Bandsaw

[edward]

Has anyone bought a band saw {general machinery] from harbor freight. if so how are they thanks for any feedback.

[Wichman]

 Note: The woodworking band saws at HF are Central Machinery not General Machinery and as such are not allowed on the 20 to 25 % off coupons. "sorry"

I have the 9 inch (smaller) band saw. For a light duty saw it works just fine, I was cutting some lilac wood (2" cubes) and it didn't bog down at all. I don't have any experience with the larger 14" band saw.

[BadBob]

Which bandsaw? They have two.

[edward]

1/3hp 9" bandsaw $169.99  my   funds are limited

[BadBob]

2 hours ago, edward said:

1/3hp 9" bandsaw $169.99  my funds are limited

That one will not do much. I would look for a used saw in this price range that might need some TLC. If that isn't something you want to do, look at WEN or Ryobi saws for about the same price or less.

[rjweb]

Edward, i would look into a Wen before buying an harbor freight, RJ

[kmmcrafts]

I started out with a small 9 or 10" ? Ryobi bandsaw that I picked up at a garage sale real cheap. Thought it was a pile of junk until I actually bought a quality blade.. I put a small wood slicer blade on and used it to resaw some 4" wide by 3/4 thick boards down to thin 1/4" to make ornaments with. It was a lot better saw than I was expecting it to be.. A quality blade will make any saw that much nicer, LOL  

[BadBob]

17 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

A quality blade will make any saw that much nicer,

True for any type of saw.

[Joe W.]

Well, ya gotta start somewhere, and with limited funds, get what you can and see what you can do.  
Last year I bought an old craftsman bandsaw at a yard sale for $75.  Turned out to be really old, as in no replacement parts were available.  It was a 1/3 Hp and did so-so cutting small pieces of wood. 
So later in the year, I sold it for $50 at one of our yard sales and consoled myself with a $25 lesson.  So if you do go the used route, see if replacement parts are still available.
Fast forward to now - I did some construction /remodeling/ house flipping work for a couple of friends and used the money I made to buy a new bandsaw. And am pleased with it.  There is an saying on the forum I've seen and subscribe to:  "Buy once . . . cry once".
So, in my opinion, if you're hot to get a bandsaw, then go for it and see where it takes you.  Regardless of how it plays out, you will learn a lot.
Good luck with it. 

Oh, and a good blade does make a lot of difference in cutting and the quality of the cut.

[BadBob]

Yes, parts availability is a big deal.

Something that just popped into my head. If you are looking at used saws, Carter Bandsaw Guides is a good place for a list of saws. If Carter makes replacement guides, it is a sure bet you can get parts for them. If you are bandsaw savvy, you will notice that some of the saws on this page are old, and there isn't a benchtop saw on the list.