the motor later on it's going to be easier with it in the stand. They were excellent about getting back to my questions though. The Jet didn't have a quick release, which wasn't a deal breaker for me but it just seemed like it was the same saw with prettier paint, and having to deal with a rebate.
So the Delta is on its way, and I get to squirm for a while and pray for good weather when it shows up. Originally they estimated the
I think the Laguna and MiniMax are in an upper league when compared to the Rikon. The Rikon is a good saw for the money but like you I want a saw that does what it is suppose to do but with some grace.. I see the Mini has Euro guides. I really don't care for the side guide roller bearings that the less expensive saws have. Laguna now uses the ceramic guides, how do you like the Euro style? Right now the guides seem to be the glaring difference between the Mini and the Laguna. While the Mini has a bit more weight, hp, etc. I think both saws are long past adequate. The Mini certainly has the advantage of being some what local for me. I want to resaw and cut veneer but will also being using it for every thing else that you would do with a BS. Quick blade changes, if that is possible, is a major factor for me also. I sold my old BS immediately after getting the Rikon and now there is an empty space in my garage. :~!)
I've been trying to look at the trunnions on all the bandsaws... not much luck. In fact, in the manual assembly directions, they sometimes aren't even pictured... or just the base.
That's more than I want to pay at the moment... but I'll keep looking in the local lists for an old old bandsaw--if something really solid shows up for the right price I don't care if I need to do a little renovating.
Nah, the Griz, Delta and Jet are pretty much the same saw with slightly different stuff bolted to it. It's the illusion of choice that makes it difficult.
I know you were asking about trunions, I did learn in comparing the G0580 and G0555 that the 555 has larger trunions, but how it compares to the others I don't know.
:> I'm just curious what's the logic on making your own veneer? Between :> the cost of the saw and blades I'm not seeing a lot economic reasons.
: Veneer is just a part of the equation and the economic reasons do not enter : into the factor. Probably 75% of my woodworking is for income and as I get : nearer to retirement I want to go to smaller projects. Some veneers are : tuff to find and are expensive, especially in the exotics. Additionally I : want more control over the thickness. I would rather deal with 1/8" thick : than 1/16" or thinner stock.
And commercial veneer is way thinner than 1/16th -- a lot are now 1/100th of an inch thick, most premium stuff comes in at 1/42nd.
That's really thin -- if you make your own, you have much more ability to sand/scrape/plane it.
And another reason for resawing -- sometimes you find a really gorgeous board, say of fiddleback maple, striped ebony, etc. And you want it to go as far as possible. Use it as solid stock, you get maybe a small bo. Slice it, and you can have (the surface of) a tabletop.
I will second that advice. I posted a question to this newsgroup several weeks ago concerning the viability of veneering only one side of a substrate. I had a great piece of maple that I wanted to "stretch". Since I had never tried veneering I wanted as much advice as I could find.
I had lousy results with contact cement. I had great results with standard woodworkers glue. I had several metal "angle" sections that provided great clamping. Overall, my project was a great success. Resawing was easier that I anticipated and since I have a Performax sander I was able to reach uniformed thickness quite easily.
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