"Larry Blanchard" wrote in message
news
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:24:04 -0800, mac davis wrote:

I have the Ridgid 14" BS from Home Depot.. not a popular tool in this
group, but
it has worked very well for me for 4 or 5 years and the $350 price was
right...
Whatever saw you get, TS or BS, be safe and use GOOD quality blades..
Especially on the BS.. I've seen folks that HATE their BS until someone
puts a
real blade on it.. YMWV

I'd add that the saw should either have a riser kit available or be one of
the steel frame ones that already has a 12" resaw capability (13" for the
Rikon). 12" logs have a lot more interesting wood in them than 6" logs
:-).


Unfortunately, 24" logs (half being 12) generally exceed the capacity of the
lathe in use. Since you'll be taking things up the middle and a bit more to
clear old knots and tight annual rings that can crack your piece while
drying, then flattening the opposite side down about 3/4 of an inch to find
a place for your chuck to reverse, a 6" resaw will do for 14-16" diameter.
You merely use the chainsaw for the longitudinal work and then take to the
bandsaw, or trim to "good enough" circular altogether. You can do about 7
and a half depth by nibbling top and bottom then running the middle.

A chainsaw is more important to most turners than a bandsaw. Those who turn
outboard can do with a chainsaw alone.