bandsaw or scroll saw

[thistle3585]

I am adding a riser to my bandsaw, so I decided to get a little table top saw to have in my shop to do small things like cut headstock veneers, trim nuts, resaw tone bars etc. Really just whatever I need to do in a pinch where I don't want to pull the larger blade out of my bandsaw. I can't decide whether to get a scroll saw or small 8"-10" bandsaw. Any suggestions?

[SGraham]

Hi Andrew,

I think for the tasks you mention a small band saw would do a better job than a scroll saw. I've got my Delta 14" bandsaw dialed in just right for resawing, and like you I was getting tired of changing blades on it. So, I decided to add a smaller one to the workshop for little go-to jobs. I ended up getting a 1950's 10" Delta Homecraft 28-110 bandsaw. It's a jewel. Although quite small, it's sturdy and well made enough to dial in nicely. It could be mounted on a bench top, but its footprint is small enough that I went ahead and made a stand for it.

You're probably familiar with OWWM.com, the vintage machinery site. These saws and their parts are often available on the classifieds over there. I picked mine up with an extra motor for $50.

Hope this helps.

[sunburst]

To give you an idea of how I feel about the situation, I'm thinking of getting a smaller saw to dedicate to re-sawing so I don't have to change blades (and set up) as often. The wider the blade the more tension is needed to make it work properly, the larger the wheels on the bandsaw, the stronger and heavier it needs to be to properly tension large blades. When re-sawing, the extra clearance of larger wheels is not needed, but when sawing out pegheads, guitar tops, templates and so forth, the extra clearance is good to have. Anyway, my 30" bandsaw does a fine job of re-sawing up to it's roughly 12" capacity with a 3/4" blade, but it does such a good job of cutting curves and details with a 1/4" or 1/8" blade, and has so much clearance for doing that kind of work, that I'm thinking of getting another saw. Mind you, when I say a smaller saw for re-sawing, I'm thinking 16" or 18" (that's smaller than 30").
I only know one person who uses a scroll saw regularly, and he is capable of wonderful detail in small cut-outs and tiny things, but a scroll saw is painfully slow when it is called upon to do the work of a bandsaw, other than really small stuff.

[billhay4]

I have a scroll saw and it sits idle much of the time. I've found it only really useful for cutting f-holes and the such.
Bandsaw.
Bill

[Pete Jenner]

Get a 14" bandsaw.

[Jim Baker]

I have an old Black and Decker 9" bandsaw that I use for detail work. It works well.

[delsbrother]

I've had bad experiences with home center quality scroll saws in our school model shop - mostly dealing with the tables being woefully out of flat. For the money you pay for a good one you'd be better off with a small bandsaw, IMO.

[Duct Tape]

Digging this up from a search rather than starting a new thread since it leads exactly to what I've also been deciding. Having decided to buy a dedicated resaw bandsaw, which is the best blade for my old smaller Delta, now to be used mainly for contour cuts - 1/4"?

Thx

Jon

[Bluetickhound]

I have a scroll saw and it sits idle much of the time. I've found it only really useful for cutting f-holes and the such.
Bandsaw.
Bill

This. I have a Rikon 10" bench top bandsaw and I love it. The only I use I get out of my scrollsaw, like Bill, is to cut f holes in tops but for that one purpose I'd say it's worth it to have both if you can.

[MikeEdgerton]

I have now owned a scroll saw for thirty years at least. I bought it for cutting out small intricate pieces of wood. A week after I bought it I bought a small band saw because it just didn't work out for me. I use that band saw all of the time. I can't remember the last time I even took the scroll saw out from under the bench. If I wasn't a tool junkie it would probably have been gone years ago. YMMV.

I didn't even realize this was a resurrected post. I don't know how I missed it the first time.

[Bluetickhound]

I actually didn't notice that either....

[j. condino]

I never realized how important my smaller bandsaw was until I brought home my Y30. "Just one more tool and I'll be finished....."



j.
www.condino.com
www.kaybassrepair.com

[Bluetickhound]

Man, that thing is AWESOME!! It looks like it ought to have bomb bay doors on the back and some Vargas Girl artwork on it somewhere! Are a leather jacket and goggles required to play that?

[Dale Ludewig]

Nice saw, James. Mine is smaller but sexier.

And just what is that "one more" on your list? I'm thinking about a hand plane that looks like a race car.

[jhowell]

Wow! Nice bass. I picked up a used crapsman 10" for next to nothing (the non-'triangular' one) tuned it up a bit and put a 1/4" 6tpi meat saw blade on it a and with the exception of resawing, which I didn't do, it worked really well. Biggest drawback is that it is an off size for store-bought blades...learning how to braze and anneal is good

[Joe Mendel]

I rarely use my scroll saw, I go with a bandsaw.

[j. condino]

Dale, don't forget our agreement: Whichever one of us keels over first, the other gets a right of first refusal on their bandsaw? Go ahead and show off your Y20 photos again. I already told your wife you owe me $$$ for some overpriced mandolin junk and that's how we're settling it!

As for that sportscar looking handplane, I think you missed the chance. I spoke to Wally at Veritas a while back and he said they discontinued the beautiful NX60 because they were having issues with their subcontractor getting the quality control and consistency that high. I think you can still get it in regular steel; same functioning plane but a different experience. The fancy one is probably my alltime favorite plane and the one I reach for first 90% of the time.

j.
www.condino.com
www.kaybassrepair.com

[amowry]

Bummer, I've been eyeing that plane too

[Duct Tape]

I have that plane and by now I'm almost ready to trade it for a simple answer to the reason I dug up this old thread

Almost...

Jon