View Single Post
  #1   Report Post  
Brett A. Thomas
 
Posts: n/a
Default Comparing 18" Bandsaws

So my recent article on the Jet 18" caused me to go back and pick up FWW
170, where they reviewed 18" bandsaws. And it got me thinking - does it
make any sense *at all* to rate these things on wheel size? They do a
head-to-head comparison of (among others) a $1,200 Jet with a 1.5 HP
motor and 10" cutting capacity against a $2,900, 5 HP, 18" capacity
Laguna machine. GUESS WHICH WON? Why did they even need to write an
article to figure that one out? How is it useful to even _compare_
these machines? They're obviously in completely different leagues!
It's like grouping tablesaws by miter gauge width, or something...
Wouldn't it make more sense to compare bandsaws by cutting capacity,
since there seems to be such a wide variation in the capabilities of
machines that are the same wheel size? Or am I just showing my bandsaw
ignorance, here?

-BAT