Can you guys educate me a little on this? I've been thinking about buying a band saw for building glass, laminated bows. From what I've read on here, most of you are using sanders instead of cutting the glass, which really leaves you cutting the riser to shape, sight window, and maybe limb tips with the band saw, right? Or is there more?
Now, I know that everyone is going to say go buy a 14" Grizzly and if I had the space and the money I would. Maybe I still will. But for the occasional bow builder, will a 9" band saw suffice? Is there more that you would use it for (assuming I'm not cutting lams with it)? Is it too under-powered to use for cutting risers?
Riser woods can be very dense and hard and difficult to cut accurately with a small saw. I don't really know how much a nine inch saw costs but, used older full sized ones show up for 100-150 dollars on craiglist. My first bandsaw came from a garage sale a very old Craftsman $75 I think is what it cost and was worth every penny. Me I would look around for a bigger saw, I honestly think in the long run you will be better served. Remember you aren't going to build only one, it become addicting.
it can be done with a small saw---and you can cut site windows with a hacksaw--you can even buy risers rough shaped/an extra lam for overlays-tips--you don't need big tools-but they are nice!!
Eric, there is no such thing as an " occasional bow builder " Once you start building bows, your gonna be hooked:) LOL
Buy the Grizzly and never look back:)
Thanks for the tips, guys.
Well, I finished assembling the Grizzly today! My form (Kenny's design) is just about done - just waiting on some supplies to arrive from Bingham's. I figure I should be doing my first glue-up Thanksgiving weekend. I'm glad you guys talked me into the Grizzy up front. Granted, I am a novice and have no idea what I'm doing yet, but the saw just screams quality.
Reading through the Grizzly manual, it mentions using the lower speed (1500 vs 3200) for very dense hardwoods. So, are you guys running your saw at 1500 or 3200 for cutting riser blocks?
Thanks in advance for what will surely be a holiday season full of questions!
Eric
I started with a 9 in band saw, it worked for a while then upgraded to a 14" grizzly. I ordered good blades for it.
with that saw youll be able to cut any riser you want and with the wright blade your own lams as well. i think i would run the saw at 3200 rpm and just feed the harder denser wood slower. im sure its not hard to change from one pulley to another to adjust speed is it?
Thanks for the replies. Any other feedback from guys who own Grizzly saws? Do you run them at 3200 or 1500 for riser work?
No matter what saw you use, cutting glass is very hard on the blade. There are good blades that perform better but cost a lot more, but yes most guys use a belt sander or disc grinder for the glass limbs. I don't think the rpm's matter too much.
Generally I run my saw at the same speed all of the time. Once you get to cutting various wood species and curves, you will quickly learn how fast to feed the material into it at the right speed. Good blades can make a poor saw cut decently, but a poor blade even in a great saw still will give you poor results! Invest in the appropriate blade for the type of cuts you will be doing and you will learn even faster.
I run mine on the lower speed , I resaw ,cut the profile of self bows, rIP lumber cut antler, ect., ect. Have yet to do a glass bow but I will cut that on low as well....I have the 17" griz and love the snot out of it!!!
I have an old 12" craftsman (8yrs or so) that I purchased from craiglist. It has served me well up to this point, but I'm really wanting a new grizzly 14". Simply because keeping the craftsman tuned and running smooth is a chore.
I run mine on the slow speed also for ripping lams and cutting the few risers I do. Might have to try the high speed side tho....