# Band saw opinions/reviews please - Ryobi content



## capcrnch (Jun 17, 2010)

Looking for a little bit of opinion here...

My wife knew I was looking for a band saw, so today she purchased me a Ryobi 9" (BS903) as an early fathers day present.. 
It's considerably smaller than my last saw (14" craftsman) and i'm a bit torn on it.

Am I going to be happy with this smaller saw, or will I constantly wish I went for the larger saw?

It will be used mostly for pen blanks, but will also get used for some other woodworking projects. 
I've heard this is unreliable with anything more than 3/4 of an inch? Can anyone confirm?

Can anyone throw their couple of pennies at this?
She let me know right away that if I exchanged it for a larger saw, it was absolutely fine, so I have the go ahead if I need to exchange..

Help?


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## ldb2000 (Jun 17, 2010)

Well I know I'll get beat to hell for this but I feel a little masochistic today so here goes . The Harbor Freight 14" band saw is my suggestion . It does need to be tuned but with a good blade and guides it performs as well as any other bandsaw I have ever used . I think it cost about twice what the ryobi does but is 100 times the saw . 
I have one and it did take a little tuning and a wood slicer blade and carter guides (so would a Delta or Jet or ...) but I can slice veneer that you can almost see through . I also have the riser block but that's not a necessity , I use it for building furniture so I needed the extra height . I don't have access to my table saw so this bandsaw pulls double duty and has never let me down . For the $299 I paid on sale it is the BEST tool buy I have ever made .


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## capcrnch (Jun 17, 2010)

After almost taking a blade in the face from a HF grinder, I refuse to buy another HF power tool. I like having 10 digits and 2 hands.

I'm fully expecting to spend another 150-200+...


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## frankhp (Jun 17, 2010)

I've got a 24" minimax and a 14" jet. you cant go wrong with either.


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## AKBeaver (Jun 17, 2010)

I have the same ryobi.  It is ok for doing pen blanks.  The blade is 59.5 inches which the pickings are very slim and what you can get are not the best.  I would upgrade and wish I had gotten a better saw.


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## NewLondon88 (Jun 17, 2010)

I have the Ryobi as well as a 14" band saw. The Ryobi is good for blanks
and tubes, small work. The first thing I did is throw out the blade that
comes with it and I installed a metal cutting blade. 
It has a blade tension release, which is nice. And it has bearings instead
of the plastic cool blocks.. both better than you'd expect on a little benchtop
saw.  But I don't use it for the same things as the 14" saw.. different tool
for a different purpose.


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## its_virgil (Jun 17, 2010)

I must agree with Butch. I have the 14" HF band saw with the riser block and I love it. I did have to tune it up and put a good blade on it. I also have a HF drill press and it has performed flawlessly as has my HF 12 inch disk sander and  bench grinder. I may join the bashing some day but as of now I'm happy with the HF tools I have. I even like their most expensive lathe tools...about $70 for 8 tools. I have two sets of them. I wish they would add bowl  gouges to their offerings. I've got your back Butch. Bring it on.:biggrin::biggrin:
Do a good turn daily!
Don



ldb2000 said:


> Well I know I'll get beat to hell for this but I feel a little masochistic today so here goes . The Harbor Freight 14" band saw is my suggestion . .


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## jskeen (Jun 18, 2010)

well, it really just depends on what you want to do with it.  for penwork, it is a very adequate little saw, as was mentioned, the bearing guides instead of blocks is a big plus, but you are very limited on what blades are available readymade.  I would suggest you look around and find a shop that can custom braze blades to your length and get a few good quality blades made up.  

You're not going to be resawing 8 inch stock with it, no matter what you do, but for most pen size stuff, it will be fine with a good blade.


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## jttheclockman (Jun 18, 2010)

I won't get into the bashing so I will leave that to some one else. But will say this. And this is just what you asked for 2¢ I associate any ryobi tools to the black and decker homeowners version of tools. They fit that catagory. The same goes for Harbor Freight. You get what you pay for. 

Stepping up you have several brands and they include in no particular order, Rigid, (Jet, Delta) Laguna, (Grizzly am not a fan)  These are more your contractor or furniture maker brands which require little tuning but still need checking as all tools do. Can't go wrong with these but they are floor models and not toys such a 9" Ryobi.

You have to ask yourself what you are going to do with it. Not good for resawing but for cutting blanks, heck you can use just about any tool to do that unless segmenting is in your mind. No one can tell you what to do but we offer our pennies worth of ideas. Good luck in your choice. By the way if you are asking I own a 14" Delta with 6" riser and love it. Had it for many years now and have cut tons of material. Right blade and right tune-up and you are good to go.


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## phillywood (Jun 18, 2010)

capcrnch said:


> After almost *taking a blade in the face from a HF grinder*, I refuse to buy another HF power tool. I like having 10 digits and 2 hands.
> 
> Now, how in the world you got balde out of a *grinder  I can't figure this one out?*  I am sure it was just a typo?


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## phillywood (Jun 18, 2010)

Rich, I put my .02 in this way.
I have been looking at tools under Craigslist for almost two month now. I can't find any decent looking 2 yr old tool. What that tells me is that if you keep the Ryobi, you'll grow out of it quickly unless you limit yourself to penturning. If you do then it's OK and it will suffice, but, If you grow out of it you are not going to be able to sell it for that much. If the better half already gave you the green light so yourself the favor and buy one the 14" band saws and then sit back and enjoy the fruit of it for many years. and also, if you decide to get into cutting your logs and get into turning bowls and re-sawing and................ then you got the tool at your disposal. But, if you're up to upgrading in 2-3 yrs then keep the Ryobi.

If I preached all of this in front of a congregations, I would have had my lathe by now.:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: Amen!:glasses-nerdy:


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## capcrnch (Jun 18, 2010)

phillywood said:


> capcrnch said:
> 
> 
> > After almost *taking a blade in the face from a HF grinder*, I refuse to buy another HF power tool. I like having 10 digits and 2 hands.
> ...


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## shagnasty (Jun 18, 2010)

Had small black / decker, then bigger craftsman, an finally spent the money and bought a Rikon 14" and some timberwolf blades. (suffolk machinery)  Resaw and cutting capacity is key, because you never know how big that burl is gonna be........:biggrin:

Larry


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## capcrnch (Jun 18, 2010)

Thanks for all the opinions.
What i'm gathering here is 2 things..
Though this band saw is going to be good for pen blanks, taking it further than that makes this one borderline capable..
And that its easier to buy a bigger saw and use it for smaller jobs than it would be to keep the smaller saw and use it for bigger jobs.

I did notice that Performance Tool has a Jet on sale for 299, and Craftsman for a little more than that.. Something to ponder for sure.

Thanks again all, I appreciate your opinions!


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## penhead (Jun 18, 2010)

Just my 2-cents worth, and am NOT bashing those who have and enjoy the HF 14" bandsaw...it's actually not a bad saw if you can get it tweaked just right...my first bandsaw was the HF 14" with riser block...used it for several years resawing, making bowl blanks, etc..i did replace the tires, blocks, blade...

...just my opinion, but when it comes to bandsaws..size does matter...you can always cut smaller blanks on a big saw...but it doesn't work the other way...


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## randyrls (Jun 18, 2010)

capcrnch said:


> And that its easier to buy a bigger saw and use it for smaller jobs than it would be to keep the smaller saw and use it for bigger jobs.



Whatever saw you end up with, a good blade and several different bades of varying width and tooth count are essential for the best performance of the saw.  Suffoch (sp?) makes the Timberwolf brand and these are good blades.

Tuning the band saw is also crucial to getting the best performance out of any saw.  "Bandsaws: A Workshop Reference" by Mark Duginske is the gold standard for bandsaws.  He also has several more recent books and editions on bandsaws.

Hope this helps.


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## randyrls (Jun 18, 2010)

Sorry Dup post removed.


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## PenMan1 (Jun 18, 2010)

I bought a Ridgid 14 inch Band Saw at HD for $150. (It was on clearance for $187, but they only had the floor model left). It has a lifetime warranty and with a little tweaking, it has become an excellent saw.

I know that the HD Ridgid sale is selective, State by State, but it is worth a call. My HD didn't even know it was on sale until I called and they punched it into the computer.


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## Constant Laubscher (Jun 18, 2010)

HF - may be price but not quality, your choice. As you can tell I am not a HF fan at all. In my view their products suck. Many better options for a little more out there.

Mini Max is my choice. I have just bought the MM20.


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## DurocShark (Jun 18, 2010)

I *am* a Harbor Freight fan. It's a tradeoff- your time tuning and fixing for the lower price. Many of the tools are the same tools as the big names, with different paint jobs and different quality control. 

If your time is valuable, you should probably avoid HF. If you have lots of time, or like tinkering with the tools, go for it. But check the reviews. Some tools are just bad no matter what you do. Like the $9 grinder mentioned above.


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## leestoresund (Jun 19, 2010)

*bandsaw blades*

IMHO on a 14" saw a 1/2" blade is more than sufficient. I found that it took just too much work for the motor to haul a 3/4" blade through the wood. I now only use 1/2" for most work including resawing. I have smaller blades for more intricate work but don't do too much of that.

Of greater importance is the TPI. 4 TPI up to 6" thick, 3 TPI from 6" to 10"

I had a 9" bandsaw at one time. Got a 14" as soon as I could. On a 9" saw the curvature is way small, more flex on the blade and the blade wears out sooner. Just my experiences.

Lee


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## DurocShark (Jun 19, 2010)

My 10" has been great. It's the Rikon-made Craftsman. With a good blade and a good tune it resaws 4" (its maximum) with ease. If you look on my Woodscrub blog, there are a couple posts over there on how I tuned mine.

I was at Sears the other day and they had a 9" version of this saw. Like night and day. Flimsy, cheap, tiny. It's the same as the 9" saw at Harbor Freight. Same flimsy table and mount, same crappy wheels.

I haven't used the Ryobi. But it totally depends on your needs. If all you're gonna do is mini-lathe sized stuff, it should be fine with a good blade. If you expect to be resawing large boards, or working with logs, a bigger saw may be better.


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## sparhawk (Jun 25, 2010)

PenMan1 said:


> I bought a Ridgid 14 inch Band Saw at HD for $150. (It was on clearance for $187, but they only had the floor model left). It has a lifetime warranty and with a little tweaking, it has become an excellent saw.
> 
> I know that the HD Ridgid sale is selective, State by State, but it is worth a call. My HD didn't even know it was on sale until I called and they punched it into the computer.



 I have one too but bought at $369 about a year and a half ago. Been a great saw. Best purchase i have made in a long time. Thinkin about getting the riser for it .


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## IPD_Mrs (Jun 25, 2010)

A couple years back we got a great deal on a Jet 14" with closed base for $499.  Before that was a Delta 10" which was a pain to find blades for, the table was aluminum and the drift was worse than a row boat in a huricane.  At first the Jet wasn't all that.  Yes more powerful but still not what I expected.  Soon after we picked up some Carter guides/stablizer and the magnetic fence.  Now I love the saw.  I have sawn oak vaneer so thin you can see through it.  Better yet was the uniform thickness from end to end and top to bottom.  We do a good deal of work with 3/8" oak and I am able to take a piece of 7/8" stock, cut it down the middle, couple runs through the drum sander and I have perfect matched pieces of 3/8" oak boards.  The riser block would be nice for whe I need something wider than 6" but that is very rare.

RECOMMENDATION:
14" saw  (blade availablity and versatility)
1-1/2hp  (min for doing any amount of resawing or thicj boards)
Carter Guides are a must for a top performing bandsaw.
Carter Magnetic Fence (not a requirement but well worth the money)


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## phillywood (Jun 26, 2010)

capcrnch said:


> phillywood said:
> 
> 
> > Angle/die grinder.
> ...


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## capcrnch (Jun 30, 2010)

Just an update..

Returned the Ryobi and purchased a Ridgid 14" 
A couple of quick notes:
Holy crap is that thing heavy. Ironic, but its heavier than my similar sized old Delta that crapped the bed.
First run, right out of the box and it was almost flawless and didn't need much for tuning. This made me very happy.
Did I mention how heavy this was? What a comedy of errors trying to get it into the truck, then into the house.
The only problem I ran into (well, 2) was #1 with the stupid nut/bolt/washer packaging they used. 20% of the nuts/bolts/washers that were all in their little pouches, stayed in those little packages. They fell out and spread themselves around on the cardboard backing, thus making it a guessing game as to which one was which size and etc.. #2 was the belt.. The belt was twisted into a 4" circle in the box and of course, when unraveled, it looked like a hair braid. For some reason (that I still haven't figured out) I had the exact same size belt in my basement. I only had one belt down there, most likely from a car repair back in the 90's haha.. But, it was straight and worked perfect!
And lastly, jeez, that thing was heavy


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## hilltopper46 (Jun 30, 2010)

Congratulations on the new band saw.  I am now officially experiencing band saw envy! :alien: :alien: :alien: :worship: :worship: :worship:


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## skywizzard (Jun 30, 2010)

Congratulations on the new saw.  You won't be sorry for the upgrade to the 14 inch.  I have a Grizzly and it has served me well.

One other unanswered question though...  Was the little wife ok with you returning the gift she had selected for the upgrade.   The LOML would have understood, but a lot of spouses do not take it as well.


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## capcrnch (Jul 1, 2010)

skywizzard said:


> Congratulations on the new saw.  You won't be sorry for the upgrade to the 14 inch.  I have a Grizzly and it has served me well.
> 
> One other unanswered question though...  Was the little wife ok with you returning the gift she had selected for the upgrade.   The LOML would have understood, but a lot of spouses do not take it as well.



100% actually. She surprised me with the Ryobi as a fathers day gift, and the first thing she said was "I know its a lot smaller, so if you want to exchange it, you can take the store credit".. 
Funny because I thought the same thing about spouses not taking it well, but she was great about it!


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