# Craftsman 10'' Bandsaw



## GaTurner83 (Feb 23, 2012)

Was wondering if anyone had experience with this (Craftsman) Craftsman bandsaw? I have an older 12'' bandsaw that I use alot for resawing blanks and stuff.I get tired of changing blades all the time and have thought about getting a 10'' to setup with a fine tooth blade to use for segments and other things.I was looking it over in the store last week and seems like its made pretty good for the price.I have thought about a 9'' but I have had a skil 9'' before and was satisfied with it.


----------



## dgscott (Feb 23, 2012)

I've had one for about five years. For it's size, it does remarkably well. I'm not re-sawing tree trunks, understand -- just reducing slabs to blank-sized pieces. The table's sturdy, the fence clamps parallel to the blade -- everything I need in a bandsaw. I use Starrett blades which I get from Amazon.
Doug


----------



## Jim Burr (Feb 23, 2012)

I'm so jaded about this I used a Crapsman 12" for years and suffered for years. I tried to have it cover all my bases, bowls, HF's, Peppermill blanks, resawing pen blanks...it failed at just about everything and I settled for it. November of last year, I'd saved enough to get a new Jet 1642, Saved enough on Amazon's sale that I was able to get a Grizzly 0555. That with a Woodslicer blade, It does everything I need now and in the future. See if there are other options to meet your needs.


----------



## alphageek (Feb 23, 2012)

I have a 9"... I want to upgrade at somepoint.. I would probably go with a 14", but if you're looking for a small saw, the one you linked to seems good.    

For the anti-craftsman folk out there, you have to realize that craftman power tools are almost always a different brand... In this case, this thing looks like a mirror copy of the Rikon: RIKON Power Tools

The big difference is Rikon has a much better warrenty.  ( and a higher price tag normally).


----------



## Jim Burr (Feb 23, 2012)

Mine was the old Euro style...may have been why it stunk! The newer ones seem more like a real saw!


----------



## GaTurner83 (Feb 23, 2012)

The saw I currently have is working just fine for me at the moment it just gets old swapping out blades all the time for segmented work.The 12'' I have is the bandsaw/sander model not the tilt head 12''.It replaced an old worn out 14'' saw that was nearly 50 years old.I have the same resaw capacity on the 12'' as I did with the old 14''.I hope to upgrade to a 14'' someday but that is out of the budget for right now unless I can get a good deal on a used one.My dad has a 14'' from HF and it seems like a good saw for the money.Its on sale right now and with a coupon I could get one of those for a little extra money added to what the 10'' would cost.With a couple upgrades the HF 14'' maybe the way to go.Then I could set my 12'' up for finer work.To many options just dont know which way to go.


----------



## JohnGreco (Feb 23, 2012)

I've had a craftsman 10" for about 3 1/2 years now. I've been hoping to replace it for nearly as long.


----------



## fernhills (Feb 23, 2012)

I have a craftsman 12" since the early 90s, my biggest complaint is the knuckle banging blade changes, so i only do it when the 1/2" TW blade gets dull. The 1/2" blade works with all the segment work i do and the curves i usually do. I built a crosscut sled for it and it works wonders for me. I use a rip fence for it and it does good.  When you are using those fine tooth blades on a BS you are pushing to hard to get your cut through and are probably getting unsatisfactory results. I would think about it a little longer before i spend the extra money on something you may not be happy with.. Good luck.. Carl


----------



## wickford (Feb 24, 2012)

I purchased this bandsaw a few years ago and it was my first bandsaw.  I think I paid like $125 for it at sears.  Once you replace the blade, it's a great saw for the size and price point.  I pushed it beyond its limit and with a decent blade I was able to cut wet logs and make round large bowl blanks to the capacity of the saw.  I've since upgraded to the Rikon 14" but for small stuff, I can't say anything bad about the craftsman.

Good luck in whatever you choose!

Jeff


----------



## Woodlvr (Feb 24, 2012)

Craftsman used to have an exact 10" bandsaw that resembled the 10" Rikon. A friend a Woodcraft had told me about it last year. I could never find it as our Sears only carried the piece of crap cheapie. Now with Sears selling their only two stores in Utah I would not chance buying anything Craftsman makes because there would be no local support for the product. JMHO.


----------



## jjones (Feb 24, 2012)

I bought that same Craftsman band saw       (#21400) a few weeks ago on sale for about $165 + tax.  Of course, I  had/have fantasies of stumbling upon an incredible Craigslist deal on a  decent, classic,       American cast iron fixer-upper for a couple hundred dollars, but I       finally decided I needed to just get something now so I can slice  up       stuff.... now.   My experience with this band saw obviously is  limited, but       thus far my impression is that this saw is a great value, and I'm  very       glad I bought it.  If/when I get a "real" band saw, I'll likely       keep this small one set up for a dedicated purpose.  It appears to be  well made of good quality materials, very little plastic, and far  superior to any other band saw in the 9" or 10" category I've looked at  (other than Rikon).  I immediately replaced the stock blade with some  recommended blades from       Iturra Design, took my time aligning the cast iron table, and  reinstalled the upper guide bearing support assembly with a shim so it  remains parallel to the blade as it is raised and lowered.  I'll  probably also eventually replace the blade guide bearings with better bearings with rubber seals (they're a common size, inexpensive skate bearing).

      If you Google around regarding Craftsman 10" band saws       (bandsaws?), it's apparent that there are a couple of older       Craftsman 10" models that folks weren't too pleased to have  owned.        Reviews of the Craftsman 21400  however are generally favorable,  especially       if you disregard reviews complaining about Sears stores not       stocking the 70 1/2" blade for this saw.  The Craftsman 21400  appears to be very, very       similar to and have the same specs as the Rikon #10-305 10" band  saw (not to be confused with Rikon's older 10" model, the #10-300), and I  think the Craftsman       #21400 is made by Rikon's sister company in China.  The Craftsman and the  Rikon band       saws both appear to be manufactured by Richen Enterprises, an       American-Chinese manufacturing venture (Riley & Chen) founded       by the same Erin Riley who founded Rikon, but who apparently is no  longer       associated with either company.  The differences I noted between       the Craftsman 21400 and the Rikon 10-305 were the colors of the       painted steel panels and the plastic knobs, and the Craftsman  saw includes a cheap miter gauge.  Rikon's (different, still cheap)  miter gauge is sold       separately for ~ $15.  The Rikon model comes with a 5 year  warranty, but even if I had spent another $50 to extend the Craftsman  warranty an additional 4 years (I did not, will not), the price  difference is still significant.  I remember when "Craftsman" was a  well-respected brand among craftsmen, but truthfully, today I'd prefer  to have a Rikon nameplate rather than a Craftsman nameplate riveted to  my band saw, and the Rikon paint is nicer, IMO.  In this case however, I  opted for the Craftsman "equivalent", and used the savings to buy some quality  Starrett, Lenox, and "BladeRunner" blades and a Bevel Boss from Louis  Iturra, plus a stand from Harbor Freight.


----------



## jjones (Mar 15, 2012)

*Sears Tool Sale*

I was looking at the Sears web site this morning, and I noticed that Sears has a 15% off tools sale (ends today?).  Just for grins, I priced out the Craftsman 10" Band Saw (#21400).  If you order online, apply additional discount code MARCH10, and pick it up at a local store, the sale price reduces to $161.49 + sales tax.  Of course, similar savings applies to other tools as well.


----------



## gimpy (Mar 15, 2012)

One issue with craftsmen is that after you make the purchase, and you need a part, they are obsolete........there for, I go to the Grizzzly store about an hour from the house..been very happy with them to date


----------



## IPD_Mr (Mar 15, 2012)

I know you said you are looking at this as a secondary saw to save the hassle of changing blades.  Even with knowing that, I would say plan ahead a little and do all of the cutting you can with the saw that you have, if you like it, with one blade before you switch to the other.  I had a Delta 10" for a long time and could not stand the thing.  I sold the Delta for $50 in a garage sale and laughed to myself as the guy drove away.  I now have a Jet 14" which I love.  If I ever have to get another band saw (and I know I won't) it would be a Laguna.


----------

