[woodnthings]

Cast iron frames VS welded metal frames. Welded frame saws are better suited to the tension required on 3/4" and 1" wide resaw blades.
The most popular cast iron frame saw were made by Delta for years and were cloned by Grizzly, Harbor Freight and others.
Welded frame saw are made by Craftsman 14", Rikon 14", Grizzly 14", 17" 19" and Min Max among others.
I have both a 14" Craftsman/Rikon and an 18" Min Max I used exclusively for resawing.
I think the maximum resaw height on my 18" saw is about 12", maybe slightly less.
I don't find a need for anything greater than that because the weight of the material or log becomes excessive.
The 18" saw has a 3 HP motor and that's a good amount for resawing.
This is all general information that will help you in choosing a used saw.

 

[woodnthings]

Thanks all.
That is a really good point on the 6". I was thinking 12" for the planer, but I did not think about the fact that I would not have a flat face to go in it or the fact I would need a flat face to resaw to begin with!

The 6" jointers found in most home shops will work well in combination with a bandsaw with 6" resaw capacity.
Before resawing a board, joint one side flat and straight to register on the fence.
This will give you one side already surfaced ready for the thickness planer.
Then joint the face of the board you just finished resawing to register on the fence just like previously.
The process is: joint one, saw one, joint one, saw one, etc.
The jointer is a real "necessity" when resawing for best results, and I use mine exactly as I described.

I am fortunate that I do have a 12" jointer if I need that extra capacity for resawing on my 18" Min Max bandsaw.

 

[woodnthings]

This is all good info to think about. I can resaw 6" or less on my table saw. I do not love doing it, do I will probably look into a bandsaw regardless.

Neither do I and since I got my bandsaws, I do NOT resaw on my table saw, because typically the depth is 7" to 10" and the table saw won't accomplish that depth.
If that's all you have, you can cut up on both sides the full 3" capacity and then handsaw the difference remaining, but that's just a whole lot of effort.
The bandsaw is THE most underrated and under estimated machine in the woodshop in many cases.
It can cut straight enough to run the surface through a planer or jointer to make it flat enough to use.
It can resaw better than any other machine.
It can cut curves that a circular bladed saw can't.
It can make tenons as accurately as needed with the fence and stop block easier and safer than a table saw with a blade and jig or a dado set. JMO.
Get one and you'll never look back!

 

[woodnthings]

am looking at two bandsaws. I assume, but do not know, that the Delta is a better product but the fence on the Craftsman looks nice. Both saws are $350. I am interested in any and all opinions. They might both be overpriced! I do not know!

They are essentially the same saw, since the Craftsman is a "clone" of the Delta and it does come with a better fence.
The 1 1/2" HP motor may be a better one for resawing, if the Delta has a 1 HP motor?
The parts support for either will be "sketchy" depending on the specific part.
Blade guides and bearings will be the first to wear out.
The tire replacements will be the same, since the wheel diameter on both is 14".
The extra blades (Delta) are worth around $100.00 or more.
It's a tough call, but I've owned both brands.
I sold my Deltas but I still own 2 welded frame, not cast iron frame, Craftsman Pro 14" s.
They have a "built in" 1 HP motor, not as good as the separate 1 1/2 HP belt drive motor.
BUT they both work fine with resaws under 6" and a 3 TPI blade.

 

[woodnthings]

Did not pull the trigger on the Delta. Anybody able to give their thoughts on this 18" Dayton? He wants $200 and honestly for that size saw that seems amazing.

Dayton has a good reputation for their machines and motors.
I don't know if they were "outsourced" for the manufacture of them, probably.
You'd want a 2 HP motor on 240 v if possible or a 3 HP would be best.

 

[woodnthings]

You bring up a good question. Is there a difference between wood and metal? I would think that the primary difference would be in the blades but I do not know much about these machines.

There are two big differences:
1. The speed of the blade in FPM as it spins. Which means "feet per minute"
Every material from wood to plastic to aluminum to steel has a cutting speed in FPM that works best.
The harder the materials like steel, require a very slow cutting speed between 100 and 300 feet per minute
Wood cutting speeds can be 10X that or 3,000 FPM.
Some expensive woodcutting bandsaw blades have hard carbide tipped teeth which last much longer between sharpenings.

2. The type of blade determines it's proper use. A hacksaw blade has many fine teeth, close together to cut steel 18 to 24 teeth per inch.
Blades for cutting steel are hardened to with stand the stress and the heat build up and they are often water cooled.
A typical cross cut hand saw with have 12 or 14 teeth per inch and the are larger and deeper.
A bandsaw blade can have between 3 and 14 teeth per inch, depending on the thickness of the wood that's being cut.
With 3 teeth for the thickest up to 12" or so and 6 or 8 for general purposes. Very thin veneers are cut with a knife or a veneer saw with small fine teeth.


Some bandsaws have a speed reduction gear box that allows them to cut either wood or metal with the proper blade.
Motors that run on 3 phase can have variable speed controls for different materials like Doall:

2013-V3 Vertical Contour Band Saw

Machine Capacity: w 20″ x w 13″ (508mm x 330mm)Production Level: Low Standard features: Work Light, Chip Blower, Tilt Table and Post Elevating Hand Wheel The DoALL 2013-V3 vertical contour band saw comes standard with a 3 Hp variable frequency drive motor and a w 20" x w 13" (508mm x 330mm)...

www.doallsaws.com

 

[woodnthings]

So as far as the machine itself goes, the only real difference is the speed at which it cuts?

Yep, pretty much, except .....
A metal cutting saw will be more rugged, have heavy tables and different means to hold the metal.
It probably will NOT come with a rip fence.
It may have a blade welder attached.
It may have steel wheels, no rubber tires.
I have this one:

Roll-In Saw | EF1459

www.rollinsaw.com

 

[woodnthings]

Looks similar to a Delta. If it’s an old PC maybe ok. Cast iron frame or steel?

It is newer so steel I am sure.

FYI, The cast iron frames are "C" shaped with rounded covers where the welded frames have straight sides and have angular covers

 

[woodnthings]

I might be able to add casters directly to the bottom in place of the feet, but I like the ones that retract back off the ground so the tool is touching the ground instead of the casters. Building my own stand will also allow me to make it the same height as my workbench.

Your Plan "A"
If you attach casters that rise up and lower to rest on the floor, then no separate base is needed. To make the saw top the same height as your workbench top, just have a separate "add on" plate to equal the height.
This means the saw top must be higher than the workbench for it to work. If the saw top ends up lower than the workbench, this plan won't work.

Plan "B".
You can make your own mobile base from hardwood or plywood.
Or you can buy a furniture dolly from Harbor Freight like these:

Dollies & Hand Trucks - Harbor Freight Tools

With up to a 1000 lb. load capacity these dollies & hand trucks are ideal for moving all types of items. Large sturdy platform. Smooth-rolling swivel casters.

www.harborfreight.com

They are so cheap, you can hardly buy just the casters for the same price.
This issue now is those casters don't lock. You can either use wood wedges inside them or get locking casters to replace the originals.

Plan "C"
I have two of these mobile bases in my shop, theu aren't cheap but wok very well:

Rockler All-Terrain Mobile Base, Holds up to 800 lbs!

Huge urethane casters steamroll over cracks, cords and more!

www.rockler.com

I really like them, easy to move and they stay put.

Plan "D"
I have made my own mobile bases from steel that I welded together:
Here's version 2:

Other ideas of DIY mobile bases here:

woodnthings mother of mobile bases at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[woodnthings]

You might be surprised at what a bandsaw will do with fairly limited horsepower. It's a different animal altogether from a circular saw, and horsepower is much less of a factor. A 14" bandsaw with a riser block won't magically become a 18" 230-volt beast, but it will probably do the job. I have a friend with an even larger bandsaw who's not really impressed with it's resaw capability, so size and horsepower aren't always the most important factors. Using a good quality blade intended for resawing is crucial. and upgrading the blade guide blocks and bearings is where you'll probably spend money, particularly if you buy a used saw.

The bandsaw blade is already a "thin kerf" compared to a table saw blade.
These specs are from a 21" Shop Fox:

Shop Fox W1770 - 21" 5 HP Bandsaw - Grizzly Industrial, Inc.

<h1>W1770 Shop Fox 21" 5 HP Industrial Bandsaw</h1> <h2>A 21" bandsaw with the power and capacity to handle any bandsaw cutting operation with ease.</h2> <p>Its 5 HP motor powers 165" blades up to 1-3/8" wide through the hardest wood with a 14" resaw capacity.</p> <p>Rigidly constructed to...

www.grizzly.com

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Motor: 5 HP, 230V, single-phase, 22A
• Max. cutting width left of blade: 20"
• Resaw capacity: 14"
• Table size: 20-3/4" x 29-1/2"
• Table tilt: 5° left, 45° right
• Floor-to-table height: 35-1/2"
• Blade size: 165" (1/4"¬–1-3/8" wide)
• Blade speed: 4600 FPM

Notice the blade speed is 4600 FPM. That's really rippin' compared to a 10" table saw blade:

Saw Blade Diameter, RPMs, and Rim Speed

A technical discussion of the thinking required to calibrate tool speeds to blade sizes. September 26, 2009

www.woodweb.com

See post by contributor s which states the rim speed would be:
A 10 inch blade on a 5000 RPM shaft would be:
10 x 3.1416 = 31.416 x 5000 = approximately 155, 680 inches per minute.
Dividing that by 12 you get : 1296 SFPM.

Another online calculator here:

Rotation Speed – Circular Saw Blades

A 10" dia blade at 5,000 RPMs gives a rim speed of 1308 SFPM. by my calcuator.
So, a bandsaw is running considerably faster SFPM than a table saw