Official Luthiers Forum!

Sale of some property close so I better get list of appropriate power tools.
Some of you have mentioned table saw is very handy. What uses? Size, brand, important acc.? Caveats?

It seems the consensus of opinions re: band saw was that it should be 16" and either Delta or Jet (particular models, please)-is this correct? Please chime in with different ideas. Also what are the important acc. to purchase. What is best all round blade (from Olson?) What other blades are useful? Manufacturers?

I don't have either, and I do get by OK. Simply don't have the space for them. I'd like to have both, with the bandsaw topping the list. For bandsaws, there's a plethora of options out there, from Delta to Jet to Grizzly to Laguna to Minimax (although the latter two are both rebranded European saws, many Italian, some from elsewhere, I believe. Meber and Agazzani spring to mind as Italian brands go).

What brands/sizes/blades etc. you'd be best off with very much depends on what it is you want to be doing with the things.Mattia Valente38439.3366782407

Bob, I have a Sears Craftsman Table saw, LOVE it, don't know how Mattia gets by with out

I also have a Delta 9" bansaw, yes id love something bigger, but for what I (really) need, this does it all, including cutting neck blanks from a 3"X 4" X 30 blank.

It was under 175.00, Ive seen it as cheap as 99.00

One thing you might want to look for is a Table saw that will allow the blade to rise 3" or more, so you can do scarf joint cuts on it. Mine cannot.

LanceK38439.3407291667

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

and on a table saw get something with a good fence. I too have a craftsman that I inherited from my dad and it is a POS. The fence blows.

I am eyeballing one of those powermatic cabinet saws and saving my pennies.

As far as bandsaws go, I recently bought an 18" Delta. It is a decent saw. It was a compromise over what I REALLY wanted (the Laguna) but the stars aligned and Woodcraft made me a deal on it that I just couldn't say no to. It didn't get wonderful reviews in the 2005 Tool Review, but I have NO complaints about it.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

My Powermatic 64A is powerful, all cast iron including the wings, but the best thing is the American Made Accu-Fence included on the Taiwanese manufactured saw. It's built like a tank and very accurate. It has the high density plastic covering both sides and slides beautifully. 849 delivered free from Amazon.com I did my homework and it's the best saw in it's class. A mobile base makes it handy.

I have a 10' craftsman that I bought new 30 years ago. I added one of those aftermarket fence systems to replace the POS stock job,and it's all the saw I'll ever need.

I have a Delta 10" contractors saw with the extension tables and the Beismeyer fence. So far it has done everything I ask of it.

My bandsaw is a Delta 14" with the riser block. I don't do a lot of resawing, but when I have it did the job for me. I leave most of the resawing to folks like the Zootman and just use mine for general cutting chores mostly.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

I had a Jet 10" contractor's saw for 10+ years and it was a pretty decent saw (much better than my Dad's Craftsman). I purchased a Grizzly 10" 3HP cabinet saw two years ago and all I can saw is WOW, why did I wait so long. It has power out the ying yang and is vibration free. Stock fence is very heavy but extremely accurate.

I had a HF 14" bandsaw for 15 years and went through 2 or 3 motors. It was a decent saw and met my needs but vibrated badly. I have a 1960's vintage Delta 14" that is a great saw and cuts smootly. I also have an 18" Grizzly for re-saw work and would NOT reccommend one of that design. It's the cast iron C shaped design similar to a 14" jet or Delta. It has plenty of power but flexes and vibrates severly!!! Sent it back to the factory and they "fine tuned it", they sent it back and it's no better now than the day I bought it. I would suggest looking into one of the welded tubular steel frame designs.

Buy a Freud Diablo 7-1/4" blade (both 24 & 40 tooh) and you will be in heaven for 95% of the wood you will ever cut. I hardly ever use a 10" blade and when I do I use an Oldham rip or planer blade depending on the cut.

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tim...
http://www.mcknightguitars.com

My first saw was a rusty old craftsman I found upside down in the weeds, motor was rewired due to a plume of smoking announcing it's death.

A bunch of sanding and wd-40 later it looked decent. I built a fine set of Maple front cabinets with it for my first house and they are still there twenty years later. So you can get by with just about any table saw.

I got rid of that saw in a garage sale after I inherited another old craftsman with a driveshaft. I gave that to a friend and was sawless for seven years while teaching at the school where I had access to a half dozen. Granted a cabinet saw is the best if you can afford it. But the contractor saw is portable if you have work away from the shop.

We even had a little Makita at the school to carry out to the jobsite and do many trim application jobs. Last point, any old table saw is better than being without, even "Old Rusty".

I have a Unisaw, but also kept my Dad's old(1948) Craftsman table saw. It's incredibly handy to have two table saws for certain operations.

A table saw is only as handy as you want it to be. When I started out, I thought it was useless. Now, it's my most prized power-tool posession. I'd give up my 14'' Delta bandsaw way before the Unisaw...

Glad others have taken my suggestion for the Freud blades to heart. Best blades going, and dirt cheap.

Mario, I like the Freud for it's thin kerf and cut, but resawing on a bandsaw is incredible too, It's amazing how fast a bandsaw can cut 3/4 inch tall x braces and they take a ride in the drum sander for perfect thicknessing.

If you have a good one, tablesaw or bandsaw, they are incredibly useful. I profile backs, tops and sides with my Delta 14 and roughsaw my neckblanks, hard to beat, all with a 6TPI Olson Skiptooth 1/4 inch.

I bet if you threw a sheet over the Delta 14 and tied it with a rope, you'd be in agony before the week was out....... unless you have another bandsaw hiding in your shop somewhere..... grin.

Honestly, Bruce, I go weeks without using the bandsaw. The only operation I really need it for are roughing out neck blanks. Sure, it comes in handy for other stuff, but that's about the only thing I can't substitute another tool for.

Why would we use the bandsaw to re-saw 3/4" stock when the table saw does it more acurately, quickly, cleanly, safely, and the blade costs $10 and last for 2 years, where the bandsaw blade costs double that and lasts a month <g>

We all get accustomed to out tools and methods, and that's cool. I just never found the bandsaw that handy, likely because I always had a table saw nearby, and learned to work with it, first.

[QUOTE=LanceK] Bob, I have a Sears Craftsman Table saw, LOVE it, don't know how Mattia gets by with out [/QUOTE]

Simple. Because I have little choice in the matter until I get proper shop space

Seriously, though, I'd advocate buying tools as you find you need them, not investing in a 'dream shop' up-front, or you might well end up not using half the shiney sparkly tools you've got yourself. Invest the money in wood, it holds its value better anyway ;)

Thank you all for your comments

[QUOTE=Mattia Valente] I don't have either, and I do get by OK. Simply don't have the space for them. I'd like to have both, with the bandsaw topping the list. For bandsaws, there's a plethora of options out there, from Delta to Jet to Grizzly to Laguna to Minimax...[/QUOTE]

Off topic comment: I love words, and their proper usage. Mattia has used a grand one here, plethora. Which begs the question, Mattia-- since you are what, half Italian, half Dutch, how do you come by such a good command of the English tongue? I marvel at this frequently.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Like I admitted once, I've got an old Rockwell table saw, the precursor to the Delta Contractor's saw. It's about to give up the ghost, and still trying to decide which saw to replace it with. (I'm leaning toward the Grizzly cabinet saw w/ left tilt blade.) Like Mario, I learned on this saw, and approach most "busting-up" tasks with a table saw mentality.
I've got the 18" Grizzly band saw, and do some resawing with it. What I do use more and more now is a 10" bandsaw from Delta. It was bought at a Lowe's home center. Came w/ it's own stand, and is belt driven. Has its own dust chute which the Grizzly does not. It is the smallest bandsaw I've seen using a big saw design. Does anyone else have one of these? I don't see them or hear of them often. This little guy is used to cut out the plates, do neck work, fretboards / bridges etc.Steve Kinnaird38439.5514930556

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

advocate buying tools as you find you need them, not investing in a 'dream shop' up-front, or you might well end up not using half the shiney sparkly tools you've got yourself.

Wise words. Very wise!

Always, always buy your tools as you need them; this way, you'll learn to think around most of the problems instead of reaching for the newest, greatest tool for the task.

I bet most part timers have more tools and store bought jigs/templates than the full timers.

I have a unisaw and, like Mario, consider it my most used saw in the shop.
I could not build instruments without it. There are so many jigs and
fixtures that relate to the table saw rather than my band saw. The
accuracy cannot be beat but you have to develop the necessary jigs to
make it work properly in your shop. The longer I have been woodworking
the more I use the table saw!

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Sylvan
http://www.wellsguitars.com

I have an old Grizzly table saw, I think it has a 1 1/2 HP motor and is a little underpowered. I would like to have a little more power but with a sharp blade it cuts pretty much anything I need. It is just about my most used and usefull tool. I would like to upgrade the fence someday and may if I can find one that will attach. I use my bandsaw like a pair of scissors and it is very handy as well. That is probably the first saw I will upgrade though as the blade guides are not of much value and they are not compatable with most of the aftermarket guides. It is a cheap import model from the 80's.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

[QUOTE=Steve Kinnaird]Off topic comment: I love words, and their proper usage. Mattia has used a grand one here, plethora. Which begs the question, Mattia-- since you are what, half Italian, half Dutch, how do you come by such a good command of the English tongue? I marvel at this frequently.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the kind words! It's a bit of a weird story, really: though I'm half Dutch, half Italian, and have lived in various countries while growing up, all my pre-University schooling was English language (International/American schools in Germany and France). My first language, both spoken and written, is English, and it's the one I love best. It's not always the prettiest I know (Italian wins that one, and French can be beautiful) but it's incredibly rich and (probably frutratingly) complex; know many other languages that love irregularity in spelling, grammar and conjugation as much as English does? Didn't think so..

I'm a freelance translator when I can find the time and the work (it's financed my zoot stash). I only translate into English from Dutch, very occasionally from German, French and Italian. If you catch me making grammatical errors, blame it on my tendency to run on and not proof-read anything that doesn't have to be triple checked and sent off for close scrutiny by clients or copy editors. For spelling mistakes, blame lazy typing and dependence on spellcheckers

Mario...Whether one has many or few tools or store-bought jigs is inconsequential...it's the results alone that count. This part-timer started out with no power tools and learned how to make cuts, shape, sand, joint, thickness the old-fashioned way...with sharp chisels and plane irons, files, spokeshaves, shooting boards, coping saws and anything else that uses bicep power. Still, after 2 years of this I only have a mini Sears bandsaw, a ROS, laminate trimmer and a router.

I bought power as I saw the need and advantage but still rely on quieter and less dusty methods.

While it might have been nice to have power tools, the hand tools certainly have given me an opportunity to listen to the wood and shape it according to the way IT wants to move. There are those few times I need something table sawn and have to see my Amish buddy for help.

Nobody should find fault with anyone for their toys...just judge the results of how they use them.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I have had a Powermatic 66 table saw for about 30 years. Admittedly an expensive tool, but it has built cabinets, mantels, raised panel wainscot, etc in our home as well as being jigged up for many guitar related procedures. It has a Bessemeyer (sp?) fence with a filler table in which I have added a table router adaptation that also makes use of the VERY accurate fence. With a Forrest 60 tooth carbide blade, it can't be beat!

I've got a no-name brand 9" band saw (actually a Master Mechanic 3 wheel) that does what is needed. On my first 2 builds I got by with a jig saw. My table saw is an inexpensive hobby Delta. I would like a better table saw but don't have the room for it and can't see trying to squeeze it through the kitchen down to the basement. I'm limited by space and arrangement. However, I am getting ready to build an addition to the table saw that I found from the New Yankee Workshop. It will also incorporate an interchangable router table, oscillating spindle sander and downdraft sanding table and will hold my band saw and planer when they are needed. I have no choice but maximize available space.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

[QUOTE=HankMauel] I have had a Powermatic 66 table saw for about 30 years. [/QUOTE]

Oooooh, that's what I'd reeeeallly like to have. So many fine tools... so little money.

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I have had a 3 h.p.Rockwell Unisaw with a bismeyer fence for about 25 years. I love this saw.
The blade I reccomend is Forrest.If you've never tried one you should-cuts wood like buttah!!