I have the TS 55 and MFT as well as the Trion Jigsaw. I don't own a bandsaw and wondered if I really need one? I'm a beginner at woodworking, even though I'm old, and want to do around the house projects. Doubt that I'll be doing any fine furniture but do have plenty of use for garage/barn storage cabinets etc. I own a Shopsmith and can get a used bandsaw at a reasonable price but with the Festool in my garage, I seldom, if ever use it. I do use the SS for a drill press.
Bandsaw
- Thread starter suds
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Guess that's the old wait and see unless you are looking at a good deal on one. I have a Laguna which gets used quite a bit but if I didn't have it, most of the smaller stuff can be cut with the jigsaw. Might think about mounting the jigsaw to a plate. Biggest use for a bandsaw is for thicker material.
Not aware of plate being available in US. Think the CMS has one.
Did read somewhere that the round router plate that Lee Valley offers can be used. It will fit into a router table top or maybe your MFT. 8) Shouldn't be too hard to adapt a plate to the hold the JS. Take the JS plate to a copier and make a copy to use as a template. Their are several phenolic plates for routers that could be adapted. They are not real expensive.
Could use something like shown here, details 6-10 Scroll down to see the 3rd image. This uses clamps to hold the JS to the plate.
Did read somewhere that the round router plate that Lee Valley offers can be used. It will fit into a router table top or maybe your MFT. 8) Shouldn't be too hard to adapt a plate to the hold the JS. Take the JS plate to a copier and make a copy to use as a template. Their are several phenolic plates for routers that could be adapted. They are not real expensive.
Could use something like shown here, details 6-10 Scroll down to see the 3rd image. This uses clamps to hold the JS to the plate.
Dave Ronyak
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suds said:
Suds,
I have several Festools including a TS 55. I also have a Shopsmith which I purchased in 1974, and the Shopsmith 6 X 48 belt sander and the Shopsmith 11" bandsaw. I also have a Makita jigsaw. No, you don't need a bandsaw for many projects. The jigsaw can do many of the same things, and it is portable. But nothing exceeds a bandsaw in terms of safety (no kickback of the stock and the blade when it breaks simply stops with a "bang") and ability to rapidly rip or crosscut stock. I frequently use my bandsaw to resaw stock, e.g. for making thinner boards for raised panels and veneer. The resawn boards need to be run through a thickness planer, so if you don't have one of those a bandsaw may not be of as much use to you as it is to me. I frequently use the Shopsmith as a sanding center, mounting the 6 X 48 sander, the 12" disk sander and a 3" drum sander at the same time. I also use the Shopsmith as my drill press, and before I purchased a Domino machine, as a horizontal boring machine when making up long, wide panels, e.g. a table top.
Dave R.
fidelfs
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Your plans will tell you if you need a bandsaw or not. I had the same question a few years back and I was debating to buy or not.
I took the plunge and bought a Grizzly ultimate bandsaw. Well Let me tell you that bandsaw it is not the ultimate at all. I sold it and bought a Rikon 14" (great machine).
Woodworking is a hobby of mine, so I fix things in my house and I also build some furniture for my home (not very successful ;D) so it is in my plans to use it for re sawing, copy shapes (for example make a template a cut legs for a table, etc.), I don't buy S4S lumber so I use my jigsaw to crosscut the big ones and I use the bandsaw for rip and crosscut.
You can get away with just a jigsaw, but the bandsaw is more versatile and cut faster.
I took the plunge and bought a Grizzly ultimate bandsaw. Well Let me tell you that bandsaw it is not the ultimate at all. I sold it and bought a Rikon 14" (great machine).
Woodworking is a hobby of mine, so I fix things in my house and I also build some furniture for my home (not very successful ;D) so it is in my plans to use it for re sawing, copy shapes (for example make a template a cut legs for a table, etc.), I don't buy S4S lumber so I use my jigsaw to crosscut the big ones and I use the bandsaw for rip and crosscut.
You can get away with just a jigsaw, but the bandsaw is more versatile and cut faster.
fidelfs
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Well, I could live without the bandsaw if I am only doing repairs for my home and building small things.
If you want to build more complex things such as furninture, I would recommend to get the bandsaw.
Remember you are limited to the length of the jigsaw blade as well. You cannot resaw, or cut curves thicker than the length of the jigsaw blade.
Take a look at this Link I am not saying I am doing this, or you will do it but the bandsaw is a very versatile machine.
To answer your question based on my experience, No, I cannot substitute the bandsaw for my specific needs but that is me.
If you want to build more complex things such as furninture, I would recommend to get the bandsaw.
Remember you are limited to the length of the jigsaw blade as well. You cannot resaw, or cut curves thicker than the length of the jigsaw blade.
Take a look at this Link I am not saying I am doing this, or you will do it but the bandsaw is a very versatile machine.
To answer your question based on my experience, No, I cannot substitute the bandsaw for my specific needs but that is me.
I have two bandsaws and a Trion jig saw.
One BS is 16" and the other is an ancient Rockwell/Delta/Dewalt 9"
I would not want to be without either of those bandsaws.
The Trion gets minimal use, but when i need it, it becomes unreplacable.
The small Bs gets used for anything needing a tight curve. I have a 1/8" and a couple of 3/16" blades
The larger saw handles up to a 1/2" blade. so far, i do not need anything bigger. The 1/2" blade just stays on until it starts to dull.
Tinker
One BS is 16" and the other is an ancient Rockwell/Delta/Dewalt 9"
I would not want to be without either of those bandsaws.
The Trion gets minimal use, but when i need it, it becomes unreplacable.
The small Bs gets used for anything needing a tight curve. I have a 1/8" and a couple of 3/16" blades
The larger saw handles up to a 1/2" blade. so far, i do not need anything bigger. The 1/2" blade just stays on until it starts to dull.
Tinker
Dave Ronyak
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suds said:
Suds,
I think not. For the limited amount of scroll (curved) work that I do, a jigsaw would do. But a jigsaw would not be very efficient to resaw several feet of cherry, maple or oak into thinner boards. And if the boards to be resawn are more than about 4 inches thick, the jigsaw blades may not be long enough, and even if they are, that would be a very slow and tedious operation. With a bandsaw, resawing thick stock is relatively fast and simple with the right blade, e.g. a "Wood slicer." A high quality bandsaw can do some amazing things, and quickly. I've seen Laguna demonstrations in which tropical hardwards are sliced into smooth finished veneers so thin you can see light through them. Mine is not of that quality.
Dave R.
Thanks for all the good advice. Ended up buying the bandsaw at a fair price. Fits on my Shopsmith so that will give me a drill press/boring machine and bandsaw combination that I don't have to tear down to make operational. Thanks for all the input.
HowardH
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Not to hijack the thread or anything but the Laguna guy keeps calling me getting their carbide tipped blade for my 14" GO555 Griz. Resaw King it's called. $1.50 per inch! I'm sure it's good but I don't resaw enough to justify that expenditure... Oh wait... this is a hobby... no need to justify anything then! Yea, yea!! That's right!! ;D
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