I'm still sitting on the fence about making a decision about a decent,
yet affordable bandsaw.

The 'high-end' ones seem to rely on welded plate-style frames.
They must achieve the rigidity they're after, otherwise they wouldn't go
that route, eh?

That creates a fair bit of confusion as the crowded price-range under
1000 dollars for a 14" - 16+" unit is also covered by cast-iron units.

In some cases, virtually identical machines, in all aspect/features, can
be had either way for the same money. ONE of them has to be better?

On Tue, 17 May 2005 00:00:40 -0400, Robatoy
wrote:

In some cases, virtually identical machines, in all aspect/features, can
be had either way for the same money. ONE of them has to be better?

FWW multi-test of 14" machines a year or two back seemed to favour the
welded steel frames.

IMHO, it's a red herring anyway. If you look at the upper bearing
carrier of a typical "retail" bandsaw, then engineering there is so
shoddy that frame rigidity doesn't really come into it. If you want to
fix something, then start by looking at that.

The reason cast iron is so popular in machinery is damping
characreristic. steel pings, that is mechanical waves resonate and
propagate well through it.
The thing about cast iron is that it is supersaturated with carbon,
during cooling some of this precipitates out in a fine lath as
graphite. These flakes of graphite absorb acousti-mechanical waves,
and thus provide damping.
The welded steel may indeed be the better machine. These are just the
properties of the two materials.

riCh

The reason cast iron is so popular in machinery is damping
characreristic. steel pings, that is mechanical waves resonate and
propagate well through it.
The thing about cast iron is that it is supersaturated with carbon,
during cooling some of this precipitates out in a fine lath as
graphite. These flakes of graphite absorb acousti-mechanical waves,
and thus provide damping.
The welded steel may indeed be the better machine. These are just the
properties of the two materials.

riCh

Get TAUNTON'S 2005 TOOL GUIDE magazine. They review both 14" and 18"
bandsaws. I have reviewed this subject to death and they seem to have all
the right answers. In the end analysis, cast iron vs welded steel or any
other comparison is not the critical factor. The only thing that really
matters in the end, is the quality of cut and the amount of machine setup
required to achieve it..
For what it's worth, I will be buying the 18" RIKON.

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
I'm still sitting on the fence about making a decision about a decent,
yet affordable bandsaw.

Of all the tools in the world, I think bandsaws must be the most frustrating
to purchase. You pick one and then look and "for just a couple $100 more, I
could get...." First thing you know, you've ratcheted your wishes up to a
$2100 welded steel Italian wonder that slices veneer like a razor and cuts
12" logs without breathing hard. It seems that there are two very happy
groups of buyers - those that bought very low priced Grizzley saws and those
that bought top end Minimax - each getting his/her particular value priority
satisfied. The middle is a frustrating compromise. That's why I've put off
buying a bandsaw for two years in a row. I've got a middle sized budget
with a high end want.

Good luck!

Bob

"BillyBob" wrote in
nk.net:

snip
The middle is a frustrating compromise. That's why I've put off buying
a bandsaw for two years in a row. I've got a middle sized budget with
a high end want.

There's some interesting buzz going on right now about a MiniMax E16, made
in Europe, with an 'intro' price at about $1k + freight.

That wouldn't work so well for those in the Great White North, though...

Patriarch

In article 6,
Patriarch wrote:

"BillyBob" wrote in
nk.net:

snip
The middle is a frustrating compromise. That's why I've put off buying
a bandsaw for two years in a row. I've got a middle sized budget with
a high end want.

There's some interesting buzz going on right now about a MiniMax E16, made
in Europe, with an 'intro' price at about $1k + freight.

That wouldn't work so well for those in the Great White North, though...

Patriarch

Yeah... the freight prices for the dog-sled teams will kill ya!

Robatoy wrote in
:

In article 6,
Patriarch wrote:

"BillyBob" wrote in
nk.net:

snip
The middle is a frustrating compromise. That's why I've put off
buying a bandsaw for two years in a row. I've got a middle sized
budget with a high end want.

There's some interesting buzz going on right now about a MiniMax E16,
made in Europe, with an 'intro' price at about $1k + freight.

That wouldn't work so well for those in the Great White North,
though...

Patriarch

Yeah... the freight prices for the dog-sled teams will kill ya!


MiniMax reportedly has no means of dealing effectively with Canadian sales.

It's a very tempting machine, however. The sort of tool a high class
feller such as yourself would want to own... ;-)

Patriarch

"Robatoy" wrote in message news:design-
That wouldn't work so well for those in the Great White North, though...

Yeah... the freight prices for the dog-sled teams will kill ya!

Not to mention the problem getting it in through the igloo's entrance as
well has having to rewire the igloo for 220v as well as running a ground
line some 3000 miles to bedrock.

In article 36,
Patriarch wrote:

MiniMax reportedly has no means of dealing effectively with Canadian sales.

It's a very tempting machine, however. The sort of tool a high class
feller such as yourself would want to own... ;-)

Patriarch

I have a contact address in Port Huron MI, literally less than 10
minutes from my house if the bridge isn't too busy.

Still doesn't solve the igloo problem though.

Robatoy wrote in
:

In article 36,
Patriarch wrote:

MiniMax reportedly has no means of dealing effectively with Canadian
sales.

It's a very tempting machine, however. The sort of tool a high class
feller such as yourself would want to own... ;-)

Patriarch

I have a contact address in Port Huron MI, literally less than 10
minutes from my house if the bridge isn't too busy.

Still doesn't solve the igloo problem though.


No 240V in the igloo?

"Robatoy" wrote

I have a contact address in Port Huron MI, literally less than 10
minutes from my house if the bridge isn't too busy.


Hey, I was born in Sarnia. Grew up in Michigan. Now living in Texas.

Max D.

In article ,
"Max" wrote:

"Robatoy" wrote

I have a contact address in Port Huron MI, literally less than 10
minutes from my house if the bridge isn't too busy.


Hey, I was born in Sarnia. Grew up in Michigan. Now living in Texas.

Max D.

Cool! I love it around here. 1 hour from Detroit, 2 1/2 from Toronto.
1 hour from Lee Valley *G*

"Robatoy" wrote

"Max" wrote:

Hey, I was born in Sarnia. Grew up in Michigan. Now living in Texas.

Max D.

Cool! I love it around here. 1 hour from Detroit, 2 1/2 from Toronto.

1 hour from Lee Valley *G*

Oh hush up. Good thing I don't still live there then. I'd be gone from home
most of the time. G
Max D.

Bob, I hear you with the "middle sized budget and high end want." I
just boight the Laguna LT14SE. In fact, I made my first cuts with it
yesterday. It is a "welded plate" design. It seems preety darn stiff to
me. I've seen the Delta 14" and Powermatic 14" in use (but not used
them myself) and I think the Laguan runs a lot quieter -- a
non-scientific comparision and obvioulsy a biased one, too.