Band saw help

[chubologist]

I am assembling a small work shop in my tiny garage and I really want a band saw but my shop is to small for a big band saw so what I am asking is has anyone used one of this smaller 9"-10" band saws and how do they perform I'm not really making that big of stuff just mostly a hobby but I don't want to waste unnecessary money if they aren't worth it

[wtnhighlander]

I have a Craftsman 10" bandsaw, appears to be sold under the Rikon name as well. I used it to resaw some 4" wide poplar boards today, and it did OK, but really doesn't have enough motor for that sort of thing. Works great for cutting stuff an inch thick, though.

[chubologist]

Ok I kind of figured I just wanted to know before I spent money on it

[ColinF]

They work, I had a cheap delta 9" or 10" that worked great for scroll type work, I even did a little resawing through 3" wide walnut and it was ok, but like wtn said, they aren't made for that sort of work. I think you'll be happy as long as you understand it's limitations. Would a 14" on a mobile base be out of the question? I have one in my shop and honestly it doesn't take up much room.

Ps, if you have a menards store in your area, check out the masterforce 10". It's a rikon clone, and from what I can tell from looking at it in the store it looks really solid, my 14" is a masterforce brand and it's been a good tool, it's identical to all the other cast frame bandsaws from the major manufacturers.