Looks pretty nice for our purposes. About the same size as mine. Mine was about a hundred bucks cheaper back in 2020. But this looks like a pretty nice saw for the money, as long as it cuts straight. The Ryobi had all the whistles and buzzers for$150, but turned out to be useless. The King looks enough like mine to have come from the same manufacturer, probably in China. Ya pays yer money. Ya takes yer chances.
But I'd say go for it!
thanks. It is interesting how the cost explodes as you go from a 9 to a 10 inch. But I don't need a 10 inch. Oh without a doubt it is not made in Canada.Looks pretty nice for our purposes. About the same size as mine. Mine was about a hundred bucks cheaper back in 2020. But this looks like a pretty nice saw for the money, as long as it cuts straight. The Ryobi had all the whistles and buzzers for$150, but turned out to be useless. The King looks enough like mine to have come from the same manufacturer, probably in China. Ya pays yer money. Ya takes yer chances.
Pete
Judging by the picture, your blade is wide for tight radial cuts. 3.8" maybe? There are many available charts for blade vs radius cuts as well as TPI (teeth per inch) suggestions.
what do you use, Phil?
I like Darius' Post and have done the same thing in the past for much the same reasons. I like an1/8" blade for tighter curves. I have been able to do pretty much whatever I need with either 1/4" or 1/8" blades. Just gotta be sure your saw is properly tuned when you change blades. I like the throat plug, or an1/8 piece of smooth plywood the same size as the table with a slot for the saw, held on with clamps. Makes a nice surface to cut fine stuff on without watching something critical disappear down the throat. Helps prevent shredding the edges of the piece being cut as well. The idea of a custom rip fence is very good too for the reason mentioned. Nice to have choices. After a while you develop a bunch of useful ideas and discover the flexibility of the tool. Safety first!
I used medium quality blades to keep costs down, and they seem to do the job and stay sharp enough for an entire model's worth. A more expensive 0 degree raked blade would last longer and make smoother cuts, but Morse and Supercut manufactured blades are the only blades available in local stores. I tend to use 1/4" deep blades, since tight curves are not often required, and I tend to break 1/8" deep blades a lot more often due to overloading them with thick pieces and fatigue that comes with asking them to make curves too tightly (operator error). I do love how smooth band saws cut. Good control of the cut and smoothing of the edge is not that much more work that cuts made with a table saw, because the parts and planks are small.
The blade in my photos is 1/4" deep, and made for faster cutting by ripping along the grain. When all you have at the time is an aggressive blade made for ripping, you just go slower and keep firm control of the part being cut, and you can get by. If you have a blade with a high TPI (teeth per inch), or Teeth per Centimeter for our European and Asian mates, you get finer cuts, but the speed of the cutting must be reduced to prevent overloading the teeth with sawdust, creating too much friction, and scorching the wood. That happens a LOT when cutting walnut wood. See the darker areas on the 1" knees below? That's scorching from cutting cross-grain. I sanded most of it off, leaving some behind for character (and because it was deep scorching and I didn't want to spend all day on each knee).
Currently I have a 3/4" carbide-tipped resaw blade. I use it to rip lumber into thin strips as needed. I do have a good selection of bandsaw blades though. Additionally, I have added roller blade guides, a stronger blade tension spring and a after-market fence. All help when cutting to precise measurements.
Have a look at Timberwolf blades.....great selection available and hardened tips give great cuts!
I agree !Lots of really useful information here. Thanks!
ALWAYS. I've learned more much faster here than reading reference books!Lots of really useful information here. Thanks!
Question about small bandsaws: Have you got any comments with regards to the 9 inch King Canada bandsaw? I was looking at purchasing one.Because the band saw always goes in one direction I think it would be easier to control. The "up" stroke on a scroll saw sometimes messes me up and parts get away from me. I have no way to properly compare them as my band saw has a 1/2" blade but if you could get a small band saw with a very narrow blade I think it may be nicer to use than a scroll saw. Quieter too. Scroll saws dull quickly because you are only using about an inch of the blade. Band saws use the entire length of the blade. Sawing a straight line is more of the result of having a wider blade than anything else. If you have a narrow blade on either saw you're not going to be able to cut a straight line. If I had to do it again and I could find a decent small band saw with a deep throat, I would go with that rather than the scroll saw.
Edit- any small band saws I've seen have been crap so there's that too
