New saw and blade question...

[new2woodwrk]

Rather than make 2 threads, thought I would combine...

Blades - has anyone else noticed, when purchasing a pack/bulk blades there are a few in the pack not as sharp as the others? I've noticed this more these days, than in the past.

Maybe it's me?

New Saw...

So, I've been on the fence about buying a Band Saw for awhile now and just could not justify spending $1k or more on a 14" saw!

I found this Wen band saw the other day and decided to pull the trigger and get it. I hope it works out. I have several other Wen products and no problems with any of them so far

Thanks as always in advance for reading

[rjweb]

As far as band saw I have been looking for a while all brands and models, but have not thought of wen brand, will be waiting for your review on it, RJ 

[kmmcrafts]

Every now and then I fine a blade that seems to start out dull but not very often. Though I buy enough blades to last me a long time. Usually 3-6 gross at a time. I haven't ordered any blades since April.. and probably won't need any until late fall. You didn't mention what brand of blades in question?

 

I stared out with a cheap 9" ryobi bandsaw and upgraded the guides etc.. but in very short time I learned the resawing wasn't all that practical on it since the max. height was only about 4-5 inch.. did work great for resawing with a good blade though and I made many thick boards into thinner boards for ornaments. I upgraded to the Grizzly 14" Anniversary edition and bought the riser block etc. I love the saw but honestly I don't use it as much as I thought I would. Resawing is a great way to make lumber to your needed thickness but also requires a planer if you don't have one yet? 

I think this WEN might be a decent starter saw for you. Not sure if it will accept a riser block or not. Maybe you don't plan to resaw with it as you didn't really mention the use of it.  I payed pretty close to that price for my saw but with the added goodies ( riser block, rolling base, etc. ) I had close to a grand into mine.. Wish I had gone a few bucks more and got the larger model that included the rolling stand and already had the 12" resaw capacity.. But mine works well for the stuff I've done with it. 

Edited July 20, 2021 by kmmcrafts

[Rockytime]

Never have blade problems. I have a 9" HF band saw. I had a cherry 12" band saw. Older one with cast iron table. Was like new. I thought I would try re-sawing. Without a planer it would be useless. I seldom used it so I sold it last fall. My 9" is a workhorse for me. $125 well spent several years ago. I bought it for pen blanks but now use it every day for cutting miscellaneous things for scrolling. Very handy. Sits next to my scroll saw. I'm sure you will enjoy the Wen equally as well. 

[OCtoolguy]

That looks like a pretty nice saw. I have a couple of Wen products and so far, I'm very happy with them. I did have a problem with my Wen air cleaner. It has a remote control and every once in a while, it would turn itself on and run while I was out of the shop. For God knows how long. Anyway, I contacted their customer service and they sent me a new board and remote for it. No questions asked. Except for proof of purchase. Their customer service is as good or better than any I've come across for the last few years. Let us all know how you like it.

 

[new2woodwrk]

3 hours ago, octoolguy said:

That looks like a pretty nice saw. I have a couple of Wen products and so far, I'm very happy with them. I did have a problem with my Wen air cleaner. It has a remote control and every once in a while, it would turn itself on and run while I was out of the shop. For God knows how long. Anyway, I contacted their customer service and they sent me a new board and remote for it. No questions asked. Except for proof of purchase. Their customer service is as good or better than any I've come across for the last few years. Let us all know how you like it.

 

I have that air cleaner as well - no issues so far. I also have a Wen 10" drill press I am very happy with and my first scroll saw was the 2910 (I think) Wen which i still keep under a table LOL

They shipped the Wen already so it should be here by the weekend

 

[new2woodwrk]

7 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

Every now and then I fine a blade that seems to start out dull but not very often. Though I buy enough blades to last me a long time. Usually 3-6 gross at a time. I haven't ordered any blades since April.. and probably won't need any until late fall. You didn't mention what brand of blades in question?

 

I stared out with a cheap 9" ryobi bandsaw and upgraded the guides etc.. but in very short time I learned the resawing wasn't all that practical on it since the max. height was only about 4-5 inch.. did work great for resawing with a good blade though and I made many thick boards into thinner boards for ornaments. I upgraded to the Grizzly 14" Anniversary edition and bought the riser block etc. I love the saw but honestly I don't use it as much as I thought I would. Resawing is a great way to make lumber to your needed thickness but also requires a planer if you don't have one yet? 

I think this WEN might be a decent starter saw for you. Not sure if it will accept a riser block or not. Maybe you don't plan to resaw with it as you didn't really mention the use of it.  I payed pretty close to that price for my saw but with the added goodies ( riser block, rolling base, etc. ) I had close to a grand into mine.. Wish I had gone a few bucks more and got the larger model that included the rolling stand and already had the 12" resaw capacity.. But mine works well for the stuff I've done with it. 

I bought a few gross last time I purchased. I'm only using Pegas MFG #3 these days and a #5 and #12 once in awhile for separating boards.

I had a skill saw 9" band saw, and I really didn't like it. When I used it, if felt "weak" and flimsy. The table was not very sturdy - I sold it for a loss and was glad to get rid if it.

I don't really intend to re-saw wood for the most part but I wanted to be able to if I needed. The mill I get my wood from now will resaw anything for me free so I don't really need the saw for that.

I'm hoping to use it more for quickening the cutting of some of my pieces. I use my table saw currently for getting a straight edge on the bottom of some pieces. And wall hangers I'm hoping to decrease the cut time for the bases.

We'll see "Wen" it gets here <- I did a funny LOL

[WolfmoonCT]

I buy Olson blades in gross..  well the #2/0R ones at least..  I find like one out of every 20 or so may just not cut when I put it in, or it cuts on an angle for some reason..

I have an old Delta 14" bandsaw.  I use it to resaw all the time. I buy 5/4 stock, and depending on what I want the thickness to be for the final, I can get 2 or 3 slices out of a piece. Normally I only get 2.. Since my jointer is only 6" and I do a lot of 8" wide stuff, I buy boards that are 5-6 inches wide normally. I cut them to a length,  clean up the edges,  then I rip it to just over half the finished size I need.  I resaw the piece, then run it through the planer to get 2 parallel sides.  I then rejoint the matching edges, and when I glue it, I get book matched pieces.  I find they make the best looking pieces to cut. 

Edited July 22, 2021 by WolfmoonCT