Which saw
Which saw
Hey there everyone Ive decided that i dont mind this guitar building caper, so I think it might be time to upgrade from my lovely bunnings ryobi band saw and my circular saw screwed upside down to a piece of 18mm ply table saw. Just dont know what to get been looking at the carba tec web sight and am eyeing of the 21" ce industrial bandsaw and the 10" HD cabinet saw. I want to get somthing I dont have upgrade later and will be able to fulfill all my needs. Any help would be greatly appreciated if there is something that would be better for around the same dollars or any other input at all would be great. HELP ME.
Carpe Diem
Hey Phant, I have the MBS 300 12inch TS from CT. Love it. The 12inch capacity means I can cut taller bits like neck heals and clean up headstock angles etc very safely using a sled jig.
I currently have the 14 inch heavy duty BS from Carbatec and using a very good blade I have can resaw very thin pieces accurately plus anything else we do easily.
I was looking at getting the 21 using the same logic as you but in real life it is huge. One thing to consider is what size blades they take. You want to make sure you can use a narrow blade (1/4 inch) on it for cutting out shapes like tops and backs and other tight curves. I think the resaw capacity of the 21 BS is no different to the smaller 19 and 17, it just has a deaper throat. I think I will go for the 17 or 19 which are plenty big enough for what we do but still quite large machines.
Cheers
Dom
I currently have the 14 inch heavy duty BS from Carbatec and using a very good blade I have can resaw very thin pieces accurately plus anything else we do easily.
I was looking at getting the 21 using the same logic as you but in real life it is huge. One thing to consider is what size blades they take. You want to make sure you can use a narrow blade (1/4 inch) on it for cutting out shapes like tops and backs and other tight curves. I think the resaw capacity of the 21 BS is no different to the smaller 19 and 17, it just has a deaper throat. I think I will go for the 17 or 19 which are plenty big enough for what we do but still quite large machines.
Cheers
Dom
You can bomb the world to pieces,
but you can't bomb the world to peace!
but you can't bomb the world to peace!
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Bob Connor
- Admin
- Posts: 3132
- Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:43 pm
- Location: Geelong, Australia
- Contact:
We've got a Jet 18" for resawing and a Carbatec 14" for general use.
The smaller one usually has a 1/4", 10 tpi blade on it and the jet a 1" Lenox Woodmaster Carbide tipped.
The 18" is plenty big enough to resaw any thing for luthiery and the Jet's are really well made but they have jumped a bit in price to around $2,500
I can recommend the Jet if your budget will stretch. Paul Burns and Tim Spittle have these as well if you want to ask them any questions.
The smaller one usually has a 1/4", 10 tpi blade on it and the jet a 1" Lenox Woodmaster Carbide tipped.
The 18" is plenty big enough to resaw any thing for luthiery and the Jet's are really well made but they have jumped a bit in price to around $2,500
I can recommend the Jet if your budget will stretch. Paul Burns and Tim Spittle have these as well if you want to ask them any questions.
I've got a 14" Chinese machine that is not anything special, but with a small blade on, it's ideal for many of the tasks that are used in guitar building. I also have access to a 18" Jet that has a large re-saw blade on it, and it's a brilliant machine. Probably the same could be said about the Carbatec one.
One thing that is so important on a bandsaw is the blade guides. Ease of adjustment, and just being able to get at those suckers. It's surprising how many Band Saws make the lower guides almost impossible to get to. I prefer the European style.
I don't think that just one bandsaw would suffice for most people if you ever plan on doing any re-sawing. It's a fair bit of work to get your re-saw set up so your not ruining potential guitar sets. And once you have it all tuned up, you're not going to be wanting to swap out the blade for a 1/4" one for delicate contour work.
As for table saws, I've got the Jet Super Saw. It's got a 1 3/4 hp motor, so runs on regular 10 amp current. I must say that I thought that it might be a little underpowered, but I haven't been able to slow this thing down. With the sliding table, it makes a lot of those tricky cross cuts a breeze, and does away with the need for a drop mitre saw.
It's a great machine, but the price will put a lot of people off. However, as you said, I hate buying a machine only to think that I should have spent the extra and got one that I like. This one will do everything that I can think I'll ever ask it to.
If you decide to go with a large and heavy machine. I'd recommend you go for the mobile base as well. They're not expensive, and it's so handy to be able to roll the machine around by yourself with just a gentle push.
One thing that is so important on a bandsaw is the blade guides. Ease of adjustment, and just being able to get at those suckers. It's surprising how many Band Saws make the lower guides almost impossible to get to. I prefer the European style.
I don't think that just one bandsaw would suffice for most people if you ever plan on doing any re-sawing. It's a fair bit of work to get your re-saw set up so your not ruining potential guitar sets. And once you have it all tuned up, you're not going to be wanting to swap out the blade for a 1/4" one for delicate contour work.
As for table saws, I've got the Jet Super Saw. It's got a 1 3/4 hp motor, so runs on regular 10 amp current. I must say that I thought that it might be a little underpowered, but I haven't been able to slow this thing down. With the sliding table, it makes a lot of those tricky cross cuts a breeze, and does away with the need for a drop mitre saw.
It's a great machine, but the price will put a lot of people off. However, as you said, I hate buying a machine only to think that I should have spent the extra and got one that I like. This one will do everything that I can think I'll ever ask it to.
If you decide to go with a large and heavy machine. I'd recommend you go for the mobile base as well. They're not expensive, and it's so handy to be able to roll the machine around by yourself with just a gentle push.
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Paul B
Yeah, go the JET 18" for sure, I've had mine for a couple years now and love the bloody thing.
The 10" cabinet saw from Carba-Tec is a great choice. I plan on buying one of these. Though I notice the've got a left tilt version now for a couple hundred more, that'd be my choice. These things are made in the same factory in China as the Grizzly branded saws. In fact as I understand, the Grizzly manual is better and most people just download that and toss the Carba-Tec one.
The 10" cabinet saw from Carba-Tec is a great choice. I plan on buying one of these. Though I notice the've got a left tilt version now for a couple hundred more, that'd be my choice. These things are made in the same factory in China as the Grizzly branded saws. In fact as I understand, the Grizzly manual is better and most people just download that and toss the Carba-Tec one.
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Taffy Evans
- Blackwood
- Posts: 997
- Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 6:54 pm
- Location: Charters Towers North Queensland
Hi Mr Phantom
Been there done that, when I started building and repairing I bolted a Makita 9" saw to a piece of 18mm plywood and used it for over 10 years. My first bandsaw was a collectors item with some 30inch diameter wheels, it cost me $150.00 and I had to get a crane to lift it over the house onto a slab outside the workshop. I had to spin it like crazy by hand before turning it on so that it did not blow the main house fuse. I now have a Havco 16" bandsaw and can resaw backs and sides with it. my Table saw is an old 10" 1 1/2 HP, and its pretty hard to bog it down. I fitted a micky duck riping fence and set it up and it works a dream. tho not as smooth as Allens I suspect.
Been there done that, when I started building and repairing I bolted a Makita 9" saw to a piece of 18mm plywood and used it for over 10 years. My first bandsaw was a collectors item with some 30inch diameter wheels, it cost me $150.00 and I had to get a crane to lift it over the house onto a slab outside the workshop. I had to spin it like crazy by hand before turning it on so that it did not blow the main house fuse. I now have a Havco 16" bandsaw and can resaw backs and sides with it. my Table saw is an old 10" 1 1/2 HP, and its pretty hard to bog it down. I fitted a micky duck riping fence and set it up and it works a dream. tho not as smooth as Allens I suspect.
Taff
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