On Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:46:47 +0000, Toller wrote:

I am contemplating replacing my 14" bandsaw and tablesaw with a bigger
bandsaw. I think I have a handle on the good and bad points of that scheme.
(but if you have any profound insights...)

My 14" is 1hp and certainly wouldn't rip fast enough to replace a TS. The
bigger ones are 2hp up to 5hp. How big do I have to go before it will rip
4/4 oak satisfactorily? (sure, I cut 8/4 ocassionally, but not often enough
to worry about it.) I would prefer to keep it on a 20a circuit, but can
certainly put in a 30a circuit if 3hp won't cut it.

Horsepower per se shouldn't make a difference in cutting speed--it's the
blade speed and the blade design that decide that. As long as there's
enough power to keep the blade going at full speed at the feed rate
that you're using there's no advantage to be gained by more power.

How fast is it cutting, i.e. how many seconds does it take you to go
through a foot of 4/4 oak?

First thing to check--is your saw a single-speed saw or does it have more
than one speed? If it's not single-speed then make sure it's on its
highest blade speed--if it's not that would cause it to cut slowly. Next
thing, what kind of blade do you have in it? A blade designed for
resawing thick lumber will cut more slowly on thin lumber than one that
was designed for that purpose. The blades that come in bandsaws are
usually pieces of crap. Every once in a while you may find a good one but
don't count on it.





--
--John
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(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)