On Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:30:34 -0500, spaco wrote:

Just a thought (from a beginner) relating to need for bigger band saw:
Use a belt or disk sander or angle grinder with a 24 or 36 grit wheel.
I often use a hatchet to trim the edges. Needs to be sharp. More
spectacular when others are watching, but, no surprise, a lot more work.

That really isn't the right tool for the job. I have a friend who was hit
with a piece of broken grit wheel while cutting metal under tension. Not
pleasant. If it went for the eye it could have gone right through his
cheap plastic safety goggles. This one wasn't so lucky:
http://www2.worksafebc.com/i/posters...15_grinder.htm

I don't consider myself an expert, but IMHO the band saw is one of the
safest cutting tools in the shop:
No kickback
No flying bits of broken blade/grit wheel spinning at 4000rpm
No chunks thrown forward to ricochet back at you
If the blade brakes it just stops where it is

Find a local woodturning group, woodworkers group, shared shop space, or
find a shop that will trade your turning or some of the wood for use of
their bandsaw. You'll only need it for the big pieces and you can cut
enough wood to turn for a month in a few hours of use.

Or get a chainsaw with a chain brake, still dangerous, but made for the
task. Cheap, and you can upgrade to a chainsaw mill.
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com/rev...stfordmill.htm
(Just for reference. Never used this one.)
Don't know the manufacturer of the 36" one my neighbor has, but it works
great for the task. He bought it cheap at a garage sale without the saw.
I only use it to cut on-site, for most larger cuts I still use a friend's
large bandsaw at his shop. Rarely needed, I don't often go over 12".

You'll have plenty of chances in your life to hurt yourself using the
right tools properly. I use abrasive wheels often, but if they break and
hurt me, I want to know I wasn't at fault by doing something obviously
not proper. Safety first.