Woodworker's Journal fall-2008, страница 13
Once you equip your shop with a band saw, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one. The archetypal 14" band saw is a true workhorse in home shops across the country. L L n Band Saws No other shop tool can match a band saw's curve-cutting prowess. Whether you're sawing delicate inlays, curvy arm leans or roughing logs into turning blanks, a band saw can handle the job with equal grace. It's a much safer ripping too! than your table saw, because, there's no risk of kickback. A band saw will even help you economize stock and open up new design possibilities when you use it for resaw-ing. You'll fall in love the first time you open a dazzling bookmatched panel. Band saws are sized by the distance from the throat of the frame to the blade. It sets the maximum width of through cut you can make. A second and equally important capacity is how high you can raise the blade guard above the table. This determines the thickest stock you can cut. So, choosing the best band saw for your shop will require reaching a compromise between cost and cutting capacity. Fourteen-inch band saws have dominated the home shop market for decades. They offer reasonable cutting width, around 6" of resaw height and decent power for the money. For ordinary curve cutting and ripping, they're still a great choice today. You can even stretch the resawing capacity another 4 to 6 inches by adding a riser kit to your saw. I would avoid saws with less than 1 hp motors if you plan to cut thick stock or do any resawing. An underpowered motor turns resawing into a slow and laborious job. For wide resawing or roughing out large turning blanks, a larger 16" or 18" handsaw may be the right long-term investment for you — even at twice the price of a 14" saw. These saws are really entry-level industrial tools. Their heavy-duty frames, wheels and blade tensioning systems are designed to accept wider 3/4" or 1" resawing blades. You'll benefit from a more powerful 2 or 3 hp motor, a big cast-iron table and improved blade guides and guards. My 16" handsaw has never let me down, and I'm quite certain it's capable of more performance than I demand from it. Regarding features, a few are worth the extra cost. A quick-release blade tensioner will save you the effort of cranking your blade tension Up and down each time you use the saw (it's a good habit to adopt). look closely at the guides, too. Ball-bearing side and rear thrust guides will generally last longer than solid guides and help keep your saw tracking straight and true. A rip fence is handy, provided you can adjust it laterally for blade drift. And, an on-board work light really helps if your shop lighting isn't quite up to snuff. But, all things being equal, put your money into a saw with a large cast-iron table, l'/a to 3 hp motor and good guides. These three components will ensure that your saw will keep pace with your growing skills. FALL 2008 13 Blade Tension, Tracking Improvements Relieving tension on a band saw blade can Top-flight blade guides will keep your cuts extend its life. The process is simple with a tracking straight and true. The best style; ball- quick-release, available on many new saws. bearing side guides and a rear thrust bearing. Subscribe now at www.woodwoirkersjournal.com/digitaledition |
