Band Saw Question - Woodworking Talk

Ken Johnson · 12-13-2007, 02:07 PM

I am planning ob purchasing a Grizzly 14" Ultimate Bandsaw before the end of December. I am trying to decide wether or not to buy the 6" riser with it. I plan on using it for some resawing, but since my jointer is only 6" does it make sense to raise the saw from 6" to 12"? I also want to use the saw to make rough cut blanks for turning bowls on my lathe. I have a 1/2 hp 10" Jet Midi lathe so I can't imagine turning anything thicker than 6" thick. Can anyone else think of any other reasons why I should get the 6" riser block for my bandsaw? Any input is appreciated.

BradleyB · 12-13-2007, 03:11 PM

I'm a hobby woodworker so I don't buy anything until a project calls for it and then I buy the best I can afford (and never buy cheap).

If you can't really think of a reason, you may never need it. When you think of a reason, it will probably be to solve a problem on a specific project. Buy it then.

That being said, when I buy rough lumber, it usually comes in 6 to 12 inch wide boards and it's cheaper to buy an 8/4 board and resaw it than to buy two 4/4 boards. AND, when you resaw, you get two board with perfectly matched grain. So, if you plan on making beautiful, high quality furniture...

Also, regarding your 6" jointer limitations...you can always hand plane wider boards....(I'm lousy with a hand plane but practice makes perfect

)

Ken Johnson · 12-13-2007, 04:46 PM

Hand planing to me is very "romantic". However, I tend to prefer tools that have a motor. I would love to use my old Stanley and Record planes, but I don't know enough about which planes to use when or how to properly sharpen them. I'm prety stupid when it comes to hand planes.

BradleyB · 12-13-2007, 06:17 PM

I think part of the joy of planing is using a fine tool. I have a crappy old Record plane that I spent hours lapping the sole and sharpening the blade and it's still a

pain to use. Something about the chip breaker not being flat. The older Stanley Bailey planes are supposed to be OK, the real nice ones these days are Lee Valley, lie Neilsen and a few other boutique makers (hundreds of dollars). Others can probably speak to the benefits of using a hand plane.

PK. · 12-13-2007, 06:21 PM

Buy the riser. More resaw capacity is always a good thing.

woodman42 · 12-14-2007, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PK.

Buy the riser. More resaw capacity is always a good thing.

Yea, what he said.