Band Saw Advice

[escrime100]

I'm in the market for a good used band saw suitable for boat building. I've been told they are most important power saw in boat building because of their versatility and I need one that can tilt in two directions. Apparently Laguna is one of the best shop band saws out there but is there a vintage one that is comparable and will do the job? Trying to save some money. I'm looking at one right now, a Delta 28-203 in nice shape but would appreciate some advice.

 

[jar944]

You want a ships saw, not a regular bandsaw.

Ship Saws: The Boat Builders Must Have Tool – TotalBoat

The ship saw is the boatbuilders tool and you must find one handed down or be lucky enough to find an old one needing restoration.

www.totalboat.com

They are usually large (36"+ wheels), old, and heavy.

 

[escrime100]

Yes, I saw one in a video for a large sailboat restoration. I am building a dinghy so a 14" band saw will do.

 

[neophyte]

Bandsaws rarely tilt in both directions, with the possible exception of a slight tilt in the opposite direction past 90 degrees.
Ship building “tilt frame” bandsaws are a specialty item, that are (or were, I’m not sure if any are currently in production), incredibly expensive new, and even very expensive on the used market.
Craftsman did make a light tilt frame bandsaw at one point, but the reviews were not great, and it’s long since out of production, although the saws do turn up used. With knowledge and tweaking, and maybe a different motor snd or blade guides, maybe you could make one semi functional.
There was also a very small tilt frame bandsaw that was, maybe in the late 1990s early 2000s, by by Craftsman, as well as Palmgren, and maybe Hitachi and some other brands.
Those were only good for really really thin materials.

 

[jar944]

Yes, I saw one in a video for a large sailboat restoration. I am building a dinghy so a 14" band saw will do.

What material/thickness are you cutting, and what bevels do you need to cut.

I'm not a fan of 14" cast iron saws for doing much work.

 

[milkovich]

a 14" band saw will do.

That might be the case if it has a tall re-saw like the Laguna 1412, but I've found that 110v just can't drive a bandsaw through much more than 4" of hardwood or 6-8" of softwood (like I assume you'll want to cut) which is why they don't usually have a giant resaw capacity. You can do it but it *****. A 220v single phase saw usually goes from 14" to about 18". For the price of a new Laguna/Jet/Harvey etc. you can probably find an old US made saw like Doall/Rockwell/Powermatic and convert it to run on single phase or repower it possibly but they gobble up floor space like it's free.

 

[aquinob]

Part of the answer is how thick will the wood be that you intend to cut? If it is only and inch or two, a 14" saw, vintage or not will do fine. Most of any saws capability depends on the blade and how it's tuned up. It sounds like you dont have much experience with using a bandsaw so you will have to get smart on that front. Fortunately there is lots of info (good and bad) on the interwebs that can help.

I wouldn't say Laguna is one of the best brands, it is an import and lately most or all are from China or Taiwan. If you are looking for a larger saw then your choices will be something like a Rikon, Laguna or Grizzly or Minimax on a new saw or you can look for a used saw like one of the older Rockwell/Delta, Powermatic or Euro saws like a Minimax. Just keep in mind that any older saw may need work to get it working to it's best capability including new tires, bearings and any work on the blade guides.

I have an older Delta/Rockwell 20" and an INCA 10". The INCA gets most of the routine cutting jobs but the 20" Delta is what I use for larger jobs.

 

[niget2002]

How much room do you have? This would work well

This one's for sale on facebook

 

[jhendric]

My dad built wooden boats when he retired and I have done a good bit of restoration work on my fiberglass boats. We never needed anything more than his very old 14" Delta bandsaw. 90% of the bandsaw work for us was cutting planking with the proper angles and curves to fit the 3d hull. That was 1/2" juniper or plywood. The keel was the thickest cut I remember and it was maybe 2" thick white oak, still no problem. If you haven't already you may want to ask for a recommendation on thehulltruth. There are forums where the very serious professional cold mold builders participate.

 

[escrime100]

This is all excellent advice. Jhendric is spot on regarding the thickness of wood I will be facing (maybe 3" white oak) and it is true that I do not have much experience. I do have 220v single phase in my shop. Trying the HullTruth forum is a good idea and I am going to sign up there. Very happy to have found this forum. Thank you.

 

[RTM]

I have an older Laguna, made in Bulgaria, powered with a Baldor motor. Use it to resaw 10”+ cocobolo for a buddy to make guitar backs. Paid $900 in 2010 or so. Blows doors off the 14” Delta my friend has.