# Table saw or Bandsaw?



## KYYADA (Mar 24, 2008)

Hello: What would be the best choice for ripping and sawing wood for trestles and such, a small bandsaw or a small table saw. I have a compound miter saw too so I am leaning towards a bandsaw but open to suggestions...Help!

Johnny


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## Duncan (Jan 2, 2008)

The band saw would be your best friend in this.


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

A bandsaw is the way to go. They are much more versitile if you want to rip hobby lumber. You will need to read up and practice a bit, because they have some "quircks" about them too. Once you get the hang of them, they cut like crazy


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## astrayelmgod (Jan 2, 2008)

A table saw is a lot faster, if you have a lot of wood to cut. That said, it also wastes an amazing amount of wood. If you cut all the bracing bits, the saw blade is wider than the finished piece, making the waste more than 50%. 

If space and money are not limiting factors, you'll get plenty of use out of both.


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

I prefer my 40 year old 9" table saw.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

A small table saw might be a good compromise. There's a real tiny one at Harbor Freight but the sales lady said she bought one and that it just doesn't have the power to cut anything other than really thin board. Maybe micromark or another company has one with more umpf.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I use my old Dremel table saw all the time, it's great!


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

I find my Dremel gets hot and cranky when sawing thru thick wood or when overloaded. It's probably 10 years old. 

The newer Dremels look a lot different. I wonder if they have more power than the older ones


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## Dennis Cherry (Feb 16, 2008)

Table saw is good a few cuts but the material waste is huge.

The bandsaw will cut more wood to the size you need, just make sure you buy a quality blade with small teeth, something like hacksaw blade teeth. The wider the blade the more accurate your cuts will be. suggest 1/2" blades for ripping.


I just completed a freight house from scratch, used a Garden Texture plan but had it resized to 20.3. That meant all the wood had to be cut from scratch. 

For my first attempt it came out pretty good.

*http://www.lscdata.com/users/dennis_cherry/_forumfiles/P6060002.JPG*


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

If all you're going to do is rip wood, then a miniature table saw will be your best friend. Get a thin-kerf blade (mine's just over 1/16") and the waste is negligible compared to a band saw. The catch--as others have mentioned--they're not much good on large pieces that one would get from the lumber yard. The ideal solution is to get two table saws--a full-sized one (I've got a portable 10" Ryobi that does great and folds up to about the size of a suitcase when not being used) and a minature one (my ancient Dremel saw which I picked up second hand). I start with a 6' long cedar fence slat (5" wide by 5/8" thick), and rip that down to managable sizes (5/8" square or smaller) on the full-sized saw. At $1 per fence slat, I'm not breaking the bank to leave 1/3 of it as sawdust. I can get a ton of usable wood for $5. I then take the managable pieces down to the workshop to cut to size on the Dremel. 

I've always found blade wander to be problematic on band saws when I tried to rip large pieces of wood, but I've also always had thin (1/4") blades loaded in, because I use them for finesse cutting that you can't do with a 1/2" blade, and my current model won't take a 1/2" blade anyway. I'd think that with a bigger saw and thicker blade, it'd be a bit more rigid and do better for ripping. 

If you have no saws currently in your arsenal, I'd go for the band saw. While not as adept at ripping as the table saw, it's versatility for other cuts will far outweigh that limitation in the long run. 

Later, 

K


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

Sverybody has their favourite ... for me the table saw wins hands down. In fact I had two bandsaws at one point and sold them both. They are finicky for cutting straight lines as that thin blade can wander if the setup is less than perfect. A scroll saw does have its uses for cutting curves.

The tablesaw with a thin kerf blade and a sero clearance insert makes cutting stripwood relatively easy even if you start with thick stock. Just remember that both saws will cut flesh equally well.

Wastage can be an issue but wood is relatively inexpensive (at least here in Canada). I can get #1 (solid knots) dried oak or maple or eastern white cedar for less than C$3 per board foot and if I am satisfied with pine (#1 with knots) or spuce it is much much less. A bit of wastage from the saw kerf on a model project is not going to bother me especially after I check out the cost of precut stripwood. For those who believe that only exotic imported woods (at $15 or more per board foot) last longer than a few hours outside, perhaps wastage from the saw cut is a bigger concern.

Regards ... Doug


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

table saw with a good thin curf blade and a cutout for the top that matches the curf.


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## Big John (Jan 4, 2008)

I had both a band saw and a table saw but ended up selling the band saw. The table saw has a lot more versatility and use for me. To make scale lumber I start by making a solid particle board wood top for my table saw and run the thin kerf blade up into it so the wood is supported right up to the edge of the blade. First I rough cut treated 1x6 pine decking boards into 5/8' wide strips six feet long. I use a bar clamped to the table top as a fence guide. Then it is an easy job to re-set the fence and rip the strips down to finish lumber sizes. After assembly of buildings or structures such as trestles I finish them with a good quality outside paint or sealing stain. The treated pine will last for a very long time and is a lot less expensive than cedar or redwood. I had several strips of metal made to the lumber sizes I use as thickness gauges. It is a very quick and easy job to set the fence guide up by just putting the metal strip gauge against the blade and clamping the metal fence bar to hold it tight to the blade. I normally cut up a lot of 5/8 strips and keep them on hand to saw into the finish sizes I need. Some of the strips tend to twist but it is a minor problem and the cost is low enough to not worry about it. 

Big John


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## imrnjr (Jan 2, 2008)

If you want flat faces and square cuts go the table saw route. I have used both for rip cuts and the band saw blade will wander some as you make longer cuts. The table saw will not if set up correctly. 

If your going to cut materials of 3-4 inches in thickness the band saw would have to be at least a 12" or larger to effectively manage the same speeds through the wood as a low end 10" contractor/portable style table saw. If you want the wood to look rustic rough cut for other purposes the small band saw will do the trick.

Mark


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Speaking of saws

Does anyone know? Can you get Metal Cutting blades for a Scroll Saw?

For doing small Metal projects.


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## Truthman (Dec 13, 2008)

You should be able to find a metal cutting blade for a scroll saw. Usually a blade with LOTS of small teeth. Also bear in mind it won't cut through thicker metal. Maybe eight inch tops. 

Nate


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Truthman on 15 Jul 2009 07:04 PM 
You should be able to find a metal cutting blade for a scroll saw. Usually a blade with LOTS of small teeth. Also bear in mind it won't cut through thicker metal. Maybe eight inch tops. 

Nate 

Me thinks you missed an "h" off the end of that dimension!  I don't think I could pick up an eight inch thick piece of metal to put it on a scroll saw, let alone the saw itself be strong enough to not collapse under it once I got it there! Maybe eighth inch (1/8").


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