Yanis Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I am sure that this topic has been covered a million times but at the moment I am divided and would do with some input from some more experienced people here. I am in the market for a 14" general purpose band saw. I will be doing everything including shaping, resaw etc. My budget is about $1k and I would like a 14" with a nice resaw capability, partly because I will be using some fallen timber from my property and an 8" resaw would be very nice indeed. My choices so far are the following A Jet 14" for $1,300 (discounted at the moment) http://www.carbatec.com.au/jet-14-industrial-bandsaw_c22227 The Carbatec branded for $1,000 http://www.carbatec.com.au/14-heavy-duty-bandsaw-ctj-3501_c19205 And there is this Leada model which is $1,300 but 16" and 3 HP. http://www.ledamachinery.com.au/index.php/bandsaws/16-inch-ledacraft-bs-400-bandsaw-detail I have looked at second hand and they are few and far between in driving distance. The Leda is a local brand, made in China and appears to be from the same factory as the Carbatech branded. However I have heard that Leda is not the best quality however I have also heard that the same factory produces various build standards and components for different resellers so the Carbatach may be a better product than the Leda. My pocket is telling me to go for the Leda. My heart is screaming stick to Jet. On the side of Jet I have heard that for the general purpose woodworker you are much better off with a lower power machine but higher quality since the setup is easier and stays in place longer. Also a sharp blade and good setup is much more important than power. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Mine is an old Delta. The Jet is pretty much a clone of it. Don't know anything about the other brands you mentioned. Sharp blade and proper set up does trump pure horsepower. But when you start re-sawing more power does come in handy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I have the grizzly with the riser block and with a good quality blade, I've re-sawn 7" with no problem. It has about a 10" capacity. I've also sawn "logs" using a sled and if they're too long, it gets awfully squirrely and even dangerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanis Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 ...I've also sawn "logs" using a sled and if they're too long, it gets awfully squirrely and even dangerous. I can imagine. Most of the stuff is not that big. Gum and mallee mainly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDave Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Why not look at Laguna... the 14-12 is in that price range or go up a bit to the 14SUV... I have the 14-12 and love it but I am not that experience so take that recommendation with a grain of salt... Laguna is known for great bandsaws... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelbeach Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I have the PowerMatic. I love it. it comes with a riser block that I have not used yet. I've done some basic resaw (very little) and didn't have a problem. I agree Laguna is also a good brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missioninwood Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Love my Laguna 14-12. The ceramic guides are worth it alone. We have covered this numerous times on the forum recently. I few quick searches should yield more opinion on the matter than you can handle. Good luck. miw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanis Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Love my Laguna 14-12. The ceramic guides are worth it alone. We have covered this numerous times on the forum recently. I few quick searches should yield more opinion on the matter than you can handle. Good luck. miw The problem is I am quite restricted in what is available. From my local suppliers it is pretty much what I listed above. Only one Jet model, {also One PM (14" with 150mm resaw)) and a couple of badged Asian imports. I really want the 200mm resaw so the PM is out and I can get other brands shipped but that starts to add hefty shipping onto the price which I want to avoid. The Laguna sounds nice but there are no distributors here. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell Beeman Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I don't have any valuable input about band saws but I am familiar with Amazon. Here is the Laguna that everyone is suggesting for about $1200 shipped. Good luck and let us know which one you end up getting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arminius Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Yanis - I don't think the Americans are quite understanding the shipping point. But to take Laguna for example, Gregory Machinery in Brisbane is the Australian distributor. Too far away for a visit to the showroom, to be sure, but it at least restricts shipping to inland rather than the painful-to-Australia international. They are quoting Aus$1475, GST in, so outside the range of the others, although not much. In terms of price to value, strikes me as a better proposition to reach the $200 over the Jet. Powermatic's distributor in Oz is Carbatec, so it is probably more available to you than you might realize from the local shop. That is another step up in price, I really cannot offer an opinion on Laguna versus Powermatic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell Beeman Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Oh, I forgot you are in Australia! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 I would see if you can spend a few minutes using a saw maybe in a store or belonging to another woodworker. You will see many people claiming good resaw ability with a 14" saw. After a few minutes of use your opinion may be quite a bit different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanis Posted February 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 There is another local company here, http://www.woodfast.com.au/index.php?p=1_4and they look quite good but not sure of their quality. The 14" looks the trick with the 1.5 HP motor and a 9" capacity. The PM model that Carbatech list is a low end 14". John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 There is another local company here, http://www.woodfast.com.au/index.php?p=1_4and they look quite good but not sure of their quality. The 14" looks the trick with the 1.5 HP motor and a 9" capacity. The PM model that Carbatech list is a low end 14". John You will notice PM does not build bandsaws with unrealistic resaw capacities. The PM saws have bigger motors as resaw height gets taller. Even the bigger 1000lb 24" saws don't have big resaw heights because it take a bunch of motor and mass to resaw at a decent rate. The 15" is pushing it a little but its a built little saw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yanis Posted April 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2015 Still looking. There are a couple of local companies here, Woodfast and General Tools. I will also be in the market for a Jointer, 8" spiral head. General has an 8" with what looks like an option for a spiral head with the angled inserts (as opposed to straight) which are supposed to be better. They are way across the other side of town (cut lunch distance) but it will make a nice drive to look the machines over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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