this post was submitted on 31 Oct 2023
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bandsaw buying advice (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by Aliendelarge@lemmy.world to c/woodworking@lemmy.ca
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I'm looking at my options for 14" bandsaws but notice the 17" grizzly 40th anniversary edition seems like its worth considering. Aside from the obvious size increase how does it compare to the usual 14" saws? Is something like the Laguna 14|12 or Rikon 10-324TG 14" saws have any advantages?

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[–] DavidP@midwest.social 8 points 1 year ago

I've had the Laguna 1412 for a long time and am happy with it. A bigger saw will have a couple of advantages:

  • The larger wheels allow the blades to bend less and therefore will have longer life
  • The longer blade length gets you more teeth per blade so your blades will last longer
  • A larger saw will be able to exert more tension, allowing you to use thicker/wider blades

So the usual advice is to get the biggest saw you can afford, assuming you have the electrical setup for it. Footprints are pretty similar.

With my 14" saw I primarily use 1/2" x 0.035" Lennox Dimaster Bimetals blades and get great results. With a 17"+ saw I could use a wider blade with lower TPI and resaw faster, but as a weekend warrior those time savings don't add up.